The Human Rights Commission bill promoted by Dr McGregor goes further, requiring an employer to disclose, on request from a staff member, what someone of the opposite sex doing equivalent work is paid.
Dr McGregor said the bill also provided for the worker requesting the information to ask a labour inspector to check its veracity.
If you work for the public then as your employer they have a right to know what you are paid.
If you are on a collective contract or a tradesperson it is no secret anyway.
Knowing how much some of our dodgy managers are paid for spending the day on facebook would add a bit of much needed disinfectant.
Maybe we should add the taxes paid as in Norway. I suspect that would name and shame a lot of the wealthiest people who use trusts and other dodgy means to avoid tax.
I think the entire accounts should be open to the employees so they can see what the business is worth, how it’s doing and, most importantly, how much the job that they’re doing is worth to the business. This would allow them the same strength in negotiations as the business owner/manager.
Anyway, I’d prefer if businesses were self-owned and the people in it working as a cooperative. The capitalist ownership model sux and is the major cause of poverty and suffering in the world.
Yes! Why just sex? Why not migrants? Why should a kiwi get paid less or more than a recent migrant who is just as capable? National seems to suggest low wages is good for NZ, but that means in order to attract Migrants to fill skills shortages will be hurt.
Why not also, religion? Do some get paid more or less because of their faith, or lack of faith?
Why not marriage, and children, do those with kids get paid less, those with mortgages?
Seems to me there’s a lot of hocus pocus when it comes to which Human Rights the Commission actively seeks to protect, i.e. politically ‘acceptable’ and areas that aren’t.
Like what about Maori doing the same job?
Good work by Bomber. He has disclosed that amongst the ranks of members of Vote for Change is a white supremacist. The person’s membership has been apparently already terminated such is the democratic nature of VFC.
more Hobbitses,
what could possibly be in Crown Law’s opinion on independent contractors in the film industry, during the ‘Hobbit’ debacle, that has led two Ombudsmen to find that governement is entitled to maintain secrecy? A tax payer funded opinion, leading to a law contrary to ILO freedom of association norms, seen by Warners, but the public cannot see it.
It appears that the Government maintained legal professional privilege and if so the Ombudsman was probably duty bound not to order its release.
Warners may have breached an undertaking not to divulge its contents by referring to it in a press release and this deserves more investigation.
It sucks however that this Government would release such an opinion to a foreign corporate but not to a collective of New Zealand workers or to the National Radio Station. If they want to have a proper debate about the issue they should waive privilege and release it.
Micky is likely correct, that on a ‘technicality’ the Ombudsmen ordered as they have. However it still stinks because even if the opinion does not conflict with what the Natz told parliament it said, us citizens paid for the opinion. Then urgency was applied and Warners got their pay day, again stumped up by the long suffering tax payer.
Due to the lack of transparency, there is suspicion until proven otherwise, that Crown Law’s opinion included views embarrassing or contrary to the governments stated position on union involvment in the film industry.
The government has been negotiating anFTA with India. This is what the government thinks India wants from the agreement:
“The good news part of the story is India wants to do the deal, and that’s because they’re very worried about inflation that’s running at about 8%. It’s having a big impact on the livelihoods of everyday Indians, and food is about 43% of their CPI basket,” Keys said.
This is what India says that they want from the agreement:
Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma said in the near-term a benefit to India from a trade deal would be for his country to gain better access to New Zealand agriculture technology.
The incompetence is stunning really. These people are supposed to be good at business and yet they don’t even know what the market is that they’re trying to sell into.
MISPLACED SYMPATHY FOR AN IGNORANT ATHLETE
Serena Williams was booed at Roland Garros because she was offensive, not because she was black
There is deep and abiding racism in sports, and especially in the sports media, as will be known by anyone who has any familiarity with the half-witted utterances and barely literate scribblings of (to name only some of the most flagrant) Murray Deaker, Martin Devlin, John Matheson, David Kirk, “Sir” John Graham, Tony Veitch.
But that doesn’t mean all criticism of black athletes is racist.
On Friday, one of our respected Standard contributors cited the following item to support the valid argument that the Williams sisters and their father Richard are often the victims of racial abuse….
This is an extremely misleading article, and it’s not insignificant that it appeared in the hard-right Daily Telegraph. Deliberately left out altogether from the account is the reason that Serena Williams was being booed by the French crowd. The day before Serena Williams’s weeping meltdown on Centre-court at Roland Garros, she had made several bumptious and ignorant remarks condemning the French government for “not supporting” the U.S. aggression against Iraq.
THAT is why the French crowd was booing her. But the article presents it as though Williams was the unfortunate recipient of routine Gallic anti-Americanism. Which is totally untrue, and exactly what you would expect from the Daily Telegraph.
We need to always be on guard against the racist bigots who infect the media at every level, but that doesn’t mean we should give a free ride to the likes of Serena Williams when she wades beyond her depth and flounders. A French reporter called her comments “maladroit”. She deserved everything the disgusted French crowd dished out to her that day.
Yeah, The Telegraph and The Times are the two British papers most closely associated with Israeli and US Neo-Conservative apologetics (although I realise you dispute the latter terminology, Morrissey). Tragically, my local paper – the Dom Post – relies on them almost exclusively for its Middle East coverage. Much of the resulting “news” and “analysis” is simply ludicrous. Pure disinformation.
I remember that one of the Williams sisters – I suspect it was Venus, but can’t be sure – was one of about 15 US “celebrities” to sign a US Zionist group’s newspaper advertisement that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, blamed the people of Lebanon and Hezbollah for Israel’s 2006 invasion and carpet bombing of that Country.
Hence, this latest outburst by Serena is by no means surprising.
1)…The Telegraph and The Times are the two British papers most closely associated with Israeli and US Neo-Conservative apologetics (although I realise you dispute the latter terminology, Morrissey).
The Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Observerare equally obnoxious. And I don’t think that “apologetics” is the right word to use here. (I’ll post something at length on this topic in future.) I accept that the small group of PNAC fanatics are called “Neocons”, but it’s a terrible misnomer for them. Conservatism is an honorable tradition, implying prudence and respect for tradition and the rule of law. We are all conservatives to a degree, if we live in the real world. The denizens of Planet Neocon, on the other hand, have nothing but contempt for the rule of law. Everything I’ve read by the likes of Kagan, Kristol, Huntington, Wolfowitz, Perle and Cheney (to name only the most obviously egregious) underlines their ruthlessness and fanaticism. They are anything but conservatives.
We have a number of them in New Zealand academia too: Stephen Hoadley at Auckland, Ron Smith and Dov Bing at Waikato, and Lance Beath at Victoria are regular commentators on political affairs on National Radio.
2)Tragically, my local paper – the Dom Post – relies on them almost exclusively for its Middle East coverage.
The editors on the Dom Post probably don’t know any more about Israel and Palestine than Serena Williams does, and no doubt publish stuff from the Telegraph and Times simply because that’s what they’ve always done. I doubt there’s any substantial animosity towards decent journalism in Wellington; it’s more a question of ignorance. You should ask them why they don’t publish something by Noam Chomsky, or Norman Finkelstein, or John Pilger, or Gideon Levy, or Amira Hass from Haaretz.
3)I remember that one of the Williams sisters – I suspect it was Venus, but can’t be sure – was one of about 15 US “celebrities” to sign a US Zionist group’s newspaper advertisement
To be fair to Serena Williams, though, I doubt that she is either pro-Israel or anti-Israel. This site claims it is “a list of celebrities (dead and alive) who were/are either definitely pro-Israel or have somehow been associated with a pro-Israel cause.” In other words, if you were polite to an AIPAC member instead of arguing with him, you are pro-Israel. If you say nothing when a pro-Israeli fruitcake like Gene Simmons sounds off in your vicinity, you are pro-Israel. When you meekly put up with your husband’s crazed rants against Palestinian civilians, you are “pro-Israel”. If, as Serena no doubt has done, you say that Israeli tennis pro Shaheer Peer is a nice person, that means you are “pro-Israel”—hence Nicole Kidman is on the list. So, despite not signing anything, Serena Williams has been co-opted onto this mad pro-Israel site—along with Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and other dead people.
In fact, I’m going to analyse this site a little more fully some time soon. Stay tuned!
*** “The Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Observer are equally obnoxious”.
I do think The Telegraph and The Times are the worst offenders, though. Both Murdoch (Times) and Black (until his relatively recent downfall – Telegraph) both had a long history of intervening editorially to ensure a fiercely right-wing Zionist perspective. The Guardian‘s coverage has, I think, improved over the last 5 years (though it still has some way to go). Of Britain’s major daily papers, The Independent probably provides the most honest coverage of Israel/Palestine and the Middle East in general (though The Financial Times has some quite impressive Editorials that manage to cut-through the usual US/Israeli framing of events).
***“We have a number of them in New Zealand academia too: Stephen Hoadley at Auckland, Ron Smith and Dov Bing at Waikato, and Lance Beath at Victoria are regular commentators on political affairs on National Radio.”
Yep, Hoadley and Bing – definitely Israeli apologists/propagandists. I’ve heard of Ron Smith but didn’t know his position on this. Never heard of Beath. I’d also argue that, despite often seeming (and, indeed, being) reasonable and fair, Vic’s Religious Studies Professor, Paul Morris has at times tended toward banal Israeli apologetics (particularly during the Mossad Affair).
*** Dom Post
Probably no coincidence that Fairfax are owned by Murdoch. I have to say that as Right-leaning as Old Nanny Herald usually is, its Middle East coverage is far better (greater variety of sources and viewpoints) than the Dom Post’s constant reliance on the official US/Israeli narrative. Over the immediate 16 months or so following the initial Bush/Blair invasion of Iraq, the Dom Post carried weekly – sometimes daily – Robert Fisk analysis. They then quietly dropped him (I suspect due to pressure from the small, local Israel lobby – shades of Cartoonist Malcolm Evans ! Certainly, the paper published a flurry of anti-Fisk letters-to-the-editor from the usual suspects, most of them loony-tune Christian Millenarialists).
*** Serena Williams, Nicole Kidman…..
Interesting and amusing site, Morrissey. But, no, I was thinking of an advertisement placed in the Los Angeles Times in 2006 by a US Zionist group associated with a number of Hollywood movers and shakers. The text of the advertisement was: “We the undersigned are pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas…..If we do not succeed in stopping terrorism around the world, chaos will rule and innocent people will continue to die…..We need to support democratic societies and stop terrorism at all costs.” Signed by various sports stars, Hollywood actors and comedians (particularly, as one might suspect, the relatively naff ones, the ones with an overwhelming interest in their own careers), including Serena Williams (was Serena not Venus, I was wrong), Sylvester Stallone, Nicole Kidman, Michael Douglas, Dennis Hopper (known for his right-wing Republican sympathies, despite the Easy Rider Hippy-shite of 1969), Bruce Willis (also a right-wing Republican), Danny De Vito and wife Rhea Perleman, Don Johnson, James Woods (long-time Republican supporter), Kelly Preston, William Hurt, Directors Ridley Scott, Dick Donner, Tony Scott and Michael Mann. Unfortunately, the advertisement was also endorsed by actress Patricia Heaton (who I’ve always fancied – despite her involvement in the ho-hum mainstream comedy Everyone Loves Raymond). I just can’t bring myself to fancy her anymore. For you, Morrissey, it would be like Anna Pacquin joining AIPAC.
Vic’s Religious Studies Professor, Paul Morris has at times tended toward banal Israeli apologetics (particularly during the Mossad Affair).
Yes, he’s a very interesting case. I’ve heard him speak about Jewish religious practice, and he seems civil and rational. What did he say about the captured Mossad agents?
Probably no coincidence that Fairfax are owned by Murdoch.
They are?!?!?!? Are you sure about that? If so, things are even bleaker than I thought.
Signed by various sports stars, Hollywood actors and comedians…
I wonder how many of those “beautiful people” really believed in what they were signing. At a Hollywood dinner party, which is where AIPAC tends to descend on this tanned, raddled and botoxed prey, you’d kind of feel obliged to sign a petition to “stop terrorism” and proclaim how “pained and devastated” you are. Who could argue with such a sentiment? Especially if you know nothing at all about the situation in Lebanon and Palestine, and you’re just too busy to read anything to find out, even if you did care. And how much time would William Hurt, or Michael Douglas, or Sylvester Stallone spend reading anything, leave alone a book about Israel and Palestine?
Patricia Heaton (who I’ve always fancied – despite her involvement in the ho-hum mainstream comedy Everyone Loves Raymond).
It’s mainstream, sure. But ho-hum? Really? I’m not joking here when I say I could watch it all day. I love and adore Everybody Loves Raymond.
I just can’t bring myself to fancy her anymore. For you, Morrissey, it would be like Anna Pacquin joining AIPAC.
Well, that’s my credibility completely down the fucking gurgler then, isn’t it ? Christ knows what I was thinking. Must have been drunk at the time (if the excuse works for Ruth Aitken’s son – “The Urinator” – then it should work for me). Does this monumental faux pas, this utter failure to live up to the high intellectual rigour expected of all commenters on The Standard, necessarily make me a bad man ? Why, yes, I think it does.
Quality of Everybody (not Everyone – I was wrong once again !) Loves Raymond
Not saying it’s bad. In fact, I do watch it now and then (and not only because of Ms Heaton) but, you know, nowhere near the brilliance of Curb Your Enthusiasm (or, indeed, The Simpsons) in my view (and a long, long way behind the best British comedies).
Paul Morris/Mossad Affair
Much like you, Morrissey, I have a tendency to write transcripts of TV/Radio discussions on the Middle East in general and Israel/Palestine in particular. Been doing so since about 2003. Everything from RNZ to BBC World to Norman Finkelstein’s lectures on youtube (even though the substance of much of the latter ends up in his various publications).
In the immediate wake of the Mossad Affair (and the vandalism of Jewish graves in Wellington), Morris was interviewed by Maureen Garing on RNZ’s Spiritual Outlook programme. I did a complete transcript at the time but, unfortunately, a number of my transcripts (including that one) got inadvertantly thrown-out around 2 years ago (much to my subsequent upset).
But, from memory (and, given my monumental faux-pas, above, people are obviously going to have to treat this fairly cautiously, remembering that this is coming from the fucker who thought Fairfax was owned by Murdoch), Morris (1) poured cold water on the (almost certain) fact that a number of leading members of the Auckland Jewish community (not just the one who fled NZ) were deeply involved in the Mossad Affair, (2) suggested the Clark Labour Government was inherently “anti-Israel” because (despite Israel’s demands to the contrary) Foreign Minister Phil Goff insisted on seeing Arafat as well as Sharon, (3) continued to insist that there was no evidence to suggest those involved in the scandal were, in fact, Mossad agents and (4) argued that Clark’s criticism of Israel in the wake of the affair not only revealed “anti-Israel” bias, but also caused the subsequent attack on Jewish graves in Wellington.
Yet another third-rate correspondent on National Radio this morning
Irris Makler jokes about “dead in the water” peace flotilla
“Nine to Noon”, National Radio, Monday 4 July 2011
Irris Makler, Lana Shaheen, Rory Carroll, Liat Collins, Dame Ann Leslie, and Jason Morrison are all shamelessly partisan, right-wing shills—yet they are regularly deferred to as regional voices of
authority on National Radio. This morning, we were subjected to a particularly egregious performance from the obnoxiously glib and light- hearted Irris Makler.
Disgusted, I sent off a letter to the host Kathryn Ryan…
Dear Kathryn,
You said there was “great controversy over the peace flotilla” last year. In fact, there was no controversy over the flotilla, which sought to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza. The controversy was over the Israeli pirate raid on the boats, in international waters, which killed nine peace activists.
Your correspondent Irris Makler joked that the convoy, stuck in Greece, was “dead in the water”, then sneered at the fact that there are “celebrities like Alice Walker” on board. She could have mentioned that one of the peace protestors on the flotilla is 86-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein. Tellingly, however, Irris Makler did not see fit to mention that.
What criteria do you use to select your foreign correspondents?
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
——————————————————–
Keep listening, guys—she might read it out on air!
I don’t recall direct quotes of Key in the media being quite so literal when he first started out:
“Obviously, look, it’s totally unacceptable that they’re using child labour but as the (Indian Prime) Minister himself he said they have laws against that, they’re administering that,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast.
Last week’s Waitangi Tribunal findings further cement the view that the Treaty of Waitangi is an out of date document.
The Treaty, on the basis of their findings among other, clearly provides for one race to have a “special” place in these fair lands, in which many many races and creeds live.
No lands on the planet can sustain a separate set of laws and arrangements for one race, and another for all the other races. It is a fundamentally flawed approach and will fail. As it has in every other land in the world where similar circumstances are applied. Examples are not even needed to support this as it is so self-evident.
All points to the Treaty being flawed for NZ today and in the future.
Yet various in our lands keep their blinkers on and refuse to acknowledge this. They remind me of the three monkeys seeing, hearing and speaking no evil.
I wonder when this will be honestly acknowledged by those who benefit from being “special”?
Meant to add before ….. the Treaty was probably quite appropriate for the times back then and up until some recent later point in time. However the use-by date is up. Time for it to be redrawn.
‘
VTO I try to get a balanced view on most subjects and I find reading books helps.
I may have been a bit excited in demanding that you read this book NOW! but it was because I sincerely believe that David Slack’s book about the Treaty of Waitangi in today’s world, deals with the issues you are raising.
David Slack makes a particular point of challenging the issue which you raised in your comment, “the Treaty was probably quite appropriate for the times back then. However the use by date is up….”
He also looks at the issue of, as you put it “a separate set of laws and arrangements for one race”.
This is why I thought this would be such a good book for you.
I think you may be pleasantly surprised to find yourself agreeing with some of the conclusions in this book.
Apart from this, David Slack’s book is packed full of interesting facts, from our past history and our recent history, and how we came to be in the position we are in today.
Some of David Slack’s facts and figures on the Treaty, historical as well as recent, are really quite startling.
I didn’t know for instance that the first ever land settlement made by the Waitangi Tribunal was relating to compensation to Ngati Whatua for land at Basstion Pt. and the Orakei reserve, the last of which was confiscated without reparation from the Ngati Whatua as Recently as the 1950s by the Auckland City Council. And which was the setting for an unprecedented protest occupation by Ngati Whatua and their supporters in the late ’70s to stop this land being subdivided by private developers for a tidy profit.
The Tribunal found that it was irrefutable that this alienation of Ngati Whatua’s last remaining piece of land in the Auckland region, which had been termed inalienable in previous enactments, was against the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi. I dare you to say it wasn’t.
VTO you told me, ‘How about you get an appreciation of history, NOW.’
I would be more than happy to read any written contributions suggested by you on this topic.
I look forward to receiving your suggested reading list.
The Treaty, on the basis of their findings among other, clearly provides for one race to have a “special” place in these fair lands, in which many many races and creeds live.
NO… the treaty clearly provides for independent tribes, acting as sovereign nations, to have a special place in these fair lands. That “special” place being their ancestral homelands, fisheries and resources of which iwi, like Tuhoe, were illegally displaced from.
Simple fact is, until you and Maori get your head around the “race” framing of any argument being irrelevent, you’re not really going to get anywhere. And until all treaty claims are settled there won’t be any other binding agreement drawn up any time soon.
What i hope to see drawn up in a post treaty settlement era is a constitution for something akin to Hone Harawira’s idea of a pan iwi Maori Parliament that has the Mana and authority to speak on behalf of all Maori about all things Maori.
Then while were at drawing up constitutions, let’s fully and finally cut the apron strings to wrinkly old Aunty Britannia, crawl out from under her colonial nightie and stand on our own 2 republican feet.
Two separate sets of laws, two parliaments and what you end up with is civil war.
Maori don’t need more representation than anyone else and as long as you keep asking/demanding it you’ll keep putting up the divides that keep us apart. You want people to treat everyone fairly and equally? Then stop asking for one race to be raised above all others.
PS, IMO, written constitutions aren’t all that great as they have a tendency to stop change when it becomes necessary.
Polly, you miss my point and agree with it at the same time. And I wasn’t actually framing it in race terms if your read carefully. It applies whether the separatism is created by race, class, gender, age, etc… Heard of the provisions of the Human Rights Act? – try applying those principles to the Treaty and its big picture. The treaty creates effectively two separate sets of rules for two different groups of people in one land. That doesn’t work. Never has. Didn’t work when the whiteys were “special” and wont work when the brownies are “special”.
Sure, the Treaty may say this and that, but I contend that the this and that, while perhaps suitable in the past circumstances, is entirely unsuitable for today.
And it is nothing to do with racism against maori or etc etc etc, it is to do with two separate sets of laws in one land. Doesn’t work. I would contend the same thing were it in Russia, Mongolia, USA, Fiji, South Africa, Lesotho, Christchurch, anywhere ….
Easy to attack this sort of view as some sort of out-of-date colonial throwback view but I contend that the separatism view is the out-of-date throwback view. They need to take their blinkers off and answer this issue instead of ignoring it
(btw, this aint nought to do with righting past wrongs, whether by crown or maori)
Sure, the Treaty may say this and that, but I contend that the this and that, while perhaps suitable in the past circumstances, is entirely unsuitable for today.
VTO
Oh really?
Ask yourself VTO,
If it had not been for the Waitangi Tribunal allowing Ngati Whatua to get redress not available to them in any other court, where would Ngati Whatua be today?
Bastion Point would have been built over with luxury homes and Ngati Whatua would presently be facing eviction from the state rental homes they were forced into when the council bulldozed their homes at Okahu Bay.
Despite discharging Auckland City’s sewer system into Okahu bay the council refused to let Ngati Whatua connect their waste water to to the council system. Then demolished their Marae at Okahu Bay as being unsanitary.
Their last remaining bit of land was confiscated and those not driven off to South Auckland or further afield, were shoved into government owned state housing on Bastion Point as tenants on their own land.
As most of Ngati Whatua are gainfully employed, many with good incomes, they no longer meet the criteria for staying in the state housing on Bastion Point under the government’s new regulations for state housing tenants.
No doubt VTO you have nothing to say about this sort of present day injustice.
There is a name for people like you. Can you think what it is?
A recent newsletter from the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) details an offer from the Government to settle the pay issue with disability care workers that arose from what is commonly known as the “sleepover case”.
In both the Employment Court and the Court of Appeal, it has been found that these workers on sleepover shifts are entitled to the minimum wage. Despite these rulings, no employer or their funders (a.k.a. the Government) have made any attempt to abide by the Court decisions, instead (in the case of IHC) employing workers through a subsidiary company to protect their large asset base (residential properties), placing companies into statutory management and lodging an appeal to the Supreme Court (due to be heard in September).
The probability that the Supreme Court will confirm earlier court rulings forced employers and the Government to the negotiating table. At issue are both putting these workers onto their lawful wage and backpay.
The Govt has offered to stagger the implementation of the minimum wage over four years. Audacious in the extreme, given the rulings clearly explain there is no ability for employer and employee to contract out of the Minimum Wage Act, even if they wanted to. This is as about as cut and dried as it gets, if you are working you must be paid no less than $13/hour. Apparently, despite this issue having dragged through the courts for over 3 years, employers and Government need another 4 years to be able to abide by legislation and the court’s interpretation of that legislation.
In respect of backpay, pleading poverty the Government has offered 25% of what is owed, only to workers still employed (former workers can go and get stuffed) and subject to a cap of $45 million. Oh, and they’ll fund half of it, the employers have to find the other half.
The amount of backpay has been approximated at $300 million, a quarter of that is $75 million. Even taking off an amount for former workers, I think describing the offer as “25%” is disingenuous. So, workers who have been frustrated by the intransigence of their employer and the Government as funder, patiently waiting for years to have this issue resolved, should now forego 75% (plus) of what has been accruing through no fault of their own.
The Union, to their credit, suggested 50% of backpay (plus interest) as a compromise. An entirely reasonable stance I suggest, cutting the bill by $150 million in an attempt to resolve this and move on. But no, that’s not good enough. I wonder what the reaction would have been had the Government, when bailing out SCF depositors, told them there was not enough money in the piggy bank and they could only have 25% of what they were legally entitled to?
In a final display of arrogance, the Government has given the Union until 15 July to advise whether the offer is accepted or rejected. One month to arrange meetings, votes etc, after the Government has pissed around for 3 years ignoring the issue until it could no longer do so.
This whole sorry saga continues to lurch towards an inevitable conclusion where no-one wins. Not surprisingly, the Union is recommending to its members not to accept the Government’s offer and given that likelihood, the parties will see each other at the Supreme Court on 13 September.
No-one wins because even if the Supreme Court overturns the earlier court rulings, the result may well be a mass exodus of current workers who have had a gutsful of this issue dragging on (first raised in 2001). Where I live, anecdotal evidence suggests 40% are ready to walk. The care of the disabled in our communities will be compromised.
If the Supreme Court does confirm earlier rulings, employers can choose to go bankrupt when the 5000+ claims that are waiting on this test case get filed in the Employment Court. Another possibility is retrospective legislation. Again, the care of the disabled is put at risk.
And that’s what’s so fucked up about this whole episode. The one’s who will ultimately suffer are the intellectually disabled members of our community. This is not an employment issue, it is a societal issue. When disability care was deinstitutionalised many years ago, huge cost savings resulted as Kingseat, Templeton et al became relics and disabled people were integrated into the community. Now, when workers attempt to re-address some balance into working conditions in this sector, no-one wants to cough up, forgetting the large cost of the alternative – professional care in expensive institutions.
I believe how we treat and care for those less fortunate in society is a reflection of society itself. In this area, society is failing.
Footnote: The Sleepover allowance paid by IHC when this case went to the Employment Relations Authority in 2008 was $34.00. In 2011, the allowance remains at $34.00.
I guess that since the recipients of care in this case are not significant voters then Government can wait it out. You are right about the social and economic reasons for abandoning the institutions. What should happen is that the money saved should have been diverted to proper community care. Underlines the importance of unionism as well.
The Ministry of Health annual Report on Drinking-Water in New Zealand 2009/10 shows 72,000 New Zealanders are drinking faecally-contaminated water. MOH found unacceptable levels of E.Coli in the water of 2% of the population. However the true number of people drinking faecally contaminated water may be 10 times higher than the MOH figure.
What a load of shit drawing inferences between one racist pig and the rest of Vote for Change’s founding members. Sure, they F’d up by not doing a background check on their founding members, but to infer that the rest of the members have white supremacist values is plain bullshit.
Furthermore, we’re yet to hear a debate playing the game, rather than the man, from pro-MMP supporters. While Fogerty is the extreme exception – but how about the pro-MMP campaign actually start debating the issues, rather than mud-slinging.
[lprent: this sub-thread is a complete diversion from the content of post – sent to OpenMike. ]
Likewise who cares…the 90’s were a bit of hazy decade for me.
…but let me get this straight. You’re comparing Rod Donald’s involvement with pro electoral reform in the 90’s with Alex Fogerty’s pro reform involvement now ?
No respect for the dead even. Jeez, how low will you screwed up right turning nutjobs go to smear a guys rep ?
but of course the 90’s reforms were about getting a fair deal for the under represented by left leaning politicians just as much as this bottom feeder Fogerty wants to protect his white male privilege in the right leaning politically and financially over represented.
Nice attempt at diversion and trying to grab a moral high ground that isn’t there. Rod Donald was a radical lefty. That is a fact that does not alter regardless of him being dead. His prominent role in the pro-electoral reform movement should not preclude people of a Right leaning persuassion from looking at the merits of MMP.
Despite your feeble attempt at misdirection Gossy, it still stands to reason that we need way more political activists like Rod Donald RIP in this world than we do bottom feeding right wing scumbags like Fogerty and maybe your self ?.
Of course movements are rightly associated with the political leanings of those involved in them.
The simple difference between Rod Donald’s involvement in getting MMP and Alex Fogerty’s involvement in Vote for Change: Rod Donald wasn’t a white supremacist, nor were his views the leftwing equivalent.
The mere fact that Donald didn’t have to quit the movement when people knew about his political views tells you that there is no moral equivalency.
Radical leftie? I am reminded of Jeanette Fitzsimon’s answer to Leighton Smith in 2002, that as the mainstream moved further right, the moderate left became the extreme left by default.
Apparently SBW the debate was done and dusted 15 odd years ago so there’s no need to engage in civilised debate anymore.
Imagine if that sort of perverted logic applied to all political discourse. There’s no need to discuss the ins and outs of Employment law because the National Party won the 1990 election on a platform of more flexibility in employment practices.
The stupidity behind the logic in that thinking staggers me.
[lprent: Moved as it referred a comment that has also been moved ]
Hi SBW, what yourself and Gosman miss when you invoke the ad hominem fallacy (in your different styles) is that there is good reason for people to be concerned with others’ motives – it works. That’s why, presumably, humans’ inordinate concern with motivation evolved in the first place.
It may not follow the strict cannons of Enlightenment rationalism, but it remains a rough and perfectly adequate approach to making decisions – once again, because it is likely to be adaptive in the long run. At a guess, I’d say that following strict logical guidelines in decision making about social and political issues – and ignoring information about speakers’ motives – will probably mean that you end up as a first rate mug.
Consideration of motives also encourages you to think about possible arguments that have not been mentioned (e.g., like ‘What would happen under a less proportional system if someone with, for example, a white supremacist agenda gained more than their fair share of representation?’). Thinking about motives, that is, raises concerns that are not part of the anemic, ‘motivation-less’ analysis that a pure rationalism might evoke.
Of course, in a perfect world in which everyone acted hyper-rationally and never used strategies such as ‘bait and switch’, never attempted to advance their agenda through sophisticated arguments and were always cognitively transparent we could all agree with you. But I don’t think that world is coming anytime soon.
Word PG. Motive and intent are everything in my books.
I expect we’ll see a lot of Key and English playing the ball come election time, ‘cos their motives are 100% pure and their intent noble. They have nothing but the best interests of ALL NZers at heart eh ?.. especially the mums and dads.
Well said. In my view, human behaviour is profoundly governed by motivation and it is often easy to see why people say and do certain things when you understand their motives. It also helps you predict their desired ‘endgame’, and determine whether or not you should support them. That is, it is important to understand ‘why’ someone is doing something, not just ‘what’.
The influence of motivation on behaviour may be concious, for example, people may support a certain cause because they stand to directly benefit from, but it can also occur at a subconcious level – which can easily be seen through a bit of inspection.
In saying that, however, questioning other’s motivation must of course be done in an honest manner, which of course means we should not make false accusations and ensure we properly ascertain how relevant it may be.
uke, these captains of industry deserve and finance every dollar that they earn and you shouldn’t be envious after all where would we be if they decided to leave us?
And didn’t you get the memo from Lloyd Blankfein (of Goldman Sachs)?
I received correspondence today from the National Party re Private and Personal Address Details. I had written to question how the National Party was able to gain the names and addresses specifically for pensioners for John Key’s letter dated 22 June 2011.
Speaking of racism, wasn’t that some bullshit from Don Brash today? Did you you see this?
Brash was throwing all his toys this morning, all angry about them uppity darkies. Maarees get too much white money he reckons, and they need knocking down a peg or two.
The trigger for his tantrum of race-hate? The Wai 262 report. He said parts of it are too extreme, give waaay too much stuff to maori, and the govt has to rule it out.
Of course he later admitted (by lunchtime) that he hadn’t read the report and therefore had no idea what was in it.
Is Hoots writing scripts for him again or something?
Today it was reported that the Pike River Coal receivers cannot make recovering bodies a condition of the Pike River mines sale. Apparently they cannot force potential buyers to carry out the recovery without a guarantee the operation would be safe and feasible. If it wasn’t achievable, why was it started in the first place I wonder? National’s Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata then contradicted the receiver’s statement…
1.) this utter failure to live up to the high intellectual rigour expected of all commenters
Next stop for you on your downward slide: a talk show on Radio Live.
2.) …and a long, long way behind the best British comedies
We presume you are a fan of The Inbetweeners.
3.) a number of leading members of the Auckland Jewish community (not just the one who fled NZ)
Who was this person who fled New Zealand? I remember reading about an Auckland ambulance worker who used to constantly disturb his colleagues by vehemently ranting about subhuman Palestinians. He went to Israel to join the IDF. Was it him, by any chance?
4.) …transcripts of TV/Radio discussions on the Middle East in general and Israel/Palestine in particular.
Good. Please publish them when you can. I have also recorded and transcribed a lot of TV and radio “discussions” (that is too charitable a term for most of them) and I will post more when I find the time. The other day, I dug up a transcript I made a few years back of a particularly foolish and incompetent Harriett Gilbert interview with Joe Sacco on the BBC Radio programme “The Strand”. I’ll post it up soon.
Your observations on Morris are interesting. I haven’t actually heard him say anything unfair or prejudiced, so far anyway. He is a civil and cultured speaker, at least, which makes him a contrast to such shameless pro-Israel propagandists as David Zwartz of Wellington, Dov Bing of Hamilton, and Michael Nathan of Auckland.
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
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Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
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Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
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Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
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Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
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Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
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Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
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Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
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span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
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You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
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. ...
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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 ...
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Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
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 ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
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A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Information privacy versus right to know?
Is adding the Salary Police to business administration impositions really a good idea?
Why just opposite sex?
I have a lot of reservations about this and think a lot more consideration, information and debate is required.
I do not see why wages should be a secret.
If you work for the public then as your employer they have a right to know what you are paid.
If you are on a collective contract or a tradesperson it is no secret anyway.
Knowing how much some of our dodgy managers are paid for spending the day on facebook would add a bit of much needed disinfectant.
Maybe we should add the taxes paid as in Norway. I suspect that would name and shame a lot of the wealthiest people who use trusts and other dodgy means to avoid tax.
I think the entire accounts should be open to the employees so they can see what the business is worth, how it’s doing and, most importantly, how much the job that they’re doing is worth to the business. This would allow them the same strength in negotiations as the business owner/manager.
“This would allow them the same strength in negotiations as the business owner/manager.”
And the same risks??????
What’s that got to do with the negotiations?
Anyway, I’d prefer if businesses were self-owned and the people in it working as a cooperative. The capitalist ownership model sux and is the major cause of poverty and suffering in the world.
and how close it is to going under! That’s why I am where I am today, (on UB) because the company I worked for, fell over.
Yes! Why just sex? Why not migrants? Why should a kiwi get paid less or more than a recent migrant who is just as capable? National seems to suggest low wages is good for NZ, but that means in order to attract Migrants to fill skills shortages will be hurt.
Why not also, religion? Do some get paid more or less because of their faith, or lack of faith?
Why not marriage, and children, do those with kids get paid less, those with mortgages?
Seems to me there’s a lot of hocus pocus when it comes to which Human Rights the Commission actively seeks to protect, i.e. politically ‘acceptable’ and areas that aren’t.
Like what about Maori doing the same job?
Good work by Bomber. He has disclosed that amongst the ranks of members of Vote for Change is a white supremacist. The person’s membership has been apparently already terminated such is the democratic nature of VFC.
And Trevor Mallard has again drawn links between the organisation and Simon Lusk while also raising questions about Lusk’s involvement in National’s Epsom selection. Could the same paid consultant be involved in a National and and ACT campaign for control of Epsom?
And Cameron Slater has reacted in his usual way. His comments on Red Alert are interesting to say the least.
As the saying goes, it should be an interesting day. Time to get out the popcorn …
One could also argue that Trevor Mallard is a homophobe so whats your point?
Go ahead and argue it then.
Que?
Tactic 1 – divert attention away from original comment.
One white supremacist? pppfffftt.
It’s the National Party FFS – they’re ALL white supremacists.
+1
😆
+1
more Hobbitses,
what could possibly be in Crown Law’s opinion on independent contractors in the film industry, during the ‘Hobbit’ debacle, that has led two Ombudsmen to find that governement is entitled to maintain secrecy? A tax payer funded opinion, leading to a law contrary to ILO freedom of association norms, seen by Warners, but the public cannot see it.
It appears that the Government maintained legal professional privilege and if so the Ombudsman was probably duty bound not to order its release.
Warners may have breached an undertaking not to divulge its contents by referring to it in a press release and this deserves more investigation.
It sucks however that this Government would release such an opinion to a foreign corporate but not to a collective of New Zealand workers or to the National Radio Station. If they want to have a proper debate about the issue they should waive privilege and release it.
What is the NACT government hiding?
The fact that it’s a NACT government, ie, working for the betterment of themselves and their rich mates at everyone else’s expense.
Micky is likely correct, that on a ‘technicality’ the Ombudsmen ordered as they have. However it still stinks because even if the opinion does not conflict with what the Natz told parliament it said, us citizens paid for the opinion. Then urgency was applied and Warners got their pay day, again stumped up by the long suffering tax payer.
Due to the lack of transparency, there is suspicion until proven otherwise, that Crown Law’s opinion included views embarrassing or contrary to the governments stated position on union involvment in the film industry.
The government has been negotiating anFTA with India. This is what the government thinks India wants from the agreement:
This is what India says that they want from the agreement:
The incompetence is stunning really. These people are supposed to be good at business and yet they don’t even know what the market is that they’re trying to sell into.
MISPLACED SYMPATHY FOR AN IGNORANT ATHLETE
Serena Williams was booed at Roland Garros because she was offensive, not because she was black
There is deep and abiding racism in sports, and especially in the sports media, as will be known by anyone who has any familiarity with the half-witted utterances and barely literate scribblings of (to name only some of the most flagrant) Murray Deaker, Martin Devlin, John Matheson, David Kirk, “Sir” John Graham, Tony Veitch.
But that doesn’t mean all criticism of black athletes is racist.
On Friday, one of our respected Standard contributors cited the following item to support the valid argument that the Williams sisters and their father Richard are often the victims of racial abuse….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1432217/Sobbing-Serena-booed-by-French.html
This is an extremely misleading article, and it’s not insignificant that it appeared in the hard-right Daily Telegraph. Deliberately left out altogether from the account is the reason that Serena Williams was being booed by the French crowd. The day before Serena Williams’s weeping meltdown on Centre-court at Roland Garros, she had made several bumptious and ignorant remarks condemning the French government for “not supporting” the U.S. aggression against Iraq.
THAT is why the French crowd was booing her. But the article presents it as though Williams was the unfortunate recipient of routine Gallic anti-Americanism. Which is totally untrue, and exactly what you would expect from the Daily Telegraph.
We need to always be on guard against the racist bigots who infect the media at every level, but that doesn’t mean we should give a free ride to the likes of Serena Williams when she wades beyond her depth and flounders. A French reporter called her comments “maladroit”. She deserved everything the disgusted French crowd dished out to her that day.
Yeah, The Telegraph and The Times are the two British papers most closely associated with Israeli and US Neo-Conservative apologetics (although I realise you dispute the latter terminology, Morrissey). Tragically, my local paper – the Dom Post – relies on them almost exclusively for its Middle East coverage. Much of the resulting “news” and “analysis” is simply ludicrous. Pure disinformation.
I remember that one of the Williams sisters – I suspect it was Venus, but can’t be sure – was one of about 15 US “celebrities” to sign a US Zionist group’s newspaper advertisement that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, blamed the people of Lebanon and Hezbollah for Israel’s 2006 invasion and carpet bombing of that Country.
Hence, this latest outburst by Serena is by no means surprising.
1) …The Telegraph and The Times are the two British papers most closely associated with Israeli and US Neo-Conservative apologetics (although I realise you dispute the latter terminology, Morrissey).
The Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Observerare equally obnoxious. And I don’t think that “apologetics” is the right word to use here. (I’ll post something at length on this topic in future.) I accept that the small group of PNAC fanatics are called “Neocons”, but it’s a terrible misnomer for them. Conservatism is an honorable tradition, implying prudence and respect for tradition and the rule of law. We are all conservatives to a degree, if we live in the real world. The denizens of Planet Neocon, on the other hand, have nothing but contempt for the rule of law. Everything I’ve read by the likes of Kagan, Kristol, Huntington, Wolfowitz, Perle and Cheney (to name only the most obviously egregious) underlines their ruthlessness and fanaticism. They are anything but conservatives.
We have a number of them in New Zealand academia too: Stephen Hoadley at Auckland, Ron Smith and Dov Bing at Waikato, and Lance Beath at Victoria are regular commentators on political affairs on National Radio.
2) Tragically, my local paper – the Dom Post – relies on them almost exclusively for its Middle East coverage.
The editors on the Dom Post probably don’t know any more about Israel and Palestine than Serena Williams does, and no doubt publish stuff from the Telegraph and Times simply because that’s what they’ve always done. I doubt there’s any substantial animosity towards decent journalism in Wellington; it’s more a question of ignorance. You should ask them why they don’t publish something by Noam Chomsky, or Norman Finkelstein, or John Pilger, or Gideon Levy, or Amira Hass from Haaretz.
3) I remember that one of the Williams sisters – I suspect it was Venus, but can’t be sure – was one of about 15 US “celebrities” to sign a US Zionist group’s newspaper advertisement
I think this is the one you mean…
http://www.israelifrontline.com/2011/03/pro-israel-celebrities-please-scroll.html
To be fair to Serena Williams, though, I doubt that she is either pro-Israel or anti-Israel. This site claims it is “a list of celebrities (dead and alive) who were/are either definitely pro-Israel or have somehow been associated with a pro-Israel cause.” In other words, if you were polite to an AIPAC member instead of arguing with him, you are pro-Israel. If you say nothing when a pro-Israeli fruitcake like Gene Simmons sounds off in your vicinity, you are pro-Israel. When you meekly put up with your husband’s crazed rants against Palestinian civilians, you are “pro-Israel”. If, as Serena no doubt has done, you say that Israeli tennis pro Shaheer Peer is a nice person, that means you are “pro-Israel”—hence Nicole Kidman is on the list. So, despite not signing anything, Serena Williams has been co-opted onto this mad pro-Israel site—along with Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and other dead people.
In fact, I’m going to analyse this site a little more fully some time soon. Stay tuned!
*** “The Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Observer are equally obnoxious”.
I do think The Telegraph and The Times are the worst offenders, though. Both Murdoch (Times) and Black (until his relatively recent downfall – Telegraph) both had a long history of intervening editorially to ensure a fiercely right-wing Zionist perspective. The Guardian‘s coverage has, I think, improved over the last 5 years (though it still has some way to go). Of Britain’s major daily papers, The Independent probably provides the most honest coverage of Israel/Palestine and the Middle East in general (though The Financial Times has some quite impressive Editorials that manage to cut-through the usual US/Israeli framing of events).
*** “We have a number of them in New Zealand academia too: Stephen Hoadley at Auckland, Ron Smith and Dov Bing at Waikato, and Lance Beath at Victoria are regular commentators on political affairs on National Radio.”
Yep, Hoadley and Bing – definitely Israeli apologists/propagandists. I’ve heard of Ron Smith but didn’t know his position on this. Never heard of Beath. I’d also argue that, despite often seeming (and, indeed, being) reasonable and fair, Vic’s Religious Studies Professor, Paul Morris has at times tended toward banal Israeli apologetics (particularly during the Mossad Affair).
*** Dom Post
Probably no coincidence that Fairfax are owned by Murdoch. I have to say that as Right-leaning as Old Nanny Herald usually is, its Middle East coverage is far better (greater variety of sources and viewpoints) than the Dom Post’s constant reliance on the official US/Israeli narrative. Over the immediate 16 months or so following the initial Bush/Blair invasion of Iraq, the Dom Post carried weekly – sometimes daily – Robert Fisk analysis. They then quietly dropped him (I suspect due to pressure from the small, local Israel lobby – shades of Cartoonist Malcolm Evans ! Certainly, the paper published a flurry of anti-Fisk letters-to-the-editor from the usual suspects, most of them loony-tune Christian Millenarialists).
*** Serena Williams, Nicole Kidman…..
Interesting and amusing site, Morrissey. But, no, I was thinking of an advertisement placed in the Los Angeles Times in 2006 by a US Zionist group associated with a number of Hollywood movers and shakers. The text of the advertisement was: “We the undersigned are pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas…..If we do not succeed in stopping terrorism around the world, chaos will rule and innocent people will continue to die…..We need to support democratic societies and stop terrorism at all costs.” Signed by various sports stars, Hollywood actors and comedians (particularly, as one might suspect, the relatively naff ones, the ones with an overwhelming interest in their own careers), including Serena Williams (was Serena not Venus, I was wrong), Sylvester Stallone, Nicole Kidman, Michael Douglas, Dennis Hopper (known for his right-wing Republican sympathies, despite the Easy Rider Hippy-shite of 1969), Bruce Willis (also a right-wing Republican), Danny De Vito and wife Rhea Perleman, Don Johnson, James Woods (long-time Republican supporter), Kelly Preston, William Hurt, Directors Ridley Scott, Dick Donner, Tony Scott and Michael Mann. Unfortunately, the advertisement was also endorsed by actress Patricia Heaton (who I’ve always fancied – despite her involvement in the ho-hum mainstream comedy Everyone Loves Raymond). I just can’t bring myself to fancy her anymore. For you, Morrissey, it would be like Anna Pacquin joining AIPAC.
The Guardian’s coverage has, I think, improved over the last 5 years (though it still has some way to go).
It had nowhere to go but up. Any paper that would tolerate a shoddy and incompetent writer like Emma Brockes is neither liberal nor serious…
http://www.medialens.org/alerts/05/051104_smearing_chomsky_the_guardian.php
Vic’s Religious Studies Professor, Paul Morris has at times tended toward banal Israeli apologetics (particularly during the Mossad Affair).
Yes, he’s a very interesting case. I’ve heard him speak about Jewish religious practice, and he seems civil and rational. What did he say about the captured Mossad agents?
Probably no coincidence that Fairfax are owned by Murdoch.
They are?!?!?!? Are you sure about that? If so, things are even bleaker than I thought.
Signed by various sports stars, Hollywood actors and comedians…
I wonder how many of those “beautiful people” really believed in what they were signing. At a Hollywood dinner party, which is where AIPAC tends to descend on this tanned, raddled and botoxed prey, you’d kind of feel obliged to sign a petition to “stop terrorism” and proclaim how “pained and devastated” you are. Who could argue with such a sentiment? Especially if you know nothing at all about the situation in Lebanon and Palestine, and you’re just too busy to read anything to find out, even if you did care. And how much time would William Hurt, or Michael Douglas, or Sylvester Stallone spend reading anything, leave alone a book about Israel and Palestine?
Patricia Heaton (who I’ve always fancied – despite her involvement in the ho-hum mainstream comedy Everyone Loves Raymond).
It’s mainstream, sure. But ho-hum? Really? I’m not joking here when I say I could watch it all day. I love and adore Everybody Loves Raymond.
I just can’t bring myself to fancy her anymore. For you, Morrissey, it would be like Anna Pacquin joining AIPAC.
I’d forgive her.
Pretty sure Fairfax is still Australian owned, and not owned by Murdoch’s News Corp. An old article:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/fairfax-media/news/article.cfm?o_id=263&objectid=10372643
Fairfax/Murdoch
Oh Fuck !
Well, that’s my credibility completely down the fucking gurgler then, isn’t it ? Christ knows what I was thinking. Must have been drunk at the time (if the excuse works for Ruth Aitken’s son – “The Urinator” – then it should work for me). Does this monumental faux pas, this utter failure to live up to the high intellectual rigour expected of all commenters on The Standard, necessarily make me a bad man ? Why, yes, I think it does.
Quality of Everybody (not Everyone – I was wrong once again !) Loves Raymond
Not saying it’s bad. In fact, I do watch it now and then (and not only because of Ms Heaton) but, you know, nowhere near the brilliance of Curb Your Enthusiasm (or, indeed, The Simpsons) in my view (and a long, long way behind the best British comedies).
Paul Morris/Mossad Affair
Much like you, Morrissey, I have a tendency to write transcripts of TV/Radio discussions on the Middle East in general and Israel/Palestine in particular. Been doing so since about 2003. Everything from RNZ to BBC World to Norman Finkelstein’s lectures on youtube (even though the substance of much of the latter ends up in his various publications).
In the immediate wake of the Mossad Affair (and the vandalism of Jewish graves in Wellington), Morris was interviewed by Maureen Garing on RNZ’s Spiritual Outlook programme. I did a complete transcript at the time but, unfortunately, a number of my transcripts (including that one) got inadvertantly thrown-out around 2 years ago (much to my subsequent upset).
But, from memory (and, given my monumental faux-pas, above, people are obviously going to have to treat this fairly cautiously, remembering that this is coming from the fucker who thought Fairfax was owned by Murdoch), Morris (1) poured cold water on the (almost certain) fact that a number of leading members of the Auckland Jewish community (not just the one who fled NZ) were deeply involved in the Mossad Affair, (2) suggested the Clark Labour Government was inherently “anti-Israel” because (despite Israel’s demands to the contrary) Foreign Minister Phil Goff insisted on seeing Arafat as well as Sharon, (3) continued to insist that there was no evidence to suggest those involved in the scandal were, in fact, Mossad agents and (4) argued that Clark’s criticism of Israel in the wake of the affair not only revealed “anti-Israel” bias, but also caused the subsequent attack on Jewish graves in Wellington.
Thanks Morrisey for that clarification!
It’s my pleasure.
Yet another third-rate correspondent on National Radio this morning
Irris Makler jokes about “dead in the water” peace flotilla
“Nine to Noon”, National Radio, Monday 4 July 2011
Irris Makler, Lana Shaheen, Rory Carroll, Liat Collins, Dame Ann Leslie, and Jason Morrison are all shamelessly partisan, right-wing shills—yet they are regularly deferred to as regional voices of
authority on National Radio. This morning, we were subjected to a particularly egregious performance from the obnoxiously glib and light- hearted Irris Makler.
Disgusted, I sent off a letter to the host Kathryn Ryan…
Dear Kathryn,
You said there was “great controversy over the peace flotilla” last year. In fact, there was no controversy over the flotilla, which sought to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza. The controversy was over the Israeli pirate raid on the boats, in international waters, which killed nine peace activists.
Your correspondent Irris Makler joked that the convoy, stuck in Greece, was “dead in the water”, then sneered at the fact that there are “celebrities like Alice Walker” on board. She could have mentioned that one of the peace protestors on the flotilla is 86-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein. Tellingly, however, Irris Makler did not see fit to mention that.
What criteria do you use to select your foreign correspondents?
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
——————————————————–
Keep listening, guys—she might read it out on air!
I don’t recall direct quotes of Key in the media being quite so literal when he first started out:
Last week’s Waitangi Tribunal findings further cement the view that the Treaty of Waitangi is an out of date document.
The Treaty, on the basis of their findings among other, clearly provides for one race to have a “special” place in these fair lands, in which many many races and creeds live.
No lands on the planet can sustain a separate set of laws and arrangements for one race, and another for all the other races. It is a fundamentally flawed approach and will fail. As it has in every other land in the world where similar circumstances are applied. Examples are not even needed to support this as it is so self-evident.
All points to the Treaty being flawed for NZ today and in the future.
Yet various in our lands keep their blinkers on and refuse to acknowledge this. They remind me of the three monkeys seeing, hearing and speaking no evil.
I wonder when this will be honestly acknowledged by those who benefit from being “special”?
Meant to add before ….. the Treaty was probably quite appropriate for the times back then and up until some recent later point in time. However the use-by date is up. Time for it to be redrawn.
VTO Read this book by David Slack NOW!
Thanks Jenny but no thanks. How about you get an appreciation of history, NOW.
‘
VTO I try to get a balanced view on most subjects and I find reading books helps.
I may have been a bit excited in demanding that you read this book NOW! but it was because I sincerely believe that David Slack’s book about the Treaty of Waitangi in today’s world, deals with the issues you are raising.
David Slack makes a particular point of challenging the issue which you raised in your comment, “the Treaty was probably quite appropriate for the times back then. However the use by date is up….”
He also looks at the issue of, as you put it “a separate set of laws and arrangements for one race”.
This is why I thought this would be such a good book for you.
I think you may be pleasantly surprised to find yourself agreeing with some of the conclusions in this book.
Apart from this, David Slack’s book is packed full of interesting facts, from our past history and our recent history, and how we came to be in the position we are in today.
Some of David Slack’s facts and figures on the Treaty, historical as well as recent, are really quite startling.
I didn’t know for instance that the first ever land settlement made by the Waitangi Tribunal was relating to compensation to Ngati Whatua for land at Basstion Pt. and the Orakei reserve, the last of which was confiscated without reparation from the Ngati Whatua as Recently as the 1950s by the Auckland City Council. And which was the setting for an unprecedented protest occupation by Ngati Whatua and their supporters in the late ’70s to stop this land being subdivided by private developers for a tidy profit.
The Tribunal found that it was irrefutable that this alienation of Ngati Whatua’s last remaining piece of land in the Auckland region, which had been termed inalienable in previous enactments, was against the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi. I dare you to say it wasn’t.
VTO you told me, ‘How about you get an appreciation of history, NOW.’
I would be more than happy to read any written contributions suggested by you on this topic.
I look forward to receiving your suggested reading list.
Yours sincerely J.
NO… the treaty clearly provides for independent tribes, acting as sovereign nations, to have a special place in these fair lands. That “special” place being their ancestral homelands, fisheries and resources of which iwi, like Tuhoe, were illegally displaced from.
Simple fact is, until you and Maori get your head around the “race” framing of any argument being irrelevent, you’re not really going to get anywhere. And until all treaty claims are settled there won’t be any other binding agreement drawn up any time soon.
What i hope to see drawn up in a post treaty settlement era is a constitution for something akin to Hone Harawira’s idea of a pan iwi Maori Parliament that has the Mana and authority to speak on behalf of all Maori about all things Maori.
Then while were at drawing up constitutions, let’s fully and finally cut the apron strings to wrinkly old Aunty Britannia, crawl out from under her colonial nightie and stand on our own 2 republican feet.
Would it still be necessary to crawl out from under Princess Di’s nightie, or could we stay there?
Two separate sets of laws, two parliaments and what you end up with is civil war.
Maori don’t need more representation than anyone else and as long as you keep asking/demanding it you’ll keep putting up the divides that keep us apart. You want people to treat everyone fairly and equally? Then stop asking for one race to be raised above all others.
PS, IMO, written constitutions aren’t all that great as they have a tendency to stop change when it becomes necessary.
Draco, I think you need to read David Slack’s book too. Cos’ you really don’t know what the hell you are talking about.
Polly, you miss my point and agree with it at the same time. And I wasn’t actually framing it in race terms if your read carefully. It applies whether the separatism is created by race, class, gender, age, etc… Heard of the provisions of the Human Rights Act? – try applying those principles to the Treaty and its big picture. The treaty creates effectively two separate sets of rules for two different groups of people in one land. That doesn’t work. Never has. Didn’t work when the whiteys were “special” and wont work when the brownies are “special”.
Sure, the Treaty may say this and that, but I contend that the this and that, while perhaps suitable in the past circumstances, is entirely unsuitable for today.
And it is nothing to do with racism against maori or etc etc etc, it is to do with two separate sets of laws in one land. Doesn’t work. I would contend the same thing were it in Russia, Mongolia, USA, Fiji, South Africa, Lesotho, Christchurch, anywhere ….
Easy to attack this sort of view as some sort of out-of-date colonial throwback view but I contend that the separatism view is the out-of-date throwback view. They need to take their blinkers off and answer this issue instead of ignoring it
(btw, this aint nought to do with righting past wrongs, whether by crown or maori)
Oh really?
Ask yourself VTO,
If it had not been for the Waitangi Tribunal allowing Ngati Whatua to get redress not available to them in any other court, where would Ngati Whatua be today?
Bastion Point would have been built over with luxury homes and Ngati Whatua would presently be facing eviction from the state rental homes they were forced into when the council bulldozed their homes at Okahu Bay.
Despite discharging Auckland City’s sewer system into Okahu bay the council refused to let Ngati Whatua connect their waste water to to the council system. Then demolished their Marae at Okahu Bay as being unsanitary.
Their last remaining bit of land was confiscated and those not driven off to South Auckland or further afield, were shoved into government owned state housing on Bastion Point as tenants on their own land.
As most of Ngati Whatua are gainfully employed, many with good incomes, they no longer meet the criteria for staying in the state housing on Bastion Point under the government’s new regulations for state housing tenants.
No doubt VTO you have nothing to say about this sort of present day injustice.
There is a name for people like you. Can you think what it is?
(NOT) PAYING FOR DISABLED CARE
A recent newsletter from the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) details an offer from the Government to settle the pay issue with disability care workers that arose from what is commonly known as the “sleepover case”.
In both the Employment Court and the Court of Appeal, it has been found that these workers on sleepover shifts are entitled to the minimum wage. Despite these rulings, no employer or their funders (a.k.a. the Government) have made any attempt to abide by the Court decisions, instead (in the case of IHC) employing workers through a subsidiary company to protect their large asset base (residential properties), placing companies into statutory management and lodging an appeal to the Supreme Court (due to be heard in September).
The probability that the Supreme Court will confirm earlier court rulings forced employers and the Government to the negotiating table. At issue are both putting these workers onto their lawful wage and backpay.
The Govt has offered to stagger the implementation of the minimum wage over four years. Audacious in the extreme, given the rulings clearly explain there is no ability for employer and employee to contract out of the Minimum Wage Act, even if they wanted to. This is as about as cut and dried as it gets, if you are working you must be paid no less than $13/hour. Apparently, despite this issue having dragged through the courts for over 3 years, employers and Government need another 4 years to be able to abide by legislation and the court’s interpretation of that legislation.
In respect of backpay, pleading poverty the Government has offered 25% of what is owed, only to workers still employed (former workers can go and get stuffed) and subject to a cap of $45 million. Oh, and they’ll fund half of it, the employers have to find the other half.
The amount of backpay has been approximated at $300 million, a quarter of that is $75 million. Even taking off an amount for former workers, I think describing the offer as “25%” is disingenuous. So, workers who have been frustrated by the intransigence of their employer and the Government as funder, patiently waiting for years to have this issue resolved, should now forego 75% (plus) of what has been accruing through no fault of their own.
The Union, to their credit, suggested 50% of backpay (plus interest) as a compromise. An entirely reasonable stance I suggest, cutting the bill by $150 million in an attempt to resolve this and move on. But no, that’s not good enough. I wonder what the reaction would have been had the Government, when bailing out SCF depositors, told them there was not enough money in the piggy bank and they could only have 25% of what they were legally entitled to?
In a final display of arrogance, the Government has given the Union until 15 July to advise whether the offer is accepted or rejected. One month to arrange meetings, votes etc, after the Government has pissed around for 3 years ignoring the issue until it could no longer do so.
This whole sorry saga continues to lurch towards an inevitable conclusion where no-one wins. Not surprisingly, the Union is recommending to its members not to accept the Government’s offer and given that likelihood, the parties will see each other at the Supreme Court on 13 September.
No-one wins because even if the Supreme Court overturns the earlier court rulings, the result may well be a mass exodus of current workers who have had a gutsful of this issue dragging on (first raised in 2001). Where I live, anecdotal evidence suggests 40% are ready to walk. The care of the disabled in our communities will be compromised.
If the Supreme Court does confirm earlier rulings, employers can choose to go bankrupt when the 5000+ claims that are waiting on this test case get filed in the Employment Court. Another possibility is retrospective legislation. Again, the care of the disabled is put at risk.
And that’s what’s so fucked up about this whole episode. The one’s who will ultimately suffer are the intellectually disabled members of our community. This is not an employment issue, it is a societal issue. When disability care was deinstitutionalised many years ago, huge cost savings resulted as Kingseat, Templeton et al became relics and disabled people were integrated into the community. Now, when workers attempt to re-address some balance into working conditions in this sector, no-one wants to cough up, forgetting the large cost of the alternative – professional care in expensive institutions.
I believe how we treat and care for those less fortunate in society is a reflection of society itself. In this area, society is failing.
Footnote: The Sleepover allowance paid by IHC when this case went to the Employment Relations Authority in 2008 was $34.00. In 2011, the allowance remains at $34.00.
I guess that since the recipients of care in this case are not significant voters then Government can wait it out. You are right about the social and economic reasons for abandoning the institutions. What should happen is that the money saved should have been diverted to proper community care. Underlines the importance of unionism as well.
New Zealands Crap Water
The Ministry of Health annual Report on Drinking-Water in New Zealand 2009/10 shows 72,000 New Zealanders are drinking faecally-contaminated water. MOH found unacceptable levels of E.Coli in the water of 2% of the population. However the true number of people drinking faecally contaminated water may be 10 times higher than the MOH figure.
What is NZ’s next sacrificial lamb to be led to the Free Trade altar for slaughter?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10736183
Surely the National Government won’t trade away Pharmac?
This government will trade away whatever of ours that their owners tell them to.
Or whatever the Lobby groups lob into their coffers!
What a load of shit drawing inferences between one racist pig and the rest of Vote for Change’s founding members. Sure, they F’d up by not doing a background check on their founding members, but to infer that the rest of the members have white supremacist values is plain bullshit.
Furthermore, we’re yet to hear a debate playing the game, rather than the man, from pro-MMP supporters. While Fogerty is the extreme exception – but how about the pro-MMP campaign actually start debating the issues, rather than mud-slinging.
[lprent: this sub-thread is a complete diversion from the content of post – sent to OpenMike. ]
Now now Sonny Bill…
…you just worry about putting Quade Cooper on his arse and bringing home that Super 15 cup for the meantime yeah ?
theres a good lad, now run along…
And right on target pollywog provides an example of this stupidity in action.
Do you bother to use your brain sometime pollywog or do you prefer to substitute insults or reason?
hmmmm…trick question eh Gosman ?…Imma hv ta fink bout dat 1 eh
but just off the top, do you know what the proportion of rich old white men comprising the VfC board compared to any other demographic is ?
Who cares?
What was the proportion of radical lefties like Rod Donald in the original pro-electoral reform movement in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s?
Did that somehow mean that MMP was tainted by leftist politics?
Likewise who cares…the 90’s were a bit of hazy decade for me.
…but let me get this straight. You’re comparing Rod Donald’s involvement with pro electoral reform in the 90’s with Alex Fogerty’s pro reform involvement now ?
No respect for the dead even. Jeez, how low will you screwed up right turning nutjobs go to smear a guys rep ?
but of course the 90’s reforms were about getting a fair deal for the under represented by left leaning politicians just as much as this bottom feeder Fogerty wants to protect his white male privilege in the right leaning politically and financially over represented.
Nice attempt at diversion and trying to grab a moral high ground that isn’t there. Rod Donald was a radical lefty. That is a fact that does not alter regardless of him being dead. His prominent role in the pro-electoral reform movement should not preclude people of a Right leaning persuassion from looking at the merits of MMP.
Despite your feeble attempt at misdirection Gossy, it still stands to reason that we need way more political activists like Rod Donald RIP in this world than we do bottom feeding right wing scumbags like Fogerty and maybe your self ?.
Of course movements are rightly associated with the political leanings of those involved in them.
The simple difference between Rod Donald’s involvement in getting MMP and Alex Fogerty’s involvement in Vote for Change: Rod Donald wasn’t a white supremacist, nor were his views the leftwing equivalent.
The mere fact that Donald didn’t have to quit the movement when people knew about his political views tells you that there is no moral equivalency.
What was the proportion of radical lefties like Rod Donald…
Ah I can see you’re a ignorant innocent. Rob Donald was never a “radical leftie”. If you think that then you have been truly shielded from reality.
Radical leftie? I am reminded of Jeanette Fitzsimon’s answer to Leighton Smith in 2002, that as the mainstream moved further right, the moderate left became the extreme left by default.
Apparently SBW the debate was done and dusted 15 odd years ago so there’s no need to engage in civilised debate anymore.
Imagine if that sort of perverted logic applied to all political discourse. There’s no need to discuss the ins and outs of Employment law because the National Party won the 1990 election on a platform of more flexibility in employment practices.
The stupidity behind the logic in that thinking staggers me.
[lprent: Moved as it referred a comment that has also been moved ]
Hi SBW, what yourself and Gosman miss when you invoke the ad hominem fallacy (in your different styles) is that there is good reason for people to be concerned with others’ motives – it works. That’s why, presumably, humans’ inordinate concern with motivation evolved in the first place.
It may not follow the strict cannons of Enlightenment rationalism, but it remains a rough and perfectly adequate approach to making decisions – once again, because it is likely to be adaptive in the long run. At a guess, I’d say that following strict logical guidelines in decision making about social and political issues – and ignoring information about speakers’ motives – will probably mean that you end up as a first rate mug.
Consideration of motives also encourages you to think about possible arguments that have not been mentioned (e.g., like ‘What would happen under a less proportional system if someone with, for example, a white supremacist agenda gained more than their fair share of representation?’). Thinking about motives, that is, raises concerns that are not part of the anemic, ‘motivation-less’ analysis that a pure rationalism might evoke.
Of course, in a perfect world in which everyone acted hyper-rationally and never used strategies such as ‘bait and switch’, never attempted to advance their agenda through sophisticated arguments and were always cognitively transparent we could all agree with you. But I don’t think that world is coming anytime soon.
Word PG. Motive and intent are everything in my books.
I expect we’ll see a lot of Key and English playing the ball come election time, ‘cos their motives are 100% pure and their intent noble. They have nothing but the best interests of ALL NZers at heart eh ?.. especially the mums and dads.
…yeah right
Well said. In my view, human behaviour is profoundly governed by motivation and it is often easy to see why people say and do certain things when you understand their motives. It also helps you predict their desired ‘endgame’, and determine whether or not you should support them. That is, it is important to understand ‘why’ someone is doing something, not just ‘what’.
The influence of motivation on behaviour may be concious, for example, people may support a certain cause because they stand to directly benefit from, but it can also occur at a subconcious level – which can easily be seen through a bit of inspection.
In saying that, however, questioning other’s motivation must of course be done in an honest manner, which of course means we should not make false accusations and ensure we properly ascertain how relevant it may be.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5230771/AA-calls-for-petrol-price-drop
Tui Ad?
Yeah well as long as the Commerce Commission is bought and paid for by big Business then you have no chance of a fair go for all.
not to mention petrol is only going to go one way in price
And once the US and other countries stop releasing oil from the emergency reserves watch as prices spike upward again. Price of oil in US$ may be down ATM but the general trend over the last 5 years is upwards.
It’s awesomesauce.
The G7 drain their Strategic Reserves, make a big fuss about it and manage to lower oil prices.
Speculators buy up their cheap oil like crazy. And 6 months later, sell it back to the G7 at a 50% mark up.
Bloody brilliant.
These are truly great days to be a wealthy American CEO:
CEO pay in US soared 23 percent in 2010
uke, these captains of industry deserve and finance every dollar that they earn and you shouldn’t be envious after all where would we be if they decided to leave us?
And didn’t you get the memo from Lloyd Blankfein (of Goldman Sachs)?
They are doing God’s work, don’t you know.
I’m not joking.
http://www.businessinsider.com/lloyd-blankfein-says-he-is-doing-gods-work-2009-11
Absolutely, and he should not have been made to apologise for the remark several days later.
(“…finance every dollar that they earn…”. Nice.)
National Abusing Parliamentary Services
I received correspondence today from the National Party re Private and Personal Address Details. I had written to question how the National Party was able to gain the names and addresses specifically for pensioners for John Key’s letter dated 22 June 2011.
Fox news twitter haxxored:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/jul/04/fox-news-hacked-twitter-obama-dead
Go look now before they fix it:
https://twitter.com/#!/foxnewspolitics
…snort…still up..
Pascal’s bookie,
We already have the Fox News NZ style…
Talk about Crosby Textor…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/rebuilding-christchurch/5226579/Post-quake-deal-divides-Christchurch-councillors
I wonder if the Christchurch voters have had enough of Bob Parker yet?
Speaking of racism, wasn’t that some bullshit from Don Brash today? Did you you see this?
Brash was throwing all his toys this morning, all angry about them uppity darkies. Maarees get too much white money he reckons, and they need knocking down a peg or two.
The trigger for his tantrum of race-hate? The Wai 262 report. He said parts of it are too extreme, give waaay too much stuff to maori, and the govt has to rule it out.
Of course he later admitted (by lunchtime) that he hadn’t read the report and therefore had no idea what was in it.
Is Hoots writing scripts for him again or something?
The Politics of Misery
Today it was reported that the Pike River Coal receivers cannot make recovering bodies a condition of the Pike River mines sale. Apparently they cannot force potential buyers to carry out the recovery without a guarantee the operation would be safe and feasible. If it wasn’t achievable, why was it started in the first place I wonder? National’s Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata then contradicted the receiver’s statement…
1.) this utter failure to live up to the high intellectual rigour expected of all commenters
Next stop for you on your downward slide: a talk show on Radio Live.
2.) …and a long, long way behind the best British comedies
We presume you are a fan of The Inbetweeners.
3.) a number of leading members of the Auckland Jewish community (not just the one who fled NZ)
Who was this person who fled New Zealand? I remember reading about an Auckland ambulance worker who used to constantly disturb his colleagues by vehemently ranting about subhuman Palestinians. He went to Israel to join the IDF. Was it him, by any chance?
4.) …transcripts of TV/Radio discussions on the Middle East in general and Israel/Palestine in particular.
Good. Please publish them when you can. I have also recorded and transcribed a lot of TV and radio “discussions” (that is too charitable a term for most of them) and I will post more when I find the time. The other day, I dug up a transcript I made a few years back of a particularly foolish and incompetent Harriett Gilbert interview with Joe Sacco on the BBC Radio programme “The Strand”. I’ll post it up soon.
Your observations on Morris are interesting. I haven’t actually heard him say anything unfair or prejudiced, so far anyway. He is a civil and cultured speaker, at least, which makes him a contrast to such shameless pro-Israel propagandists as David Zwartz of Wellington, Dov Bing of Hamilton, and Michael Nathan of Auckland.