85,000 people are not getting to see a specialist after being referred by a GP.
Presumably there are others – people who go to hospital without seeing a GP (do not have one).
National is proposing funding of more scans of people prior to seeing a specialist (without mentioning if they have the technicians in hospitals to do this). *
From the Herald today. Tax avoidance is alive and well.
"A tax minimisation trick has ironically seen the Government’s tax take unexpectedly spike. Companies owned by trusts appear to have flushed out excess retained earnings ahead of the trustee tax rate rising from 33 to 39 per cent on April 1, 2024 (for trusts that earn more than $10,000 a year). The value of companies’ dividend payments more than doubled, from $23.6 billion to $49.4b, in the tax year to March 31, 2024, according to figures Inland Revenue gave the Herald.
The spike in dividend payments that occurred just before the trustee rate change took effect was such that it contributed towards the Government collecting $1.7b (1.7 per cent) more tax in the 10 months to April 30 than the Treasury expected"
Interesting that the COC hasn’t reversed Labour’s move to tax trusts at 39% (except for smaller trusts). The politics of this would not have looked good.
The GR government got the same result when they increased the top rate of tax to 39 cents, so they planned to generate this windfall by placing the rate on trusts to 39 cents this year. It was a deliberate move to add to the money available for new spending.
Interesting that the COC hasn’t reversed Labour’s move to tax trusts at 39% (except for smaller trusts). The politics of this would not have looked good.
They knew they needed the money because their numbers were dubious.
Something also worth highlighting about this, it represents a budget forecast error in the order of $1.7 billion (over 12 months). Question is, how many of the $million cuts made and being made became irrelevant to the state of the government books by this forecast error (while often seriously hurting public service provision, institution and staff)?
The same question arises every time an un-forecast 'improvement' in the budget position is reported, where the question regarding that improvement figure should be just how much extra public spending could have been done with the same expected impacts on the economy as forecast. The only difference is in this case the cause of a big part of the forecast error appears to be understood.
The budget impact is minimal because it is not regular revenue.
It can be used for one off funding (school building). Funding of a first year of a new spending allocation (cancer drugs). Or maintaining existing programmes – such as food in schools 2024-2027.
Not sure what point your making. Trying to fine tune a forecast figure which you have only a very fuzzy idea of is fundamentally foolish, and hurting so many people in the process makes that malicious.
Revenue of 101.7B instead of $100B has more of an impact on future budget plans where it is not a one off increase.
Regardless of ones view on the nature of government organisation – as to funding means or level of funding, and its ultility to people, it has to do budgets.
This is so, even though government subservience to a yearly budget balance has moved on – to one of management across the economic cycle, and even then within the context of borrowing for future development – infrastructure and either having contingency allocation or low debt for a rainy day.
The issue here is really one of maintaining government activity across the economic cycle because political parties have a different perspective on a sustainable baseline role and level to public service delivery.
I take this to mean you can only forecast based on things you know, which seems rather beside the point. There are lots of things in the budget which are estimates because you don't know them. In this case were talking about something which treasury could have apparently estimated much better, but simply forgot to. Estimates are going to be wrong to some degree of course. The reason that should be contentious is the scale of the things you can't estimate well dwarfs the scale of the things which are being focused on.
"The budget impact is minimal because it is not regular revenue."
Don't mistake something which might be legitimately hard to estimate for being unimportant. For specific example, minimal in this context is apparently $1.7 billion over 12 months. The recent Kainga Ora review forecast that the operating balance deficit would grow from $520 million to $700 million annually. This is substantially smaller than that minimal budget error. Kainga Ora is also one of the larger departments in the budget.
Yeah I remember seeing some advice from financial advisors to do this before the tax rate went up. Just shows how much the system is designed for those who have the greatest means to pay tax.
I'm still not sure what benefit NZ gets from all the tax haven trusts we have either. Does it just make it look like the country is flush with money even though it doesn't belong to us? Does it just enable banks to lend more money because they have these massive amounts sitting in these foreign owned trusts?
I am suspicious of the motives of a party that has, in the past, advocated the reduction of both annual and sick leave for waged workers, plus abolition of penal rates for working on public holidays and was a prime advocate of what we call now "zero hours contracts".
Yes, so are the libertarian freaks from ACT trying to pull a trick here?
Let's assume for simplicity that a full-time working year (minus weekends, public holidays and annual leave) is 40 weeks (200 days) – it's a bit longer in reality, but this keeps the arithmetic simpler.
If I currently work 5 days a week and 8 hours a day – my working year would be 200 days and 1600 hours. I currently get 10 full-time days (80 hours) of sick-leave – that's one working day in 20 and one hour in 20.
If I currently work 4 days a week and 4 hours a day – my working year would be 160 (part-time days) and 640 hours. I currently get 8 part-time 4-hour days (32 hours) of sick leave – that's also one working day in 20 and one hour in 20.
However, what happens if we slyly convert those 640 annual hours of our part-time worker into full time days? 640 hours is only 80 full-time days – only 40% of the 200 days worked annually by the full-time worker. Therefore, if we pro-rate on this basis, the part-time worker will get 40% of the 10 days allowed to the full-time worker, i.e. 4 days. So now our part-time worker gets only 4 part-time 4-hour days (16 hours) of sick leave – that's now become only one working day in 40 and one hour in 40, whereas currently both of these ratios are 1 in 20.
Note that the total effect is that our part-time worker still has to turn up on 160 days, but their sick leave allowance now treats them as if they had to turn up on only 80. It blurs the distinction between the number of working days (the days on which I must turn up to work) and the total days worked in a year (measured in full-time days)
It's not clear that this is the trick they're pulling. But it looks like it to me.
They are using examples of a person who has two (part-time) jobs and who then claims 20 days sick leave.
This to portray it as a problem to be solved by pro rata based on hours worked. Despite the obvious injustice to those who work part-time 5 days a week.
They can solve that problem by having another category for those who have multiple jobs.
First category – those who meet the criteria for 10 days sick leave (those who work 5 days a week in both those jobs). Allocate the 10 days across the jobs they have. 5 days each.
Second category – work 2 days in 2 jobs – then get 8 days sick leave – 4 for each one etc.
Auckland is looking at roading de-congestion options.
Time of use is no more efficient than commuter car lanes (reserved for cars with multiple people). Though charges would encourage commuter car arrangements (shared cost).
They are fairest when there is spare PT capacity (an alternative).
They are most unfair on those whose work requires constant travel by car to where they work (home care workers) – so there needs to be exemptions (or rebates).
I heard on the radio this morning (somewhere…I listen to the BBC as well as RNZ) that after years of planning New York (specifically Manhattan) has at the last minute paused congestion charging. This would have raised a billion a year to improve its crumbling public transport.
Wow some journalist out their must feel like they were utterly conned today.
So the pile on against Te Pāti Māori was led by Destiny Church, I mean if you saw the video about them talking about the money, you could have guessed.
I'm going to go one more than Martyn over at the daily blog – the double standard and racist whistle blowing is the real story here.
The fact our so called independent media can go all feral at Te Pāti Māori and yet let the governments open corruption slide, Is the story. If the so called independent media whinge again about media trust, they might just wanna stop for a second.
This issue should have been left to be investigated, then we should have been informed of the outcome.
Not played out as more dirty politics, and a pile on from a collection of Mammon devotees.
The main question will be – did they photocopy any part of the Census to use for making political contacts?
Having been a Census collector in the past and signed the relevant security documents, I know that is the legal point here.
Nobody cares that they gave out ice creams or food vouchers to get people to complete the Census. There is nothing unlawful in that. However, if any part of the Census was copied – and utilised for another purpose – that is what is required to be addressed.
The Marae agree they gave out free stuff to voters on voting day which seems dodgy as their former chief executive was standing in the contest.
Does anyone know how to get the vote numbers for the Manurewa Marae booth and compare how many the Te Paati Maori candidate got compared with the surrounding booths?
It's really easy. Go to the electoral commission website, find election 2023 results, select the electorate and you download a CSV format file of voting results for candidate and party votes for each polling place in the electorate. Can't recall if it separates for general and Maori roll but I didn't find it difficult when I did some local research.
Thanks Joe90 I tried to open the CSV file but can't.
On reflection even if the Maori Party candidate did get a higher percentage of votes at The Marae booth it might not be treating. Simply that the Marae members had a relationship with the candidate because she was previously in charge of the Marae.
I don't think the Electoral Commission will let this happen again.
It is interesting how quiet the Maori Party is on all this.
The Independent Electoral Review recommended repealing the treating section of the legislation,
Treating
18.15 The Electoral Commission has previously raised specific concerns with the offence of “treating”. Treating is when someone provides food, drink or entertainment before, during, or after an election for the purpose of “corruptly” influencing aperson to vote or refrain from voting. It is also an offence to corruptly accept food, drink or entertainment under these conditions. There is an exception for “the provision of a light supper after any election meeting”.10
18.16 The offence of treating creates many problems and confusion in practice.11 It is unclear how much food, drink and entertainment can be offered or accepted and under what circumstances. This lack of clarity might mean that such great care is taken not to treat voters that it prevents behaviour that is acceptable, such as providing ordinary hospitality. In particular, the current offence fails to acknowledge manaakitanga, where hospitality shows connection, kindness and respect in Māori culture. Hospitality is also important in many other cultures.
18.17 The offence of treating also requires a corrupt intent, which can be difficult to prove. In its submission to our first consultation, the Electoral Commission indicated its view that there would need to be an understanding or contract in place that voters would vote in a certain way to provide sufficient evidence that the offence of treating had been committed. Providing voters with food, drink and entertainment without the necessary corrupt bargain is legal, adding further confusion about what is allowed.
Not altogether surprising that providing low-level hospitality and the collective sharing of food by predominantly poorer cultural minorities is outlawed as 'treating' – while individual donations of very large sums of money by wealthy individuals in the hope of influencing policy is all fine, provided it's declared. In the USA, the latter even attains the laudable and noble heights of 'free speech'.
I can't see the problem. The only things that stood out for me when I read the original piece the other day were the photocopying of records, and whether they were putting TPM fliers in packs at the wrong time/process. I'm also unclear on the timing of the candidate and when she stepped down as CEO. Hoping someone does a timeline.
A federal judge on Friday narrowed a section of Georgia election law that banned the practice of handing out food and water to voters waiting in line to cast ballots, as well as halted enforcement of a requirement that voters put their birth dates on the outer envelope of their ballots.
[…]
His ruling on so-called line-warming allowed the ban to still be enforced in what he dubbed the “buffer zone” around a polling place, within 150 feet of the building where ballots are being cast. But he paused enforcement of the ban in the “supplemental zone,” or additional areas that are within 25 feet of a voter standing in line.
To be honest the Electoral commision really dropped the ball allowing the Marae to be a polling place given its leaders candiacy for TPM. It created a situation where no matter the result allegations could be thrown around and the associated murk does a whole lot of harm to everyone.
I don't know the area, but I agree that it's created perception issues at the least. But again, I still don't get the timeline. Did the CEO resign so she could stand? When did the Marae get chosen to be a polling place?
Serving kai to your visitors is an important part of marae protocols. So you think they shouldn't do that because part of the building was being used as a voting booth?
I think they should follow marae protocols. It just gets confusing on voting day when the management of the marae have previously been going all out to get as many maori as possible to change from the general to the maori roll and vote for the Te Pati Maori candidate
Also is it legal to offer gifts to get voters to change rolls?
It is interesting how quiet the Maori Party is on all this
FFS really, damned if you have an investigation, and damned if you don't.
Look their is an investigation going on, a labour one. So stuck not commentating. Trolls food?
There has been a letter of response to Andrea Vance. I’ll add a link soon, can’t find it at mo – as got as email. So lets wait and see otherwise it looks like racist dog whistle politics?
Any help from the mods would be great appreciated. 🙂
It is interesting how quiet the Maori Party is on all this.
nah
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Te Pāti Māori co-leaders have written to police seeking an urgent investigation into allegations made against the party relating to the 2023 election campaign.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the party's president John Tamihere confirmed the leaders' request was sent to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, and Police Minister Mark Mitchell.
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TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
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85,000 people are not getting to see a specialist after being referred by a GP.
Presumably there are others – people who go to hospital without seeing a GP (do not have one).
National is proposing funding of more scans of people prior to seeing a specialist (without mentioning if they have the technicians in hospitals to do this). *
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/518850/at-least-85-000-people-each-year-turned-away-from-seeing-specialists-some-dying-as-result
This*
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/517966/radiology-services-faces-concerning-challenges-report
From the Herald today. Tax avoidance is alive and well.
"A tax minimisation trick has ironically seen the Government’s tax take unexpectedly spike. Companies owned by trusts appear to have flushed out excess retained earnings ahead of the trustee tax rate rising from 33 to 39 per cent on April 1, 2024 (for trusts that earn more than $10,000 a year). The value of companies’ dividend payments more than doubled, from $23.6 billion to $49.4b, in the tax year to March 31, 2024, according to figures Inland Revenue gave the Herald.
The spike in dividend payments that occurred just before the trustee rate change took effect was such that it contributed towards the Government collecting $1.7b (1.7 per cent) more tax in the 10 months to April 30 than the Treasury expected"
Interesting that the COC hasn’t reversed Labour’s move to tax trusts at 39% (except for smaller trusts). The politics of this would not have looked good.
The GR government got the same result when they increased the top rate of tax to 39 cents, so they planned to generate this windfall by placing the rate on trusts to 39 cents this year. It was a deliberate move to add to the money available for new spending.
They knew they needed the money because their numbers were dubious.
Something also worth highlighting about this, it represents a budget forecast error in the order of $1.7 billion (over 12 months). Question is, how many of the $million cuts made and being made became irrelevant to the state of the government books by this forecast error (while often seriously hurting public service provision, institution and staff)?
The same question arises every time an un-forecast 'improvement' in the budget position is reported, where the question regarding that improvement figure should be just how much extra public spending could have been done with the same expected impacts on the economy as forecast. The only difference is in this case the cause of a big part of the forecast error appears to be understood.
Some of the $1.7B came from higher interest income from banks and PIE (28% max).
The variation in dividends income comes from companies owned by trusts.
This shows the dividend income figure variations that can occur from tax consideration.
https://archive.li/YvYv1
The budget impact is minimal because it is not regular revenue.
It can be used for one off funding (school building). Funding of a first year of a new spending allocation (cancer drugs). Or maintaining existing programmes – such as food in schools 2024-2027.
Not sure what point your making. Trying to fine tune a forecast figure which you have only a very fuzzy idea of is fundamentally foolish, and hurting so many people in the process makes that malicious.
Budgets are based on knowns, not unknowns.
Revenue of 101.7B instead of $100B has more of an impact on future budget plans where it is not a one off increase.
Regardless of ones view on the nature of government organisation – as to funding means or level of funding, and its ultility to people, it has to do budgets.
This is so, even though government subservience to a yearly budget balance has moved on – to one of management across the economic cycle, and even then within the context of borrowing for future development – infrastructure and either having contingency allocation or low debt for a rainy day.
The issue here is really one of maintaining government activity across the economic cycle because political parties have a different perspective on a sustainable baseline role and level to public service delivery.
"Budgets are based on knowns, not unknowns."
I take this to mean you can only forecast based on things you know, which seems rather beside the point. There are lots of things in the budget which are estimates because you don't know them. In this case were talking about something which treasury could have apparently estimated much better, but simply forgot to. Estimates are going to be wrong to some degree of course. The reason that should be contentious is the scale of the things you can't estimate well dwarfs the scale of the things which are being focused on.
"The budget impact is minimal because it is not regular revenue."
Don't mistake something which might be legitimately hard to estimate for being unimportant. For specific example, minimal in this context is apparently $1.7 billion over 12 months. The recent Kainga Ora review forecast that the operating balance deficit would grow from $520 million to $700 million annually. This is substantially smaller than that minimal budget error. Kainga Ora is also one of the larger departments in the budget.
Priorities of course.
And yep we can see, and know, why..
And under NActFirst….thats even less likely to change.
In this case, pot holes over schools.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/06/06/schools-out-of-luck-for-some-desperately-needing-upgrades/
National is paving the way (crisis) for ACTS preference for non government funding of school (and hospital) building.
Link, please.
https://archive.li/ipHti
Yeah I remember seeing some advice from financial advisors to do this before the tax rate went up. Just shows how much the system is designed for those who have the greatest means to pay tax.
I'm still not sure what benefit NZ gets from all the tax haven trusts we have either. Does it just make it look like the country is flush with money even though it doesn't belong to us? Does it just enable banks to lend more money because they have these massive amounts sitting in these foreign owned trusts?
What are the current stats concerning tax haven trusts in NZ?
We used to have a domestic trust industry which aided overseas residents wanting to avoid foreign tax. I thought that was finished after the government acted on the Shewan report in 2016 and required greater trust disclosures see https://www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz/news/2016/2016-07-13-governments-response-shewan-inquiry-recommendations)
Some went but many did not. They still are widely advertised.
https://www.gra.co.nz/services/foreign-trusts
From the school of common sense.
Pro rata for pay occurs now. This is based on hours worked (the amount paid even if working, or annual leave or sick leave is taken).
Pro rata of sick leave is based on days worked.
If it is 5 days a week part-time or full-time – then that is 10 days a year sick leave.
If it is 4 days part-time or full-time – that is 8 days sick leave.
If it 3 days part-time or full-time – that is 6 days sick leave.
If it is 2 days part-time or full-time – then it is 4 days.
If it is 1 day part-time or full-time – then it is 2 days.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/06/07/how-the-proposed-sick-leave-changes-could-impact-you/
You might think it is all common sense.
I am suspicious of the motives of a party that has, in the past, advocated the reduction of both annual and sick leave for waged workers, plus abolition of penal rates for working on public holidays and was a prime advocate of what we call now "zero hours contracts".
Leopards do not change their spots.
Yes, so are the libertarian freaks from ACT trying to pull a trick here?
Let's assume for simplicity that a full-time working year (minus weekends, public holidays and annual leave) is 40 weeks (200 days) – it's a bit longer in reality, but this keeps the arithmetic simpler.
If I currently work 5 days a week and 8 hours a day – my working year would be 200 days and 1600 hours. I currently get 10 full-time days (80 hours) of sick-leave – that's one working day in 20 and one hour in 20.
If I currently work 4 days a week and 4 hours a day – my working year would be 160 (part-time days) and 640 hours. I currently get 8 part-time 4-hour days (32 hours) of sick leave – that's also one working day in 20 and one hour in 20.
However, what happens if we slyly convert those 640 annual hours of our part-time worker into full time days? 640 hours is only 80 full-time days – only 40% of the 200 days worked annually by the full-time worker. Therefore, if we pro-rate on this basis, the part-time worker will get 40% of the 10 days allowed to the full-time worker, i.e. 4 days. So now our part-time worker gets only 4 part-time 4-hour days (16 hours) of sick leave – that's now become only one working day in 40 and one hour in 40, whereas currently both of these ratios are 1 in 20.
Note that the total effect is that our part-time worker still has to turn up on 160 days, but their sick leave allowance now treats them as if they had to turn up on only 80. It blurs the distinction between the number of working days (the days on which I must turn up to work) and the total days worked in a year (measured in full-time days)
It's not clear that this is the trick they're pulling. But it looks like it to me.
It sure does look like it.
They are using examples of a person who has two (part-time) jobs and who then claims 20 days sick leave.
This to portray it as a problem to be solved by pro rata based on hours worked. Despite the obvious injustice to those who work part-time 5 days a week.
They can solve that problem by having another category for those who have multiple jobs.
First category – those who meet the criteria for 10 days sick leave (those who work 5 days a week in both those jobs). Allocate the 10 days across the jobs they have. 5 days each.
Second category – work 2 days in 2 jobs – then get 8 days sick leave – 4 for each one etc.
It is not hard, if one is trying to be fair.
https://www.employment.govt.nz/leave-and-holidays/sick-leave/sick-leave-entitlements/
This reads differently re pro ratas
Sure the current regime is based on a qualifying criteria and with no pro rata at all.
If one does have pro rata, a days based one is fairer than one based on hours.
Auckland is looking at roading de-congestion options.
Time of use is no more efficient than commuter car lanes (reserved for cars with multiple people). Though charges would encourage commuter car arrangements (shared cost).
They are fairest when there is spare PT capacity (an alternative).
They are most unfair on those whose work requires constant travel by car to where they work (home care workers) – so there needs to be exemptions (or rebates).
I heard on the radio this morning (somewhere…I listen to the BBC as well as RNZ) that after years of planning New York (specifically Manhattan) has at the last minute paused congestion charging. This would have raised a billion a year to improve its crumbling public transport.
https://www.curbed.com/article/hochul-congestion-pricing-cancel-postpone-tax-nyc-manhattan.html
Pathetic.
Wow some journalist out their must feel like they were utterly conned today.
So the pile on against Te Pāti Māori was led by Destiny Church, I mean if you saw the video about them talking about the money, you could have guessed.
I'm going to go one more than Martyn over at the daily blog – the double standard and racist whistle blowing is the real story here.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/06/07/the-double-standard-crucifixion-of-maori-party/
The fact our so called independent media can go all feral at Te Pāti Māori and yet let the governments open corruption slide, Is the story. If the so called independent media whinge again about media trust, they might just wanna stop for a second.
This issue should have been left to be investigated, then we should have been informed of the outcome.
Not played out as more dirty politics, and a pile on from a collection of Mammon devotees.
Te Pāti MāoriPāti Māori
Hooton has written about the TPM so-called scandal in the Herald. When he gets involved this starts to look like a coordinated attack from the COC.
The question is: Why would you alienate 20% of the voters?
if the right take out TPM over the next few years, it ups their chances of winning the election in 2026.
Agreed. They will need all the votes they can get by the looks.
How is this alienating 20% of the voters?
The complaint was laid by Labour in November and I don’t think they are part of COC.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350299612/complaint-alleged-te-pati-maori-misused-info-collected-covid-vaccination-drive
It could be provocatively argued they are part of the right. They definitely stand to gain more by attacking TPM.
The main question will be – did they photocopy any part of the Census to use for making political contacts?
Having been a Census collector in the past and signed the relevant security documents, I know that is the legal point here.
Nobody cares that they gave out ice creams or food vouchers to get people to complete the Census. There is nothing unlawful in that. However, if any part of the Census was copied – and utilised for another purpose – that is what is required to be addressed.
This.
And whether there was voter influencing. I haven't seen a clear timeline yet on that.
The Marae agree they gave out free stuff to voters on voting day which seems dodgy as their former chief executive was standing in the contest.
Does anyone know how to get the vote numbers for the Manurewa Marae booth and compare how many the Te Paati Maori candidate got compared with the surrounding booths?
It's really easy. Go to the electoral commission website, find election 2023 results, select the electorate and you download a CSV format file of voting results for candidate and party votes for each polling place in the electorate. Can't recall if it separates for general and Maori roll but I didn't find it difficult when I did some local research.
It effectively does by having separate results by general and Maori electorate since those are separate by roll.
I've removed your email address from the URL field, please don't put it in there as it is public.
Here ya go.
https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/statistics/votes-by-voting-place-electorate-index.html
Thanks Joe90 I tried to open the CSV file but can't.
On reflection even if the Maori Party candidate did get a higher percentage of votes at The Marae booth it might not be treating. Simply that the Marae members had a relationship with the candidate because she was previously in charge of the Marae.
I don't think the Electoral Commission will let this happen again.
It is interesting how quiet the Maori Party is on all this.
Use the html link.
The Independent Electoral Review recommended repealing the treating section of the legislation,
https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/webarchive/20240119114109/https://electoralreview.govt.nz/publications/
Not altogether surprising that providing low-level hospitality and the collective sharing of food by predominantly poorer cultural minorities is outlawed as 'treating' – while individual donations of very large sums of money by wealthy individuals in the hope of influencing policy is all fine, provided it's declared. In the USA, the latter even attains the laudable and noble heights of 'free speech'.
pretty much.
I can't see the problem. The only things that stood out for me when I read the original piece the other day were the photocopying of records, and whether they were putting TPM fliers in packs at the wrong time/process. I'm also unclear on the timing of the candidate and when she stepped down as CEO. Hoping someone does a timeline.
We don't know how lucky we are.
.
A federal judge on Friday narrowed a section of Georgia election law that banned the practice of handing out food and water to voters waiting in line to cast ballots, as well as halted enforcement of a requirement that voters put their birth dates on the outer envelope of their ballots.
[…]
His ruling on so-called line-warming allowed the ban to still be enforced in what he dubbed the “buffer zone” around a polling place, within 150 feet of the building where ballots are being cast. But he paused enforcement of the ban in the “supplemental zone,” or additional areas that are within 25 feet of a voter standing in line.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/18/politics/georgia-election-law-ban-food-water-voters-line/index.html
https://www.dictionary.com/e/politics/line-warming/
Given how the marae operates on other weekends/at other times, it would be a stretch to say what it did on polling day was with any intent.
To be honest the Electoral commision really dropped the ball allowing the Marae to be a polling place given its leaders candiacy for TPM. It created a situation where no matter the result allegations could be thrown around and the associated murk does a whole lot of harm to everyone.
I don't know the area, but I agree that it's created perception issues at the least. But again, I still don't get the timeline. Did the CEO resign so she could stand? When did the Marae get chosen to be a polling place?
Serving kai to your visitors is an important part of marae protocols. So you think they shouldn't do that because part of the building was being used as a voting booth?
I think they should follow marae protocols. It just gets confusing on voting day when the management of the marae have previously been going all out to get as many maori as possible to change from the general to the maori roll and vote for the Te Pati Maori candidate
Also is it legal to offer gifts to get voters to change rolls?
There is nothing inappropriate about advocacy for a roll change, or advocacy for a vote for a political party.
Changing rolls cannot occur within 3 months of an election.
Changing from one roll to another is not done at a marae.
https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2023/time-running-out-to-change-rolls/
No talk about Shane Jones and NZ first corruption from you Michael Scott, he says he's brown.
Adam I don't know anything about NZ First corruption unless you mean Shane Jones proposal to resume mining.
Silly hypothetical question Michael Scott, obviously you specialize in them.
I'm in the dark. Have NZ First done something corrupt or being investigated for corruption. Not hypothetical – genuine question.
.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/512704/serious-fraud-office-s-appeal-against-nz-first-foundation-acquittal-dismissed
FFS really, damned if you have an investigation, and damned if you don't.
Look their is an investigation going on, a labour one. So stuck not commentating. Trolls food?
There has been a letter of response to Andrea Vance. I’ll add a link soon, can’t find it at mo – as got as email. So lets wait and see otherwise it looks like racist dog whistle politics?
Any help from the mods would be great appreciated. 🙂
nah
/
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders have written to police seeking an urgent investigation into allegations made against the party relating to the 2023 election campaign.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the party's president John Tamihere confirmed the leaders' request was sent to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, and Police Minister Mark Mitchell.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/518926/te-pati-maori-seeks-investigation-president-john-tamihere-retaliates-over-data-accusations
Just saw this press release from John Tamahere on Scoop also
https://business.scoop.co.nz/2024/06/06/from-the-party-president-naughty-natives-are-at-it-again/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Here are the rules around treating
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0087/latest/DLM310402.html
What can we say, yet another election promise broken by National. When will it end? That’s a rhetorical question, BTW.
https://www.politik.co.nz/national-breaks-another-health-promise/
Good piece by Richard Harman.
If only there voters noticed/cared
Copy/paste into notepad.![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png)
https://archive.li/t2U7s
??
For me the original is incomplete/blurred and archive dot li is complete/blurred.
C/P into notepad fixed it.
Paste to any doc works.
I'm cheap so read-only for me.
Open Office and Libre are both free.
Watch Series (TV and film) and VIP and Crichd (sport) also.
I can read the original link fine, but this one is blurred.
^^
D-Plus 29,22[0]1
@rhreid
Thousands turn out to welcome US WW2 veterans in Sainte Mere Eglise, Normandy where the 82nd Airborne jumped on D-Day.
https://x.com/rhreid/status/1798385150301966429