At the same time when we could give our empty Ghost Houses to the homeless – or government could instruct Winz to pay weekly rents rather then overpriced stays in slum motels.
Easily fixed that homeless problem, right? Good grief, Morrissey i get it you don't like these guys, but don't complain about other peoples doorstep when in our country we can't even see ours.
"slum motels" Sabine? That is a little emotive. You lose the argument when you overdo the invective, though I agree that it is scandalous that so many people are being put in motels.
In Northland some of the motels are not exactly top draw Git. Some are repurposed, worn out hotels which I am not going to name and shame-the North gets enough flak.
We have good things happening too with Papakainga projects and trusts like He Korowai and others that are supplying housing.
Sabine is not wrong because units that are designed for short stay, low impact use, by one or two people end up with families in them for months, and can turn into slum like conditions quickly enough.
Motels are designed to be slept in nightly. Assuming the unit has two bedrooms and a bathroom (usually the case) and is kept clean by the inhabitants, while this might not be palatial, a family of 4 should be able to live reasonably in such a unit. (I accept the this is not ideal-see my comment above)
To call this a "slum" (def: "a squalid and overcrowded urban street") is invective-go and see the favelas in San Paolo or the slums of Kolkata
Slum actually isnt to far off, I stayed in one near the airport… feral cats, rubbish overflowing in the carpark, minimal cleaning in common areas, mouldy bathrooms, families of four in 25m2 twin rooms no laundaru facilities…
Was only one night would never go back… I feel very sorry for the families stuck there its a national disgrace
nothing stopping the inhabitants from doing a bit of cleaning.I presume they are getting a roof over there heads for free. I rent a house but dont expect landlord to do the cleaning and yardwork. I agree some of these motels are pretty crappy, but a little bit of an effort by some of the inhabitants could do wonders.
IS that the oldopen the bathroom window if you have black mold growing in your 580$ two week bedroom flat. Why don't you clean the house? A bit of bashing down, to feel good?
Yeah, woodart, i agree, why not blame the down trotten and poorest of this country for the failure of successive governments.
Also. you do realise that people in emergency housing also can have jobs? They are just HOMELESS.
Or is that something that would ruin you worldview? That working people, newborn babies, and retirees in New Zealand are homeless because of the last thirty odd years of 'poo poo you so as long as i have mine' mentality of NZ.
get off your high horse.I live in a falling down cottage that had been abandoned for three yrs before I moved in, reroofed half of it, repiled half of it, insulated the ceilings with old real estate signs because there is no roof hatch, painted it, all on MY dollar, cheap rent ,but I have to get off my arse and do these things, not just sit on a forum and whinge. it is MUCH easier to be a victim, but my worldview is that your worldview(constantly looking at others for solutions)is for losers. get off your arse, if there is mould on window sills(a constant problem in my cottage) go buy a cheap bottle of bleach and wipe them all down.
Very soon we encourage young mothers and their babies to live in sheds and insulate the accommodation with straw and old rags…… hang on, was this not something out of the Dickensian times?
But who would know that these days, those kids will never get a proper school education anyway…. yeah, let go back to the good ol' 1800's. Maybe some workhouses, we need someone to pick fruit. Yes? Is this where we going and strife for, the brutalization of the human spirit?
I really hope you own that cottage or are you doing this work in exchange for free living. Cause that would be the only reason for you to do that.
If you rent that shitter and get the pleasure to fix it up for a greedy landlord than like with all the other in that situation i have nothing but pity for you.
Sure, keep your room tidy, clean a little. But with no laundry, no cooking facilities, cramped space, only outdoor area over run with rubbish and feral cats, living on shit takeaway food it'd be fucking soul destroying after a week or so….
dont you think theres a link between shit takeaway food, rubbish everywhere and feral cats? have stayed at some shitty motels, havent found one without a powerpoint. get a cheap one ring cooker(or gas canister camp stove) for less than the price of a feed of maccas, go to the sallies, get a couple of saucepans and cook ,instead of wasteing what money you have on takeaways….or you can continue to whine and play the victim. have seen families living in dirt floor huts in the third world who can cook good meals in one pan, AND keep there houses spotless. its all about the mindset, obviously many on here have a "whats the world going to do for us"mindset. yeah right, continue on that way, see how far down you can go, before someone else holds your hand..
woodart you have a point. People don't realise that they have abilities to help themselves even in dire surroundings. But I think it may be less helplessness or laziness, but a feeling that this is slipping back into the 19th century past and ‘I don't want to go there. I want to progress and move ahead and if I accept these conditions and manage at this level, the authorities will be prepared to leave me here saying 'Oh they're all right'.’
For years people were not able to get a state house with its affordable rent and security of tenure unless they were living in a draughty garage. Now I think that might be regarded as suitable accommodation of a long-term temporary nature.
Life is quite complex when you are struggling. What seems straightforward behaviour to adopt can actually not be the best if you know how the system works. For instance it may seem good for someone on a benefit to get some work. But it won't pay much, involves the cost of travel, and the authorities take away the grant that you rely on, by a dollar for every gross dollar you earn, which then has tax taken out and the net amount received leaves you worse off overall. It can be brutal when you are up against the mindset of judgmental people who condemn others' humanity who have less, regarding them as scruffy rejects of society when all have their gifts as well as their lacks.
Think you'll find the motels dont allow in room cooking… and I am well aware that what we regard as poverty in NZ is comparativly wealthy compared to many other countries. Ive seen that first hand living in a falling apart communist era tower block in eastern Europe.
We just dont know how lucky we are?
I just dont accept that as an arguement as to why we cant be doing much better than we are currently given the living situation for many is steadily worsening.
When it comes to a fridge I expect the old bar style fridge is still used in a motel. Those in emergency housing need to apply every 7 days to MSD and the occupant can be disrupted if the unit is required for a booking due to the amount of guests.
Even if there was a fridge freezer to hold a week of groceries some of the groceries would spoil without refrigeration and go to waste. Carting around open packets of staples would be annoying.
I find this darkly ironic because 'end of life motel' is an accurate description of exactly where we're living at present.
It's not so much the fact of it being not an ideal home, but we're OK with it we're doing this as a short term measure and we have some control and choices. Being trapped there long-term with little prospect of change would be quite different – and very corrosive on family life.
they are slums. if only because no money is spend upgrading and actually making them fit for purpose.
they are slums because we dump people there without any access to mental health, protection from crime, and even help to the motel operators who suddenly have people on home D there, people with addiction health issues, people who are gang involved / related and no help from government, winz, or any other services.
the Favelas and the slums of kolkata are different because here in NZ our homeless have yet to take to the hills and just start building shanty towns, And personally i wonder just how far away we are from that.
Um Sabine, if you check my comments above you will see that I said it is scandalous that we have to resort to putting people in hotels. My problem is people overstate how bad the conditions are-I repeat that they are not close to being slums.
Re the comments above-surely a launderette would be walking distance from most motels. And even when you pay to stay in a motel you are expected to keep it clean.
We all need "protection from crime", not just the people housed in motels. Similarly mental health is not just an issue related to people staying in motels.
and bring a duffle bag of dirty clothes and linnen and then we walk to the next laundromat hang out there for the time your clothes wash and dry and then we walk bac. and if you have a toddler or two bring them too, just so that we can experience the awesomeness of poverty full throttle. But in syaing that, you need to have the ten bucks it would cost you to not only wash the clothes but to also dry it. And people who recieve tens of dollars in benefits may find that hard to afford.
I live in Rotorua, come for a visit and check out the slum motels that we house the homeless in – in fact the government is currently financing the landbanking of businesses that should have gone out of business a long time and if only because they are not fit for anything else then house some stag party where then no one cares about the damage.
Once you did, come and visit and we go have a chat about the substandard accommodation that we shove these people in, out of sight out of mind, and btw, in which newborns are shoved into too – and in which babys have died (can't think of a most wasted life there, born into poverty, three days old in emergency housing) , cause we as a country really don't care.
I don't care about the polite society in NZ, they are for the most part responsible for the misery that is happening across NZ in motels called 'emergency accommodation' for which the tax payer forks out a million + a night.
So yeah, if my emotive comment upset you, just drink a glass of 'she'll be right, lucky it ain't me' and you will feel better in a second.
Very much a case of 'out of sight out of mind' remember how fiercely the Nats were casitgated for using hotels as emergency housing, politicans having sleep outs in solidarity with the homeless … strangely quite now and the problem is getting steadily worse… but its ok now cause 'kindness'
Its a disgrace and pressure on politicians needs to be immense, how are babies, children growing up in the places going to go in later life. We are busy building massive societal issues and not many people seem overly bothered.
This is simply wrong Sabine. National sold off state houses, reducing the stock in NZ. This government has increased the number of state houses and is further increasing numbers. Search the Standard for the total number of state houses-this is an issue that has been much discussed.
Try to include facts and a sense of perspective in your comments.
But when it comes to our homeless nothing has changed.
Don't look at it from our comfortable view, look at it from the view of the guy who lost his job, who is trying to survive on unemployment benefits. Look at it from the view of the women on a fixed benefit that will have a rent increase soon, another 80 – 100$ and who will end up in emergency housing or a ditch near anyone of us.
Rents sky high. Mortgages so out of reach that the government increases help ot first home buyer who are trying for an affordable house of around 700.000 + .
Look at it from the view of the kid that goes from unsecured rental to car to motel to car to motel to maybe an unsecured rental. And who can't get on with schooling cause they move every few weeks/month.
One could call it the emergency housing to prison pipeline.
Nothing much has changed.
I include facts often enough, in fact i am a stickler for links to support my argument. And currently a fact is that the first three years of Labour were to some extend squandered, and the Covid housing boom made it worse for everyone. These too are facts.
The grand housing plan from Grant Roberston is well nice, but lacks in teeth.
and I don't need to again rehash what national did not do, and chances are will not do next time they get in again, as they are currently not running the show. I will moan about them when it is their turn, i am bipartisan that way.
And for those in emergency housing, for those fearing to end up in emergency housing nothing has changed.
For the poorest and most ignored in our country, women and children on social beggar benefits, retirees that can't afford rent on their fixed income, working poor who can't afford a house / flat/ditch even with an accom benefit there is no discernable difference between National Housing issues and Labour Housing issues. It is them that will always pay the bills of the failures of successive governments. And that is my opinion, nothing more nothing less.
Sabine: I agree with you that the level of poverty in NZ is totally unacceptable-we are not so far apart at all on this issue. I am looking for a major increase in benefits in the upcoming budget.
But if you look back over my posts you will see that I have said many times that I support the Green Party's Wealth Tax which is specifically designed to make serious inroads into poverty (or even eliminate it) by taxing only rich people-couples who have net assets over $2 million.
Until we have a quantum shift like a Wealth Tax, which in the case of the Green Party proposal is estimated to raise $7.9 billion annually, poverty will continue in this country.
again, this is not a failure of one party vs the other. Its a failure by Government. I go to great pains to call for 'government' action ,not party action.
It does not matter atm which party to support. Everyone here was scared into voting for Labour cause Judith!!!!!! Never mind she could not get elected dog catcher ourside her own electorate. And all the third parties suffered and here we are.
And now we have a party in majority and they squander every bit of their advantage and only the gods know why. but it certainly not to our benefit.
BG at 1.1.1 – I hope this is not a measure we want to put on the table. I mean, substandard conditions are a health hazard and really trap families in a hopeless situation. You can use these accommodations temporary but not instead of housing. And talking about housing….
Fair point, Sabine—however it's not a case of me "not liking these guys"; I was simply reminding everyone of where public money is going, as opposed to where it should be going. In this case of course, it is the USA, but obscene mis-prioritizations of funding occur here as well, although not on the same scale.
You obviously haven't been listening. Biden has a 1.9 trillion infrastructure proposal before the Congress right now. That proposal includes funding for housing the homeless as well as many other social justice issues. If only our government was as proactive.
Is this in any way serious? NZ is so far ahead of the US in handling the pandemic that we don't have remotely similar problems. The US stimulus will allow further housing of people in motels, something which NZ is already doing.
The stimulus package (which has been approved) is not the same thing as the Infrastructure Package which is aimed not at housing people in motels – but in building homes.
Just as in NZ, in the US there is a lack of suitable social housing, and the initial stimulus package included funds to immediately house homeless people, as explained in the WaPo article.
But.
It then goes on to explain further the initiatives that are also included in the Infrastructure package that has just been revealed a week ago.
Fudge said Biden’s $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, unveiled last week, would bring additional funding necessary to address homelessness and housing instability. Biden’s jobs and infrastructure plan would include $213 billion for housing programs, including $40 billion to improve public housing.
Sounds like you want Kiwibuild to be given another crack. But as far as I am aware the govt is building and running the state housing stock, reversing a prior National govt sell off. I just can't see how its possible to claim our govt is not proactive with reference to policies well under way in NZ.
But as far as I am aware the govt is building and running the state housing stock, reversing a prior National govt sell off. I just can't see how its possible to claim our govt is not proactive with reference to policies well under way in NZ.
It is true there are some steps being made by the current govt here in NZ to reverse the damage done under previous administrations, but it is far too little IMHO. The emphasis on Kiwibuild is fine for those who might be able to afford to buy a home, but there are many others for whom that vision is simply out of the question. The reliance on private developers to do the work is also a problem. Having worked for a time in the civil construction industry, developers are only in the game for the end dollar. "Cheap" is not an attractive option for them. The money is always in the middle to upper end of the market.
Furthermore for many they are really not interested in 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom and garage, even if one was offered. I work on a voluntary basis here with a group of rough sleepers, and all they want is someplace to have a shower, go to the toilet, cook a meal, and have a chat if they feel the need for some company. When it is raining they would like a dry place they can doss down for the night. We have around 20 -30 rough sleepers in our town right now. I have written to the Ministers for Housing, Social Development, Maori Housing, and Associate Minister for Homelessness, outlining a proposal for a Hub providing such amenities, and ongoing staffing through an acceptable NGO. I have not had the courtesy of a reply.
Every commentator on the MSM whether from real estate or developers or advocacy groups all say that the government should just embark on a massive house-building programme. The leftie ones continue that sentence … "just like Michael Joseph Savage".
This government has found that the states' capacity to execute policy anywhere let alone in housing construction is far, far weaker than they imagined.
The amount of support that Minister Twyford got for trying to start such a programme was next to zero including from his caucus and his PM. They let him swing on the manifesto promises they all signed up to. And he was the only one in this government with enthusiasm for forming anything new that would deliver. So no other Minister is going to try that again.
Good on you for your volunteer efforts that's more than I do. I'd recommend the staff of Megan Woods. She's a solid unit, and about as active as this lot are going to get.
Being visible, being heard, having a strategy and action taken by governments is the way forward when it comes to climate change and ecological sustainability.
Indeed, and while smart young people flex their voices, pale stale male National is trying to bog it down in bickering, as usual, about modelling assumptions and technical details. Stall, stall, stall, in the hope that it will be watered down so much it becomes a meaningless toothless toad, just like the National Party.
I do not think science has yet come up with an alternative technology which will be used to stop greenhouse gas emissions. For now it is about cutting the gas emissions.
A new lever on the standard model. This could be the answer once muons are worked out. There are other forms of energy which will be discovered.
If you are a Minister outside of Cabinet, there is really very little policy one can initiate, because you do not have a seat at the table where the real decisions on what is to be done and prioritised, are made.
Oh horseshit. He's generated the legislation he wanted, the Commission he wanted, and the recommendations he wanted all on his policy area. The release from Shaw today shows how proud he is of getting prioritiations through. He knows how to influence effectively. He's just weak.
It has been said that I am always negative on TS (not actually true) however here is a little something to give readers a few laughs…a great look back at some of the funniest and most over the top anti Russian Mccarthyite hysteria headlines to come from the Liberal press over the past few years …enjoy
What a wonderful world we live in when a pot head comedian is regularly more switched on, informed and informative than flagship liberal media and their vast readerships …
No flattery of Putin whatsoever, rather criticism of the soviet type propaganda exercise , taken up by corporate news media in the west ,blaming outsiders for internal dysfunction, and amplifying secret "intelligence" allegations
Anybody disputing the official govt story is promptly gaslighted as unwitting Kremlin dupes, or "running dog"losers .What a brilliant way to cower people into keeping their mouths shut for fear of being cut loose from the pack
It is only the raging Putin dupes who find it necessary to impose their lack of judgement upon us, day in, day out.
Let us be explicit here, your fellow travelers are promoting a murderous kleptocrat and former head of the Stasi, on a leftwing site, and for some reason expect not to be greeted with universal contempt.
criticism of the soviet type propaganda exercise , taken up by corporate news media in the west ,blaming outsiders for internal dysfunction, and amplifying secret "intelligence" allegations
Were you not Putin dupes, menkurt dependents of his propaganda sources, you would find yourself a few eastern European sources, folk who suffered the Soviet occupation for preference. People from Byelorussia or the Ukraine would soon put you straight about the crap you regurgitate here ad nauseum. The style of that propaganda is instantly recognizable – and often relies on drawing false parallels between less compromised organs like the NYT, and fully compromised ones like RT.
In your naivete, you are dangerous. Do some homework – get the real story on the monster whose work you are doing.
The funny thing, ma petite choux choux, is that I don't. It's not me that, day in, day out posts pathetic drivel in support of a genocidal sonofabitch – that would be you Putin dupes.
America doesn't talk about Chechnya – it coincided with and took advantage of the US invasion of Iraq – it's not a US talking point at all. But I imagine, to the tragic pawn of a murderous despot, that level of compromise must seem natural, even inevitable.
Same thing just happened to me, francesca. I challenged Mr Munro over his remarkable claim that the President of one country ("R") headed the spy agency of another ("E.G.") and I asked him if he had received that information from a particularly foolish and discredited MSNBC commentator, and provided a clip of that commentator insanely repeating the name of the country "R" and its President.
Lo and behold, I found my post marked "awaiting moderation."
Not any more. Over the past few months as house prices have continued to rise, the $500,000 price limit for a home to qualify under the FHL scheme has basically shut out all but the scummiest do-ups in Hamilton.
Oh, but of course do-ups don’t qualify either. Any house with a building report showing more than $5000 of remedial work needed, is automatically ineligible. Too risky for first home buyers.
still, why exclude do-er uppers. Maybe really that is an issue, specifically if that is the only house you can buy for the money the government thinks is the amount you could buy for in any given area.
You get nigh to nothing in Rotorua for 500.000 grand. Before covid no issue, but thanks to a year of low interest rates and cashed up 'expat' kiwis coming home, no longer. Just to show you how obscene it is, the property that i bought 4 years ago for 200.000 grand is now worth over 500.000 grand. And between Christmas and March it increased almost 100.000 in value. I did put in heatpump, insulation, bathroom fan etc – yes this was a rental property – but nothing that would allow for that type of increase other then speculation and desperation. Sad thing, well funny too, if i were to sell, i could not afford a new property. Luckily, this is my forever home, and hopefully i can keep it.
Excluding doer uppers is indeed foolish but I guess if you are promoting 'healthy homes' allowing it gives opposition voices a stick to beat you with…politics trumps common sense.
I suspect the thresholds were set with one eye on where they would like the lower quartile to settle…..maybe inflation is set by expectations.
i bought an 'unhealthy home' and fixed it for about 6 grand to make it healthy and that includes a heat pump.
that should not be a reason.
Inflation currently is set by desperation. Not expectations. Heck, i have yet to do the driveway. lol……………………… But i got the drain dudes in last week and i dug out hte broken piece of drain and fixed it! Woot.
And just wait until the rates increases are coming through. Porirua, one of the poorer areas around Wellington except Aotea, has been told to expect 8% increase. On top of that they talk about a separate levy for waste water pipes maintenance. Yep, I am sure the council staff is well heeled whilst the rest will be loosing their roof over the head. Why is inflation being said to be low? There is a 10% increase of rates which represents some 30-50% of your living costs. No longer, its then 40-60%. I know that supermarkets have increased their pricing in the last 12 months and judging by my weekly bill that hasn't really changed in terms of product bought, I look at 7-8% minimum depending whether I allow myself some meat.
Maybe inflation figures assessed are of all those who can deduct GST, this would be 1-2% inflation alright.
They are obviously thinking about themselves and their business models. A bigger government subsidy to 1st home buyers, means more people knocking on these guys' doors looking for the balance of the purchase price. That this increases demand and will likely push prices still higher, they don't give a flying f*ck about – it's all about them and the perpetual drive to make even more money. There are so many bad faith actors in this scummy little thing called a 'housing market' that it's hard not to puke.
The Senate filibuster effectively requires a 60-vote super-majority for the passage of most legislation in the Senate, but reconciliation provides a process to prevent the use of the filibuster and thereby allow the passage of a bill with simple majority support in the Senate.
Man what could our people here – those who don't work from home, and who are not rich, and who have lost their jobs and who live of begger welfare payments – do with a bit of a stimulus payment. Lol….our people did not even get a christmas bonus payment for some slices of Pams Ham. Go figure.
Just a little trickle down to the people rather then shoveling money to connected people and their 'shovel ready' projects.
While its clear that the democrats control the US govt to the extent they can pass as much legislation as they want, they also already managed to reneg on the $15 federal minimum wage which was a campaign promise. It will hardly be surprising if such a large spending bill gets markedly reduced while negotiating it through government, especially with the corporate tax hikes coupled with it.
Of course as Mozzy highlighted no similar scale military budget has such problems passing (or changes corporate taxes by a cent).
Repugs will vote for aircraft carriers and filibuster wage increases.
It's that simple. For the dems to pass legislation in the Senate they need to change the filibuster rules or get 60$% (the dollar sign was a typo but was too appropriate to leave out, lol) of the seats.
The democrats could easily have avoided the filibuster in the minimum wage case, using the same procedure Sabine highlighted. They decided to make it a problem which makes one think they also didn't want the minimum wage increase to go through.
Yes, I am well aware that the democrats have been telling everyone just how incompetent they are at passing legislation.
On the other hand say an unelected office holder stood in the way of govt policy, say the reserve bank governor refused to reimplement LVR restrictions, do you think they could keep their position?
Especially if that job includes the function of ensuring that the legislative body follows the legislative process as defined by law, in this case the Congressional Budget Act (section 313).
What next, firing judges who hold that the minimum wage law was illegal because it didn't follow the legislative process?
Of course the Republicans have previously fired the senate parliamentarian. Not that it would have come to that had they made it clear that $15 was expected to be in there.
It's not gaslighting to actually focus on the case in question.
What is your argument that the Senate Parliamentarian made the legally incorrect decision? Was the minimum wage change an intrinsic part of the budget legislation, or was it being piggy-backed onto budget legislation in order to bypass the legislated process?
In your opinion, is the issue of minimum wage "extraneous" to a budget bill?
A number of democrat senators didn't support the $15 minimum wage rate Biden wanted, so it still wouldn't have passed if they sacked they senate parliamentarian and put it to a vote.
A bill that (by your link) changes specific federal budget expenses and taxes/charges is not extraneous to a budget, no.
The closest you could get to that with minimum wage is to itemise how many federal employees are on the minimum wage, if any.
Just saying that the downstream economic effects would affect the budget in some unknown way would make everything from the death penalty to speed limits non-extraneous to the budget.
Just pretending words mean whatever they want so they can avoid legislative restrictions was the hallmark of the orange regime, not rule of law.
Yes, its just a fact that the govt budget and the economy are intertwined. There are clear reasons why treasury produces a forecast as part of the budget and when its not accurate then the deficit is off budget to the tune of a billion dollers (within 6 months). Same with the CBO, but with bigger numbers.
Unless you can propose a more accurate way of forecasting I see little way of splitting impacts up by budget impact, but the minimum wage clearly will impact the federal bottom line.
There is a fundamental interconnectedness of all things, but minimum wage increases are not connected to the budget in as direct a way as e.g. a clause explicitly increasing specific tax credits.
The bottom line is that the "parliamentarian" has a statutory role to ensure the legality of the process by which legislation is enacted. If that role was demonstrably performed incompetently or in bad faith, then fine, fire them.
But firing officials because one doesn't like their impartial, competent decisions about the legality of what one wishes to do is exactly the sort of presidency from which the USA needs to move away.
and moderate Democrat Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona.
As Dr, King once said, its not the radicals that he fears, the KKK's and the likes as they are open in their attitude, it is the moderates that he fears, as they have no issue with the status quo and thus are happy to maintain it to the detriment of everyone else.
A pox on the house of all moderates that hide among so called liberals and progressives.
The 15 min wage was killed because of these two Democrats. Sinema even tried to pull of a little John McCain, and did a little curtesy when she gave it that thumps down. Sounds a bit like the moderates in our so called progressive party.
With friends like these who needs enemies. But it would really help if people actually looked a bit further.
So for the moment budget reconciliation it is and sometimes that is what one needs to do to get something done. That is still better then do fuck all, and state before the election that 'the beneficiaries will get nothing more then what we gave them'. Moderates. Just no.
But even without those two, it did not work because minimum wage levels are extraneous to the government's budget reconciliation process.
However, there is more than one way to skin a cat, especially with the repugs beginning their own little civil war. Dems have the moderate bloc and the coastal lefties, but the repugs have the magamob vs the corporate shills.
Thinking back over the years it used to be people became politicians and get into govt because they wanted to enact real change ie the Labour movement but with the rise of the career politician we are seeing a change where the aim is to become the govt for govts sake ie reach the top of the career ladder….
I'm not sure you'd pick it for a career. Doesn't pay that much and it looks very stressful.
I think politics picks them. They all seem to have an intense belief their opinion matters. Unfortunately, most are of the opinion that the boat shall not be rocked.
It may not pay much, but think of the ego trip these people relish. Not sure politics chooses them rather they choose politics cos no one else would employ them, sure, there are exceptions to this rule.
I think unlimited sick leave, guaranteed wage increase, a pension after just 3 years etc… helps. All financed by those who have a battle on their hands to keep afloat.
They will invest in commercial property – not restrictions of any kind there. A person i know asked for a pop up shop here and was quoted i kid you not, 4500NZd plus GST, plus outgoings, plus insurance – a month. And we wonder why our towns are dying.
The principal of Hutt Valley High School is blaming the Ministry of Education saying officials have known about the problems for years and failed to act.
From next term, Year 12 and Year 13 students will have to do their work from home for two-and-a-half days a week because there's not enough room for them at school.
Two weeks ago teachers were given 30 minutes to clear their desks before a whole building was shut down and sealed off.
Thirteen classrooms, three bathrooms and a dance studio have been deemed unsafe.
This left the school struggling for space to teach its 1700 pupils and it resorted to holding multiple classes at a time in the hall and library.
On Monday it decided it would have to send at least 500 senior students home.
Parent at the school, Miranda Cross, was furious……………..
Cross said parents were asked to pay an infrastructure donation on top of other fees because of the underfunding………………….
Acting principal Denise Johnson has been at the school for nine years, and stepped in to the role after former principal Ross Sinclair died in December.
She said Johnson had spent a decade fighting the ministry for more funding and officials knew millions were needed to fix the leaking roofs.
"The ministry have a company that they engage to do an assessment of a school, and that company determines what are the critical infrastructure needs of the school going forward, which would include things like roofing and aged piping and electrics I suspect, all that sort of really important stuff.
"That company assessed the school as needing $10 million… We weren't given $10 million."
Last week’s eruption of La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,has left the entire population of the main island without clean water and electricity, the UN Spokesperson said on Monday.
Emphasizing that access to the island is limited, Mr. Dujarric said that along with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the UN has mobilized pre-positioned water and sanitation hygiene supplies, currently stored in nearby Barbados….
“Explosions and accompanying ashfall of similar or larger magnitude are likely to continue to occur over the next few days”, according to the UN humanitarian office.
This is a government managing a country that has good financial standing, oh yes. It's just that a lot of people living in this country are being rorted by a system that no-one has the guts to change because it would involve some very wealthy people getting really pissed off. I'm doing all right, if other people did this…. or that…. (various well-worn recipes for cakes that won't rise) – that is why we are like this. But hey look over here, there's a tv celebrity with white teeth and wearing a Trelise Cooper or such, to take your mind off the probs.
Ordinary people at state schools have to put up with underfunding and not just plain and basic surroundings but neglected buildings that bureaucrats wouldn't work in. Cold, unpleasant and unhealthy.
From next term, Year 12 and Year 13 students will have to do their work from home for two-and-a-half days a week because there's not enough room for them at school.
Two weeks ago teachers were given 30 minutes to clear their desks before a whole building was shut down and sealed off. Thirteen classrooms, three bathrooms and a dance studio have been deemed unsafe…
[Acting Principal Denise Johnson]… Johnson told Morning Report the ministry has known about these issues for years. She said it's only now that "we're in a crisis" that the ministry's response has been brilliant. "This was a train wreck waiting to happen."
The building in question is 50 years old and ventilation is minimised by the design, being surrounded by other buildings, Evans said. ((Ministry of Education's head of property delivery and infrastructure services Scott Evans)
In Nelson the Min of Ed refuse to provide extra classrooms for the nearest co-ed school and so people are forced to send their children to either of the one-sex schools in the city, though everybody wants choice. It certainly is not good for those who would benefit from a mixed gender environment such as the children of single parents, or those who want education amongst average society.
Can't an empty or underutilised stadium be found for them? They have a doubtful productivity record and we can't afford to build another hive for people who have proved to be drones.
I say stop these expensive building plans that the creme de la creme are dreaming up around the country*; put a moratorium on them. We have to get basic matters seen to first, and Parliamentarians should just have to double-bunk if necessary.
Also remember the Parl.. part of their name, they are talkers, and how. But we now need doers of practical things more than chewing gum and advancing exciting ideas at the same time.
I am serious in this concern. I believe that many others will also feel the same way. Should we start a movement about it?
Christchurch stadium that will never pay for itself – $400 million. But can't afford to maintain swimming pool with proud community use and is doing away with mobile library bus to save money!!
Plus another moan – school buses are being run on such a lean budget that pupils who need it, are being refused transport even when it goes past their properties. Education was always the way that countries were told to increase to lift them up in the world, standards of living. So we no longer want to do that? Is that part of why NZ is diminishing?
Nelson which has an attractive library but talking up $44 million for another one at same level on side of river which would be affected by rising sea levels probably needing flood protection in future, costly. I think that the words – Better or as good as the finest, or world standard et al might have been mentioned. Something to beware of, this chest-thumping.
Education was always the way that countries were told to increase to lift them up in the world, standards of living. So we no longer want to do that? Is that part of why NZ is diminishing?
All over the country I think we would find feverish plans to do this or that new mainly to cater for the tourists they hope will come, when they have present attractions that could be flossied up and the emphasis should be on local performance which gives work to people, and advances skills, and which is unique and ihas the multiplier effect on the local and national economy.
Boomers lose what remains of their teeth when their two favourite shows Fair go, which which is about other Boomers being ripped off by brown people, and Casketeers, which is about the coffins they will soon be in…
…temporarily make way for a show about emerging young talent.
andrew little is acting irrationally in his opposition to fixing the cannabis laws.
to date 17 American states have legalised cannabis with the latest being New Mexico just yesterday.
His refusal to do anything is more or less archaic and comes with no explanation except his other irrational fixation which is he is going to mend and repair the mental health of the whole nation in one budget.
does he come by this fixation by himself or who is feeding him his lines?
well there goes a big delusion right there.
as they say over there either shit or get off the pot!
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
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Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
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The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
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The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
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Easily fixed.
So when will President Biden and the "Democrats" fix it?
https://twitter.com/AWKWORDrap/status/1381262710483136512
At the same time when we could give our empty Ghost Houses to the homeless – or government could instruct Winz to pay weekly rents rather then overpriced stays in slum motels.
Easily fixed that homeless problem, right? Good grief, Morrissey i get it you don't like these guys, but don't complain about other peoples doorstep when in our country we can't even see ours.
"slum motels" Sabine? That is a little emotive. You lose the argument when you overdo the invective, though I agree that it is scandalous that so many people are being put in motels.
In Northland some of the motels are not exactly top draw Git. Some are repurposed, worn out hotels which I am not going to name and shame-the North gets enough flak.
We have good things happening too with Papakainga projects and trusts like He Korowai and others that are supplying housing.
Sabine is not wrong because units that are designed for short stay, low impact use, by one or two people end up with families in them for months, and can turn into slum like conditions quickly enough.
Motels are designed to be slept in nightly. Assuming the unit has two bedrooms and a bathroom (usually the case) and is kept clean by the inhabitants, while this might not be palatial, a family of 4 should be able to live reasonably in such a unit. (I accept the this is not ideal-see my comment above)
To call this a "slum" (def: "a squalid and overcrowded urban street") is invective-go and see the favelas in San Paolo or the slums of Kolkata
Slum actually isnt to far off, I stayed in one near the airport… feral cats, rubbish overflowing in the carpark, minimal cleaning in common areas, mouldy bathrooms, families of four in 25m2 twin rooms no laundaru facilities…
Was only one night would never go back… I feel very sorry for the families stuck there its a national disgrace
nothing stopping the inhabitants from doing a bit of cleaning.I presume they are getting a roof over there heads for free. I rent a house but dont expect landlord to do the cleaning and yardwork. I agree some of these motels are pretty crappy, but a little bit of an effort by some of the inhabitants could do wonders.
IS that the oldopen the bathroom window if you have black mold growing in your 580$ two week bedroom flat. Why don't you clean the house? A bit of bashing down, to feel good?
Yeah, woodart, i agree, why not blame the down trotten and poorest of this country for the failure of successive governments.
Also. you do realise that people in emergency housing also can have jobs? They are just HOMELESS.
Or is that something that would ruin you worldview? That working people, newborn babies, and retirees in New Zealand are homeless because of the last thirty odd years of 'poo poo you so as long as i have mine' mentality of NZ.
get off your high horse.I live in a falling down cottage that had been abandoned for three yrs before I moved in, reroofed half of it, repiled half of it, insulated the ceilings with old real estate signs because there is no roof hatch, painted it, all on MY dollar, cheap rent ,but I have to get off my arse and do these things, not just sit on a forum and whinge. it is MUCH easier to be a victim, but my worldview is that your worldview(constantly looking at others for solutions)is for losers. get off your arse, if there is mould on window sills(a constant problem in my cottage) go buy a cheap bottle of bleach and wipe them all down.
Good on ya, guess its all fault of the people stuck in shit motels cause 'they didnt get off their arse' so I guess lets just forget about em…
Very soon we encourage young mothers and their babies to live in sheds and insulate the accommodation with straw and old rags…… hang on, was this not something out of the Dickensian times?
But who would know that these days, those kids will never get a proper school education anyway…. yeah, let go back to the good ol' 1800's. Maybe some workhouses, we need someone to pick fruit. Yes? Is this where we going and strife for, the brutalization of the human spirit?
It doesn't have to be a binary choice between personal agency and collective support – we can and should require both.
I really hope you own that cottage or are you doing this work in exchange for free living. Cause that would be the only reason for you to do that.
If you rent that shitter and get the pleasure to fix it up for a greedy landlord than like with all the other in that situation i have nothing but pity for you.
Sure, keep your room tidy, clean a little. But with no laundry, no cooking facilities, cramped space, only outdoor area over run with rubbish and feral cats, living on shit takeaway food it'd be fucking soul destroying after a week or so….
details details. s/
dont you think theres a link between shit takeaway food, rubbish everywhere and feral cats? have stayed at some shitty motels, havent found one without a powerpoint. get a cheap one ring cooker(or gas canister camp stove) for less than the price of a feed of maccas, go to the sallies, get a couple of saucepans and cook ,instead of wasteing what money you have on takeaways….or you can continue to whine and play the victim. have seen families living in dirt floor huts in the third world who can cook good meals in one pan, AND keep there houses spotless. its all about the mindset, obviously many on here have a "whats the world going to do for us"mindset. yeah right, continue on that way, see how far down you can go, before someone else holds your hand..
woodart you have a point. People don't realise that they have abilities to help themselves even in dire surroundings. But I think it may be less helplessness or laziness, but a feeling that this is slipping back into the 19th century past and ‘I don't want to go there. I want to progress and move ahead and if I accept these conditions and manage at this level, the authorities will be prepared to leave me here saying 'Oh they're all right'.’
For years people were not able to get a state house with its affordable rent and security of tenure unless they were living in a draughty garage. Now I think that might be regarded as suitable accommodation of a long-term temporary nature.
Life is quite complex when you are struggling. What seems straightforward behaviour to adopt can actually not be the best if you know how the system works. For instance it may seem good for someone on a benefit to get some work. But it won't pay much, involves the cost of travel, and the authorities take away the grant that you rely on, by a dollar for every gross dollar you earn, which then has tax taken out and the net amount received leaves you worse off overall. It can be brutal when you are up against the mindset of judgmental people who condemn others' humanity who have less, regarding them as scruffy rejects of society when all have their gifts as well as their lacks.
Think you'll find the motels dont allow in room cooking… and I am well aware that what we regard as poverty in NZ is comparativly wealthy compared to many other countries. Ive seen that first hand living in a falling apart communist era tower block in eastern Europe.
We just dont know how lucky we are?
I just dont accept that as an arguement as to why we cant be doing much better than we are currently given the living situation for many is steadily worsening.
When it comes to a fridge I expect the old bar style fridge is still used in a motel. Those in emergency housing need to apply every 7 days to MSD and the occupant can be disrupted if the unit is required for a booking due to the amount of guests.
Even if there was a fridge freezer to hold a week of groceries some of the groceries would spoil without refrigeration and go to waste. Carting around open packets of staples would be annoying.
I find this darkly ironic because 'end of life motel' is an accurate description of exactly where we're living at present.
It's not so much the fact of it being not an ideal home, but we're OK with it we're doing this as a short term measure and we have some control and choices. Being trapped there long-term with little prospect of change would be quite different – and very corrosive on family life.
they are slums. if only because no money is spend upgrading and actually making them fit for purpose.
they are slums because we dump people there without any access to mental health, protection from crime, and even help to the motel operators who suddenly have people on home D there, people with addiction health issues, people who are gang involved / related and no help from government, winz, or any other services.
the Favelas and the slums of kolkata are different because here in NZ our homeless have yet to take to the hills and just start building shanty towns, And personally i wonder just how far away we are from that.
Um Sabine, if you check my comments above you will see that I said it is scandalous that we have to resort to putting people in hotels. My problem is people overstate how bad the conditions are-I repeat that they are not close to being slums.
Re the comments above-surely a launderette would be walking distance from most motels. And even when you pay to stay in a motel you are expected to keep it clean.
We all need "protection from crime", not just the people housed in motels. Similarly mental health is not just an issue related to people staying in motels.
again, why don't you come and visit.
and bring a duffle bag of dirty clothes and linnen and then we walk to the next laundromat hang out there for the time your clothes wash and dry and then we walk bac. and if you have a toddler or two bring them too, just so that we can experience the awesomeness of poverty full throttle. But in syaing that, you need to have the ten bucks it would cost you to not only wash the clothes but to also dry it. And people who recieve tens of dollars in benefits may find that hard to afford.
Poverty is very expensive. Just saying.
I live in Rotorua, come for a visit and check out the slum motels that we house the homeless in – in fact the government is currently financing the landbanking of businesses that should have gone out of business a long time and if only because they are not fit for anything else then house some stag party where then no one cares about the damage.
Once you did, come and visit and we go have a chat about the substandard accommodation that we shove these people in, out of sight out of mind, and btw, in which newborns are shoved into too – and in which babys have died (can't think of a most wasted life there, born into poverty, three days old in emergency housing) , cause we as a country really don't care.
I don't care about the polite society in NZ, they are for the most part responsible for the misery that is happening across NZ in motels called 'emergency accommodation' for which the tax payer forks out a million + a night.
So yeah, if my emotive comment upset you, just drink a glass of 'she'll be right, lucky it ain't me' and you will feel better in a second.
Very much a case of 'out of sight out of mind' remember how fiercely the Nats were casitgated for using hotels as emergency housing, politicans having sleep outs in solidarity with the homeless … strangely quite now and the problem is getting steadily worse… but its ok now cause 'kindness'
Its a disgrace and pressure on politicians needs to be immense, how are babies, children growing up in the places going to go in later life. We are busy building massive societal issues and not many people seem overly bothered.
yep, that is what i am pointing out every now and then, ]
i am still making the same comments i did under National. Nothing, absolutly nothing has changed, other then Covid we are were we were in 2016.
I would argue its far worse than it was in 2016. Next to nothing has actually been achieved ie completed to alleviate the issue.
Lots of talk fuck all action and spare me the it's less worse than it would have been under National brigade.
Sabine:"Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed,"
This is simply wrong Sabine. National sold off state houses, reducing the stock in NZ. This government has increased the number of state houses and is further increasing numbers. Search the Standard for the total number of state houses-this is an issue that has been much discussed.
Try to include facts and a sense of perspective in your comments.
i do.
But when it comes to our homeless nothing has changed.
Don't look at it from our comfortable view, look at it from the view of the guy who lost his job, who is trying to survive on unemployment benefits. Look at it from the view of the women on a fixed benefit that will have a rent increase soon, another 80 – 100$ and who will end up in emergency housing or a ditch near anyone of us.
Rents sky high. Mortgages so out of reach that the government increases help ot first home buyer who are trying for an affordable house of around 700.000 + .
Look at it from the view of the kid that goes from unsecured rental to car to motel to car to motel to maybe an unsecured rental. And who can't get on with schooling cause they move every few weeks/month.
One could call it the emergency housing to prison pipeline.
Nothing much has changed.
I include facts often enough, in fact i am a stickler for links to support my argument. And currently a fact is that the first three years of Labour were to some extend squandered, and the Covid housing boom made it worse for everyone. These too are facts.
The grand housing plan from Grant Roberston is well nice, but lacks in teeth.
and I don't need to again rehash what national did not do, and chances are will not do next time they get in again, as they are currently not running the show. I will moan about them when it is their turn, i am bipartisan that way.
And for those in emergency housing, for those fearing to end up in emergency housing nothing has changed.
From January this year
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-zealands-public-housing-crisis-waiting-list-grows-nearly-1000-in-two-months/UFYUW4QAUXIYZARA2ASC2L56VY/
dead baby in emergency housing – reason may not be known for month!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124783505/wellington-babys-cause-of-death-may-not-be-known-for-months-coroner-to-investigate
from March this year
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/438289/fears-for-children-in-motels-growing-up-next-to-gang-members
For the poorest and most ignored in our country, women and children on social beggar benefits, retirees that can't afford rent on their fixed income, working poor who can't afford a house / flat/ditch even with an accom benefit there is no discernable difference between National Housing issues and Labour Housing issues. It is them that will always pay the bills of the failures of successive governments. And that is my opinion, nothing more nothing less.
Just a few facts.
Sabine: I agree with you that the level of poverty in NZ is totally unacceptable-we are not so far apart at all on this issue. I am looking for a major increase in benefits in the upcoming budget.
But if you look back over my posts you will see that I have said many times that I support the Green Party's Wealth Tax which is specifically designed to make serious inroads into poverty (or even eliminate it) by taxing only rich people-couples who have net assets over $2 million.
Until we have a quantum shift like a Wealth Tax, which in the case of the Green Party proposal is estimated to raise $7.9 billion annually, poverty will continue in this country.
again, this is not a failure of one party vs the other. Its a failure by Government. I go to great pains to call for 'government' action ,not party action.
It does not matter atm which party to support. Everyone here was scared into voting for Labour cause Judith!!!!!! Never mind she could not get elected dog catcher ourside her own electorate. And all the third parties suffered and here we are.
And now we have a party in majority and they squander every bit of their advantage and only the gods know why. but it certainly not to our benefit.
I guess i am moaning again.
BG at 1.1.1 – I hope this is not a measure we want to put on the table. I mean, substandard conditions are a health hazard and really trap families in a hopeless situation. You can use these accommodations temporary but not instead of housing. And talking about housing….
F Waka-see my comment above where I say it is scandalous that NZ is housing people in motels.
On a recent holiday, we stayed in a campground north of Thames.
Another aspect of children living in a motel/campground is the places to play, socialize, ride bikes. Most surfaces are concreted.
Also having yr neighbours change every day or other day. Not good.
Impose squatters rights on the 40,000 ghost houses in Auckland as a start. Then move to the other 60,000 in the rest of the country.
I disagree that it is a financial constraint, it is a lack of will.
Fair point, Sabine—however it's not a case of me "not liking these guys"; I was simply reminding everyone of where public money is going, as opposed to where it should be going. In this case of course, it is the USA, but obscene mis-prioritizations of funding occur here as well, although not on the same scale.
You obviously haven't been listening. Biden has a 1.9 trillion infrastructure proposal before the Congress right now. That proposal includes funding for housing the homeless as well as many other social justice issues. If only our government was as proactive.
I doubt that Mossie reads WaPo.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/04/08/homeless-hud-marcia-fudge/
+1
"If only our government was as proactive. "
Is this in any way serious? NZ is so far ahead of the US in handling the pandemic that we don't have remotely similar problems. The US stimulus will allow further housing of people in motels, something which NZ is already doing.
You do realise that there was a change of govt in the US on 20 Jan 2021. Up until that time, the do nothing Chump was in charge. Since that time (in 83 days to be precise) the country has been rolling out vaccines at a phenomenal rate. The rate of infection, while still high, has dropped and has steadied at around 70,000 cases per day from a peak of over 225,000 cases per day under Trump in Jan this year. Half of the adult population (150 million) have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The stimulus package (which has been approved) is not the same thing as the Infrastructure Package which is aimed not at housing people in motels – but in building homes.
You thought the clear difference between the challenges faced by the US and NZ should be highlighted?
And if you think housing people in motels is not an outcome of the infrastructure proposal then you should read the WaPo link.
Just as in NZ, in the US there is a lack of suitable social housing, and the initial stimulus package included funds to immediately house homeless people, as explained in the WaPo article.
But.
It then goes on to explain further the initiatives that are also included in the Infrastructure package that has just been revealed a week ago.
my bold.
Where’s Mossie gone?
Sounds like you want Kiwibuild to be given another crack. But as far as I am aware the govt is building and running the state housing stock, reversing a prior National govt sell off. I just can't see how its possible to claim our govt is not proactive with reference to policies well under way in NZ.
It is true there are some steps being made by the current govt here in NZ to reverse the damage done under previous administrations, but it is far too little IMHO. The emphasis on Kiwibuild is fine for those who might be able to afford to buy a home, but there are many others for whom that vision is simply out of the question. The reliance on private developers to do the work is also a problem. Having worked for a time in the civil construction industry, developers are only in the game for the end dollar. "Cheap" is not an attractive option for them. The money is always in the middle to upper end of the market.
Furthermore for many they are really not interested in 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom and garage, even if one was offered. I work on a voluntary basis here with a group of rough sleepers, and all they want is someplace to have a shower, go to the toilet, cook a meal, and have a chat if they feel the need for some company. When it is raining they would like a dry place they can doss down for the night. We have around 20 -30 rough sleepers in our town right now. I have written to the Ministers for Housing, Social Development, Maori Housing, and Associate Minister for Homelessness, outlining a proposal for a Hub providing such amenities, and ongoing staffing through an acceptable NGO. I have not had the courtesy of a reply.
Every commentator on the MSM whether from real estate or developers or advocacy groups all say that the government should just embark on a massive house-building programme. The leftie ones continue that sentence … "just like Michael Joseph Savage".
This government has found that the states' capacity to execute policy anywhere let alone in housing construction is far, far weaker than they imagined.
The amount of support that Minister Twyford got for trying to start such a programme was next to zero including from his caucus and his PM. They let him swing on the manifesto promises they all signed up to. And he was the only one in this government with enthusiasm for forming anything new that would deliver. So no other Minister is going to try that again.
Good on you for your volunteer efforts that's more than I do. I'd recommend the staff of Megan Woods. She's a solid unit, and about as active as this lot are going to get.
That’s just one impact of the School Strikes for Climate Action.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/climate-emergency/school-strikes-give-govt-mandate-to-act-on-climate
Being visible, being heard, having a strategy and action taken by governments is the way forward when it comes to climate change and ecological sustainability.
Indeed, and while smart young people flex their voices, pale stale male National is trying to bog it down in bickering, as usual, about modelling assumptions and technical details. Stall, stall, stall, in the hope that it will be watered down so much it becomes a meaningless toothless toad, just like the National Party.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300275333/national-wont-vote-for-climate-change-commission-proposals-in-current-form
Oh well said sir!
At the moment the best Shaw can come up with is replacing coal boilers for school heaters….
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2104/S00079/carbon-neutral-government-a-step-closer.htm
… which amounts to pretty much doing nothing at all.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/new-zealands-greenhouse-gas-emissions
I'm sure he's going to shock us with his boldness on May 31st.
I do not think science has yet come up with an alternative technology which will be used to stop greenhouse gas emissions. For now it is about cutting the gas emissions.
A new lever on the standard model. This could be the answer once muons are worked out. There are other forms of energy which will be discovered.
If you are a Minister outside of Cabinet, there is really very little policy one can initiate, because you do not have a seat at the table where the real decisions on what is to be done and prioritised, are made.
Oh horseshit. He's generated the legislation he wanted, the Commission he wanted, and the recommendations he wanted all on his policy area. The release from Shaw today shows how proud he is of getting prioritiations through. He knows how to influence effectively. He's just weak.
He has $200 million to play with. That's his limit. That was approved in 2019, when he did have a seat at the table.
It has been said that I am always negative on TS (not actually true) however here is a little something to give readers a few laughs…a great look back at some of the funniest and most over the top anti Russian Mccarthyite hysteria headlines to come from the Liberal press over the past few years …enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr2SmniV0HY&t=48s
What a wonderful world we live in when a pot head comedian is regularly more switched on, informed and informative than flagship liberal media and their vast readerships …
Word for the day: Running dog is a pejorative term for an unprincipled person who helps or flatters those more powerful and often evil.
But that's not what's going on in that video
No flattery of Putin whatsoever, rather criticism of the soviet type propaganda exercise , taken up by corporate news media in the west ,blaming outsiders for internal dysfunction, and amplifying secret "intelligence" allegations
Anybody disputing the official govt story is promptly gaslighted as unwitting Kremlin dupes, or "running dog"losers .What a brilliant way to cower people into keeping their mouths shut for fear of being cut loose from the pack
.
Oh, get off the grass.
It is only the raging Putin dupes who find it necessary to impose their lack of judgement upon us, day in, day out.
Let us be explicit here, your fellow travelers are promoting a murderous kleptocrat and former head of the Stasi, on a leftwing site, and for some reason expect not to be greeted with universal contempt.
How's that working out for you?
Putin headed the Stasi, did he? Where did you learn that—from Rachel Domdaw?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPpyn3QwSj0
criticism of the soviet type propaganda exercise , taken up by corporate news media in the west ,blaming outsiders for internal dysfunction, and amplifying secret "intelligence" allegations
Were you not Putin dupes, menkurt dependents of his propaganda sources, you would find yourself a few eastern European sources, folk who suffered the Soviet occupation for preference. People from Byelorussia or the Ukraine would soon put you straight about the crap you regurgitate here ad nauseum. The style of that propaganda is instantly recognizable – and often relies on drawing false parallels between less compromised organs like the NYT, and fully compromised ones like RT.
In your naivete, you are dangerous. Do some homework – get the real story on the monster whose work you are doing.
While you amplify hegemonic US talking points
You are dangerous for any journalist who speaks out against a war mongering western elite
While you amplify hegemonic US talking points
The funny thing, ma petite choux choux, is that I don't. It's not me that, day in, day out posts pathetic drivel in support of a genocidal sonofabitch – that would be you Putin dupes.
America doesn't talk about Chechnya – it coincided with and took advantage of the US invasion of Iraq – it's not a US talking point at all. But I imagine, to the tragic pawn of a murderous despot, that level of compromise must seem natural, even inevitable.
My reply is "awaiting moderation"
heh
I mean, we could all try a bit more moderation in some way or another 🙂
Censorship—don't you love it!
Sometimes words have two meanings 🙄
Same thing just happened to me, francesca. I challenged Mr Munro over his remarkable claim that the President of one country ("R") headed the spy agency of another ("E.G.") and I asked him if he had received that information from a particularly foolish and discredited MSNBC commentator, and provided a clip of that commentator insanely repeating the name of the country "R" and its President.
Lo and behold, I found my post marked "awaiting moderation."
There's a lot of it about.
Ok KGB, not Stasi – though these despotic intelligence organizations are very alike and cooperated – sharing files and methodologies.
Advocates and journalist calling for even greater property inflation….what the hell are they thinking?
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/governments-first-home-loan-scheme-totally-redundant
maybe this is the problem?
And increasing the thresholds simply puts a higher floor under the market….as they should all understand.
still, why exclude do-er uppers. Maybe really that is an issue, specifically if that is the only house you can buy for the money the government thinks is the amount you could buy for in any given area.
You get nigh to nothing in Rotorua for 500.000 grand. Before covid no issue, but thanks to a year of low interest rates and cashed up 'expat' kiwis coming home, no longer. Just to show you how obscene it is, the property that i bought 4 years ago for 200.000 grand is now worth over 500.000 grand. And between Christmas and March it increased almost 100.000 in value. I did put in heatpump, insulation, bathroom fan etc – yes this was a rental property – but nothing that would allow for that type of increase other then speculation and desperation. Sad thing, well funny too, if i were to sell, i could not afford a new property. Luckily, this is my forever home, and hopefully i can keep it.
Maybe the inflation is driven by desperation.
Excluding doer uppers is indeed foolish but I guess if you are promoting 'healthy homes' allowing it gives opposition voices a stick to beat you with…politics trumps common sense.
I suspect the thresholds were set with one eye on where they would like the lower quartile to settle…..maybe inflation is set by expectations.
i bought an 'unhealthy home' and fixed it for about 6 grand to make it healthy and that includes a heat pump.
that should not be a reason.
Inflation currently is set by desperation. Not expectations. Heck, i have yet to do the driveway. lol……………………… But i got the drain dudes in last week and i dug out hte broken piece of drain and fixed it! Woot.
And just wait until the rates increases are coming through. Porirua, one of the poorer areas around Wellington except Aotea, has been told to expect 8% increase. On top of that they talk about a separate levy for waste water pipes maintenance. Yep, I am sure the council staff is well heeled whilst the rest will be loosing their roof over the head. Why is inflation being said to be low? There is a 10% increase of rates which represents some 30-50% of your living costs. No longer, its then 40-60%. I know that supermarkets have increased their pricing in the last 12 months and judging by my weekly bill that hasn't really changed in terms of product bought, I look at 7-8% minimum depending whether I allow myself some meat.
Maybe inflation figures assessed are of all those who can deduct GST, this would be 1-2% inflation alright.
"what the hell are they thinking?"
They are obviously thinking about themselves and their business models. A bigger government subsidy to 1st home buyers, means more people knocking on these guys' doors looking for the balance of the purchase price. That this increases demand and will likely push prices still higher, they don't give a flying f*ck about – it's all about them and the perpetual drive to make even more money. There are so many bad faith actors in this scummy little thing called a 'housing market' that it's hard not to puke.
Sadly I fear you are correct….though why the journalist didnt ask those questions is disturbing.
Macro you think Biden's 1.9trillion package will solve the US "s homeless problem you are joking .
When you look at where it's going to be spent and the fact that it could be filibuster by the GOP .
look up the term budget reconciliation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_(United_States_Congress)#:~:text=The%20Senate%20filibuster%20effectively%20requires,majority%20support%20in%20the%20Senate.
Man what could our people here – those who don't work from home, and who are not rich, and who have lost their jobs and who live of begger welfare payments – do with a bit of a stimulus payment. Lol….our people did not even get a christmas bonus payment for some slices of Pams Ham. Go figure.
Just a little trickle down to the people rather then shoveling money to connected people and their 'shovel ready' projects.
While its clear that the democrats control the US govt to the extent they can pass as much legislation as they want, they also already managed to reneg on the $15 federal minimum wage which was a campaign promise. It will hardly be surprising if such a large spending bill gets markedly reduced while negotiating it through government, especially with the corporate tax hikes coupled with it.
Of course as Mozzy highlighted no similar scale military budget has such problems passing (or changes corporate taxes by a cent).
Repugs will vote for aircraft carriers and filibuster wage increases.
It's that simple. For the dems to pass legislation in the Senate they need to change the filibuster rules or get 60
$% (the dollar sign was a typo but was too appropriate to leave out, lol) of the seats.The democrats could easily have avoided the filibuster in the minimum wage case, using the same procedure Sabine highlighted. They decided to make it a problem which makes one think they also didn't want the minimum wage increase to go through.
They tried that procedure. It didn't work.
Yes, I am well aware that the democrats have been telling everyone just how incompetent they are at passing legislation.
On the other hand say an unelected office holder stood in the way of govt policy, say the reserve bank governor refused to reimplement LVR restrictions, do you think they could keep their position?
If they are doing their job, yes.
Especially if that job includes the function of ensuring that the legislative body follows the legislative process as defined by law, in this case the Congressional Budget Act (section 313).
What next, firing judges who hold that the minimum wage law was illegal because it didn't follow the legislative process?
Amazing.
Sticking to your gas lighting I see.
Of course the Republicans have previously fired the senate parliamentarian. Not that it would have come to that had they made it clear that $15 was expected to be in there.
It's not gaslighting to actually focus on the case in question.
What is your argument that the Senate Parliamentarian made the legally incorrect decision? Was the minimum wage change an intrinsic part of the budget legislation, or was it being piggy-backed onto budget legislation in order to bypass the legislated process?
In your opinion, is the issue of minimum wage "extraneous" to a budget bill?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Care_and_Education_Reconciliation_Act_of_2010
This went through that process in 2010.
No, a minimum wage increase will quite clearly effect the budget. Boosting both income tax collected and the pay of some federal employees.
A number of democrat senators didn't support the $15 minimum wage rate Biden wanted, so it still wouldn't have passed if they sacked they senate parliamentarian and put it to a vote.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/541860-the-eight-democrats-who-voted-no-on-15-minimum-wage
Agree. This could have made things difficult for democrats who were against the increase in their electorates.
A bill that (by your link) changes specific federal budget expenses and taxes/charges is not extraneous to a budget, no.
The closest you could get to that with minimum wage is to itemise how many federal employees are on the minimum wage, if any.
Just saying that the downstream economic effects would affect the budget in some unknown way would make everything from the death penalty to speed limits non-extraneous to the budget.
Just pretending words mean whatever they want so they can avoid legislative restrictions was the hallmark of the orange regime, not rule of law.
Yes, its just a fact that the govt budget and the economy are intertwined. There are clear reasons why treasury produces a forecast as part of the budget and when its not accurate then the deficit is off budget to the tune of a billion dollers (within 6 months). Same with the CBO, but with bigger numbers.
Unless you can propose a more accurate way of forecasting I see little way of splitting impacts up by budget impact, but the minimum wage clearly will impact the federal bottom line.
There is a fundamental interconnectedness of all things, but minimum wage increases are not connected to the budget in as direct a way as e.g. a clause explicitly increasing specific tax credits.
The bottom line is that the "parliamentarian" has a statutory role to ensure the legality of the process by which legislation is enacted. If that role was demonstrably performed incompetently or in bad faith, then fine, fire them.
But firing officials because one doesn't like their impartial, competent decisions about the legality of what one wishes to do is exactly the sort of presidency from which the USA needs to move away.
Yes, it did not work thanks to
moderate Democrat Jo Manchin from West Virginia
and moderate Democrat Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona.
As Dr, King once said, its not the radicals that he fears, the KKK's and the likes as they are open in their attitude, it is the moderates that he fears, as they have no issue with the status quo and thus are happy to maintain it to the detriment of everyone else.
A pox on the house of all moderates that hide among so called liberals and progressives.
The 15 min wage was killed because of these two Democrats. Sinema even tried to pull of a little John McCain, and did a little curtesy when she gave it that thumps down. Sounds a bit like the moderates in our so called progressive party.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/sinema-gives-a-thumbs-down-to-federal-minimum-wage-increase-to-15-per-hour/2021/03/05/2428d425-2370-4ed1-91f5-21b4a9495301_video.html
and funny it is these two that are upset that they have to give up the fillibuster for their friends in the republican party.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/us/politics/joe-manchin-filibuster-reconciliation.html
With friends like these who needs enemies. But it would really help if people actually looked a bit further.
So for the moment budget reconciliation it is and sometimes that is what one needs to do to get something done. That is still better then do fuck all, and state before the election that 'the beneficiaries will get nothing more then what we gave them'. Moderates. Just no.
But even without those two, it did not work because minimum wage levels are extraneous to the government's budget reconciliation process.
However, there is more than one way to skin a cat, especially with the repugs beginning their own little civil war. Dems have the moderate bloc and the coastal lefties, but the repugs have the magamob vs the corporate shills.
Thinking back over the years it used to be people became politicians and get into govt because they wanted to enact real change ie the Labour movement but with the rise of the career politician we are seeing a change where the aim is to become the govt for govts sake ie reach the top of the career ladder….
I'm not sure you'd pick it for a career. Doesn't pay that much and it looks very stressful.
I think politics picks them. They all seem to have an intense belief their opinion matters. Unfortunately, most are of the opinion that the boat shall not be rocked.
It may not pay much, but think of the ego trip these people relish. Not sure politics chooses them rather they choose politics cos no one else would employ them, sure, there are exceptions to this rule.
I think unlimited sick leave, guaranteed wage increase, a pension after just 3 years etc… helps. All financed by those who have a battle on their hands to keep afloat.
sure does.
Gee, that was quick.* Why didn't we do something sooner?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2021/04/investors-losing-interest-in-property-survey.html
*I doubt they are telling the truth, they are not the type.
They will invest in commercial property – not restrictions of any kind there. A person i know asked for a pop up shop here and was quoted i kid you not, 4500NZd plus GST, plus outgoings, plus insurance – a month. And we wonder why our towns are dying.
Obviously not a shovel ready project.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/440348/hutt-valley-high-school-principal-beyond-angry-as-classrooms-close-due-to-mould-leaks
They should contact James Shaw, get him to re-direct that $11.9m that went to the 'green' school. This school seems far more deserving.
Are you a disingenuous or just an ignorant troll?
Let’s just assume it was the least worse option: an ignorant troll. Next time we’ll see a flying troll
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/green-schools-11-7-million-grant-now-100-per-cent-government-loan
That's good to hear it is now only a loan to the Green school, I was unaware of that.
Thanks for advising. It annoyed me at the time as there are so many other public schools badly in need of funding.
I expect more structural defects will be found. Maybe a rebuild is the smarter decision.
The UN comes to the rescue, it is so good that we have it.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2104/S00128/volcanic-eruption-leaves-entire-population-of-saint-vincent-without-clean-water.htm
Last week’s eruption of La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,has left the entire population of the main island without clean water and electricity, the UN Spokesperson said on Monday.
Emphasizing that access to the island is limited, Mr. Dujarric said that along with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the UN has mobilized pre-positioned water and sanitation hygiene supplies, currently stored in nearby Barbados….
“Explosions and accompanying ashfall of similar or larger magnitude are likely to continue to occur over the next few days”, according to the UN humanitarian office.
This is a government managing a country that has good financial standing, oh yes. It's just that a lot of people living in this country are being rorted by a system that no-one has the guts to change because it would involve some very wealthy people getting really pissed off. I'm doing all right, if other people did this…. or that…. (various well-worn recipes for cakes that won't rise) – that is why we are like this. But hey look over here, there's a tv celebrity with white teeth and wearing a Trelise Cooper or such, to take your mind off the probs.
Ordinary people at state schools have to put up with underfunding and not just plain and basic surroundings but neglected buildings that bureaucrats wouldn't work in. Cold, unpleasant and unhealthy.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/440348/hutt-valley-high-school-principal-beyond-angry-as-classrooms-close-due-to-mould-leaks
From next term, Year 12 and Year 13 students will have to do their work from home for two-and-a-half days a week because there's not enough room for them at school.
Two weeks ago teachers were given 30 minutes to clear their desks before a whole building was shut down and sealed off.
Thirteen classrooms, three bathrooms and a dance studio have been deemed unsafe…
[Acting Principal Denise Johnson]… Johnson told Morning Report the ministry has known about these issues for years.
She said it's only now that "we're in a crisis" that the ministry's response has been brilliant.
"This was a train wreck waiting to happen."
The building in question is 50 years old and ventilation is minimised by the design, being surrounded by other buildings, Evans said. ( (Ministry of Education's head of property delivery and infrastructure services Scott Evans)
In Nelson the Min of Ed refuse to provide extra classrooms for the nearest co-ed school and so people are forced to send their children to either of the one-sex schools in the city, though everybody wants choice. It certainly is not good for those who would benefit from a mixed gender environment such as the children of single parents, or those who want education amongst average society.
True to form, MediaJerks says: Nothing to see here.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/mediaworks-harassment-inquiries-anger-after-internal-probe-finds-no-misconduct-at-the-rock/B5SJYS4H3IH2GWKRTIV7ISGKDA/
This despite multiple complaints about workplace culture.
edit
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/440374/new-parliament-building-to-house-mps-staff-planned-for-2022-build
Can't an empty or underutilised stadium be found for them? They have a doubtful productivity record and we can't afford to build another hive for people who have proved to be drones.
I say stop these expensive building plans that the creme de la creme are dreaming up around the country*; put a moratorium on them. We have to get basic matters seen to first, and Parliamentarians should just have to double-bunk if necessary.
Also remember the Parl.. part of their name, they are talkers, and how. But we now need doers of practical things more than chewing gum and advancing exciting ideas at the same time.
I am serious in this concern. I believe that many others will also feel the same way. Should we start a movement about it?
Plus another moan – school buses are being run on such a lean budget that pupils who need it, are being refused transport even when it goes past their properties. Education was always the way that countries were told to increase to lift them up in the world, standards of living. So we no longer want to do that? Is that part of why NZ is diminishing?
Education was always the way that countries were told to increase to lift them up in the world, standards of living. So we no longer want to do that? Is that part of why NZ is diminishing?
All over the country I think we would find feverish plans to do this or that new mainly to cater for the tourists they hope will come, when they have present attractions that could be flossied up and the emphasis should be on local performance which gives work to people, and advances skills, and which is unique and ihas the multiplier effect on the local and national economy.
Gawd, how pathetic. JuCo has a cry because old racist Phil
GlücksburgBattenburgthe Greek had such a hard time growing up.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh
Silly old bat.
What a surprise.
Boomers lose what remains of their teeth when their two favourite shows Fair go, which which is about other Boomers being ripped off by brown people, and Casketeers, which is about the coffins they will soon be in…
…temporarily make way for a show about emerging young talent.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300275881/tvnz-backlash-grows-after-popstars-replaces-fair-go-this-is-a-joke
Good news they seem to have caught up with this bloke finally.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124808216/judge-tells-horticultural-contractors-to-prepare-for-jail-after-they-admit-to-17m-tax-evasion
Yes, it's good the whole industry is under the microscope now. The growers were complicit in this and a bit of sunlight is doing everyone some good.
andrew little is acting irrationally in his opposition to fixing the cannabis laws.
to date 17 American states have legalised cannabis with the latest being New Mexico just yesterday.
His refusal to do anything is more or less archaic and comes with no explanation except his other irrational fixation which is he is going to mend and repair the mental health of the whole nation in one budget.
does he come by this fixation by himself or who is feeding him his lines?
well there goes a big delusion right there.
as they say over there either shit or get off the pot!