nah, it looks like he's signalling that Labour will rely on TPM if they need to (as opposed to other elections where they've taken an anti stance), but is also pointing out the limits within MMP post-election negotiations.
And, signalling to the electorate that there won't be a government that adopts the more radical TPM positions. This is fairly normal election jostling. I thought he was quite mild and handled it well.
I can't see Labour being willing to lose the election. Hipkins is courting the working swing vote imo by pulling back from some of the social issues or radical change policies that don't attract swing voters.
Pragmatism is Hipkin's middle name. In that respect he is like John Key. There's room for a pragmatic leader sometimes and given the trials and tribulations we've been through and those we know are coming, then lets give pragmatism another go.
Luxon hasn't got it. He's too wedded to the neoliberal ideology and the notion the market place can sort it all – for himself and his rich cobbers. God forbid he ever had to cope with the type of emergencies that befell Ardern and Hipkins.
It appears to me (and it may be as a result of my own inclinations and the media I consume) that the centre parties are being given the green light to increase taxation on the well heeled.
National to date appear to be unwilling/incapable of hearing the message but will Labour?
I would expect that would be the earliest opportunity…and Im not suggesting the 'approval' is universal, but i get the sense that there is a significant part of the cohort that will not punish any party that proposes such (within reason)
Yes, parties can and should include tax justice as a key policy issue in the election.
Hope it doesn't devolve into a moronic argument about income tax thresholds (which are irrelevant to the truly wealthy). NAct would prefer the argument was just that.
I don't know what tax changes, if any, Labour intends to take to the election, but agree that what Robertson presents at the Budget is not likely to be indicative.
Great to see Te Maaori Party getting on the front foot, a lot of their policies will resonate with the average New Zealander, National and Labour are still Neoliberal Parties pandering to the top 10% percenters and their Cling On’s.
Also with the idea that MMP envisaged a spread of parties and negotiation to get the best of the ideas that smaller parties might have.
Sadly I think the at heart postion of the Labour party still seems to be a nod to neo lib and slow moving on things like the supermarket duopoly and electricity prices. I know there is much still to undo and poverty is ever present.
My husband and I have had the usual increase in our National Superannuation and the winter energy payment has now kicked in as well. OK, we are lucky as we own our property mortgage free, but the Labour Government which you go to great pains to ridicule do look after the less well off than Nact/Act wouldn't have the inclination so to do. ACT have gone as far as saying that they would repeal the WEP straight away – I bet their super aged, well healed followers happily pocket the WEP and don't think to do the decent thing and opt out. I believe that elder poverty has a lot to do with those who are still renting their homes and have to satisfy their rapacious landlords with more and more rent increases.
You are correct that those who have mortgage free houses are doing just fine..
I am talking about the 40% of the retiring baby boomers who aren't in that fortunate position..
Yes..they are prey for parasitic landlords..
And my heart goes out to those still paying off a mortgage..with the pension as their only income…(ok before..but not now)..that must be a new benchmark for being between a rock and a hard place..
I think we all thought we had elder poverty licked..
The landlord. They have inserted themselves in between a person needing a home and an otherwise vacant house and from exploiting that need they extract an income that they didn't labour for.
Landlords 'provide' housing exactly like scalpers 'provide' tickets.
If you decide you want to go to a concert the night before – when all the tickets were sold out two months earlier – then maybe paying a scalper a premium is your only choice.
But a landlord charges you less than what it would cost for you to buy that ‘vacant’ house. How does that work?
As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed and demand a rent even for its natural produce – Adam Smith
Landlords don't charge less than a mortgage, they charge as much as the 'market' can support. They have the asset and an income stream as well as a surplus, a renter pays more than an owner-occupier and earns no equity, their labour produces the landlords surplus. Parasites.
How does a renter save for a deposit when the growth in house prices is outpacing inflation, wage increases don't meet inflation and 30+% of their weekly income is spent on rent alone?
As you have said before, there are ongoing costs in maintaining the asset of an investment property, in addition to any mortgage servicing. In the current market renters are expected to pay enough premium to the owners of their home, to cover all the landlords costs, pay down their asset, and provide a surplus on top; all for the luxury of having somewhere to live. No equity, no stability. It’s exploitative.
How does a renter save for a deposit when the growth in house prices is outpacing inflation, wage increases don't meet inflation and 30+% of their weekly income is spent on rent alone?
Now you are asking the right question. Why is property so expensive in New Zealand? And this holds true regardless of whether you are buying an existing property or building new.
As long as your anger is misdirected at your landlord – who is effectively just giving you access to capital and equity you do not have access to – then the problem will remain unsolved.
When I first married in the 80's I had an income of $13kpa and a rent of $1560 pa. I had nothing but a new wife and zero assets. That rent was eminently affordable and I was happy to pay rent just to have a roof over our heads. (Although it has to be said in a stiff southerly the wallpaper did tend to flap a bit.)
As long as your anger is misdirected at your landlord
Why do you insist on mischaracterising the statements of others?
Now you are asking the right question
I was explaining how landlordism is parasitical, as you professed some confusion. Glad to have added to your understanding.
Why is property so expensive in New Zealand?
Because we incentivised property investment, privatised social housing, stacked the rental 'market' in favour of profit-seeking landlords and then acted shocked when housing became increasingly unaffordable to all those without generational wealth.
Again I have good news for you. If you don't want to compete with everyone else in the property market – as I suggested at the outset you might want to consider building a new house.
The most important factor not captured very well is collateral. This is usually a mix of existing assets and (future) earning potential. This, in turn, determines the risk to the mortgage lender. It is not really different to commercial lending and the same (economic) principles apply. Mortgage lenders can call in the mortgage any time.
Knowing how to interpret the snapshot means we have a fairly good inkling of what the next snapshot will look like, don’t you agree?
Yes and no. From what we know across all creative domains, that over time the Pareto Principle seems to inexorably apply. That no matter whether it is landlords, scientific and technological innovation, or doing business of any kind – the table tends to always end up looking like this at any given moment. (Athough the occupants of the chairs do change over time.)
The trivial path to making everyone equal is to burn the table down and make everyone dirt poor. All historic attempts at addressing this have pretty much ended up at this catastrophic end point. The key to unlocking this puzzle is to understand how to maintain the incentives for creative endeavour, while managing a healthy balance between the extremes of wealth and poverty. That is a whole other topic deserving of many other threads.
In terms of housing it is however important that some rental housing must be available. Young people will naturally lack collateral, or some may choose to invest what they have elsewhere. Many are simply not ready to commit to a fixed dwelling place, others will never qualify for a mortgage at any price on any terms – all of these are perfectly legitimate reasons to rent.
The real cause of the anguish and resentment being expressed here is not renting or landlords per se – but that so many people no longer have access to the collateral and credit necessary to have a choice. They find themselves compelled to rent long after it makes personal sense for them to do so.
If instead this cartoon was addressing say – the ranking of academic paper cites, or income earned from the arts, or sporting achievement – would it look much different?
And what is the most important factor that is captured by that cartoon?
If instead this cartoon was addressing say – the ranking of academic paper cites, or income earned from the arts, or sporting achievement – would it look much different?
Don't know. I do know the cartoon depicts a wealth distribution that means roughly 50% of NZers have a less than decent quality of life. Is that distribution sustainable, nice and natural? Can't help wondering if the answer depends on where one sits at the table – keep ’em hungry!
And I don't have any more time for someone who answers a question:
And what is the most important factor that is captured by that cartoon?
with a question:
If instead this cartoon was addressing say – the ranking of academic paper cites, or income earned from the arts, or sporting achievement – would it look much different?
and then levels an accusation of "intellectual dishonesty."
And some wealthy Kiwis agree – change is needed. Those opposed to changes that would increase redistribution of wealth in Aotearoa NZ should be honest about the reason(s) for their resistance.
Wealth Distribution, Income Inequality and Financial Inclusion: A Panel Data Analysis [April 2023; PDF]
The findings of this paper have several implications for policies geared towards addressing wealth inequality. First, it underscores the need for governments to put in place measures to make wealth inequality less persistent. Fiscal policy, in the form of taxation of inheritance, is one instrument that can be used by governments to make wealth inequality less persistent.
Second, reducing income inequality will go a long way towards dampening wealth inequality. Policies addressing income inequality, for example progressive taxation, social protection measures, and education policies, are crucial for reducing wealth inequality.
In other words you know perfectly well the point I was making – but you choose to pretend otherwise.
As for the rest of your quote wall – yeah we knew all of this here at TS over a decade ago. Over time I've seen variations on this same conversation that go nowhere useful so often I care not to even start counting.
Here's the thing – nobody sane or serious thinks poverty is a good thing. In the western world most people will go a step further and agree that the extremes of wealth and poverty is not a good thing either. And it doesn't take much insight to realise they are not one and the same problem – the creation of human development and prosperity can be reliably measured by material dollar value measures. The impact of inequality by contrast shows up in measures of psychological and social dysfunction – a different domain.
But even assuming wealth and income are the sole criteria here – if the desired goal is to both progress human development, and reduce inequality at the same time, this implies a massive increase in total human prosperity across the board. In crude terms, do you want to solve inequality by making the rich poorer, or the poor richer? This is an important distinction, they are not the same thing at all.
The first solution is what the communists attempted with catastrophic outcomes. The latter solution is something altogether different – lifting everyone out of poverty and dysfunction implies something far more ambitious and complex.
Note carefully – I am not saying that progressive tax policies and redistribution schemes do not have their place. But I argue they are in of themselves far from sufficient. If the left is ever to escape the seemingly endless cycles of Karpman Drama games this is the kind of question we must learn how to discuss honestly.
In crude terms, do you want to solve inequality by making the rich poorer, or the poor richer?
If both approaches reduce inequality, then why not do both? The cost of living ain't getting any cheaper, and it's no mystery which end of the table is doing (and always has done) it tough.
If instead this cartoon was addressing say – the ranking of academic paper cites, or income earned from the arts, or sporting achievement – would it look much different?
RL, I still don't know if the distribution of 'food' would "look much different" at any of those tables – maybe inequality would be much more pronounced at a 'sporting achievement table', but I genuinely don't know. Might a Google search provide some real analysis? What is your answer to your question?
Is your the point of your question that Pareto-optimalitydescribes (explains?) all inequality? Some have even been so bold as to suggest that it justifies inequality – can you believe it?! Whereas most politicians can understand that sustained optimal redistribution has a part to play in easing the burden of wealth inequality that influences the prospects of most Kiwis from cradle to grave.
At the 1972 conference in honor of Milton Friedman, Buchanan’s solution was, in his words, “close to that expressed by Musgrave” in Musgrave’s comment on Hochman and Rodgers (1969) because it brought in the property rights considerations that structured the “primary distribution”.
Justice, Pareto, and Equality
[December 2016; abstract only]
In a just society the interests of different classes will be interconnected, which explains why a property-owning democracy is one of Rawls’s preferred social systems. The chapter discusses both why inequality is bad for its own sake and why it is instrumentally undesirable because of its bad effects.
The Problem with Pareto [27 Sept 2021]
Imagine a world where one person holds all the wealth and power, and everybody else has nothing – or at least, are subsisting. Nobody would think this was a just world, but it is a Pareto Efficient world – we cannot make anyone better off without making someone (our absolute monarch) worse off. Outside of our somewhat fanciful example, anything redistributive is still ruled out. In a world where some people starve, and others leave resources idle (or use them to send themselves to space), then Pareto efficiency doesn’t seem very… efficient. As is often the case, economists are our own worst enemies, teaching neat examples that undermine the case for our own usefulness.
If you’re harking for a more efficient allocation of resources, then economics offers up another form of efficiency – Kaldor-Hicks efficiency. A change is a Kaldor-Hicks improvement if the people who benefit from it could (theoretically) compensate the people who lose out. Or, put another way, if a change adds more to happiness of the people who benefit than it does the sadness of those who lose out, it’s Kaldor-Hicks improvement.
I am not saying that progressive tax policies and redistribution schemes do not have their place. But I argue they are in of themselves far from sufficient.
Excellent – in addition to more robust and progressive tax policies (un-dodgeable CGT, wealth tax, inheritance tax, higher tax rates for high net wealth individuals and lower tax rates for the poor), other progressive (generational?) policies couldn't hurt.
The point is, we can improve. And the starting point for that is to get over the awkwardness and start acknowledging the problem.
(Cough Cough)
"Hey, aaah… do you reckon we could pass something down for these guys over here?"
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" will be increasingly important (imho) as civilisation continues to grow, and CC, food scarcity, war, pandemics, environmental and economic crises et al. chip away at the feasibility of continuing the human experiment on spaceship Earth.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"
Straight from the marxist canon, and like so many bad ideas it has a seductively simplicity to it. If only the world was a rainbow hue utopia the condition it aspires to might spontaneously arise – but instead every attempt to deliver on this has resulted in a catastrophic destruction of all the social, economic and political norms that make life worth living.
Because therein lies a big fat clue – this infamous aphorism is not a useful expression of any economic or even political virtue – but a moral one. A virtue that cannot be imposed by the state, or any bureaucratic device – rather it can only come the same place where good and evil is decided – the human heart.
"Greed on their part is what has caused rents to rise so much.."
No. What has caused rents to rise so much is a government with the stupidity to lift the costs of being a landlord in a market where said landlords have the ability to lift rents.
I've tried looking up the annual cost of the Accomadation Supplement on Aotearoa but can't find it. Along with greed another regretable aspect and cost of landlording.
Type in the address of the home you are living in and this will give you an idea of the market value.
If as you believe your landlord is nothing but a tax-payer subsidised parasite, you should have no trouble being able to undercut him or her – and buying a house for yourself.
Even in the cooling-down housing market many people do still have significant collateral, especially compared to those who don’t own property. The last couple of years they have enjoyed (!) steep increases and the average home value is still 22% higher compared to before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
That’s correct, but we were talking about landlords, not new entrants into the housing market (aka first-home buyers), weren’t we? I don’t get the point you’re trying to make about those who had no property as collateral and who have not lost value of something that they didn’t own!?
Home owners became much richer, on paper, over the last couple of years, and now they have become a little less richer (aka you gain a lot and lose a little). They are still heaps better off than someone who owns no home, and they have collateral.
Where is the evidence that 40% of them are retiring without 100% equity in their homes?
Home ownership among those 50-65 is 75%. This is part baby boomer (above that rate) and part Gen X (below it).
Some may have unpaid mortgages now, that will be paid off by the time they are 65 (or by age 70).
So that 40% rate seems high.
The percentage of people aged 65+ with no mortgage has also dropped from 78% in 2007 to 72% in 2017. Given the lower interest rates c 2017 that is no surprise as people would have borrowed money for repairs and maintenance given it was low cost.
For mine the problem of low levels of home ownership really impacts post boomers from the 2030's. And around the same time there will also hit an aged boomer care crisis.
That's not a recent problem that just appeared, that's a problem that was essentially 35 years in the making. NZ Super rates have always been based on the superannuitant either owning their own house outright or living in social housing. Home ownership has slowly become less common over time, not just recently, and social housing for superannuitants used to be mostly provided by Councils, but that has also become less common over time.
Yes patricia..I think it was lbj who said 'shit happens'
But I don't think inaction on what has been promised in 2017 by j.ardern..ie poverty and the environment..can be excused because of these other events you cite..
Labour has quite a bit of that unable to walk and chew gum at the same time..
An example is that I am currently in a rural area on the outskirts of Auckland…
It used to be 100 k per hour…on roads not built for that..and was dropped to 80..
It is bloody brilliant…no longer do you have arseholes in suv trying to bully you into going faster..
And it makes for much more pleasant driving..
A total success..so what do labour do..?..they can the program for the rest of the country..
Why..?..I ask…surely it is just a matter of consulting with local council/police to identify the dangerous roads…and you change a few signs..
How/why was that so hard for labour to do..?
That example is symptomatic of what ails this gummint..
A majority labour government has been hobbled by its inbuilt incrementalism..
Does NZ have a precedent for a minority, two party coalition government, using confidence and supply from a third party on the cross benches, to form government?
For instance, if we end up with L/G unable to form government, but could with C/S from TPM who sit completely outside of government, would that even work? Has it been done before?
The Governor General would more likely prefer the much more stable National-Act coalition.
It's similar to the UK election a while back when there was talk of a Red-Green-Orange or "traffic light" arrangement, but in the end they just weren't close enough to put it up as a workable arrangement.
Yes, Labour-Alliance with confidence and supply from Greens 1999-2002
Yes, Labour-Progressives confidence and supply from United 2002-2005
Yes, Labour-(Jim Anderton)-NZF, confidence and supply from United and co-operation agreement with Greens
And a National minority government with confidence and supply from ACT and TPM and United 2008-2017
Yes Labour-NZF with confidence and supply from Greens 2017.
google Cabinet governance in New Zealand under MMP:
multi-party government and condoned dissent – Dean R Knight – open access pdf (to see the graphic).
"And a National minority government with confidence and supply from ACT and TPM and United 2008-2017".
How do you come to your conclusion that this was a minority Government but the others weren't? After all they did have Ministers from all of the other parties in their coalition. They were in fact no different from the Governments led by Helen Clark who could be described in exactly the same way.
Does NZ have a precedent for a minority, two party coalition government, using confidence and supply from a third party on the cross benches, to form government?
This was the question.
Of those National is the only one party minority government requiring confidence and supply to govern, the others are two party coalition minority governments requiring this (note I included the 2008 government as Labour+ 1 -NZF, as per Anderton).
The thought that amuses me is Hannah Tamaki as an MP. She will have to go along to work. The bishop won't. My thoughts on who will be running that ship?
And the thought that on the occasion we will be blessed with freedom and democracy.
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Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown – but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?What’s all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
Climate activists are setting their sights on an unpopular target, and hoping to bring lots of the public with them. It’s hard to miss the Majestic Princess: the enormous cruise ship, docked at Auckland’s Prince’s Wharf, looms over the nearby buildings. The ship, which can fit nearly 6,000 people, ...
Black Ferns trailblazer Kendra Cocksedge was on the verge of tears when her young protégé, Hannah King, unassumingly broke the news. Three-time Rugby World Cup winner Cocksedge and Lincoln agriculture student King meet every few weeks over a hot chocolate, in an enduring mentorship that’s spanned years. “Before we even ...
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It's been a fun few days watching the beige brigade loss their minds over a minor party, now the PM has joined them.
Does make one wonder if the labour party will return to its nasty box of tricks and rather loss an election, than give working people a break?
But negotiations are hard, and it might actually involve some politics, who would have thought it under MMP.
nah, it looks like he's signalling that Labour will rely on TPM if they need to (as opposed to other elections where they've taken an anti stance), but is also pointing out the limits within MMP post-election negotiations.
And, signalling to the electorate that there won't be a government that adopts the more radical TPM positions. This is fairly normal election jostling. I thought he was quite mild and handled it well.
I can't see Labour being willing to lose the election. Hipkins is courting the working swing vote imo by pulling back from some of the social issues or radical change policies that don't attract swing voters.
Good summary weka.
Pragmatism is Hipkin's middle name. In that respect he is like John Key. There's room for a pragmatic leader sometimes and given the trials and tribulations we've been through and those we know are coming, then lets give pragmatism another go.
Luxon hasn't got it. He's too wedded to the neoliberal ideology and the notion the market place can sort it all – for himself and his rich cobbers. God forbid he ever had to cope with the type of emergencies that befell Ardern and Hipkins.
It appears to me (and it may be as a result of my own inclinations and the media I consume) that the centre parties are being given the green light to increase taxation on the well heeled.
National to date appear to be unwilling/incapable of hearing the message but will Labour?
The level of concern must be great .
MSM are saying that Labour won't increase taxes this term, but I assume they can still campaign on the 2024 budget and taxation?
I would expect that would be the earliest opportunity…and Im not suggesting the 'approval' is universal, but i get the sense that there is a significant part of the cohort that will not punish any party that proposes such (within reason)
Yes, parties can and should include tax justice as a key policy issue in the election.
Hope it doesn't devolve into a moronic argument about income tax thresholds (which are irrelevant to the truly wealthy). NAct would prefer the argument was just that.
I don't know what tax changes, if any, Labour intends to take to the election, but agree that what Robertson presents at the Budget is not likely to be indicative.
Great to see Te Maaori Party getting on the front foot, a lot of their policies will resonate with the average New Zealander, National and Labour are still Neoliberal Parties pandering to the top 10% percenters and their Cling On’s.
Yes I tend to agree with this Ngungukai.
Also with the idea that MMP envisaged a spread of parties and negotiation to get the best of the ideas that smaller parties might have.
Sadly I think the at heart postion of the Labour party still seems to be a nod to neo lib and slow moving on things like the supermarket duopoly and electricity prices. I know there is much still to undo and poverty is ever present.
And elder poverty is again stalking the halls..
Didn't expect that to be happening/after six years under a labour government…
And there is also the epic fails on the environmental front..
Average pollution output for oecd countries is 18 tonne per year..
In nz our average is 24 tonne..
(Which kinda demolish any clean green claims..eh..?..and speaks volumes to what labour has not done..)
(And as an aside…my annual pollution output is 4.5 tonnes…one sixth of the nz average..
And that's'cos I am an off-grid vegan..
That's how ya do it…the numbers don't lie..)
My husband and I have had the usual increase in our National Superannuation and the winter energy payment has now kicked in as well. OK, we are lucky as we own our property mortgage free, but the Labour Government which you go to great pains to ridicule do look after the less well off than Nact/Act wouldn't have the inclination so to do. ACT have gone as far as saying that they would repeal the WEP straight away – I bet their super aged, well healed followers happily pocket the WEP and don't think to do the decent thing and opt out. I believe that elder poverty has a lot to do with those who are still renting their homes and have to satisfy their rapacious landlords with more and more rent increases.
You are correct that those who have mortgage free houses are doing just fine..
I am talking about the 40% of the retiring baby boomers who aren't in that fortunate position..
Yes..they are prey for parasitic landlords..
And my heart goes out to those still paying off a mortgage..with the pension as their only income…(ok before..but not now)..that must be a new benchmark for being between a rock and a hard place..
I think we all thought we had elder poverty licked..
Have to park that one now..
I understand. If you are so unahappy about your landlord you should apply for a mortgage and build your own house. Problem solved!
Happy to help.
So..red loxic…
A pensioner living on the pension can get a mortgage..?
What planet are you on..?
Now I am confused. If your landlord is providing a house you could not otherwise afford to live in – exactly who is the parasite here?
The landlord. They have inserted themselves in between a person needing a home and an otherwise vacant house and from exploiting that need they extract an income that they didn't labour for.
Landlords 'provide' housing exactly like scalpers 'provide' tickets.
If you decide you want to go to a concert the night before – when all the tickets were sold out two months earlier – then maybe paying a scalper a premium is your only choice.
But a landlord charges you less than what it would cost for you to buy that ‘vacant’ house. How does that work?
Landlords/the rentier class..
are exploitive parasites…
screwing the poorest as much as they can..
Greed on their part is what has caused rents to rise so much..
F#ck them..!
@r.l.
Wot arkie said..
Landlords don't charge less than a mortgage, they charge as much as the 'market' can support. They have the asset and an income stream as well as a surplus, a renter pays more than an owner-occupier and earns no equity, their labour produces the landlords surplus. Parasites.
Wonderful!. So as I said above – pop down to your local friendly bank and explain this to them. Let us know how you get on.
How does a renter save for a deposit when the growth in house prices is outpacing inflation, wage increases don't meet inflation and 30+% of their weekly income is spent on rent alone?
As you have said before, there are ongoing costs in maintaining the asset of an investment property, in addition to any mortgage servicing. In the current market renters are expected to pay enough premium to the owners of their home, to cover all the landlords costs, pay down their asset, and provide a surplus on top; all for the luxury of having somewhere to live. No equity, no stability. It’s exploitative.
Now you are asking the right question. Why is property so expensive in New Zealand? And this holds true regardless of whether you are buying an existing property or building new.
As long as your anger is misdirected at your landlord – who is effectively just giving you access to capital and equity you do not have access to – then the problem will remain unsolved.
When I first married in the 80's I had an income of $13kpa and a rent of $1560 pa. I had nothing but a new wife and zero assets. That rent was eminently affordable and I was happy to pay rent just to have a roof over our heads. (Although it has to be said in a stiff southerly the wallpaper did tend to flap a bit.)
So what changed?
So your rent was ten % of your income?
Average rents are north of $25 000 now Average wages are $70000 about 40%(these are rough ballpark figures)
As long as your anger is misdirected at your landlord
Why do you insist on mischaracterising the statements of others?
Now you are asking the right question
I was explaining how landlordism is parasitical, as you professed some confusion. Glad to have added to your understanding.
Why is property so expensive in New Zealand?
Because we incentivised property investment, privatised social housing, stacked the rental 'market' in favour of profit-seeking landlords and then acted shocked when housing became increasingly unaffordable to all those without generational wealth.
Again I have good news for you. If you don't want to compete with everyone else in the property market – as I suggested at the outset you might want to consider building a new house.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/16-08-2022/the-side-eyes-two-new-zealands-the-table
On which side of the table are landLords most likely to be seated? Presumably most involuntary renters are seated on the opposite side.
And which direction best describes the net 'flow' of wealth (food) on this table – trickling 'down' (to the right), or flowing 'up' (to the left.)
Some believe this wealth distribution is sustainable, nice and natural – maybe it depends on where you're sitting.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/12/the-full-list-of-how-many-properties-new-zealand-mps-own.html
As of 2 December 2021, five Labour MPs , three Green MPs and one ACT MP don’t own a property.
The most important factor not captured by that cartoon is – time.
The most important factor not captured very well is collateral. This is usually a mix of existing assets and (future) earning potential. This, in turn, determines the risk to the mortgage lender. It is not really different to commercial lending and the same (economic) principles apply. Mortgage lenders can call in the mortgage any time.
@Incognito
Yes – and both collateral and future earning potential are typically a function of time. And both change as the years pass by.
A 20yr old may well have a modest personal collateral – and a highly variable future earning potential.
A 60yr old is likely to have much greater collateral simply because of the passage of time – but a far more truncated future earning potential.
And this is before we factor in the highly complex aspect of intergenerational collateral, which varies widely by culture and historic circumstance.
But in every case time is the underlying factor that a single snapshot cannot express.
Knowing how to interpret the snapshot means we have a fairly good inkling of what the next snapshot will look like, don’t you agree?
If we want to change the pattern, there are two main approaches: 1) redistribute what’s on the table, or 2) redistribute what’s at the table.
Yes and no. From what we know across all creative domains, that over time the Pareto Principle seems to inexorably apply. That no matter whether it is landlords, scientific and technological innovation, or doing business of any kind – the table tends to always end up looking like this at any given moment. (Athough the occupants of the chairs do change over time.)
The trivial path to making everyone equal is to burn the table down and make everyone dirt poor. All historic attempts at addressing this have pretty much ended up at this catastrophic end point. The key to unlocking this puzzle is to understand how to maintain the incentives for creative endeavour, while managing a healthy balance between the extremes of wealth and poverty. That is a whole other topic deserving of many other threads.
In terms of housing it is however important that some rental housing must be available. Young people will naturally lack collateral, or some may choose to invest what they have elsewhere. Many are simply not ready to commit to a fixed dwelling place, others will never qualify for a mortgage at any price on any terms – all of these are perfectly legitimate reasons to rent.
The real cause of the anguish and resentment being expressed here is not renting or landlords per se – but that so many people no longer have access to the collateral and credit necessary to have a choice. They find themselves compelled to rent long after it makes personal sense for them to do so.
That is the nub of the problem.
And what is the most important factor that is captured by that cartoon?
If instead this cartoon was addressing say – the ranking of academic paper cites, or income earned from the arts, or sporting achievement – would it look much different?
And what is the most important factor that is captured by that cartoon?
Don't know. I do know the cartoon depicts a wealth distribution that means roughly 50% of NZers have a less than decent quality of life. Is that distribution sustainable, nice and natural? Can't help wondering if the answer depends on where one sits at the table – keep ’em hungry!
And I don't have time for intellectual dishonesty.
And I don't have any more time for someone who answers a question:
with a question:
and then levels an accusation of "intellectual dishonesty."
Each country has adopted a range of responses to wealth inequality.
https://www.oecd.org/statistics/wealth-inequalities-26-april-issues-note.pdf
Aotearoa NZ's responses have been sub-optimal, imho.
And some wealthy Kiwis agree – change is needed. Those opposed to changes that would increase redistribution of wealth in Aotearoa NZ should be honest about the reason(s) for their resistance.
In other words you know perfectly well the point I was making – but you choose to pretend otherwise.
As for the rest of your quote wall – yeah we knew all of this here at TS over a decade ago. Over time I've seen variations on this same conversation that go nowhere useful so often I care not to even start counting.
Here's the thing – nobody sane or serious thinks poverty is a good thing. In the western world most people will go a step further and agree that the extremes of wealth and poverty is not a good thing either. And it doesn't take much insight to realise they are not one and the same problem – the creation of human development and prosperity can be reliably measured by material dollar value measures. The impact of inequality by contrast shows up in measures of psychological and social dysfunction – a different domain.
But even assuming wealth and income are the sole criteria here – if the desired goal is to both progress human development, and reduce inequality at the same time, this implies a massive increase in total human prosperity across the board. In crude terms, do you want to solve inequality by making the rich poorer, or the poor richer? This is an important distinction, they are not the same thing at all.
The first solution is what the communists attempted with catastrophic outcomes. The latter solution is something altogether different – lifting everyone out of poverty and dysfunction implies something far more ambitious and complex.
Note carefully – I am not saying that progressive tax policies and redistribution schemes do not have their place. But I argue they are in of themselves far from sufficient. If the left is ever to escape the seemingly endless cycles of Karpman Drama games this is the kind of question we must learn how to discuss honestly.
If both approaches reduce inequality, then why not do both? The cost of living ain't getting any cheaper, and it's no mystery which end of the table is doing (and always has done) it tough.
RL, I still don't know if the distribution of 'food' would "look much different" at any of those tables – maybe inequality would be much more pronounced at a 'sporting achievement table', but I genuinely don't know. Might a Google search provide some real analysis? What is your answer to your question?
Is your the point of your question that Pareto-optimality describes (explains?) all inequality? Some have even been so bold as to suggest that it justifies inequality – can you believe it?! Whereas most politicians can understand that sustained optimal redistribution has a part to play in easing the burden of wealth inequality that influences the prospects of most Kiwis from cradle to grave.
Excellent – in addition to more robust and progressive tax policies (un-dodgeable CGT, wealth tax, inheritance tax, higher tax rates for high net wealth individuals and lower tax rates for the poor), other progressive (generational?) policies couldn't hurt.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" will be increasingly important (imho) as civilisation continues to grow, and CC, food scarcity, war, pandemics, environmental and economic crises et al. chip away at the feasibility of continuing the human experiment on spaceship Earth.
Straight from the marxist canon, and like so many bad ideas it has a seductively simplicity to it. If only the world was a rainbow hue utopia the condition it aspires to might spontaneously arise – but instead every attempt to deliver on this has resulted in a catastrophic destruction of all the social, economic and political norms that make life worth living.
Because therein lies a big fat clue – this infamous aphorism is not a useful expression of any economic or even political virtue – but a moral one. A virtue that cannot be imposed by the state, or any bureaucratic device – rather it can only come the same place where good and evil is decided – the human heart.
Absolutely. Also….predates Marx,
And even !…..
I certainly believe Jesus was real. Just not the son of a sky myth…
Certainly a good guy, who wouldnt have had any common ground with neolibs..or fatcat landlords : )
"Greed on their part is what has caused rents to rise so much.."
No. What has caused rents to rise so much is a government with the stupidity to lift the costs of being a landlord in a market where said landlords have the ability to lift rents.
Taxpayer subsidised parasites, no less.
I've tried looking up the annual cost of the Accomadation Supplement on Aotearoa but can't find it. Along with greed another regretable aspect and cost of landlording.
Good news, go to this website: https://qv.co.nz/
Type in the address of the home you are living in and this will give you an idea of the market value.
If as you believe your landlord is nothing but a tax-payer subsidised parasite, you should have no trouble being able to undercut him or her – and buying a house for yourself.
Thanks, but no.
Despite the positives, I'm not interested in joining the landlord class.
I meant that if you think owning your own home is cheaper than renting – then you have every chance to undercut your landlord.
The landlord has collateral, the tenant has not. That’s a huge difference when trying to get a home loan.
It may be worth noting….fewer and fewer landlords have collateral in the current market.
The family home is collateral.
and that collateral is declining in value in a tight credit market…family home or not.
Even in the cooling-down housing market many people do still have significant collateral, especially compared to those who don’t own property. The last couple of years they have enjoyed (!) steep increases and the average home value is still 22% higher compared to before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
https://www.qv.co.nz/price-index/
Arguably, houses are still grossly overvalued in NZ.
Spare a thought for the landlords who face steeply rising costs and have the ability the raise rents once a year but can’t.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/132018727/property-investors-facing-equivalent-of-105-interest-rate-investor-says
I can’t see the pain easing any time soon although NACT will make it magically go away, of course, at least for landlords – one way of ‘buying’ votes.
Excepting those with existing property have potentially lost their equity whereas those yet to enter the market have not.
That’s correct, but we were talking about landlords, not new entrants into the housing market (aka first-home buyers), weren’t we? I don’t get the point you’re trying to make about those who had no property as collateral and who have not lost value of something that they didn’t own!?
Home owners became much richer, on paper, over the last couple of years, and now they have become a little less richer (aka you gain a lot and lose a little). They are still heaps better off than someone who owns no home, and they have collateral.
"The landlord has collateral, the tenant has not. "
The point is the landlord does not necessarily have collateral, whereas a tenant may.
Generalisations are even more fraught when asset values are in decline.
Baby boomers were born 1945 to 1964.
Where is the evidence that 40% of them are retiring without 100% equity in their homes?
Home ownership among those 50-65 is 75%. This is part baby boomer (above that rate) and part Gen X (below it).
Some may have unpaid mortgages now, that will be paid off by the time they are 65 (or by age 70).
So that 40% rate seems high.
The percentage of people aged 65+ with no mortgage has also dropped from 78% in 2007 to 72% in 2017. Given the lower interest rates c 2017 that is no surprise as people would have borrowed money for repairs and maintenance given it was low cost.
For mine the problem of low levels of home ownership really impacts post boomers from the 2030's. And around the same time there will also hit an aged boomer care crisis.
That's not a recent problem that just appeared, that's a problem that was essentially 35 years in the making. NZ Super rates have always been based on the superannuitant either owning their own house outright or living in social housing. Home ownership has slowly become less common over time, not just recently, and social housing for superannuitants used to be mostly provided by Councils, but that has also become less common over time.
Phillip, some reasons…
Food disruption caused by supply lines storms and supermarket greed.
Rental rises pushing people into hardship.
A bigger contributor is our longevity, (though there is no relief for groups who don't have a good lifespan.)
I don't think it is Labour or the Greens causing these situations imo. They have put aids in place, winter warmth, rises etc…but
As McMillan said" Events dear boy events" Covid Cyclones and War.
Yes patricia..I think it was lbj who said 'shit happens'
But I don't think inaction on what has been promised in 2017 by j.ardern..ie poverty and the environment..can be excused because of these other events you cite..
Labour has quite a bit of that unable to walk and chew gum at the same time..
An example is that I am currently in a rural area on the outskirts of Auckland…
It used to be 100 k per hour…on roads not built for that..and was dropped to 80..
It is bloody brilliant…no longer do you have arseholes in suv trying to bully you into going faster..
And it makes for much more pleasant driving..
A total success..so what do labour do..?..they can the program for the rest of the country..
Why..?..I ask…surely it is just a matter of consulting with local council/police to identify the dangerous roads…and you change a few signs..
How/why was that so hard for labour to do..?
That example is symptomatic of what ails this gummint..
A majority labour government has been hobbled by its inbuilt incrementalism..
It's kinda sad.. really…and we are all the losers
I still haven't forgiven John Tamihere referring to women as 'front bums' – and most of their policies don't resonate with this average Aotearoan.
Does NZ have a precedent for a minority, two party coalition government, using confidence and supply from a third party on the cross benches, to form government?
For instance, if we end up with L/G unable to form government, but could with C/S from TPM who sit completely outside of government, would that even work? Has it been done before?
The Governor General would more likely prefer the much more stable National-Act coalition.
It's similar to the UK election a while back when there was talk of a Red-Green-Orange or "traffic light" arrangement, but in the end they just weren't close enough to put it up as a workable arrangement.
Yes, Labour-Alliance with confidence and supply from Greens 1999-2002
Yes, Labour-Progressives confidence and supply from United 2002-2005
Yes, Labour-(Jim Anderton)-NZF, confidence and supply from United and co-operation agreement with Greens
And a National minority government with confidence and supply from ACT and TPM and United 2008-2017
Yes Labour-NZF with confidence and supply from Greens 2017.
google Cabinet governance in New Zealand under MMP:
multi-party government and condoned dissent – Dean R Knight – open access pdf (to see the graphic).
"And a National minority government with confidence and supply from ACT and TPM and United 2008-2017".
How do you come to your conclusion that this was a minority Government but the others weren't? After all they did have Ministers from all of the other parties in their coalition. They were in fact no different from the Governments led by Helen Clark who could be described in exactly the same way.
This was the question.
Of those National is the only one party minority government requiring confidence and supply to govern, the others are two party coalition minority governments requiring this (note I included the 2008 government as Labour+ 1 -NZF, as per Anderton).
Sue grey and Brian tamaki have joined at the hip..in a new political party ..
Should be good for a few laffs…
The thought that amuses me is Hannah Tamaki as an MP. She will have to go along to work. The bishop won't. My thoughts on who will be running that ship?
And the thought that on the occasion we will be blessed with freedom and democracy.
"She will have to go along to work. "
Why? She has the precedent of the The Maori Party to follow. How often do you see them in the House?
I think basing how much MPs do and how effective they are being based on how often you see them in the house is simplistic and silly.
All the current mischief makes me laugh, after all it's all happened before.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamein_Kopu
What a pathetic bunch the current lot of politicians are ….same as it ever was.
Isn’t that a Talking Heads hit?
I have just seen a story about the Tamakis I wasn't aware of when I posted earlier.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/brian-tamaki-vs-newshub-tv-show-pulls-destiny-church-leader-interview-off-air-at-last-moment/FIV3R6V2OBDDBH7OQJXGYLYP7E/
1st tamaki laff in link…
Tamaki claimed cyclone gabrielle was visited upon nz 'cos of 'porn abortion and gay rights'.
And the good bishop has clearly walked on the dark side..so we don't have to…
He has been rummaging in the pornhub stats…
And he tells us that those places hit worst by cyclone had the highest number of viewers of pornhub..
He really is as funny as fuck..
Yuk yuk yuk.
Hopefully wastes a few NAct votes, but probably not many.
more likely to waste a few labour votes