Open mike 13/12/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 13th, 2022 - 57 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

57 comments on “Open mike 13/12/2022 ”

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  1. Jimmy 1
    13 December 2022 at 9:59 am

    Labour resignations this election announced. No great loss there other than possibly Jamie Strange who may have had a future.

    Cabinet minister Poto Williams, David Clark, and Aupito William Sio retiring from Parliament at 2023 election | Stuff.co.nz

    "Strange, speaking to Stuff about his resignation on Tuesday, said he was “better suited for government than opposition if you look at my personality type, so it was good timing for me coming into government” – however he downplayed the party was facing a loss, as “the polls are close … there is still a long way to go, and it’s too close to call”.

    Has he seen the light?

  2. tsmithfield 2
    13 December 2022 at 10:32 am

    I must admit feeling a bit sorry for Michael Wood who was eviscerated by HDPA on Newstalk ZB last night. https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-demand/week-on-demand/

    The interview started about six minutes in at th 17.30 segment yesterday.

    The real clanger came when HDPA put it to Wood that the government was either stupid or stubborn. Wood denied that the government was stubborn, but failed to rule out the first option.

    This was one of the harshest interviews I have heard. However, I think it reflected the frustration a lot of us have been experiencing who have been trying to hire staff over the last year or so, but have been blocked by what appears to be the government's ideological stance on restricting immigration.

    • Robert Guyton 2.1
      13 December 2022 at 10:46 am

      "HDPA put it to Wood that the government was either stupid or stubborn."

      What an idiotic thing for HDPA to say.

    • Craig H 2.2
      13 December 2022 at 11:35 am

      On how nurses and midwives ended up on the Tier 2 instead of Tier 1 Green List (aka work to residence and straight to residence respectively), the cabinet paper says there is a higher exit rate for internationally trained nurses and midwives than domestically trained nurses and midwives (paragraph 21). The rates aren't especially high 10% vs 6% for midwives and 6% vs 4% for nurses) but there isn't a lot of space in the document devoted to that particular item, suggesting they didn't consider it through lenses other than retention (if someone did, it wasn't written anywhere).

      I attended an MBIE/INZ webinar on immigration sector agreements and in response to a question asked in that, we were told that aged care nurses in particular leave faster because the pay is lower and that info had been provided through the Aged Care Association (and aged care nurses is a major pathway into registered nursing for overseas nurses from countries where the Nursing Council doesn't automatically recognise their qualifications). Perhaps the Minister would be wise to point to the recent agreement to fund parity in that sector as another reason to change the list as the initial reason (lower pay) has been rectified by the government.

    • AB 2.3
      13 December 2022 at 11:40 am

      Indiscriminate opening of the immigration taps will lower wages, re-inflate the housing bubble and overstretch underfunded infrastructure. I realise that the Nats see the first two as positives and are adept at hiding the third under their watch. Also there's an astonishing sense of entitlement here – why do you assume the divine and permanent right to have enough workers available at a low enough price to guarantee your ongoing profitability? Are you a special type of citizen by virtue of operating a business – given that there appears to be no reciprocal right of workers to expect sufficient jobs at high enough wages to live comfortably? Michael Wood is all class and the only thing HDPA ever eviscerates is her own daft ideology.

      • tsmithfield 2.3.1
        13 December 2022 at 12:15 pm

        "Indiscriminate opening of the immigration taps will lower wages,"

        No. The current settings artificially increase wages through a government imposed labor shortage.

        Wages are not increasing because businesses are becoming more profitable, but rather because of the artificial restrictions Labour has put in place. That sort of policy simply is not sustainable going forward. If there is a recession, as the RB is trying to enact by its own admission, then a lot more workers will be laid off that would otherwise have been necessary.

        "Are you a special type of citizen by virtue of operating a business – given that there appears to be no reciprocal right of workers to expect sufficient jobs at high enough wages to live comfortably?"

        Actually, you know nothing about our business. We offer some of the best wages in our industry, and have some of the best so far as work and conditions are concerned. That has not been the issue.

        It has been about being able to attract workers at all. We have advertised for one position for over six months now with hardly any responses. And those few that have responded simply aren't up to the requirements of the role.

        • Craig H 2.3.1.1
          13 December 2022 at 2:02 pm

          As the baby boomers drop out of the workforce, labour shortages will grow, not reduce. Those workforce pressures will not be unique to NZ any more than that demographic bulge is. We also have to compete with Australia for labour which is hard as they have left us behind in wages.

          However, the temporary migration tap is open for employers that pay over median wage through the Accredited Employer Work Visa and has been since July. Do that, follow the process, and the tap has no other restrictions.

        • AB 2.3.1.2
          13 December 2022 at 3:15 pm

          If one thing "artificially increases" wages then its opposite (and the thing you want) by definition must artificially decrease" it. Stop pretending that the settings that favour you are some sort of 'natural' state – like gravity or photosynthesis. These are all contested choices.

          "you know nothing about our business". I wasn't talking about your business at all. I was talking in general terms about where a fair balance of conflicting interests might be found. It's not found by creating one class of citizens whose interests are assumed to be 'natural' priorities – and another whose interests are deemed to be illegitimate.

      • Tony 2.3.2
        13 December 2022 at 5:37 pm

        AB, I agree Michael Wood is all class, that's low class with a filthy mouth, spewing lies about the people who resisted being mandated out of society work family.

    • Jimmy 2.4
      13 December 2022 at 12:16 pm

      I think you meant to put this link up.

      https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/michael-wood-immigration-minister-on-the-expansion-of-the-green-list-to-include-nurses/

      Yep another train wreck of an interview. No point Heather keep asking the same question when Michael couldn't / wouldn't answer. So why has it taken seven months?

      • Peter 2.4.1
        13 December 2022 at 4:26 pm

        Why has it taken seven months? Things take time. Especially when you are conservative and go full-on safety first.

        You know, you get 2000 nurses in, something random happens where one immigrant does something poorly, upsets someone, or a family member who came in with them causes a problem. World War 3 would break out.

        The first to put the boot in about 'rushed procedures' or checking which wasn't as robust as it should have been would be Du Plessis-Allan or her fuckwit NewstalkZB colleagues. Their regular callers of course will be on their racist high horses about 'foreign' nurses and the difficulty in understanding them.

        The situation which sees dramatic shortages in numbers of mid-wives and nurses? Well that started in late October 2017. Up to that point soooo many wanted to be nurses and were in training because the pay and conditions were so good. Sooo few having trained headed off because they enjoyed the pay and conditions here so much.

        That's it isn't it? Like housing people in motels, Du Plessis-Allan didn't mind her National mates shitting in our nests and can't stand anything that parties other than National and Act do towards addressing then issues.

      • tinderdry6 2.4.2
        13 December 2022 at 4:48 pm

        Michael is generally an articulate and informed speaker, and he was certainly not at his best. However I prefer this exchange in the house today. Two very capable people giving as good as they get, with some humour attached.

  3. Incognito 3
    13 December 2022 at 12:10 pm

    Covid-19 has been and is still taking a huge toll. Surprisingly though, this article does not mention the huge pressure & strain this single disease (single factor) puts on our health sector. Unlike the flu, which is seasonal and put high pressures on wards & EDs in many hospitals in previous years, Covid-19 is going through the population in larger multiple waves throughout the year and might be peaking rather than ebbing this summer.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/480620/covid-19-vs-the-flu-death-rates-compared

    • aj 3.1
      13 December 2022 at 5:12 pm

      Covid-19 has been and is still taking a huge toll.

      It is far from over, and getting slightly scary in many countries again. I find it amazing that more people are not wearing masks, in particular the vulnerable in crowded shopping situations.

      Dr. Jeff Gilchrist is a Senior AI Data Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute and has put together an interesting thread on masks.

      Why aren't people wearing masks?

      A behavioural psychologist explains why Canadians still aren't willing to wear masks even when multiple viruses are causing children to be hospitalized at unprecedented rate

      https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1602301326049804295.html

  4. Barfly 4
    13 December 2022 at 2:31 pm

    Ugh – Anxiety issues – my rent is increasing this Thursday so go to My MSD to try to update my details – yeah nah the website won't update them oh joy- phone helpline get different instructions from the helpline and now have to take a hardcopy proof of increase into the local office and fill out a form. My anxiety over this is winding up so I will be likely munching painkillers and sedatives until I can finish with this not fun.

    • Tiger Mountain 4.1
      13 December 2022 at 3:57 pm

      Yes Barfly, commiserations. “My MSD” which used to be reasonably useable, has turned to shite for some reason lately. Make sure to keep copies of anything you hand to them, they are A grade experts in ‘losing’ or having no record of documents, and then asking for resupply.

      • Barfly 4.1.1
        13 December 2022 at 4:39 pm

        I went in and dropped off a letter from the club secretary confirming the details of the increase – and have since got a call from MSD asking me to apply for a temporary additional supplement that I now apparently qualify for – this seems unlike the MSD I know and fear – the anxiety I suffer from is so easily triggered and so debilitating it is a pain in the proverbial .Well one more year and I transition from unworthy drain on society to honored pensioner maybe I will be less susceptible to it then.

    • Patricia Bremner 4.2
      13 December 2022 at 5:20 pm

      Best wishes Barfly.

    • Jester 4.3
      13 December 2022 at 7:56 pm

      I wish I could just go to MSD when my mortgage rate increases for an extra handout that would be awesome.

      • arkie 4.3.1
        13 December 2022 at 8:00 pm

        You could:

        Accommodation Supplement is a weekly payment which helps people with their rent, board or the cost of owning a home.

        https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/accommodation-supplement.html

        • Jester 4.3.1.1
          13 December 2022 at 8:01 pm

          I've just never been one for expecting handouts and someone else to pay my living expenses.

          • arkie 4.3.1.1.1
            13 December 2022 at 8:18 pm

            If your situation has radically changed and you need assistance then the handout is actually a hand up. I'm glad our society largely agrees with the basic human value of helping each other.

      • Descendant Of Smith 4.3.2
        14 December 2022 at 5:56 am

        You don't really cause that would mean you are earning stuff all and struggling to survive let alone have a decent life.

        Benefit envy – the privilege of the well off many of whom manipulate their incomes to in fact get community services cards and childcare subsidies, etc. all the while moaning about bludgers.

        • PsyclingLeft.Always 4.3.2.1
          14 December 2022 at 7:38 am

          Or both working while on superannuation….and whinging about the "bene bludgers". (and maaries…and unions…and greenies etc etc). I have had the misfortune to work with some of these type of super scoopers. Always right wing…nat voters. Quite literally hate Jacinda ! Tend not to like it when someone (me : ) speaks up for the aforementioned groups !

        • Jester 4.3.2.2
          15 December 2022 at 10:10 pm

          I guess it's hard for me to understand as even back in my twenties, I started saving for my future so that by the time I got to retiring age, I wouldn't need to rely on a pension (as I thought there would be no pension by the time I got to 65). I wouldn't want to be in the position of relying on government to survive and not own where I was living by the time I got to retiring age.

    • Tiger Mountain 5.1
      13 December 2022 at 3:52 pm

      The only bit she got wrong was making an apology!

    • scotty 5.2
      13 December 2022 at 3:57 pm

      Gotta love the PM's unerring honesty.

    • Gosman 5.3
      13 December 2022 at 4:52 pm

      So much for the politics of kindness…

      • Robert Guyton 5.3.1
        13 December 2022 at 5:01 pm

        Sometimes, when a snake has been made mad by the heat of the sun, you need to hit it with a shovel (I've heard).

      • Tiger Mountain 5.3.2
        13 December 2022 at 5:16 pm

        The PM’s comments were an expression of being human imo.

        ACT seems the dumpster for NZ Trumpsters. Little kindness will be in evidence if the Natzos and ACT obtain office for minimum wage workers, Māori or even pensioners! if you read ACT Policy statements.

        Some of the ACT supporters online abuse personally directed to the PM is absolutely horrific–misogynist and threatening violence. This was a mild rebuke to a right wanker who owes his political career to NZ National largesse in Epsom and riding the conspiracy/threatened white bloke wave.

    • MickeyBoyle 5.4
      13 December 2022 at 4:56 pm

      So it would be fine to you if Seymour called Ardern an "incompetent bitch"?

      No matter what your views are on Seymour, Ardern should not have said it.

      It's unbecoming for someone in her position and is the last thing we need to see in our political institutions.

    • observer 5.5
      13 December 2022 at 6:21 pm

      The funny part is seeing those who like to accuse feeble liberal lefties of being 'snowflakes' …

      melt.

      Don't be rude to righties, they're so easily offended.

  6. Westykev 6
    13 December 2022 at 3:39 pm

    Take care of yourself Barfly and hope you feel better soon.

    I'm afraid many people (renters and mortgage holders alike) will be anxious over the coming months. Just refixed our mortgage today, the increase was just over $600 a fortnight.

    • Barfly 6.1
      13 December 2022 at 4:47 pm

      $600 a fortnight – ouch! I can see inflation heading down in the near future I certainly hope so for you. My room rent went up a $100 a week but I don't really have any complaint – my rent had been unchanged for about a dozen years and the accommodation supplement covers the lions share of the increase. I have gotten old and well out of touch in terms of costs, earnings and such

  8. Adrian 8
    14 December 2022 at 7:26 am

    Its tough for WestyKev and anyone else with a mortgage increase, including ourselves, but this rate is probably what it was around 5-9 years ago. The dollar numbers will be different but the rate will be similar. Anyone expecting rates to stay low in the current world shit-fight must have been dreaming, it was inevitable. On a good note, surprisingly fuel prices in Chch in the past week are in the low 230s to 220s. and with the huge progress being made by the Ukrainians, they are much further east of the Dnipro than the maps are showing and they may have dealt the Wagner group almost terminal blows, then this war may well be over by the spring thaw and then fuel will be below $2 and no excuses for blaming passed on fuel prices for profiteering.