Shock horror.
A union leader on RNZ this morning.
But fear not faithful neoliberalism, he was there to face an inquisition to explain why the union is going on strike.
At 6.45 we can look forward to the banks and business getting at 15 minutes advertorial courtesy of Giles Beckworth.
The mainstream media is biased.
It would appear that the far right groups are back in Syria, with the help of Turkey. Gotta love how the only group promoting democracy are going to get it in the neck.
Enough money to have a helipad in Herne Bay so he can play golf at exclusive golf clubs with his mates.
Not enough money, it would appear, to pay for staff to attend meetings at Briscoe and Rebel Sport.
Despite him saying it doesn’t happen and checking with his regional managers who confirmed – ed still prefers to take the word of a single anonymous person with no evidence offered.
Ed, you haven’t got that right. My son worked for Briscoes for 7 years, said Rod was a great person, who held his managers to high standards of staff relations, and personally helped staff in sticky situations. ie, my son’s dealings with IRD after making an error with his tax while working in Real Estate. At that time people were driven to suicide by IRD, Rod arranged a repayment schedule. He visits branches often, hence the helicopter.
@ Patricia That is good to know. I think part of NZ issues on employment is that there is too much cheerleading to extract every last dollar from the quickest easiest ways (aka staff wages and higher prices of goods and services often with ‘confusalating’ pricing or promotion so people can’t tell), but not every manager or owner wants to do it. NZ employers have become a race to the bottom to compete with the worst of the worst practices from local and overseas companies operating here.
Time to u turn and actually unite employers and workers which is probably going back to employment practises before neoliberalism… currently productivity is static and increasingly inequality is showing what NZ government is doing now is not making NZ a better place for people to live in.
I personally don’t think a capital gains tax or a rise in income taxes will solve anything because countries that have both taxes have the same problems as NZ and actually more such as UK and USA. They are now showing all the division that that creates.
What is needed is a totally new way to think about employment and income and residency and non residency and paying for public services, than what has been thought of before. Globalism has radically changed all the equations on how to collect tax and who gets welfare and how to get welfare without paying tax. UBI, Tobin tax or what have you should be looked at as a way to make tax fairer and make people who use NZ for business pay what they should and not actually be legally allowed to drain NZ resources while putting more strain on public services.
On Q&A Richard “Mad Dog” Prebble reckoned since he rode a tram up Dominion Rd when he was a boy trams/trains are not the answer for Auckland transport. Sue Bradford couldn’t help a chuckle.
Of course he forgot to mention they ran along the middle of the road… were rundown claptraps… the poles continuously came off the overhead rails… and every time they stopped to let people on and off the traffic had to stop too. We kids loved them because it was bit like going on a rough joy-ride but they were slow and cumbersome.
In contrast the “light rail’ transport service (not trams) will be fast and run alongside the roads (not in the middle) and will not seriously impede traffic or pedestrian flows. Calling them trams is a deliberate attempt to create a negative image with an archaic system that existed many decades ago.
A man who rip, shit and bust through our banking, infrastructure and essential services is still being asked his opinion on what is best for NZ? Good God (to quote Israel Falou)
Nice to see no one is concerned that a pre election promise can now be altered/broken…
Construction firms will be exempt from applying the existing labour market test to bring in up to 1,500 foreign tradespeople at any one time if employers promise to take on a local apprentice for every migrant under a new ‘KiwiBuild Visa’ proposed by Labour.
To now “we expect, hopefully” http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/04/construction-minister-jenny-salesa-confident-kiwibuild-targets-will-be-met.html
Just as well not many follow politics in NZ and this program is not heavily watched. Crap like this goes unnoticed. Or for some they are the 3 monkeys hear, see, speak no evil.
The new government has committed to and is delivering more social housing unlike the previous who tried to sell off social housing – are you “concern trolling” TC?
No. Not trolling. The insufficient offerings of this Government (and Labour in particularly) has always been a genuine concern for me. But obviously I hold them to a higher expectation than those willing to accept better bullshit.
What I accept is progress to reverse 9 years of bullshit – the winter fuel allowance is already going to do more to benefit me than 9 long years of Nationals “beneficiary hunting season”.
You state I am willing to accept better bullshit – I disagree with your argument – Do you feel a need to insult me because of that?
You will also have noted that it is less than the amount pensioners would have received if National had been re-elected. Even then the much reduced amount this year will not be paid until after the worst of the winter is over.
But hey, they are your lot so everything is just peachy.
If the measure of what you call progress is merely if this Government is offering more than the last in regard to housing and the winter energy payment, then yes, this Government is.
However, as National have lowered the bar so low, better outcomes in comparison is an easy achievement. Thus, you’re setting the bar far too low. Giving this Government an easy pass.
The reality is, we have so many major problems in this country, the downward spiral is compounding daily. Thus, the insufficient offerings of this Government isn’t enough to counter that. As I highlighted to ankerawshark re Kiwibuild and social housing.
It’s akin to trying to put out a bush fire with a garden hose.
Therefore, instead of progress, you can expect things to become worse.
Not a better level of bullshit, The Chairman” better outcomes……………..I await to see how Kiwibuild, social housing and homeless is going in two and a half years.
Anyone who has ever undertaken a building project knows that there are delays, cost adjustments, altering plans etc. That is normal………….and on a large scale it is going to be even more the case. I am looking for outcomes and I wouldn’t expect to see them in the first 6 -8 mths. There is good evidence they are getting off their arses though.
As National have lowered the bar so low, better outcomes in comparison is an easy achievement. Unfortunately, the nation needs far better than that.
Kiwibuild is insufficient. Evident by the fact buyers will be required to enter into a ballot to purchases one. Therefore, coupled with growing demand, one can’t expect that to help free up rental capacity when it can’t even cater to current or future housing demand.
The waiting list for social housing is quickly approaching 10,000 and the Government is struggling to commit to building more than 2000 annually. Thus, also vastly insufficient.
Things are going to get worse, not better with this insufficient approach this Government is taking.
I may not be fully informed on this, if thats what you mean by living in a dream. However there is conflicting information about the figures.
I want to see a significant improvement in housing in NZ for a range of people……………….I doubt anyone, living in a dream or not, would say this is an easy problem to fix………………….I believe the Coalition is working on it and I think action and results will speak louder than words……………..
BTW “living in a dream” could be seen as a little bit of a put down, but I am choosing not to take it that way.
“I want to see a significant improvement in housing in NZ for a range of people……………….I doubt anyone, living in a dream or not, would say this is an easy problem to fix………………….I believe the Coalition is working on it and I think action and results will speak louder than words……………..”
I also want to see a significant improvement in housing in NZ for a range of people.
It is a big task and the Government has a plan of action. However, as I highlighted to you above (re Kiwibuild and social housing) the Government’s plan of action is insufficient to secure that aim (a significant improvement in housing).
One would be dreaming to think otherwise. Hence, my initial opening line in my last post to you. Hope that wasn’t too brash.
The chairman..no all good. I tend to be idealistic and hope for the best. I read the standard to become better informed. I did think their kiwi build aspirations were very ambitious.
I really hope and expect them to improve housing in NZ. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t achieve a “cure”………
It is clear that Labour has embellished some of its promises to get the votes. Something Ad, from memory, used to advocate as you have to do what you have to do to get power, then make some changes.
IF this were John Key or Judith Collins saying this stuff, how would we react? Isn’t that the true measure?
Fair point about the true measure. Twyford’s numbers seem to disagree with his claim. But we’ve yet to establish a pattern of complete inability and unwillingness to address problems, as we had with the nats.
It’s funny that the link reporting Twyford’s apparent gaff repeats a gaff of the same flavour:
But figures released by Mr Twyford’s office show just 36 percent of the 1500 places are available now, and most of those are in transitional housing.
Only 306 of the 1071 new state housing places are ready, and 236 of the 416 transitional housing places.
236 transitional housing places is less than 306 state housing places, so not “most” either. 43% not 36% of the 542 available places though, lol
If it may take a year or two to achieve, was labour, NZF Greens clear about that when they campaigned? Did they give us timelines and what if they dont deliver in a year or two?
Already we have heard excuses, blaming last govt, which we railed against Nats for doing…
For my money there is a pattern. There was the first 100 days and then… lag
And an idiot would make this comment “The stand-alone KiwiBuild homes in Auckland will be priced at $500,000-$600,000 with apartments and terraced houses under $500,000. ”
See now how the price ranges have moved UP !!!… and that the references to appartments and terraced houses has been removed. Now we have 1 bedroom being $500k http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/govt-hikes-cost-of-one-bedroom-kiwibuild-homes.html
“One bedroom will go for $500,000, two bedrooms $600,000 and three bedrooms $650,000 – that’s $50,000 more than Labour promised in the election.”
So what Labour campaigned on was NOT clear, or was it and they were less than truthful ??
20% deposit = $100,000
If you are a low earner you qualify for kiwistart or whatever it is called but the lower your income the lower your deposit. A low earner’s kiwisaver is not large.
They are going in the wrong direction. They should be looking at what they have now like the state houses and seeing what they can do there to get people into them. Apparently some are empty, need Reno, decontamination or what have you. Fix the fuckers up for the first thing! Then look at adding tiny housing or what have you on the site or making them into bigger flats.
After that they should be looking at using non profit corporations and employ people themselves to create the housing using firms like Habitat for Humanity. These firms build with unskilled labour and do it cheaply. It is complete lies that normal people can’t build housing, most of them will do a better job under registered supervision that the what’s going on at building sites at present with massive profiteering and waste.
State houses were not built by builders but often by returned service men. Programs like ‘The block’ show how ordinary aspiring home owners with help can very quickly create quality housing.
The reason we are all hearing we need all these ‘skilled’ workers which apparently we don’t have in NZ (apart from seemed to work cheaply and quickly in the previous examples) is to do immigration routs and force housing prices upwards which helps construction and finance firms make more profits.
I only had a quick read of your link but no it is not clear what the timelines for measuring progress are. A 10 year goal to achieve the whole thing but no breakdown of the measures along the way. I don’t expect them to have built them all by now. I do expect a timeline showing the stages of reaching that target. Robertson’s slavish devotion to a Cullenesque budget don’t fill me with confidence about many things either.
We saw what happened in late 2008/2009 when the “oh no it was worse than we thought” mantra came out. Labour has already backed down, with their biggest back down being tying their own hand son tax pre election day.
Part of my comment was regarding what building coys will have to do to enable overseas workers to obtain a working visa. That they will have “…if employers promise to take on a local apprentice for every migrant under a new” Now it has become “we expect, hopefully” Minister Salesa totally contradicted what was given pre election.
Is that a moving target now, that builders and developers will NOT have to take on apprentices and still be able to access labour offshore ?
I thought it was a good idea to start our companies understanding they have an obligation to train workers too, not just taxpayers subsidising them by paying for it all at polytechs etc.
Too many bosses are looking to University and Polytech to produce perfectly fitting/working cogs for their machines. instead of taking on some burden of training.
Plenty of examples where you use unskilled labour of which we have plenty sitting idle in NZ and what is actually going on in the building sites.
Fletcher’s losing so much money is typical of construction nowadays which is completely out of control. it’s subcontractor after subcontractor all taking a cut and as much profit as possible at the top, which often means using not only unskilled labour, but also labour that is exploited or illegal.
The recent Malaysian stoppers had been working happily illegally for years and at better rates than most tax paying sub constructer tradies!
Who are cheerleading the most for these ‘skilled’ people, immigration lawyers and businesses that want keep wages down and constructions costs booming.
Didn’t Labour say all along that they would be treating the construction sector differently to help deliver more homes like they’ve promised? No surprise here, surely.
Apparently the workers are ghost workers who don’t actually take up housing in the crisis… they don’t take up transport or even ever need medical support in our hospitals. They don’t start having families while they are here…
This story about workers not getting paid for meetings etc is going to get huge. My daughter worked for a hairdresser for 4 years. They insisted they started work an hour earlier to setup the day (unpaid of course) It will also be interesting how this affects unpaid internships, which I have always felt was another way of getting workers without paying for them.
Mind you those on a salary tend to work odd hours. A teacher for instance might have a 9 hour day or more if you add in weekends and marking etc.
But if paid by the hour workers should get paid for the time worked or get overtime or time and a half for the extra times.
I was TA at Uni and we had staff meetings I’d always billed for. I was asked to TA a different class the next year and I billed the staff meetings as usual. Then it was brought up in a meeting that there were ‘inconsistencies’ in the billing, namely, nobody else was being paid for the meetings in that department. There were ladies there who’d taught those labs for many years and my not folding made them very uncomfortable they were a bit scared to say boo on the matter. These meetings were not on the same days as the labs either. They were a separate thing so they had to travel both ways and attend on their own dime. I insisted we all got paid.
I didn’t get asked back the next year, though I’m sure the other TA’s appreciated my visit.
With housing and rental prices increasingly unaffordable for many, has the Government looked at adjusting the number of work visas issued each year? I’m sure Jacinda Ardern mentioned this in the Election Debates. Bill English childishly responded that there then wouldn’t be enough builders.
In the early 1990’s around 20,000 new non-citizens a year was seen as quite high. Now the target is about 45,000 per year.
Michael Reddell has noted that this is a major driver of housing demand. Would reducing the number to, say 20,000-30,000 per year be something the Government will consider?
“From 1991 to 2013, non-New Zealand citizen immigration accounted for around 71 per cent of the change in the number of households (or dwellings required). For the last two intercensal periods the contributions of non-New Zealand citizen net immigration were as follows:
•2001 to 2006 70 per cent
•2006 to 2013 106 per cent”
Trying to build more houses to meet this ever growing demand doesn’t appear to be working.
How about only allow in highly paid workers over $100k+… we might actually get some homes built that don’t leak or rail tracks that don’t shear off and derail trains or some houses that aren’t condemned before people move in… No more free family residency or all the other ways that people are coming to NZ taking up housing/super and health care in particular and putting a huge burden on the increasingly fewer NZ workers many of whom have student loans as well and don’t qualify for some sort of government top up.
And why they are about it, do what OZ used to do and make any business have to show $50k+ profit every year for 5 years AND employ 2 OZ citizens at decent wages to even be considered.
Weirdly in NZ you seem to be able to be terrible at business and make pitiful profits or even losses, bring more migrant workers in on low wages, and you are welcomed with open arms.
We need to seriously raise the bar! Make it 10 years for the profits and a maximum time they have to spend in NZ to continue to achieve permanent residency. Citizenship should only be granted to people born here. At present people can spend as little as 11 days and be a NZ citizen or get residency after 5 years and then never work another day in NZ or pay any taxes but still get super and free health and education for themselves and their future kids.
All the government has to do is plug the hole for immigration and lots of positive things will start of happen for Kiwi’s who are being discriminated against for jobs…
The NZ government doesn’t do practical long term planning any more. They can’t. They are irrelevant. The country is largely ‘governed’ by big business interests and this is why the government doesn’t ( cannot) make plans for the public good, rather for NZ Inc. The coalition government is stuck, wading through the same corporate quagmire.
Well, I must return this library book and I can’t find another theatre, realise it will die like lead dropped in the sea.
Adam Hochschild ‘s book, ‘The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin’, published in 1994, from a trip in 1991. It was easy to escape from Stalin’s purges:move, the KGB didn’t do detective. ‘However people rarely tried; despite the mass arrests, almost everybody believed, ‘ it won’t happen to me”. People deny bad news because it implies worse news: If I’m about to be arrested, that would mean the whole system has gone mad.’
We can talk freely about our challenges ‘hence we do not feel the intense fear produced by the NKVD’s knock on the door. That very lack of urgency is our form of denial, as foolhardy as the denials of fellow travelers. For the knock , from these things, will come.’
Talk is taken to be solution near but no, the reverse. It can’t be more than 15 years before the gurgling sound from the bath-water of super-humanity emptying will fill our ears. It is too late bar the long odds gamble of H.s.s’s consciousness.
This is the type of behavior that’s not on in the human rights commission. No wonder ECO MAORI can not get any action on my complaint the whole state sector under the last government has a culture of cover there M8s Asses – – – – – – –
Ka kite ano
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Is the Gender Identity Movement a movement for human liberation, or is it a regressive movement which undermines women’s liberation and promotes sexist stereotypes? Should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sport, use women-only spaces (public toilets, changing rooms, other facilities), be able to have access to everything ...
Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of BirminghamSpace exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are some of ...
Michael Head, University of SouthamptonThe UK has become the first country to authorise the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for public use, with roll-out to start in the first week of 2021. This vaccine is the second to be authorised in the UK – following the Pfizer vaccine. The British government ...
So, Boris Johnson has been footering about in hospitals again. We should be grateful, perhaps, that on this occasion the Clown-in-Chief is only (probably) getting in the way and causing distractions, rather than taking up a bed, vital equipment and resources and adding more strain and danger to exhausted staff.Look at ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to ZeroThat’s one of several recent ...
The situation in the UK is looking catastrophic.Cases: over *70,000* people who were tested in England on 29th December tested positive. This is *not* because there were more tests on that day. It *is* 4 days after Christmas though, around when people who caught Covid on Christmas Day might start ...
by Don Franks For five days over New Year weekend, sixteen prisoners in the archaic pre WW1 block of Waikeria Prison defied authorities by setting fires and occupying the building’s roof. They eventually agreed to surrender after intervention from Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. A message from the protesting men had stated: ...
Lost Opportunity: The powerful political metaphor of the Maori Party leading the despised and marginalised from danger to safety, is one Labour could have pre-empted by taking the uprising at Waikeria Prison much more seriously. AS WORD OF Rawiri Waititi’s successful intervention in the Waikeria Prison stand-off spreads, the Maori ...
Dear friends, it’s been a covidious year,A testing time for all of us here—Citizens of an island nationIn a state of managed isolation,A team (someone said) five million strong,Making it up as we went along:Somehow in typical Kiwi fashion,Without any wild excess ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Dec 27, 2020 through Sat, Jan 2, 2021Editor's Choice7 Graphics That Show Why the Arctic Is in Trouble Arctic Sea Ice: NSIDC It’s no secret that the Arctic is ...
One of the books I read in 2020 was She, by H. Rider Haggard (1887). I thoroughly enjoyed it, as being an exemplar of a good old-fashioned adventure story. I also noted with amusement ...
Scottish doctor Malcolm Kendrick looks at the pandemic and the responses to it 30th December 2020 I have not written much about COVID19 recently. What can be said? In my opinion the world has simply gone bonkers. The best description can be found in Dante’s Inferno, written many hundreds of ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has added her warm congratulations to the New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to their communities and the country in the New Year 2021 Honours List. “The past year has been one that few of us could have imagined. In spite of all the things that ...
Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment David Parker has congratulated two retired judges who have had their contributions to the country and their communities recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. The Hon Tony Randerson QC has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year’s Honours List 2021 highlights again the outstanding contribution made by Pacific people across Aotearoa. “We are acknowledging the work of 13 Pacific leaders in the New Year’s Honours, representing a number of sectors including health, education, community, sports, the ...
The Government’s investment in digital literacy training for seniors has led to more than 250 people participating so far, helping them stay connected. “COVID-19 has meant older New Zealanders are showing more interest in learning how to use technology like Zoom and Skype so they can to keep in touch ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University It could be argued artificial intelligence (AI) is already the indispensable tool of the 21st century. From helping doctors diagnose and treat patients to rapidly advancing new drug discoveries, it’s our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Through recent natural disasters, global upheavals and a pandemic, Australia’s political centre has largely held. Australians may have disagreed at times, but they have also kept faith with governmental norms, eschewing the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate professor, UNSW Health workers are at higher risk of COVID infection and illness. They can also act as extremely efficient transmitters of viruses to others in medical and aged care facilities. That’s why health workers have been prioritised to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Orchard, Adjunct Lecturer, Monash University Last week, somewhat overshadowed by the events in Washington, the Democrats took control of the US Senate. The Democrats now hold a small majority in both the House and the Senate until 2022, giving President-elect Joe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mittul Vahanvati, Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Heatwaves, floods, bushfires: disaster season is upon us again. We can’t prevent hazards or climate change-related extreme weather events but we can prepare for them — not just as individuals ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandie Shean, Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University Starting school is an important event for children and a positive experience can set the tone for the rest of their school experience. Some children are excited to attend school for the first ...
Some families in emergency housing are reporting their children are becoming emotionally distressed because of their living conditions. Demand for emergency accommodation has escalated this past year with the number of emergency housing grants increasing by half. Data showed nearly 10,000 people were given an Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant between ...
Summer reissue: Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden are back for a second season of On the Rag, and where better to start than with the mysterious, exhausting world of wellness?First published June 23, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
With few Covid-19 infections and negiligible natural immunity, New Zealand faces being a victim of its own success when it is left till last to get the vaccines, argues Dr Parmjeet Parmar. ...
Steve Braunias reports on a literary cancelling. The Corrections department has refused to allow Jared Savage's best-selling book Gangland inside prison on the grounds that it "promotes violence and drug use". An inmate at Otago Corrections Facility in Dunedin was sent a copy of the book – but it was ...
New data from the CTU’s annual work life survey shows a snapshot of working people’s experiences and outlook heading out of 2020 and into the new year. Concerningly 42% of respondents cite workplace bullying as an issue in their workplace - a number ...
An international player, selector and self-confessed cricket stats nerd, Penny Kinsella has now played a hand in recording the rich history of the women's game in New Zealand. Penny Kinsella’s cricketing career was perched on the cusp of change for the White Ferns. “My first tour to Australia, we ...
The dramatic capsize of American Magic brought out the best in the America's Cup sailing fraternity. But, Suzanne McFadden asks, what does it mean to the crippled New York Yacht Club campaign and to the Prada Cup? It was a scene as unreal as it was calamitous. Right at the moment the ...
The current number of members of parliament is starting to get too low for the job we expect them to do, argues Alex Braae. As a general rule, with the possible exception of their families, nobody likes backbench MPs. But it’s nevertheless time we accepted that parliament should have more of ...
The experience in the Brazilian city of Manaus reveals how mistaken, and dangerous, the herd-immunity-by-infection theory really is. As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop ...
As New Zealand gears up to fight climate change, experts warn that we need to actually reduce emissions, not just plant trees to offset our greenhouse gases. ...
A nationwide poll has found majority support for the government to continue to closely monitor abortions in New Zealand and the reasons for it, despite the Ministry of Health recently suggesting that there is not a use for collecting much of this information. ...
The out-of-control growth in gangs, gun crime, and violent gang activity is exposing our communities to dangerous levels of violence that will inevitably end in tragedy, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The recent incidents of people being shot and ...
Successive governments have paid lip service to our productivity challenge but have failed to deliver. It's time to establish a Productivity Council charged with prioritising efforts. ...
Understanding the connection between chronic fatigue syndrome and ‘long Covid’ might be helpful in treating symptoms that doctors will find all too easy to dismiss.When people began to report signs of “long Covid”, characterised by a lack of full recovery from the virus and debilitating fatigue, I recognised their stories. ...
Nadine Anne Hura, who never considered herself an artist, reflects on what art and making has taught her.I couldn’t clean or cook or wash the clothes, but I could sew. That’s a lie, I’m a terrible sewer, but I left work early to fossick around in the $1 bin of ...
Summer reissue: In the final episode of this season of Bad News, Alice is joined by Billy T award winner Kura Forrester to look at how well we’re honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 2020.First published September 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The ...
Lucy Revill’s The Residents is a blog about daily life in Wellington that has morphed into a stylish, low-key coffee-table book featuring interviews and photographic portraits of 38 Wellingtonians. In this extract, Revill profiles Eboni Waitere, owner and executive director of Huia Publishers. The Residents features names like Monique Fiso ...
Pacific Media Watch correspondent The pro-independence conflict in West Papua with a missionary plane reportedly being shot down at Intan Jaya has stirred contrasting responses from the TNI/POLRI state sources, church leaders and an independence leader. A shooting caused a plane to catch fire on 6 January 2021 in the ...
“Last year ACT warned that rewarding protestors at Ihumātao with taxpayer money would promote further squatting. We just didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it is in Shelly Bay” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The prosperity of all ...
Our kindly PM registered her return to work as leader of the nation with yet another statement on the Beehive website, the second in two days (following her appointment of Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council on Wednesday). It’s great to know we don’t have to check with ...
A Pūhoi pub is refusing to remove a piece of memorabilia bearing the n-word from its walls. Dr Lachy Paterson looks at the history of the word here, and New Zealand’s complicity in Britain’s shameful slave trading past.Content warning: This article contains racist language and images.On a pub wall in ...
Supermarket shoppers looking for citrus are seeing a sour trend at the moment – some stores are entirely tapped out of lemons. But why? Batches of homemade lemonade will be taking a hit this summer, with life not giving New Zealand shoppers lemons. Prices are high at supermarkets and grocers that ...
You’re born either a cheery soul or a gloomy one, reckons Linda Burgess – but what happens when gene pools from opposite ends of the spectrum collide?In our shoeboxes of photos that we have to sort out before we die or get demented – because who IS that kid on ...
Summer reissue: Prisoner voting rights are something that few in government seem particularly motivated to do anything about. Could a catchy charity single help draw attention to the issue?First published September 1, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Hundreds more Cook Islanders are expected to begin criss-crossing the Pacific, Air NZ will triple the number of flights to Rarotonga next week, and about 300 managed isolation places will be freed up for Kiwis returning from other parts of the world. When Thomas Tarurongo Wynne took a job in Wellington at ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Ena Manuireva in Auckland It seems a long time ago – some 124 days – since Mā’ohi Nui deplored its first covid-19 related deaths of an elderly woman on 11 September 2020 followed by her husband just hours later, both over the age of 80. The local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Turnbull, Postdoctoral research associate, UNSW A global coalition of more than 50 countries have this week pledged to protect over 30% of the planet’s lands and seas by the end of this decade. Their reasoning is clear: we need greater protection ...
The Reserve Bank Governor’s apology and claim he will ‘own the issue’ is laughable given the lack of answers and timing of its release. Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union said: “It’s been five days since they came clean, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olga Kokshagina, Researcher – Innovation & Entrepreneurship, RMIT University Are too many online meetings and notifications getting you down? Online communication tools – from email to virtual chat and video-conferencing – have transformed the way we work. In many respects they’ve made ...
The Reserve Bank acknowledges information about some of its stakeholders may have been breached in a malicious data hack. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has commissioned an independent inquiry into how stakeholders' information was compromised when hackers breached a file sharing service used by the bank. “We ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland This story contains spoilers for Ammonite Palaeontologist Mary Anning is known for discovering a multitude of Jurassic fossils from Lyme Regis on England’s Dorset Coast from the age of ten in 1809. ...
A tribute to the sitcoms of old? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Yup. Sam Brooks reviews the audacious WandaVision.Nothing sends a chill up my spine like the phrase “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. Since launching in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU has become a shambling behemoth, with over 23 films (not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University The alt-right, QAnon, paramilitary and Donald Trump-supporting mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 claimed they were only doing what the so-called “founding fathers” of the US had done in ...
The Point of Order Ministerial Workload Watchdog and our ever-vigilant Trough Monitor were both triggered yesterday by an item of news from the office of Conservation Minister Kititapu Allan. The minister was drawing attention to new opportunities to dip into the Jobs for Nature programme (and her statement was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Kupz, Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University In July 1921, a French infant became the first person to receive an experimental vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), after the mother had died from the disease. The vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is ...
The first Friday Poem for 2021 is by Wellington poet Rebecca Hawkes.While you were partying I studied the bladeI your ever-loving edgelord God-emperorof the bot army & bitcoin mine subsistingon an IV drip of gamer girl bathwaterfinally my lonelinessis your responsibility………. you seeI need a girlfriend assigned to me by the ...
The arming of police officers in Canterbury was inevitable with the growing numbers and brazenness of the gangs across the country – this should be a permanent step, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is unfortunate that we have come to the point ...
Celebrations in Aotearoa New Zealand to mark the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will begin on Thursday 21 January with ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand’s Wellington and online event, and continue on Friday ...
Hardly anyone is using their Covid Tracer app. Something needs to change.As the mercury approaches 30°C in Aotearoa, there is a good deal of slipping and slopping, but, let’s face it, piss-all scanning. As few as around 500,000 QR codes are being scanned by users of the NZ Covid Tracer ...
On the East Coast, a group of Māori-owned enterprises is innovating to create new revenue streams while doing what they love.New Zealand’s remote and sparsely populated regions are typically not the best places to create thriving brick-and-mortar businesses. In small communities miles away from any major centres, there are so ...
As we reach the height of summer, it’s not too late to do a safety check on your gas bottle. The Environmental Protection Authority’s Safer Homes programme has some tips and tricks to keep in mind before you fire up the grill. "If you’ve ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold by Stephen Fry (Michael Joseph, $37)If you’re in any way unsure about ...
“We may as well knock on the gang headquarters around this country and tell them we all give up," says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is simply outrageous that violent offender, James Tuwhangai, has been released from ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Ireland, Israel, and Lebanon. Chart by Keith Rankin. The countries with the most recent large outbreaks of Covid19 are those with large numbers of recent recorded cases, but yet to record the deaths that most likely will result. In this camp, this time, are Ireland, Israel ...
RuPaul is in Aotearoa, kicking back in managed isolation to await the filming of an Australasian version of her hugely popular reality show Drag Race. But not everyone is happy about, explains Eli Matthewson. The world’s most famous drag queen, RuPaul, is in New Zealand, the government confirmed earlier this week ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Melleuish, Professor, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong What can we make of Clive Palmer? This week, he announced his United Australia Party (UAP) would not contest the upcoming West Australian state election on March 13. After a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gisela Kaplan, Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour, University of New England Have you ever seenmagpies play-fighting with one another, or rolling around in high spirits? Or an apostlebird running at full speed with a stick in its beak, chased by a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Jackson, Program Director, Centre for Policy Development, and Associate Professor of Education, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Childcare centres across Australia are suffering staff shortages, which have been exacerbated by the COVID crisis. Many childcare workers across Australia left when parents started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Taxation, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Rhetoric plays an important role in tax debate and therefore tax policy. If your side manages to gain traction in the public imagination with labels such as “death ...
*This article was first published on The Conversation and is republished with permission* Whoever leads the Republican Party post-Trump will need to consider how they will maintain the rabid support of his “base”, while working to regain more moderate voters who defected from the party in the 2020 election. In a historic ...
Covid-19 fears accelerated banks’ moves towards cashless transactions. But the Reserve Bank is fighting to protect cash, and those who still use it. ...
Good morning and welcome to this one-off edition of The Bulletin, covering major stories from the last few weeks.A quick preamble to this: Today’s special edition of The Bulletin is all about filling you in on some of the stories you might have missed over the summer period. Perhaps you had ...
Summer reissue: In this episode of Bad News, Alice Snedden is forced to confront her own mortality before hosting a very special dinner party to get to grips with the euthanasia debate.First published August 27, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
The contrast between the words of John F Kennedy and today’s anti-democratic demagogue is inescapable, writes Dolores Janiewski I still remember three eloquent speeches by an American president. One happened in January 1961 and spoke about a “torch being passed to a new generation”. Two years later and one day apart, ...
The debate over cutting down a large macrocarpa to make way for a new residential development has highlighted a wider agreement between developers and protesters: that we also need to be planting far more trees. At the corner of Great North Road and Ash Street in Avondale, a 150-year-old macrocarpa stands its ground ...
More infectious variants of Covid-19 are increasingly being intercepted at the country’s borders, but the minister running New Zealand’s response is resisting pressure to accelerate vaccination plans despite demands from health experts as well as political friends and foes, Justin Giovannetti reports.New Zealand’s first Covid-19 jabs will be administered in ...
As CEO of her iwi rūnanga, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was on the frontline protecting her community during the first outbreak of Covid-19. Now that more virulent strains threaten to breach our borders, the Māori Party co-leader calls on the government to introduce much stricter measures.As we enter the New Year I ...
The Prada Cup challenger series starts today. Suzanne McFadden goes behind the scenes of the world's only live yachting regatta to see what's in store for the next five weeks. At 6am on race days, Iain Murray wakes up and immediately checks the weather outside his Auckland window. “It’s all ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raquel Peel, Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland This story contains spoilers for Bridgerton The first season of Bridgerton, Netflix’s new hit show based on Julia Quinn’s novels, premiered on December 25 last year. The show is set in London, during the ...
The New Zealand government believes its own negotiations with Rio Tinto will be resolved "fairly quickly" now there is certainty about the future of the Tiwai Point smelter. ...
Shock horror.
A union leader on RNZ this morning.
But fear not faithful neoliberalism, he was there to face an inquisition to explain why the union is going on strike.
At 6.45 we can look forward to the banks and business getting at 15 minutes advertorial courtesy of Giles Beckworth.
The mainstream media is biased.
At least we can breathe with relief that one major retailer isn’t still gypping their staff, I guess: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/357206/briscoes-rejects-claims-over-unpaid-meetings
Ed 100%.
We fully we support democracy in NZ, unlike apparently as James does not seem too.
It would appear that the far right groups are back in Syria, with the help of Turkey. Gotta love how the only group promoting democracy are going to get it in the neck.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12269/turkey-syria-afrin-sharia
Rod Duke.
Enough money to have a helipad in Herne Bay so he can play golf at exclusive golf clubs with his mates.
Not enough money, it would appear, to pay for staff to attend meetings at Briscoe and Rebel Sport.
As Draco says, we can’t afford the rich.
Despite him saying it doesn’t happen and checking with his regional managers who confirmed – ed still prefers to take the word of a single anonymous person with no evidence offered.
How do right wing facts get made again?
In fairness they rarely come from a single source – it takes quite a few righties to form a coherent sentence.
The employment court has ordered Smith City to pay for the meetings.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/357206/briscoes-rejects-claims-over-unpaid-meetings
Rod Duke is Briscoes, not Smith City.
oops
I misread the news item. Thankx Oab
Congratulations. You are that true rarity among commenters on Blogs.
You admit it when you make a slip.
How unpatronising and self aware of you alwyn
Yes. I am handsome, intelligent, witty and a pensioner.
Well one right out of four isn’t too bad.
dv;
Pity the right wing commentators don’t “admit their mistakes too”
They often are shown up but ignore their wrongs.
Good for you to admit a very small mistake here.
More power to you.
We will follow if it rubs off on the Right wing now……………….
I think you will find I have corrected my self and apologised on here a number of times.
Actually James I have found that about you at times
Ed, you haven’t got that right. My son worked for Briscoes for 7 years, said Rod was a great person, who held his managers to high standards of staff relations, and personally helped staff in sticky situations. ie, my son’s dealings with IRD after making an error with his tax while working in Real Estate. At that time people were driven to suicide by IRD, Rod arranged a repayment schedule. He visits branches often, hence the helicopter.
@ Patricia That is good to know. I think part of NZ issues on employment is that there is too much cheerleading to extract every last dollar from the quickest easiest ways (aka staff wages and higher prices of goods and services often with ‘confusalating’ pricing or promotion so people can’t tell), but not every manager or owner wants to do it. NZ employers have become a race to the bottom to compete with the worst of the worst practices from local and overseas companies operating here.
Time to u turn and actually unite employers and workers which is probably going back to employment practises before neoliberalism… currently productivity is static and increasingly inequality is showing what NZ government is doing now is not making NZ a better place for people to live in.
I personally don’t think a capital gains tax or a rise in income taxes will solve anything because countries that have both taxes have the same problems as NZ and actually more such as UK and USA. They are now showing all the division that that creates.
What is needed is a totally new way to think about employment and income and residency and non residency and paying for public services, than what has been thought of before. Globalism has radically changed all the equations on how to collect tax and who gets welfare and how to get welfare without paying tax. UBI, Tobin tax or what have you should be looked at as a way to make tax fairer and make people who use NZ for business pay what they should and not actually be legally allowed to drain NZ resources while putting more strain on public services.
Thats really nice to hear.
of course some will continue to hate him because he has money.
Envy is a horrible.
Has anyone in NZ ever done any research on the number of truly double-generation long-term unemployed? And how many of them are third-generation?
On Q&A Richard “Mad Dog” Prebble reckoned since he rode a tram up Dominion Rd when he was a boy trams/trains are not the answer for Auckland transport. Sue Bradford couldn’t help a chuckle.
Of course he forgot to mention they ran along the middle of the road… were rundown claptraps… the poles continuously came off the overhead rails… and every time they stopped to let people on and off the traffic had to stop too. We kids loved them because it was bit like going on a rough joy-ride but they were slow and cumbersome.
In contrast the “light rail’ transport service (not trams) will be fast and run alongside the roads (not in the middle) and will not seriously impede traffic or pedestrian flows. Calling them trams is a deliberate attempt to create a negative image with an archaic system that existed many decades ago.
A man who rip, shit and bust through our banking, infrastructure and essential services is still being asked his opinion on what is best for NZ? Good God (to quote Israel Falou)
Yes its not just a case of scrapping the bottom of the barrel either, more that opinions are being sought from the wrong barrel…..mostly.
Nice to see no one is concerned that a pre election promise can now be altered/broken…
Construction firms will be exempt from applying the existing labour market test to bring in up to 1,500 foreign tradespeople at any one time if employers promise to take on a local apprentice for every migrant under a new ‘KiwiBuild Visa’ proposed by Labour.
To now “we expect, hopefully”
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/04/construction-minister-jenny-salesa-confident-kiwibuild-targets-will-be-met.html
Just as well not many follow politics in NZ and this program is not heavily watched. Crap like this goes unnoticed. Or for some they are the 3 monkeys hear, see, speak no evil.
It seems the pressure to deliver is becoming too much it’s compelling the Government to mislead.
“Most of them are available now but we’re going to continue through the winter to meet that target of 1500,” said Mr Twyford.
But figures released by Mr Twyford’s office show just 36 percent of the 1500 places are available now.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/05/a-third-of-new-social-housing-ready-despite-govt-claims-most-were-available.html
Still seems a lot better than “there is no housing crisis” – last National Governments bullshit.
It seems National have lowered the bar so low that instead of demanding more, some are appeased by a better level of bullshit.
The new government has committed to and is delivering more social housing unlike the previous who tried to sell off social housing – are you “concern trolling” TC?
Have they are and are they on track to deliver more homes than nats promised or had in train?
@Barfly
No. Not trolling. The insufficient offerings of this Government (and Labour in particularly) has always been a genuine concern for me. But obviously I hold them to a higher expectation than those willing to accept better bullshit.
What I accept is progress to reverse 9 years of bullshit – the winter fuel allowance is already going to do more to benefit me than 9 long years of Nationals “beneficiary hunting season”.
You state I am willing to accept better bullshit – I disagree with your argument – Do you feel a need to insult me because of that?
The Government made a big fanfare over a housing announcement, I highlighted it was largely bullshit.
Then you came along and instead of condemning their bullshit, you praised it for being better than the National’s bullshit.
Showing you are one of those who accept (without complaint) better bullshit.
Now you are trying to ride your high horse and accuse me of insulting you for highlighting this. Get real.
The winter fuel allowance is another insufficient offering. For some, it won’t even cover one power bill.
What you call bullshit I call progress.
“The winter fuel allowance is another insufficient offering. For some, it won’t even cover one power bill.”
It’s more benefit to me than anything National did in 9 years.
You say get real I say get over yourself precious.
You will also have noted that it is less than the amount pensioners would have received if National had been re-elected. Even then the much reduced amount this year will not be paid until after the worst of the winter is over.
But hey, they are your lot so everything is just peachy.
If the measure of what you call progress is merely if this Government is offering more than the last in regard to housing and the winter energy payment, then yes, this Government is.
However, as National have lowered the bar so low, better outcomes in comparison is an easy achievement. Thus, you’re setting the bar far too low. Giving this Government an easy pass.
The reality is, we have so many major problems in this country, the downward spiral is compounding daily. Thus, the insufficient offerings of this Government isn’t enough to counter that. As I highlighted to ankerawshark re Kiwibuild and social housing.
It’s akin to trying to put out a bush fire with a garden hose.
Therefore, instead of progress, you can expect things to become worse.
+1
Not a better level of bullshit, The Chairman” better outcomes……………..I await to see how Kiwibuild, social housing and homeless is going in two and a half years.
Anyone who has ever undertaken a building project knows that there are delays, cost adjustments, altering plans etc. That is normal………….and on a large scale it is going to be even more the case. I am looking for outcomes and I wouldn’t expect to see them in the first 6 -8 mths. There is good evidence they are getting off their arses though.
Sounds like you are living in a dream.
Here’s a taste of reality for you to ponder.
As National have lowered the bar so low, better outcomes in comparison is an easy achievement. Unfortunately, the nation needs far better than that.
Kiwibuild is insufficient. Evident by the fact buyers will be required to enter into a ballot to purchases one. Therefore, coupled with growing demand, one can’t expect that to help free up rental capacity when it can’t even cater to current or future housing demand.
The waiting list for social housing is quickly approaching 10,000 and the Government is struggling to commit to building more than 2000 annually. Thus, also vastly insufficient.
Things are going to get worse, not better with this insufficient approach this Government is taking.
I may not be fully informed on this, if thats what you mean by living in a dream. However there is conflicting information about the figures.
I want to see a significant improvement in housing in NZ for a range of people……………….I doubt anyone, living in a dream or not, would say this is an easy problem to fix………………….I believe the Coalition is working on it and I think action and results will speak louder than words……………..
BTW “living in a dream” could be seen as a little bit of a put down, but I am choosing not to take it that way.
“I want to see a significant improvement in housing in NZ for a range of people……………….I doubt anyone, living in a dream or not, would say this is an easy problem to fix………………….I believe the Coalition is working on it and I think action and results will speak louder than words……………..”
I also want to see a significant improvement in housing in NZ for a range of people.
It is a big task and the Government has a plan of action. However, as I highlighted to you above (re Kiwibuild and social housing) the Government’s plan of action is insufficient to secure that aim (a significant improvement in housing).
One would be dreaming to think otherwise. Hence, my initial opening line in my last post to you. Hope that wasn’t too brash.
The chairman..no all good. I tend to be idealistic and hope for the best. I read the standard to become better informed. I did think their kiwi build aspirations were very ambitious.
I really hope and expect them to improve housing in NZ. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t achieve a “cure”………
I agree with The Chairman
It is clear that Labour has embellished some of its promises to get the votes. Something Ad, from memory, used to advocate as you have to do what you have to do to get power, then make some changes.
IF this were John Key or Judith Collins saying this stuff, how would we react? Isn’t that the true measure?
“IF this were John Key or Judith Collins saying this stuff, how would we react? Isn’t that the true measure?”
Indeed, Tracey.
Some are happy to give this Government an easy pass, which doesn’t encourage them to up their game, leaving us shortchanged.
If we want more out of this Government, we are going to have to hold their feet to the fire.
Fair point about the true measure. Twyford’s numbers seem to disagree with his claim. But we’ve yet to establish a pattern of complete inability and unwillingness to address problems, as we had with the nats.
It’s funny that the link reporting Twyford’s apparent gaff repeats a gaff of the same flavour:
236 transitional housing places is less than 306 state housing places, so not “most” either. 43% not 36% of the 542 available places though, lol
chuckling
Yes Herodotus,
Well the media is absent over many issues that don’t fit their ideology.
So here they are happy with more and more imported workers over looking after Kiwis.
It is a target, and may take a year or two to achieve, where is the lie exactly?
Impatience and dissing current efforts don’t help.
patricia b
+1
If it may take a year or two to achieve, was labour, NZF Greens clear about that when they campaigned? Did they give us timelines and what if they dont deliver in a year or two?
Already we have heard excuses, blaming last govt, which we railed against Nats for doing…
For my money there is a pattern. There was the first 100 days and then… lag
Yes they were.
And only idiots would expect any government to be able to go straight to their projected top build rate without some sort of capacity build up first.
And an idiot would make this comment “The stand-alone KiwiBuild homes in Auckland will be priced at $500,000-$600,000 with apartments and terraced houses under $500,000. ”
See now how the price ranges have moved UP !!!… and that the references to appartments and terraced houses has been removed. Now we have 1 bedroom being $500k
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/govt-hikes-cost-of-one-bedroom-kiwibuild-homes.html
“One bedroom will go for $500,000, two bedrooms $600,000 and three bedrooms $650,000 – that’s $50,000 more than Labour promised in the election.”
So what Labour campaigned on was NOT clear, or was it and they were less than truthful ??
Yup
20% deposit = $100,000
If you are a low earner you qualify for kiwistart or whatever it is called but the lower your income the lower your deposit. A low earner’s kiwisaver is not large.
They are going in the wrong direction. They should be looking at what they have now like the state houses and seeing what they can do there to get people into them. Apparently some are empty, need Reno, decontamination or what have you. Fix the fuckers up for the first thing! Then look at adding tiny housing or what have you on the site or making them into bigger flats.
After that they should be looking at using non profit corporations and employ people themselves to create the housing using firms like Habitat for Humanity. These firms build with unskilled labour and do it cheaply. It is complete lies that normal people can’t build housing, most of them will do a better job under registered supervision that the what’s going on at building sites at present with massive profiteering and waste.
State houses were not built by builders but often by returned service men. Programs like ‘The block’ show how ordinary aspiring home owners with help can very quickly create quality housing.
The reason we are all hearing we need all these ‘skilled’ workers which apparently we don’t have in NZ (apart from seemed to work cheaply and quickly in the previous examples) is to do immigration routs and force housing prices upwards which helps construction and finance firms make more profits.
“Yes they were”
I only had a quick read of your link but no it is not clear what the timelines for measuring progress are. A 10 year goal to achieve the whole thing but no breakdown of the measures along the way. I don’t expect them to have built them all by now. I do expect a timeline showing the stages of reaching that target. Robertson’s slavish devotion to a Cullenesque budget don’t fill me with confidence about many things either.
We saw what happened in late 2008/2009 when the “oh no it was worse than we thought” mantra came out. Labour has already backed down, with their biggest back down being tying their own hand son tax pre election day.
Idiots are everywhere Draco.
Part of my comment was regarding what building coys will have to do to enable overseas workers to obtain a working visa. That they will have “…if employers promise to take on a local apprentice for every migrant under a new” Now it has become “we expect, hopefully” Minister Salesa totally contradicted what was given pre election.
Is that a moving target now, that builders and developers will NOT have to take on apprentices and still be able to access labour offshore ?
I thought it was a good idea to start our companies understanding they have an obligation to train workers too, not just taxpayers subsidising them by paying for it all at polytechs etc.
Too many bosses are looking to University and Polytech to produce perfectly fitting/working cogs for their machines. instead of taking on some burden of training.
Plenty of examples where you use unskilled labour of which we have plenty sitting idle in NZ and what is actually going on in the building sites.
Fletcher’s losing so much money is typical of construction nowadays which is completely out of control. it’s subcontractor after subcontractor all taking a cut and as much profit as possible at the top, which often means using not only unskilled labour, but also labour that is exploited or illegal.
The recent Malaysian stoppers had been working happily illegally for years and at better rates than most tax paying sub constructer tradies!
Who are cheerleading the most for these ‘skilled’ people, immigration lawyers and businesses that want keep wages down and constructions costs booming.
Hmm Labour misspoke? Surely you jest?
Didn’t Labour say all along that they would be treating the construction sector differently to help deliver more homes like they’ve promised? No surprise here, surely.
A bit disingenuous then because that is the sector where there has been a lot of immigration.
Where will the 1500 workers live, for example? In the houses being built?
Apparently the workers are ghost workers who don’t actually take up housing in the crisis… they don’t take up transport or even ever need medical support in our hospitals. They don’t start having families while they are here…
This story about workers not getting paid for meetings etc is going to get huge. My daughter worked for a hairdresser for 4 years. They insisted they started work an hour earlier to setup the day (unpaid of course) It will also be interesting how this affects unpaid internships, which I have always felt was another way of getting workers without paying for them.
“This story about workers not getting paid for meetings etc is going to get huge”
As it should – if they are there working – they should be paid.
Unpaid work should be illegal no matter what. Calling it an ‘internship’ shouldn’t change that.
Mind you those on a salary tend to work odd hours. A teacher for instance might have a 9 hour day or more if you add in weekends and marking etc.
But if paid by the hour workers should get paid for the time worked or get overtime or time and a half for the extra times.
I was TA at Uni and we had staff meetings I’d always billed for. I was asked to TA a different class the next year and I billed the staff meetings as usual. Then it was brought up in a meeting that there were ‘inconsistencies’ in the billing, namely, nobody else was being paid for the meetings in that department. There were ladies there who’d taught those labs for many years and my not folding made them very uncomfortable they were a bit scared to say boo on the matter. These meetings were not on the same days as the labs either. They were a separate thing so they had to travel both ways and attend on their own dime. I insisted we all got paid.
I didn’t get asked back the next year, though I’m sure the other TA’s appreciated my visit.
I’d rather fight for my right to party.
Gaza Body Count-Journalists
Journalists killed and wounded by IDF during the Great Return March, as of May 13, 2018…
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/05/13/gaza-body-count-journalists/
Iain Lees-Galloway,
With housing and rental prices increasingly unaffordable for many, has the Government looked at adjusting the number of work visas issued each year? I’m sure Jacinda Ardern mentioned this in the Election Debates. Bill English childishly responded that there then wouldn’t be enough builders.
In the early 1990’s around 20,000 new non-citizens a year was seen as quite high. Now the target is about 45,000 per year.
Michael Reddell has noted that this is a major driver of housing demand. Would reducing the number to, say 20,000-30,000 per year be something the Government will consider?
“From 1991 to 2013, non-New Zealand citizen immigration accounted for around 71 per cent of the change in the number of households (or dwellings required). For the last two intercensal periods the contributions of non-New Zealand citizen net immigration were as follows:
•2001 to 2006 70 per cent
•2006 to 2013 106 per cent”
Trying to build more houses to meet this ever growing demand doesn’t appear to be working.
How about only allow in highly paid workers over $100k+… we might actually get some homes built that don’t leak or rail tracks that don’t shear off and derail trains or some houses that aren’t condemned before people move in… No more free family residency or all the other ways that people are coming to NZ taking up housing/super and health care in particular and putting a huge burden on the increasingly fewer NZ workers many of whom have student loans as well and don’t qualify for some sort of government top up.
And why they are about it, do what OZ used to do and make any business have to show $50k+ profit every year for 5 years AND employ 2 OZ citizens at decent wages to even be considered.
Weirdly in NZ you seem to be able to be terrible at business and make pitiful profits or even losses, bring more migrant workers in on low wages, and you are welcomed with open arms.
We need to seriously raise the bar! Make it 10 years for the profits and a maximum time they have to spend in NZ to continue to achieve permanent residency. Citizenship should only be granted to people born here. At present people can spend as little as 11 days and be a NZ citizen or get residency after 5 years and then never work another day in NZ or pay any taxes but still get super and free health and education for themselves and their future kids.
All the government has to do is plug the hole for immigration and lots of positive things will start of happen for Kiwi’s who are being discriminated against for jobs…
Two Wellington hotels seeking autistic staff
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=109394
Sometimes you just don’t want to read the news and find out what the dinosaurs farting fossil fuels have decided…
KiwiRail’s ‘kiss of death” for electrification of main trunk line
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=109378
Ministerial interjection?….Prime Ministerial even?
The NZ government doesn’t do practical long term planning any more. They can’t. They are irrelevant. The country is largely ‘governed’ by big business interests and this is why the government doesn’t ( cannot) make plans for the public good, rather for NZ Inc. The coalition government is stuck, wading through the same corporate quagmire.
Well, I must return this library book and I can’t find another theatre, realise it will die like lead dropped in the sea.
Adam Hochschild ‘s book, ‘The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin’, published in 1994, from a trip in 1991. It was easy to escape from Stalin’s purges:move, the KGB didn’t do detective. ‘However people rarely tried; despite the mass arrests, almost everybody believed, ‘ it won’t happen to me”. People deny bad news because it implies worse news: If I’m about to be arrested, that would mean the whole system has gone mad.’
We can talk freely about our challenges ‘hence we do not feel the intense fear produced by the NKVD’s knock on the door. That very lack of urgency is our form of denial, as foolhardy as the denials of fellow travelers. For the knock , from these things, will come.’
Talk is taken to be solution near but no, the reverse. It can’t be more than 15 years before the gurgling sound from the bath-water of super-humanity emptying will fill our ears. It is too late bar the long odds gamble of H.s.s’s consciousness.
komfort.
Good evening Newshub every thing the previous Government was wrong here a link
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/103928695/former-earthquake-recovery-minister-incensed-by-reserve-bank-governors-rebuild-comments brownlee is just a – – – – – Ka kite ano PS my work schedule is all over the place at the minute look at this link
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/103932438/hopeful-christian-dies-what-now-for-gloriavale
This is the type of behavior that’s not on in the human rights commission. No wonder ECO MAORI can not get any action on my complaint the whole state sector under the last government has a culture of cover there M8s Asses – – – – – – –
Ka kite ano