“…Before we get started, this is not a review of Uber as an ethical company, just a review of the service we received…”
So, the hipster liberal reviewers at thespinoff admit the KNOW Uber is known for a regressive, aggressive, abusive and anti-woman corporate culture. They KNOW it has a CEO who is a complete arsehole who abuses his position of power. They admit they KNOW Uber actively conspires to defeat law enforcement and regulators and flagrantly flouts the law in most countries. They are aware it plans to destroy local industry with uncompetitive behaviours then rack rent them for a bunch of foreigners gain.
But hey, I got tacos in a nice brown bag delivered to my office, so, whatever.
It’s pretty mean but people are not particularly loyal to older and inferiorsuperior kinds of service.
FTFY
From what I’ve been reading, on average, Uber is bring service quality down because it’s avoiding the regulations that do exist and lobbying to get rid of them.
Well, I guess you have to reflect on why people are flocking to Uber.
Now, I don’t have to like them, but what younger people tell me, is:
– they really like the personalised service
– they like being able to track the progress of the vehicle on their phones
– they like not having to deal with cash
– they like the market-enforcement of being able to rate the drivers’ performance and attitude immediately
– they like not even having to interact with the driver at all and can simply slip in and out of the back seat with otherwise anonymity; no more vacuous small talk, ZB-opinion inanities, or snide sexism
– they like that all their friends trust it
– they like that in many places and times it’s price and convenience competitive with public transport – if indeed public transport even exists
– they like that they can carry their accounts to any city and indeed globally
And all of these features could have been picked up by the traditional taxi companies quite some time ago, but are of course too lazy.
If you’re in South Africa the only safe way to get around is by Uber, that’s because the gangs control the taxis.
You could be in a taxi and then find yourself under attack and getting shot at by a rival taxi service or you may find yourself taken into one of the many shanty towns and robbed or ransomed or killed.
they like that in many places and times it’s price and convenience competitive with public transport – if indeed public transport even exists
It’s priced so low because Uber (The company) is pretty much forcing the drivers to accept less than enough to survive on.
It can only be competitive with the price of public transport because of the delusions of our financial system. In physical reality, public transport is always cheaper.
And all of these features could have been picked up by the traditional taxi companies quite some time ago, but are of course too lazy.
They could have done but they were, IMO, just focussed upon their traditional way of doing business and no-one in a position to change things was even asking what was a better way to run taxis and the people at the bottom just couldn’t give a damn. And that pretty much sums up the problem with hierarchical business models.
There will still be a fleet of public sector transport robots to compete with the private ones: trains within 2 years, and buses thereafter.
Again, public sector far more cautious than the market – as they should be.
But net result is whole passenger transport market is revolutionizing and the state is in perpetual catchup at the moment. Can’t find sympathy for either the state or traditional taxi companies. Not like they couldn’t see it coming.
BM I keep waiting for the Great Leap Backward from this current phase of technological disruption. So far, pretty good. And really good for the customers.
So you not talking to young disable people then Ad. Your list would be very different.
But sure smash up the only option disabled people have for getting around so people can have cheap fares. It was precarious as it stood, now with Uber it just ripping the guts out of the service for disabled.
Another example of the free-market capitalism at it’s stupid best. Hurting those at the bottom so the rich get richer, and the middle class can ignore the suffering.
Is turning left the path to electoral success? Some interesting arguments why it’s not.
“Take a look at results from several pivotal Senate races. In two Midwestern states, Wisconsin and Ohio, Democrats ran Sanders-esque populists — former Sen. Russ Feingold and Gov. Ted Strickland, respectively. Both lost by a wider margin than Hillary Clinton did in their state. By contrast, the Democratic candidates who most outperformed Clinton’s statewide results — Missouri’s Jason Kander and Indiana’s Evan Bayh — ran as economic centrists.”
“In this context, tacking to the left on economics won’t give Democrats a silver bullet to use against the racial resentment powering Trump’s success. It could actually wind up giving Trump an even bigger gun. If Democrats really want to stop right-wing populists like Trump, they need a strategy that blunts the true drivers of their appeal — and that means focusing on more than economics.”
Andre you’re just stirring the olde worlde commies.
We’ll be lucky in most parts of the world if any kind of non-hard-right government gets in anywhere.
Old skool socialism isn’t hip anymore. Blair’s Third Way has run it’s course. Triangulation has gone pear-shaped. What’s the fourth dimension going to look like? Until that emerges I’ll settle for a progressive push from the baseline we’ve got.
What’s misleading about it? That by-election would have been the perfect time to send a message to Labour and Greens to turn left by voting for Joe Carolan or Penny (or TOP if you prefer that direction). There was absolutely nothing politically significant at stake in terms of the makeup of parliament. Hell, I probably would have voted for Joe if I was in Mt Albert, for exactly that reason.
Personally, I’m probably almost as keen as anyone else here to see corporate power reined in hard, taxes go up on the wealthy to pay for improved social services, health, education, housing and all the other good stuff. But I really don’t see evidence that going hard for those is a winning strategy electorally. So I’ll settle for second-best, a moderate Labour/Green government that can actually win and move things slowly and incrementally in a better direction.
You are an utter idiot if you think people not voting for Joe Carolan is a sign they don’t want to go left. I want NZ to go left, I wouldn’t have voted Carolan, but then I’m a strategic voter.
(TOP aren’t left wing).
And that’s not even getting to the intricacies of by-elections and that one in particular.
People vote for massively varying reasons, it’s just not valid to extrapolate from that election. The only way to know would be to do some actual research across the population.
“The only way to know would be to do some actual research across the population.”
I’m fairly confident Labour and the Greens both have teams of experts doing exactly that.I’m also confident the leadership of both parties is paying attention to what that research is saying and incorporating it into their positioning. (Yes, I know Green policy is set by members, but the leadership still has a hell of a platform for talking about their preferred direction).
In any case, I really have my doubts that research is a better indicator of what people will get out and vote for than actual election results.
I wasn’t meaning research on who people will vote for (I agree that L/G will be doing that). I was meaning research on whether people want NZ to got left again. How that was worded and what it meant would be critical.
I don’t have a problem with parties being pragmatic, but much of what is happening in NZ has been driven by the neoliberals in Labour and NZers not having valid political choices that are good cultural fits. There’s also the issue of why the Greens’ research shows something like 28% of people want to vote for them, but only 11% do on the day. I think there are many reasons for that.
Scotland would be a good example of a country heading leftwards. So it can be done, it just can’t be done in NZ because of our political history. Little can’t become a Sturgeon, and Labour can’t apparently get over the 80s. We’re stuck with that in the meantime, but that’s a different thing than saying NZers don’t want to go left.
I’d be surprised if Labour and Greens research didn’t include trying to find out which variants of policies were perceived most favourably, ie how far “left” they should go for best electoral success.
Carolan has always seemed very good on left wing politics when I’ve seen him on Auckland demos. I must admit though I am a little wary of him because of accusations a few years back that Carolan had suppressed some fairly widespread women’s concerns about some sexual harassment by a left wing man. These accusations were supported by other left wing women.
Maybe Carolan has now seen the error in his past behaviour. Everyone can change. But I would look closely at his recent record before deciding whether or not to vote for him.
Yep. He strikes me as authoritarian left too, which isn’t going to attract many. I see our best bet in NZ* as the working together across difference, including collaboration between the left, liberals and those who don’t position themselves on the left/right spectrum. The biggest obstacle to that that I can see is a particular sub-culture within the left made up mainly of white men who are against what they call identity politics. Not sure where Carolan fits in that, but the history of men within the left of suppressing issues around sexual assault is not good.
*or more likely, collaboration between the people that care about others.
Well, if i was voting in an electorate where Carolan had no hope of winning, I wouldn’t vote for him. there’s probably a few other women would do the same.
It’s a hard one re-the authoritarian left, because they do campaign for some issues, such as affordable housing, living ages, etc, that I strongly support.
But, I prefer a more collaborative approach between the diverse left wing factions.
I was thinking today about how if we got a L/G govt (no NZF to keep the thought experiment simple), what that would be like here and in the political and media scenes. Mostly about whether we would be putting the boot into the new govt or supporting them. And what it meant to even be thinking about that. I want to support people like Turei and Davidson and even Little. But I want them accountable too. I don’t think we have good mechanisms for that, just the old left activist ones. Either that or I’ve spent too much time in the macho culture on TS 😉 (that’s almost certainly true).
So, would love to have more conversations about collaboration 🙂
Collaboration between left wing factions is a tough one. It can involve some intense differences of opinion.
Back in the 60s to 80s, women’s, gay and Māori (and people of colour elsewhere) did organise separately as well as joining in with other groups on political campaigns (think 1981 tour, and miners’ strike in the UK).
And this separate but linked organisation did also occur under Labour governments (in Aussie, the UK, and NZ).
The Institute of Directors says Artificial Intelligence is set to have an enormous impact on the way business and society operates, including productivity and employment. Kathryn Ryan talks with Felicity Caird, manager of the Institute’s Governance Leadership Centre about how we can prepare.
And incidentally we won’t cope at all if we just sit back and accept uber as discussed in #1 and think like the ‘young people’ that Ad refers to in 1.2.1.1who are going for uber.
Children being abused in state care is a continuing reality and tis is being aired as a result of knowing that a majority were Maori.
life and society
8:27 am today
State abuse claim lodged with Waitangi Tribunal
From Morning Report, 8:27 am today
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Survivors of abuse in state care have lodged a claim with Waitangi Tribunal alleging Maori children were singled out to be placed in institutions, where they were abused.
It is possible to adopt better conditions for care. There are other ways to care for children. I have been reading about the author Leslie Thomas and he went into an orphanage and did well. And they were both more responsible and with a little looseness instead of stern rigid punitive behaviour. A couple of tearaways used to get out now and then have a day away and then turn themselves into the police who would give them a bit of food and return them. The police obviously weren’t on prescriptive contracts telling them not to do anything warm and human for errant citizens. And the orphanage kept on trying to guide them along good paths and give them good care.
You cannot help but notice the atmosphere of suspicion when you go into the Ministry of Social Development umbrella agency offices. Whether it is W.I.N.Z. to apply for the unemployment benefit or C.Y.F.S. for help with a child, do you ever get the feeling that Ministry on the whole doesn’t want to have you in their offices?
You mean the guards on the door demanding ID before entry.
Try going with someone as a support person, I refused to show ID, got very odd, very quickly. Threatening even, I just asked what legal basis did they have to exclude me from a government building, which my family and I have paid for.
The answer, policy – health and safety. So political correctness to get us to think the right way, and now health and safety to limit our movements. And national party supporters called labour the nanny state party, it be sad if it was not so frightening.
Thanks, I’m on the look out for people getting in without an ID, but it sounds like it is mandatory now across the board. Library card, that’s without a photo?
For me it’s another piece in the fascism puzzle that National are carefully constructing. We are having our own Tr*mpville and most people aren’t even noticing.
One thing that worries me is that I have no idea which if these things L/G will roll back once in power.
Yeah not photo, I was talking fast and it was the only thing I had on me – more by good luck than management.
I agree, this is a step to far into state control.
I’m not holding my breath weka, it seems the main parties globally are just amping up the power of the state to control peoples lives, then passing it amongst themselves.
I still trust the Greens, but there’s only so long they can hold that integrity and stay in parliament. NZ has the chance to so something like Scotland but for some reason won’t. Not that I think the Greens are the ultimate answer 😉 but I think they will give us a much better chance of heading in the right direction as the worlds gets hotter and more dangerous.
Old democratic adage. If I know you, and you live next door will you destroy me and my family for some political gain? You would worry whilst I’ve been forced out of my house because of your actions, what I would do.
One of the best ways is to have honest fear. An example of this is have the ability to recall elected representatives. Notice how no political parties go there. Not one even comes close. Imagine the ability to recall a representative who lied, or voted against what they were elected for?
Another example of honest fear is the ability to remove the incentives from elected officials if they break trust, lie, or otherwise twisted the things they do, in the name of political expediency.
But, we are not there yet, we have a political system where by the politicians fear people, so it ratchets up the threat of violence towards them. Both economic and physical. Ask anyone who has been beaten up by a cop, or had a sanction imposed by work and income.
I say we should remind politicians we don’t like violence, and that they should not use their monopoly on violence, on the population.
“The answer, policy – health and safety. So political correctness to get us to think the right way, and now health and safety to limit our movements. And national party supporters called labour the nanny state party, it be sad if it was not so frightening.”
I’m surprised you weren’t told you were forbidden entry without ID in the name of National Security, for the good of the people, in the name of the Queen etc! History repeating itself. Perhaps that will be next on the Natzaratzi’s fascist agenda to be able to enter WINZ offices!
The well worn policy of “National Security and For the Good of the People”, covers everything and is all empowering for the state and its rotten departmental dictators to enforce!
The ID thing started after MSD got convicted under H&S legislation over the shootings. That tragedy (which none of us ever condoned of course) was exploited big time by a certain Minister to convince the populous we’re all potential murderers; being prosecuted and told off by the Court is yet another excuse to further that status.
It’s also being used as a another method to deter people from getting the help they are entitled to UNDER CURRENT LEGISLATION by way of intimidation. Can’t get through to them at their call centre, tough shit if you don’t have internet access, now lets put people off just going in to pick up/drop off paperwork or get any basic information. All part of the plan.
I got ID checked last month – I was expecting it, but thought I would see how I went presenting my Community Services Card. After all, that is a piece of ID actually issued by MSD which is accepted many places.
It worked fine, which is just as well as I do not drive and am not in the habit of carrying my passport with me.
The Health & Safety thing is BS anyway – As you can show up with valid photo ID, but they are not going to check your bag or belongings for a gun, knife, bomb etc…
Given the average age and stature of the Armourguard staff I have seen working at MSD / WINZ offices I don’t think they could stop a truly determined attacked anyway (Not to belittle the Armourguard staff who are trapped in a horrible situation).
And where is the Health and Safety commitment to the numerous clients I have seen in tears in an open plan office, with their despair and grief visible to the 30+ people in the room?
I think the ID thing is so that they can identify people who have been barred or are known/believed to be potentially a threat, from entering. Like you say, they won’t be able to stop someone from attacking them generally. It’s still fucked up, because if they really wanted to make their workers safe they’re create a safe culture, but of course what they are doing is covering their arses, safety for the people on the ground (staff or clients) isn’t actually the issue.
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Our Good Fortune: Precisely because she has never been an ideologue (she calls herself a “pragmatic idealist”) Jacinda Ardern has a political nimbleness and spontaneity which, when infused with her exceptional emotional intelligence, produces spectacular demonstrations of leadership. Jacinda's empathic political personality contrasts sharply with the less-than-sunny ways of her ...
The Abortion Legislation Bill has just passed its third reading, 68-51. NZ First MPs bailed because their referendum amendment didn't pass, but there were plenty of MPs to provide a majority without them. The bill is a long way from perfect - most significantly, it subjects pregnant people who need ...
As most of the world tries to suppress the coronavirus spread, some countries are going it alone – trying to manage the pandemic through so-called “herd immunity”. Herd immunity means letting a large number of people catch a disease, and hence develop immunity to it, to stop the virus spreading. ...
So, as I sit at home with a very, very slight headache (i.e. not at work when I would otherwise be so), the now familiar figure of Ashley Bloomfield reports eight new confirmed cases of COVID-19 including two in Waikato. A surprise, given that we had just twelve yesterday? No. ...
Many who advocated for, and voted for, the current Coalition – particularly those who voted Labour and the Green Party – expected to see a sea change in the reality of social services. A real, deep change of attitude, approach of process through which the system negotiates the difficult and ...
New Zealand’s border restrictions will come with significant job and business losses in the tourism sector, both at home and in the Pacific. But the new travel rules are absolutely necessary to protect the health of New Zealanders and people right across Pacific Islands, because New Zealand is a gateway ...
Professor Philip Hill and Associate Professor James UssherMost infectious diseases have an Achilles heel, the secret is to find it. The question is if we don’t have a drug or a vaccine for COVID-19, is there something else we can do to beat it? Some people estimate that, without ...
The Coalition Governments $12.1 billion economic package to help combat the financial effects of COVID-19 was generally well received across the board, even amongst many business leaders who would normally be critical of a Labour led Government.However there was one glaringly obvious exception, Simon Bridges. The so-called leader of the ...
With confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand up to 12, many influential people are writing open letters and opinion pieces and doing press conferences asking why we aren’t pulling out all the stops and testing thousands of people a day like they are in South Korea. The thing is, ...
by Daphna Whitmore The willingness to put human life before business shows that sometimes capitalism is capable of suspending its relentless drive for profit. For a short time it can behave differently. Flatten the curve is the public health message since COVID-19 suddenly overwhelmed the hospital system in northern Italy. ...
Worldwide, the 1918 influenza epidemic – wrongly called ‘Spanish’ flu – lasted about two years. However, it lasted about six weeks in New Zealand (remembered as ‘Black November’, because the dead turned a purplish-black). It is thought about 7000 Pakeha died and 2,500 Maori. The population mortality rate was about ...
In a world and a time when the worst off and most vulnerable have been asked, time and again, to foot the bill for the complete subjugating to the will of the 1% thanks to the GFC, at a point where the world as a whole is now seeing quite ...
With the economy already reeling from a crisis that’s barely begun, the Government today sought to provide reassurance to workers and businesses in the form of a massive phallic pun to insert much-needed cash into the private sector and help fight the looming pandemic. Here are the key components: $5.1 ...
I am a member of the working poor and so still need state welfare to make rent. So I had booked an appointment for yesterday with my caseworker at Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) to apply for a transition to work grant. However the current health advice in New ...
The COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is moving fast - and to avoid what we've seen overseas - the Government's response must be to move fast too. We're committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and well-informed every step of the way. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging New Zealanders overseas to stay where they are amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are reaching a point where the best option for most New Zealanders offshore is to shelter in place, by preparing to safely stay where they are.” "This includes following the instructions ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging the tens of thousands of New Zealanders travelling overseas to consider sheltering in place, in light of COVID-19. “Since 18 March, we have been warning New Zealanders offshore that the window for flying ...
Ground-breaking law has passed that will decriminalise abortion and ensure women and pregnant people seeking abortions have compassionate healthcare. ...
The Green Party says that the measures announced by the Government today will help families and businesses to prioritise our collective health and wellbeing in the response to COVID-19. ...
As New Zealanders brace for a global downturn due to Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says his Coalition Government’s rescue package "more significant" than any other he's seen around the world. The Coalition is to reveal a multi-billion-dollar stimulus plan on Tuesday afternoon designed to cushion the economic blow ...
We know some people are feeling anxious about COVID-19. While the situation is serious, New Zealand has a world-class health system and we’re well-prepared to keep New Zealanders safe. ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill drawn from the ballot today seeks to overhaul the youth justice system by instigating a system of demerit points for offences committed by young offenders. “The ‘Youth Justice Demerit Point System’ will put an end to ...
Hon. Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic DevelopmentThe Provincial Growth Fund is investing $6 million in a land-based aquaculture pilot to see whether yellowtail kingfish can be commercially farmed in Northland, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today.A recirculating land-based aquaculture system will be built and operated ...
Hon. Shane Jones, Minister for ForestryForestry Minister Shane Jones has announced two One Billion Trees programme grants of more than $1.18 million to help hapu and iwi in Northland restore whenua and moana.“Many communities around Aotearoa have benefited from One Billion Trees funding since the programme was launched ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign AffairsAhead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to establish truth, accountability and justice for the downing of Flight MH17 ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime MinisterThe Government is investing $19.9 million through the Provincial Growth Fund in a game-changing hydrogen energy facility in South Taranaki, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters announced today.“The development of alternative energy initiatives like this one is vital for the Taranaki region’s economy. ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Minister for Foreign AffairsForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand is partnering with countries in the Pacific to ensure they are prepared for, and able to respond to the global threat of Coronavirus (COVID-19).“There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the ...
New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
Farmers whose herds were culled in response to the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis will be able to minimise the tax treatment of their income in some circumstances. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says Cabinet has agreed to change the law. It means farmers may be eligible to spread their income over ...
A $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, is being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home as a nation to stop the spread of COVID-19, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced. “At ...
“The guilty plea today will provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered by what happened on March 15,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, ...
The Prime Minister is holding daily press conferences to update New Zealanders on the Government's response to COVID-19. Links to videos and transcripts of these updates below. These transcripts also include All of Government press conferences led by Director Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 25 March: Live update from the Prime ...
Frontline Police numbers have broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time in history as officers step forward to keep the community safe during the COVID19 lockdown. “Two Police graduations in Auckland and Wellington in the past week have been conducted in unprecedented circumstances,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said. ...
Urgent legislation has been passed to support the package of economic and social measures needed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. “The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill will cushion New Zealanders from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Revenue Minister ...
From tomorrow, Government support for farmers and growers affected by drought will be expanded and extended across the country, with access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPS) available throughout the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced. “These challenging conditions have ...
Parliament has passed amendments to legislation that give the Secretary of Education stronger powers to act in the fight to limit the spread of COVID-19, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “They are part of a suite of changes passed under the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill,” Chris ...
Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar have joined forces with New Zealand and Singapore by committing to keep supply chains open and remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker today welcomed ...
Immediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...
As New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...
A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...
Mr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...
People needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...
The Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...
Minister of Transport Phil Twyford has today announced details of the Government’s support package to keep key air freight moving and ensure New Zealanders retain access to essential goods during the four-week level 4 lockdown. “The Government is working with airlines and air freight operators to ensure New Zealand’s key ...
New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 – Restrict New Zealand to move up to COVID-19 Alert Level 4 – Eliminate, in 48 hours Two-staged approach to give people and businesses time to prepare Level 3, from tomorrow Non-essential businesses must close All events and gatherings must be ...
Good afternoon The Cabinet met this morning to discuss our next actions in the fight against COVID-19. Like the rest of the world, we are facing the potential for devastating impacts from this virus. But, through decisive action, and through working together, do we have a small window to get ...
The Government is announcing significant further support for the economy, workers and businesses as the country unites to prepare for Alert Level 4 in the fight against COVID-19. Cabinet today agreed to remove the cap on the Government’s wage subsidy scheme, which will inject a further $4 billion into the ...
The Government is backing the Reserve Bank’s latest action to support the economy by reducing longer-term interest rates, meaning lower costs for businesses and mortgage holders, and a lower currency to help our exporters. The Minister of Finance has signed a memorandum of understanding and a letter of indemnity with ...
The Government has asked the Commerce Commission to take account of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 when monitoring business behaviour in coming weeks. “The purpose of my request to the Commerce Commission is to make sure businesses can work together in ways that will allow them to provide ...
The New Zealand Government has temporarily closed its High Commission in Bridgetown, Barbados and its Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Due to the increasing scarcity of air links in and out of Bridgetown and Yangon, and the pressure COVID-19 is placing ...
Associate Health and Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare has today announced the Government’s plan to support Māori communities and businesses in the face of COVID-19. “Our Government’s $12.1 billion economic package will help many Māori whānau, workers and businesses, whether it’s through wage subsidies, income support and worker redeployment, or ...
The Government and the hospitality industry have worked together to produce guidelines to assist with managing and reducing transmission of COVID-19, Health Minister David Clark announced today. The guidelines developed between the Government, Hospitality New Zealand and SkyCity Entertainment Group, set out how the new restrictions on physical distancing and ...
Four stage Alert System for COVID-19 announced New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 – Reduce Contact New Zealanders over 70 and those with certain medical conditions told to stay at home as much as they can to reduce risk of contact with the virus Workplaces to implement ...
Kia ora koutou katoa I’m speaking directly to all New Zealanders today to give you as much certainty and clarity as we can as we fight Covid-19. Over the past few weeks, the world has changed. And it has changed very quickly. In February it would have seemed unimaginable to ...
New Zealand and Singapore have jointly committed to keep supply chains open and to remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker welcomed the commitment. “This is an important collective response, and ...
JOINT MINISTERIAL STATEMENT BY SINGAPORE AND NEW ZEALAND AFFIRMING COMMITMENT TO ENSURING SUPPLY CHAIN CONNECTIVITY AMIDST THE COVID-19 SITUATION The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis. As part of our collective response to combat COVID-19, Singapore and New Zealand are committed to maintaining open and connected supply chains. We ...
Travel restrictions, closing our border to almost all travelers came into force from 23:59 on Thursday 19 March 2020 (NZDT). All airlines were informed of these restrictions before they came into force. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says “The transit of passengers between Australia and New Zealand has been agreed upon and ...
The Government has allocated $100 million to help redeploy workers affected by the economic impact of COVID-19, with the hard-hit region of Gisborne-Tairāwhiti to be the first helped, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford, Forestry and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today. Phil Twyford ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is ramping up support for Tairāwhiti’s wood processing sector to bolster the region’s economy at a time of heightened uncertainty, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Following earlier announcements today of a regional support package for Tairāwhiti, Minister Jones has also announced a ...
The Coalition Government has stepped in to protect Air New Zealand with a significant financial deal that protects essential routes and allows the company to keep operating. The Government and Air New Zealand have agreed a debt funding agreement through commercial 24-month loan facilities of up to $900 million*. The ...
The Government has taken further measures to protect New Zealanders from the COVID-19 virus, effectively stopping all people from boarding a plane to New Zealand from 11:59pm today, except for returning New Zealanders, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. New Zealanders’ partners, legal guardians or any dependent children travelling with ...
The Government has reinforced its commitment to protecting the health of New Zealanders from COVID-19 through the cancellation of indoor events with more than 100 people. “Protecting the health of New Zealanders is our number one priority, and that means we need to reduce the risks associated with large gatherings,” ...
The New Zealand Government is advising New Zealanders not to travel overseas due to COVID-19, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “We are raising our travel advice to the highest level: do not travel,” Mr Peters said. “This is the first time the New Zealand Government has advised New Zealanders ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier this week as part of the Government’s $12.1 billion COVID-19 economic response. The initial part of the aviation package aims to secure the operators of New Zealand’s aviation security system, and ...
By RNZ Pacific The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in French Polynesia has risen by four to 34. The update from the government said the hospitalisation rate is unchanged with one person in care. Last night a curfew was declared for the first time, forcing residents across ...
It’s a town where people often feel the rest of the country has given up on them, in the middle of a region where every place feels isolated. So how did Ohura become an unlikely centre of Medieval Combat sports in New Zealand? Alex Braae spent three days there finding ...
If you want to understand some of the thinking behind the policy response to the spread of coronavirus, you might want to read the paper from the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team, which is credited with accelerating the introduction of the current lockdown measures in the UK.The paper builds ...
‘It seems like someone else’s dream of my past.’ For Emma Neale, the painting ‘Wanderlust’ by Dunedin artist Sharon Singer stirs memories of her childhood, and new understandings of guilt and forgiveness.There were gifts from my father when he came home from overseas trips. Love offerings; a bit like those ...
Westpac is forecasting 200,000 jobs will be lost in NZ as a result of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Chief economist Dominick Stephens estimates economic activity during the four week lock-down would decline by a third, despite the government and the Reserve Bank having “done a lot to calm ...
In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, Ōtaki author Renée.I have a wild tomato flopping all over the path down the back of the veg garden. I picked a ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Online criminals have been making the most of Covid-19 by preying on people’s fear and doubt. Here are some of the calling cards of these con artists.With most New Zealanders tucked up at home, digital devices are proving to be critical tools for staying connected with each other, making good ...
Author and illustrator Sarah Laing draws a rite of passage in The Lockdown.Reprinted with the permission of the author from Let Me Be Frank, Sarah Laing's blog devoted to "Reading. Writing. Parenting. Angsting." Let Me Be Frank is also the ...
As New Zealand adjusts to a month of lockdown, many pet owners have questions about their furry friends. Alex Casey had a chat with the SPCA – here’s what she learned.AC: My cat had a disgusting abscess on his tail and now has to get his stitches out. ...
Books editor Catherine Woulfe takes an energising walk around the lockdown block of New Zealand books. When the bubbles settled over us they settled over the books too. Libraries were the first to shut down, then the physical bookstores and finally, the hammer blow: online sales and indeed any notion of ...
Convincing its citizens to take lockdown seriously will be a major challenge for Fiji’s government, writes Mandy De Vries. My husband, Howie, and I are lucky enough to live on the beautiful Coral Coast in Fiji. We started a tourism operation here two years ago which was, until recently, booming. ...
New Zealand’s businesses and government are far better prepared for the rapidly escalating global health and economic crisis than they were for the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-09 or the stock market crash in 1987, says Rob Campbell, one of the country’s most experienced corporate leaders. “Executive teams and boards ...
Journalism commentator and former editor Gavin Ellis says media organisations play a vital role in keeping the community informed and, if possible, safe. They also have a crucial part to play in the maintenance of public order and morale, just as they did in the 1940s. With the country in ...
The country has millions of protective gowns, gloves and eyewear – midwives ask: Where are they? David Williams reports Two days into a national lockdown some midwives didn’t have any protective equipment, adding to concerns about safeguards for frontline health workers. On Friday, announcements were made by the Health Ministry ...
Covid-19 lockdown provides valuable time for planning a new business, as Dr Mary-Ellen Gordon explains You have a great idea for a business. You’ve been working to get it up and going. Then, just as you were starting to gain traction, the entire country and much of the rest of ...
Low-income workers whose jobs have disappeared thanks to Covid-19 will increasingly need to access benefit income. When this happens, however, they lose a tax credit for their children. As a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis, the Government has improved its rescue policies for business. We now need to see urgent ...
The strange energy of preparing for level four is over, now the dystopian reality has kicked in. Danyl Mclauchlan writes an essay about home life during a ‘cosy catastrophe’.We start by setting up our home workspaces, covering the kitchen table with such a thick mass of black cables and USB ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison will unvieil on Sunday a $1.1 billion set of measures to make Medicare telehealth services generally available during the coronavirus pandemic and to support mental health, domestic violence and community services. The “Medicare ...
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening. There were 83 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, down from the previous day's 85 new cases. Details of how many tests have been completed are now bing released ...
By RNZ News New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke to her followers on Facebook today from her office in Premier House. Her chat lasted about 15 minutes and garnered more than 310,000 views. She discussed wage subsidies for full-time and part-time workers, personal protection equipment (PPE) supplies for ...
COMMENTARY:By Bob Howarth (self-isolating in Australia after his latest trip to Timor-Leste) After days of web surfing for Covid-19 coronavirus news around the Asia-Pacific, two areas that appear to need improving in some countries are official communication and fact checking. So here’s my two cents, rupiah, kina or ...
Whether it’s a robot uprising, a woman catfishing into the publishing world or a bunch of lovestruck islanders, NEON has you covered. Here’s what we’re bingeing on NEON for the foreseeable future.WestworldJust in time for lockdown, there’s a buzz-worthy show with endless discussion points coming out on a weekly basis. ...
There’s been a lot of talk about PPE of late – do we have enough, is it getting to the right people, and who exactly are the right people, anyway? Here’s the latest official advice.The Ministry of Health has now circulated updated advice on the appropriate use of PPE (personal ...
A month ago, not many had heard of Ashley Bloomfield. But as the Covid-19 response has ramped up, the director-general of health has become a calm, reassuring presence in a time of uncertainty and fear. Rachel Thomas profiles him, in a piece first published on RNZ.Today, Saturday, director-general of health ...
Jim Kayes tests the waters of social media to see how people are coping with being told to avoid their favourite pastime.“There is something ridiculously exhilarating about catching a fish. The thrill might have faded for the salty angler, but for this rookie, the novice still snagging fish hooks ...
The Government yesterday reassured us there are plenty of masks for front line staff dealing with the public. Yet it seems home care workers, who provide up-close personal care for tens of thousands of people every day, won’t be given them. Yesterday two documents hit my inbox. One was a ...
Hobson’s Choice spokesman Don Brash (a former leader of the National and ACT Parties) is not alone in challenging the justification for tribes claiming to have closed roads to protect their people against Covid. Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters – his remarks apparently ignored by ...
Preliminary results from a survey investigating how well-equipped Māori whānau in the South Island are to stay at home for extended periods show that the majority are prepared to manage their short-term needs, but have increasing anxiety about ...
"The risk of fraud and corruption is compounded during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. When quick decisions are necessary to move vast amounts of resources, bribery, fraud and corruption abound," says Suzanne Snively, Chair of Transparency International ...
By RNZ Pacific Guam remains the Pacific pandemic hot spot with the number of Covid-19 coronavirus cases climbing above 50. On Friday six people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 51. Thirteen of the cases are currently in hospital. READ MORE: Al Jazeera live updates – ...
By Mong Palatino Many Indonesian internet users have expressed anger over the decision of the House of Representatives (DPR) to test its 575 members for Covid-19. Indonesia has a population of more than 260 million. As of today, the country has 913 Covid-19 positive cases with 87 deaths. But ...
New Zealand has 78 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and five probable cases, the Government has announced today, taking the total to 451. Civil Defence Emergency Management director Sarah Stuart-Black said 12 people are in hospital and two are in intensive care, including one on a ventilator. Twelve are in ...
New Zealand has 78 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and five probable cases, the Government has announced today, taking the total to 451. Civil Defence Emergency Management director Sarah Stuart-Black said 12 people are in hospital and two are in intensive care, including one on a ventilator. Twelve are in ...
By Michelle Steven in Port MoresbyPacific New Guinea’s National Capital City Covid-19 Task Force team is preparing ahead should there be a possible coronavirus case during the 14-day lockdown. NCD Governor Powes Parkop told a media conference that the capital city would be in total lockdown with no public ...
Leading immigration lawyer Aaron Martin assesses the impact of the announcement of the epidemic notice for migrants. Immigration New Zealand announced that the government epidemic management notice relating to immigration matters comes into effect on 2 ...
Just a tiny handful of print publications will continue through the lockdown, with only daily newspapers specifically identified as being able to continue. Duncan Greive spoke to publishers of magazines and community newspapers about the impact on them and their communities.Publishers of magazines and community newspapers are reeling, after a ...
Just a tiny handful of print publications will continue through the lockdown, with only daily newspapers specifically identified as being able to continue. Duncan Greive spoke to publishers of magazines and community newspapers about the impact on them and their communities.Publishers of magazines and community newspapers are reeling, after a ...
Jacinda Ardern has pleaded with the Australian Prime Minister to make an exception to the rule that bars many of the 650,000 New Zealanders there from receiving a benefit. ...
In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, political commentator and essayist Morgan Godfery.I’M TWEETING AT 2AM.The responsible part of my brain is sending sleep signals. Inconvenient yawns. The ...
Take a vicarious roadie via Attraction, the novel by Ruby Porter that was longlisted for the country’s biggest fiction prize. Released last year, it’s now a slightly eerie snapshot of Aotearoa as we were. Attraction is a New Zealand road trip novel with a heavy dose of postcolonial guilt. Whitewashing, cultural ...
Iwi everywhere put support plans into action, focusing on their kaumātua, writes Kayne Ngātokowhā Peters. Iwi are ramping up support services to assist their people in need following the closure of Ministry of Social Development offices and the move to online and phone assistance from Work and Income. Central North Island ...
It’s been 10 years since the release of Dane Rumble’s solo album The Experiment. Josie Adams looks back on why New Zealand fell so hard and fast.At The Experiment’s launch, a decade ago yesterday, Dane Rumble had only one wish: “I just want to write the best album that I ...
"She blindfolded each of the children with a scarf, saying, ‘There’s going to be a surprise!'": a horror story set at a children's birthday party, by Dunedin writer Emma Neale. As soon as the last child arrived at Bevan’s ninth birthday party, the bashing began. Allan walloped Bevan with a ...
As New Zealand adjusts to our new normal, one thing from the old world remains – commercial breakfast radio. We tuned into the first morning of lockdown on the airwaves. In a time when the world seems completely upside-down, you can thankfully still count on commercial breakfast radio to be there ...
Dynamic Silver Ferns defender Jane Watson shares her heartrending and brave story in the final episode of the Pure As documentary series. The fading scar just below Jane Watson's left shoulder is the only clue to her until-now untold story, of the challenges that have tormented the netball world champion. The dynamic, tenacious ...
By now, everybody should know about staying in their bubble and leaving the house only for essential services and exercise, provided social distancing rules are followed. Does this mean people can still take the boat out, or go surfing? “Staying at home will save lives,” said Jacinda Ardern in a question ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here.New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The ...
Donald Trump and Boris Johnson's response to coronavirus has revealed some disturbing attitudes towards segments of the population As New Zealand enters a period of indeterminate lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we (and I mean us as a global population) have learned a lot about the importance of ...
As New Zealand entered national lockdown, The Spinoff commissioned social media polling company Stickybeak to measure the mood of the nation. Stickybeak co-founder David Brain reveals what the poll results show.As soon as the PM made her Monday afternoon announcement that the country was going to alert level three and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra All Australians arriving from overseas will be quarantined in hotels or other facilities under strict supervision for a fortnight, under the latest crackdown in the battle against the coronavirus. Announcing the measure after Friday’s meeting ...
By RNZ News As the number of Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic cases in New Zealand increases, daily demand for protective clothing for medical workers has come under pressure. On the second day of the country’s lockdown, the number of New Zealand’s Covid-19 cases has jumped by 85, with a man ...
Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr and Bernard Hickey 'Zoom' out to talk about the once-in-a-lifetime shock to the global economy this week and what it means for businesses and investors. Just as many other businesses are adjusting to the lockdown, so too are Kiwibank and Newsroom. Chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon MacKay, Lecturer, Business Analytics, University of Auckland New Zealand and much of the world is now under an unprecedented lockdown. Public health experts say this is the best way to suppress the spread of the virus. But how long will such ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allen Cheng, Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University According to Google Trends, the top globally trending topic this week is “orthohantavirus”, as spurious sites claim it’s the next pandemic on the horizon. Take it from me: it’s not. This baseless claim ...
As soon as the Prime Minister announced that the country had moved to a Level Three alert and would then move to a full Level Four lockdown, the only thing on most people's minds in downtown Wellington was how to prepare for living and working from home for at least ...
Two Cents' Worth hosts Bernard Hickey, Nikki Mandow and Gyles Beckford reflect on the most turbulent week in New Zealand’s economic history. They look at two new tools for business and online working advice that were built over a weekend to help deal with the Covid-19 crisis. They also talk ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erica Mealy, Lecturer in Computer Science, University of the Sunshine Coast These past few weeks have shown the brittleness of Australia’s online systems. It’s not surprising the federal government’s traditionally slow-moving IT systems are buckling under the pressure. On Sunday, the federal ...
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Advocates say they’re drowning in complaints of exploitation brought on by the lockdown, Dileepa Fonseka reports Migrant associations and unions have been swamped with allegations that some employers have abused the Government’s wage subsidy scheme or skirted their obligations. Indian Workers Association spokesman Mandeep Bela said he had been “flooded” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona MacDonald, Senior Research Fellow, Victoria University For children, school is about more than just learning. This is even more the case for children living in disadvantage as many schools also provide vital food and a welcoming environment. As the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University Leaders of the world’s largest economies came together at a virtual G20 this week to “do whatever it takes to overcome the coronavirus pandemic”. But the reality is that global capacity to ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Gibney, NHMRC early career fellow, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity In three short months, more than half a million cases of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, have been reported worldwide. The US now has the highest number of COVID-19 ...
By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific journalist A 43-year-old woman has reportedly died due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in Indonesian-administered West Papua province. It is the first recorded death from Covid-19 in the Papua region, and adds to fears that a looming surge in cases could overwhelm the health ...
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The Fold podcast returns for March into a media world transformed by the impact of Covid-19. Host Duncan Greive records a monopod to assess its impact.In last month’s edition of this podcast, The Spinoff editor Toby Manhire and I discussed RNZ’s Concert debacle. At the time, it was the biggest ...
As New Zealand faces the most brutal recession in living memory, the battle to preserve the core of the economy deepens. Companies are cancelling dividends to protect what cash they have, others are reaching for financial aid from their banks or the government. Yet for some businesses, notably the big ...
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Shoppers are ignoring physical distancing rules, while rule-flouters face jail time in Sāmoa and the Cook Islands, writes Teuila Fuatai. Scenes from one of Fiji’s best-known fresh produce markets illustrate the difficulties of clamping down on Covid-19. Footage captured at the Sigatoka markets on Viti Levu on Thursday March 26 ...
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This week in politics: Parliament authorises 'the biggest blank cheque in the history of the country', as the massive economic cost of Covid-19 starts to emerge. ...
Open Mike 14/03/2017 
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Why liberals are no longer left wing reason number 3,567,190:
http://thespinoff.co.nz/society/13-03-2017/the-spinoff-reviews-new-zealand-9-uber-eats/
“…Before we get started, this is not a review of Uber as an ethical company, just a review of the service we received…”
So, the hipster liberal reviewers at thespinoff admit the KNOW Uber is known for a regressive, aggressive, abusive and anti-woman corporate culture. They KNOW it has a CEO who is a complete arsehole who abuses his position of power. They admit they KNOW Uber actively conspires to defeat law enforcement and regulators and flagrantly flouts the law in most countries. They are aware it plans to destroy local industry with uncompetitive behaviours then rack rent them for a bunch of foreigners gain.
But hey, I got tacos in a nice brown bag delivered to my office, so, whatever.
And Greyball….let’s not forget that – it’s the best demonstration of Uber ethics
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html?
http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-forces-drivers-in-seattle-to-listen-to-anti-union-propaganda-2017-3?IR=T
If it wasn’t Uber it would be something pretty similar doing the same thing. That genie is out of the bottle.
Same with AirBNB. Even Amazon.
The regulatory framework in New Zealand – and most of the world – hasn’t kept up with this kind of technological change.
It’s pretty mean but people are not particularly loyal to older and inferior kinds of service.
FTFY
From what I’ve been reading, on average, Uber is bring service quality down because it’s avoiding the regulations that do exist and lobbying to get rid of them.
Well, I guess you have to reflect on why people are flocking to Uber.
Now, I don’t have to like them, but what younger people tell me, is:
– they really like the personalised service
– they like being able to track the progress of the vehicle on their phones
– they like not having to deal with cash
– they like the market-enforcement of being able to rate the drivers’ performance and attitude immediately
– they like not even having to interact with the driver at all and can simply slip in and out of the back seat with otherwise anonymity; no more vacuous small talk, ZB-opinion inanities, or snide sexism
– they like that all their friends trust it
– they like that in many places and times it’s price and convenience competitive with public transport – if indeed public transport even exists
– they like that they can carry their accounts to any city and indeed globally
And all of these features could have been picked up by the traditional taxi companies quite some time ago, but are of course too lazy.
If you’re in South Africa the only safe way to get around is by Uber, that’s because the gangs control the taxis.
You could be in a taxi and then find yourself under attack and getting shot at by a rival taxi service or you may find yourself taken into one of the many shanty towns and robbed or ransomed or killed.
Please send a documented example of the “could” scenario you spewed in the second a paragraph. It could just be a nightmare.
Partner was in Johannesburg last year, this is what she was told by the locals.
On the day she left on the way to the airport there was a holdup because of a shoot out on one of the motorways between rival taxi firms.
It’s priced so low because Uber (The company) is pretty much forcing the drivers to accept less than enough to survive on.
It can only be competitive with the price of public transport because of the delusions of our financial system. In physical reality, public transport is always cheaper.
They could have done but they were, IMO, just focussed upon their traditional way of doing business and no-one in a position to change things was even asking what was a better way to run taxis and the people at the bottom just couldn’t give a damn. And that pretty much sums up the problem with hierarchical business models.
Now, I’m actually supportive of the idea behind Uber but it’s classical rentier capitalism. A few people are making millions from the work of others. They really are breaking laws around the world and are lobbying to get rid of the regulations that protect both the workers and the customers.
Don’t worry too much about the uber drivers as soon as driverless vehicles are ready they’ll be given the boot.
No more exploitation, problem solved.
I’m looking forward to the removal of drivers from our roads.
But there’ll still be exploitation due to private ownership of the robots giving a few people income from other peoples work even if only indirectly.
There will still be a fleet of public sector transport robots to compete with the private ones: trains within 2 years, and buses thereafter.
Again, public sector far more cautious than the market – as they should be.
But net result is whole passenger transport market is revolutionizing and the state is in perpetual catchup at the moment. Can’t find sympathy for either the state or traditional taxi companies. Not like they couldn’t see it coming.
Which is a rather strange statement considering that it’s always been the public sector and public funding that’s pushed technology.
Robots will be taxed
Because they have been so far. Not.
How do you think governments will raise tax revenue with 30% + unemployment.
Paye is one of the only taxes that businesses can’t minimise.
BM I keep waiting for the Great Leap Backward from this current phase of technological disruption. So far, pretty good. And really good for the customers.
Yoy must not have thought much of Grant Robertsons Future of work project?
So you not talking to young disable people then Ad. Your list would be very different.
But sure smash up the only option disabled people have for getting around so people can have cheap fares. It was precarious as it stood, now with Uber it just ripping the guts out of the service for disabled.
Another example of the free-market capitalism at it’s stupid best. Hurting those at the bottom so the rich get richer, and the middle class can ignore the suffering.
“– they like that they can carry their accounts to any city”
How many cities in NZ have Uber?
Not just tacos – but Miss Moonshines – which is awesome !
Is turning left the path to electoral success? Some interesting arguments why it’s not.
“Take a look at results from several pivotal Senate races. In two Midwestern states, Wisconsin and Ohio, Democrats ran Sanders-esque populists — former Sen. Russ Feingold and Gov. Ted Strickland, respectively. Both lost by a wider margin than Hillary Clinton did in their state. By contrast, the Democratic candidates who most outperformed Clinton’s statewide results — Missouri’s Jason Kander and Indiana’s Evan Bayh — ran as economic centrists.”
“In this context, tacking to the left on economics won’t give Democrats a silver bullet to use against the racial resentment powering Trump’s success. It could actually wind up giving Trump an even bigger gun. If Democrats really want to stop right-wing populists like Trump, they need a strategy that blunts the true drivers of their appeal — and that means focusing on more than economics.”
http://www.vox.com/world/2017/3/13/14698812/bernie-trump-corbyn-left-wing-populism
Andre you’re just stirring the olde worlde commies.
We’ll be lucky in most parts of the world if any kind of non-hard-right government gets in anywhere.
Old skool socialism isn’t hip anymore. Blair’s Third Way has run it’s course. Triangulation has gone pear-shaped. What’s the fourth dimension going to look like? Until that emerges I’ll settle for a progressive push from the baseline we’ve got.
“…Old skool socialism isn’t hip anymore….”
I’d put money on you being to old to actually know if this was true.
regardless – seen Corbyns poll results (and election results) lately. Not just un-hip – its turning toxic.
Nothing to do with the disunity in UK labour, fomented by their versions of the ABC’;s, of Course?
Yeah – your probably right – its all that Corbyn is more popular than ever. I stand corrected.
You’d win that bet. But Mt Albert seems to be quite the breeding colony of hipsters, and we just had a very thorough opinion poll there.
No, you didn’t, and I really wish you would stop with the misleading spin on that one.
What’s misleading about it? That by-election would have been the perfect time to send a message to Labour and Greens to turn left by voting for Joe Carolan or Penny (or TOP if you prefer that direction). There was absolutely nothing politically significant at stake in terms of the makeup of parliament. Hell, I probably would have voted for Joe if I was in Mt Albert, for exactly that reason.
Personally, I’m probably almost as keen as anyone else here to see corporate power reined in hard, taxes go up on the wealthy to pay for improved social services, health, education, housing and all the other good stuff. But I really don’t see evidence that going hard for those is a winning strategy electorally. So I’ll settle for second-best, a moderate Labour/Green government that can actually win and move things slowly and incrementally in a better direction.
You are an utter idiot if you think people not voting for Joe Carolan is a sign they don’t want to go left. I want NZ to go left, I wouldn’t have voted Carolan, but then I’m a strategic voter.
(TOP aren’t left wing).
And that’s not even getting to the intricacies of by-elections and that one in particular.
People vote for massively varying reasons, it’s just not valid to extrapolate from that election. The only way to know would be to do some actual research across the population.
“The only way to know would be to do some actual research across the population.”
I’m fairly confident Labour and the Greens both have teams of experts doing exactly that.I’m also confident the leadership of both parties is paying attention to what that research is saying and incorporating it into their positioning. (Yes, I know Green policy is set by members, but the leadership still has a hell of a platform for talking about their preferred direction).
In any case, I really have my doubts that research is a better indicator of what people will get out and vote for than actual election results.
I wasn’t meaning research on who people will vote for (I agree that L/G will be doing that). I was meaning research on whether people want NZ to got left again. How that was worded and what it meant would be critical.
I don’t have a problem with parties being pragmatic, but much of what is happening in NZ has been driven by the neoliberals in Labour and NZers not having valid political choices that are good cultural fits. There’s also the issue of why the Greens’ research shows something like 28% of people want to vote for them, but only 11% do on the day. I think there are many reasons for that.
Scotland would be a good example of a country heading leftwards. So it can be done, it just can’t be done in NZ because of our political history. Little can’t become a Sturgeon, and Labour can’t apparently get over the 80s. We’re stuck with that in the meantime, but that’s a different thing than saying NZers don’t want to go left.
I’d be surprised if Labour and Greens research didn’t include trying to find out which variants of policies were perceived most favourably, ie how far “left” they should go for best electoral success.
Carolan has always seemed very good on left wing politics when I’ve seen him on Auckland demos. I must admit though I am a little wary of him because of accusations a few years back that Carolan had suppressed some fairly widespread women’s concerns about some sexual harassment by a left wing man. These accusations were supported by other left wing women.
Maybe Carolan has now seen the error in his past behaviour. Everyone can change. But I would look closely at his recent record before deciding whether or not to vote for him.
Yep. He strikes me as authoritarian left too, which isn’t going to attract many. I see our best bet in NZ* as the working together across difference, including collaboration between the left, liberals and those who don’t position themselves on the left/right spectrum. The biggest obstacle to that that I can see is a particular sub-culture within the left made up mainly of white men who are against what they call identity politics. Not sure where Carolan fits in that, but the history of men within the left of suppressing issues around sexual assault is not good.
*or more likely, collaboration between the people that care about others.
Well, if i was voting in an electorate where Carolan had no hope of winning, I wouldn’t vote for him. there’s probably a few other women would do the same.
It’s a hard one re-the authoritarian left, because they do campaign for some issues, such as affordable housing, living ages, etc, that I strongly support.
But, I prefer a more collaborative approach between the diverse left wing factions.
I was thinking today about how if we got a L/G govt (no NZF to keep the thought experiment simple), what that would be like here and in the political and media scenes. Mostly about whether we would be putting the boot into the new govt or supporting them. And what it meant to even be thinking about that. I want to support people like Turei and Davidson and even Little. But I want them accountable too. I don’t think we have good mechanisms for that, just the old left activist ones. Either that or I’ve spent too much time in the macho culture on TS 😉 (that’s almost certainly true).
So, would love to have more conversations about collaboration 🙂
Collaboration between left wing factions is a tough one. It can involve some intense differences of opinion.
Back in the 60s to 80s, women’s, gay and Māori (and people of colour elsewhere) did organise separately as well as joining in with other groups on political campaigns (think 1981 tour, and miners’ strike in the UK).
And this separate but linked organisation did also occur under Labour governments (in Aussie, the UK, and NZ).
New RMA gets reintroduced to Parliament today for start of second reading.
Let’s see where those Ministerial powers got to.
This is a biggie.
Thanks for that Ad….will listen in
On RadioNZ earlier – short interview
How should NZ prepare for the disruption of Artificial Intelligence?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=201836523
The Institute of Directors says Artificial Intelligence is set to have an enormous impact on the way business and society operates, including productivity and employment. Kathryn Ryan talks with Felicity Caird, manager of the Institute’s Governance Leadership Centre about how we can prepare.
And incidentally we won’t cope at all if we just sit back and accept uber as discussed in #1 and think like the ‘young people’ that Ad refers to in 1.2.1.1who are going for uber.
Bloody young people.
Appalling.
I mean the world today.
AD
So true. The world today is what we are all concerned about eh.
The trite phrase has become the cornerstone rallying point.
Children being abused in state care is a continuing reality and tis is being aired as a result of knowing that a majority were Maori.
life and society
8:27 am today
State abuse claim lodged with Waitangi Tribunal
From Morning Report, 8:27 am today
Listen duration 5′ :36″ Add to playlist
Survivors of abuse in state care have lodged a claim with Waitangi Tribunal alleging Maori children were singled out to be placed in institutions, where they were abused.
It is possible to adopt better conditions for care. There are other ways to care for children. I have been reading about the author Leslie Thomas and he went into an orphanage and did well. And they were both more responsible and with a little looseness instead of stern rigid punitive behaviour. A couple of tearaways used to get out now and then have a day away and then turn themselves into the police who would give them a bit of food and return them. The police obviously weren’t on prescriptive contracts telling them not to do anything warm and human for errant citizens. And the orphanage kept on trying to guide them along good paths and give them good care.
You cannot help but notice the atmosphere of suspicion when you go into the Ministry of Social Development umbrella agency offices. Whether it is W.I.N.Z. to apply for the unemployment benefit or C.Y.F.S. for help with a child, do you ever get the feeling that Ministry on the whole doesn’t want to have you in their offices?
https://willnewzealandberight.com/2017/03/14/being-a-ministry-of-social-development-client/
You mean the guards on the door demanding ID before entry.
Try going with someone as a support person, I refused to show ID, got very odd, very quickly. Threatening even, I just asked what legal basis did they have to exclude me from a government building, which my family and I have paid for.
The answer, policy – health and safety. So political correctness to get us to think the right way, and now health and safety to limit our movements. And national party supporters called labour the nanny state party, it be sad if it was not so frightening.
Did you have to show ID in the end?
Yes, other wise the person I was supporting would not have had me there. It was my library card.
Thanks, I’m on the look out for people getting in without an ID, but it sounds like it is mandatory now across the board. Library card, that’s without a photo?
For me it’s another piece in the fascism puzzle that National are carefully constructing. We are having our own Tr*mpville and most people aren’t even noticing.
One thing that worries me is that I have no idea which if these things L/G will roll back once in power.
Yeah not photo, I was talking fast and it was the only thing I had on me – more by good luck than management.
I agree, this is a step to far into state control.
I’m not holding my breath weka, it seems the main parties globally are just amping up the power of the state to control peoples lives, then passing it amongst themselves.
I still trust the Greens, but there’s only so long they can hold that integrity and stay in parliament. NZ has the chance to so something like Scotland but for some reason won’t. Not that I think the Greens are the ultimate answer 😉 but I think they will give us a much better chance of heading in the right direction as the worlds gets hotter and more dangerous.
One can hope.
I don’t disagree with your approach weka, but if we don’t have politicians in fear of the people. We are going to get stomped on.
People need to realise, they actually have the power.
They should fear us. We are the ones who they need, not the corporate phallus the current crop of Tory politicians seem to worship.
I’m really curious where that idea comes from, that they should fear us. And what do you mean by that e.g. how should we be scaring them?
e.g. how would you reconcile the need to scare politicians with this?
Old democratic adage. If I know you, and you live next door will you destroy me and my family for some political gain? You would worry whilst I’ve been forced out of my house because of your actions, what I would do.
One of the best ways is to have honest fear. An example of this is have the ability to recall elected representatives. Notice how no political parties go there. Not one even comes close. Imagine the ability to recall a representative who lied, or voted against what they were elected for?
Another example of honest fear is the ability to remove the incentives from elected officials if they break trust, lie, or otherwise twisted the things they do, in the name of political expediency.
But, we are not there yet, we have a political system where by the politicians fear people, so it ratchets up the threat of violence towards them. Both economic and physical. Ask anyone who has been beaten up by a cop, or had a sanction imposed by work and income.
I say we should remind politicians we don’t like violence, and that they should not use their monopoly on violence, on the population.
Yeh, like that shows really who you are!!!
What are you saying dv? Who am I, in your opinion.
I think they meant the library card 🙂
My apologizes dv, misread what you said.
Yes weka is right
@ adam (7.1) … re your final paragraph.
“The answer, policy – health and safety. So political correctness to get us to think the right way, and now health and safety to limit our movements. And national party supporters called labour the nanny state party, it be sad if it was not so frightening.”
I’m surprised you weren’t told you were forbidden entry without ID in the name of National Security, for the good of the people, in the name of the Queen etc! History repeating itself. Perhaps that will be next on the Natzaratzi’s fascist agenda to be able to enter WINZ offices!
The well worn policy of “National Security and For the Good of the People”, covers everything and is all empowering for the state and its rotten departmental dictators to enforce!
This is bully state.
The ID thing started after MSD got convicted under H&S legislation over the shootings. That tragedy (which none of us ever condoned of course) was exploited big time by a certain Minister to convince the populous we’re all potential murderers; being prosecuted and told off by the Court is yet another excuse to further that status.
It’s also being used as a another method to deter people from getting the help they are entitled to UNDER CURRENT LEGISLATION by way of intimidation. Can’t get through to them at their call centre, tough shit if you don’t have internet access, now lets put people off just going in to pick up/drop off paperwork or get any basic information. All part of the plan.
Armourguard are making a fortune contracting out their services.
Would it not be more economically sound for MSD to hire guards if they deem it necessary rather than a company to supply them?
Silly me, I guess it depends whether one has shares in Armourguard or not.
I got ID checked last month – I was expecting it, but thought I would see how I went presenting my Community Services Card. After all, that is a piece of ID actually issued by MSD which is accepted many places.
It worked fine, which is just as well as I do not drive and am not in the habit of carrying my passport with me.
The Health & Safety thing is BS anyway – As you can show up with valid photo ID, but they are not going to check your bag or belongings for a gun, knife, bomb etc…
Given the average age and stature of the Armourguard staff I have seen working at MSD / WINZ offices I don’t think they could stop a truly determined attacked anyway (Not to belittle the Armourguard staff who are trapped in a horrible situation).
And where is the Health and Safety commitment to the numerous clients I have seen in tears in an open plan office, with their despair and grief visible to the 30+ people in the room?
I think the ID thing is so that they can identify people who have been barred or are known/believed to be potentially a threat, from entering. Like you say, they won’t be able to stop someone from attacking them generally. It’s still fucked up, because if they really wanted to make their workers safe they’re create a safe culture, but of course what they are doing is covering their arses, safety for the people on the ground (staff or clients) isn’t actually the issue.
Like I said Health and Safety is becoming just another tool to use against the people.
I’m not sure they have the right to restrict access to service like this, but unless people actually protest over this, nothing is going to happen.
I don’t condone the killing, but if human decency was on display before the event, it is quite possible it would not have happened.
Power companies ripping off consumers in Aussie and the same game here thanks to another short sighted National government, Bolger and Dame “Jenny” Shipley.
https://grattan.edu.au/report/price-shock/
http://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1992/0056/39.0/DLM267122.html