It has occurred to me that New Zealand is a premium economy in which to have a business. http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zealand/. Therefore like any premium product, there should be a premium price. At the supermarket we pay more for Anchor than Home Brand, more for Dilmah than Choysa and more for Hunters than Jacobs Creek.
Offshore owners of businesses in New Zealand should also pay a premium for doing business here. Currently the tax rate for business is, I believe, 33%. I propose that a sliding scale of share ownership V tax paid should be introduced. If the offshore entity has a 51% ownership, the tax on the profit shifted outside of New Zealand climbs to, say, 39%. The scale then continues until on the final n% of shares owned, the tax is, say, 90%. However if they are 100% owned offshore, but choose to reinvest their profits back into the New Zealand economy, the tax rate would be mitigated, at an appropriate rate.
Seems like a great way to either raise revenue, or ensure that the money made out of New Zealanders is reinvested in New Zealand.
I’m sure you will correct me if I am wrong.
On the issue of the wine, by memory, NZ wines have a baseline price they can’t go under when sold in NZ. That’s why we don’t have cheap (sub $10) NZ wines compared to Aussie wines. Can’t remember the rationale, but it’s a industry/trade agreement. Probably doesn’t help, though, that the profits from a boutique vineyard of a few thousand vines will be necessarily less than a block with hundreds of thousands of vines.
Dilmah is imported here, already blended, to a warehouse in sunny Ellerslie, if I remember correctly. Choysa isn’t grown here, so what is premium NZ about those things? Our ability to re-handle or box product?
Is Anchor and Home Brand the same product except for the colour of the wax paper around it? How do we arrive at “premium NZ” anything – just believe it is?
All the tea labels are from bulk produced tea plantations. No label like Choysa or Tiger or Dilmah have their own plantations. They buy from the bulk producers just as carpet manufacturers buy from wool “plantations.”
Except for Anchor’s niche value-added products (lactose-free milk, extra calcium etc) and ones where the production process matters (cheese) you’d be a mug to buy anchor as it’s the same product as home brand.
“Seems like a great way to either raise revenue, or ensure that the money made out of New Zealanders is reinvested in New Zealand.”
Working for a multinational IT company that has exports in the $50m+ US range, it sounds like a good way to ensure the Christchurch office is shut down. We’ve already had a tough time with the exchange rate.
Working for a multinational IT company that has exports in the $50m+ US range, it sounds like a good way to ensure the Christchurch office is shut down.
I see you’ve bought into the capitalist lie that the owners of businesses are the ones that create work. Here’s the truth: If the work is there then the work is there, it doesn’t need a particular company or its owners to be satisfied.
The US’s ‘war on terror’ and ‘containment’. How’s that working for them? Anyone got an up to date tally of current US embassies under various levels of siege?
John Banks seems to confirm the character of the long line of municipal mayoralties throughout history (worldwide) who are less than squeaky clean (dodgy) – there to line their pockets through what ever means available. No surprises in the latest revelations really – did anyone expect different?
Logic97. The only surprise is that we actually got to learn about these latest revelations! But no surprise over the Key-Banks affair – they are glued together in dubious ethic, game-playing, defiance of anything or anyone that might represent decency.
‘To all the governments negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement:
As concerned global citizens, we call on you to make the TPP process transparent and accountable to all, and to reject any plans that limit our governments’ power to regulate in the public interest. The TPP is a threat to democracy, undermining national sovereignty, workers’ rights, environmental protections and Internet freedom. We urge you to reject this corporate takeover.’
If you wish to sign the petition here is the link:
Hey marsman, I was going to post this petition yesterday but I held off becuase I wondered whether folks were getting sick of me posting Avaaz petitions as well as Labour Rights petitions.
I’m glad you put it up though. Avaaz does make a difference and their campaigns work. The Americans seem to be taking the TPPA seriously. I get daily emails from all sorts of American organisations opposed to the TPPA. Sure our population is a drop in the ocean compared to theirs, but at least they have knowledge of it and are standing up to it. We seem oblivious to the threat here in NZ.
Have you ever thought about how the supermarket operates, as you wander the aisles doing your grocery shopping? Having had the misfortune of working for a supplier to foodstuffs in 07 I can say that the unfair practices of foodstuffs reffered to in this article is just the tip of the iceberg
There is also the issue of suppliers having to provide merchandisers to put the product on the shelf, once it arives from their warehouse or the hub, and do the displays. Merchies are low paid contract workers who usually have to organise their own ACC, sick and holiday pay. They also have to use their own cars and phones for the job, often being poorly compensated. This way the supermarket hires less of their own shelf fillers. Most NW workers are on minimum wage or slightly above. Foodstuffs have been known to block workers attempts to unionise while Aussie owned Countdown (Progressive Enterprises) has a good collective agreement and doesn’t block workers from joining the union. Countdowns’ starting hourly rate is higher than NW’s.
I shop at NW because I like to support NZ owned businesses and because they have more NZ made products and stock products from small suppliers that Progressive Enterprises won’t touch. Countdown on the other hand has a better employment agreement. Its a domestic dilema. Either way, the business of supermarkets really needs to be exposed. They are getting away with alot more than we realise.
Hi Rosie, definitely agree that its something which most people simply can’t/won’t or don’t want to know…
They go to the shop/supermarket, or whatever it might be, they buy/consume, and give very little thought to the practices of the establishment they are spending money at.
It is generally outside the scope of the bandwidth available to people..
Seriously , next time you are unfortunate enough to have to frequent a mall/supermarket, have a look at the faces/eyes of the people wandering around…its like a zombie nation!
Hi Muzza. Zombie nation indeed:) Its like folks go into a sort of catatonic state. My favourite is a bunch of people standing aimlessly right in the middle of a thoroughfare and you have to weave and dance through them. Its like they are dazzled by the fluoro lights and noise, which to me is one of the many reasons to avoid a mall excursion. Those mega supermarkets do that to folks too.
If I ever the $$$ to spend on something non grocery item I usaully go to an independant retailer in a non mall setting. I try to go for items that haven’t impacted negatively on the environment or the producer. Doesn’t always work out that way though, as its hard to avoid completely.
Good stuff Rosie, any thought given to what else is in play behind the shelves and “bright lights”, has to be a good thing.
Sometimes in AKL is not easy to get to a supermarket which is not attached to a mall, so its after hours or early mornings in order to avoid the stunned mullets wandering aimlessly around “the mall”
Mate calls them gormless, doddery consumers. And that’s exactly what they are. On autopilot they simply just walk into you, can’t even make eye contact if they try, like every reflex and instinct for self preservation they have has already died.
Supermarkets actually need to be nationalised and run as a government service with free delivery. They’re effectively a private duopoly which is just as bad as a private monopoly. Nationalising will get rid of the dead weight loss of profit that they impose upon us and free delivery will help us save on scarce resources.
True…I would love to be able to shop at a government run supermarket. I’m sick of having two options, both of which provide poverty wages, and rip off customers and local suppliers.
Countdown on the other hand has a better employment agreement. Its a domestic dilema
No dilemna for me! I haven’t got a car, and NW are too far away… Countdown do not have a very good wage, but supporting NZ business is not always the way to go.
I’ve recently reached a milestone on my blog – 1500 posts – three and a half years of blogging. Much of the inspiration to keep going comes from this site, from the posts and comments, the arguments and understanding, the links, knowledge, and new ideas introduced or stories broken. So I want to say thanks to all.
It seems that I follow the comments of my favourites here as much as those I really disagree with – which is interesting, I wonder if others are the same.
Congrats Marty. You are one of the commenters I look out for here, so I should get to your place more often. Totally agree about the diversity of views.
Devaluation lowered across the boom in the House this weak
dearie me, dear oh dear oh dear
Joyce-mobility of low income families. into what?
-‘dynamic environment’. dynamite jobs. and he has ‘thought’ of an even more destructive plan; neo-liberal capitalism
i always enjoy Nanaia Mahuta’s questioning in the House
H.B Climate. many retail shops being left empty. vacancies for Green businesses?
Agree with Margaret Mutu’s assertion re colonisation of Public Servants, NGOs etc
Cunliffe is an effective communicator imo
to the consumption ‘priests’ Steppenwolf-“The Pusher”
off to fellowship now. will leaven People rather than burn the faithful. God Bless u and have a Great Day
2014 won’t be a repeat of 2011. The left and centre will come out in numbers against this government.
Although we always need to push the issue, the motivation in 24 months will be huge for the vast majority of New Zealanders who will by then be living below the poverty line. 2011 was the elction that matttered because it allowed the Nat to complete their intentional destruction of New Zealand society. 2014 will be about the rebuild of the economy and society
In the 1920s the leading academic economists, Frank Knight of Chicago and Irving Fisher of Yale, along with others including underground economist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Frederick Soddy, strongly advocated a policy of 100% reserves for commercial banks. Why did this suggestion for financial reform disappear from discussion? The best answer I have received is that the great depression and subsequent Keynesian emphasis on growth swept it aside because limiting bank lending to actual savings was too restrictive on growth, which became the big panacea. Also there is the obvious vested interest of commercial banks in retaining the privilege of creating money and lending it at interest.
It seems that more and more economists and other informed people are coming out in favour of a 100% reserve currency created by the state rather than the banks. Now all we need is for the politicians to wake up to the fact that we actually need to go to such a system.
You turn the commercial banks into savings and loans institutions like the NZCU, the Co-operative Bank, and finance companies (albeit regulated and run to far higher standards).
The Reserve Bank would provide new funds to all other institutions as required.
You could read the article and you could go to the top address that the article is on and read their information. You could also do a Google search. My own method would go something like this:
*) Build lots state housing which would be rented out at 5% of household income
*) Offer 0% mortgages through the national bank (Kiwibank in our case) which would be paid back at 25% of household income. This money would be created at the time that the mortgage was created
*) Offer to buy privately owned residences which the present owner could then rent from the government at 5% of household income
*) While doing this slowly (over say, two years) reduce the banks reserve/capital ratio to 1:1
Done this way it shouldn’t disrupt the economy. There are other ways and it’s probably worth having a discussion about them.
You’d have to scrap the futures market, which is the main driver of this inflation.
Created for “Financial Security” reasons, and abused by the controlling oranisations for profit usinfg the same “Financial Security” argument as justification.
It’s also the main driver behind the current Oil fiasco, which is costing the whole planet jobs every day.
If 2011’s Arab Spring was all about the propaganda “hope” of democracy (driven paradoxically by soaring global good prices as we predicted in early 2011 before the first Tunisian domino toppled), then 2012 Arab Fall, is all about the blowback to US policies and intervention in the region. And while we are amused by the media’s narrative that an entire continent can suddenly come to arms against Pax Americana over a YouTube clip, we are confident that what some hate-mongering preacher has to say about Mohammed is about as relevant to what is happening in the Middle East today, as how the global economy performs impact the S&P. Absolutely none. What we do know is that the anti-American revulsion, which started on September 11 in Egypt and has since taken Libya and Yemen by storm, is spreading like wildfire.
Who would have thought that supporting a bunch of rebel militias would be bad for the citizens once they are “left to it”. A whole bunch of ethnic cleansing in Libya tends to show it’s not the best way of bringing about democracy.
But I suppose the cries of “Evil Dictator” across the MSM will always overshadow the warnings from the activists actually on the ground, until the people who warn against it are cast down as sympathizers.
The US has had an embassy in Libya since 2006 (with a hiatus from Feb to Sept 2011 while the war was in progress). So that was five years under Gaddafi with no ambassadors being killed.
America also had an embassy there between 1969 and 1979, when Gaddafi was in power. The embassy was attacked and burned down by “a mob” in 1979, but it doesn’t seem that anyone was killed.
The “majority” of Gaddafi rule? WTF are you on about? Some kind of political statistical dodge?
15 years of US diplomats under Gaddafi…US ambassadors killed = 0
1 year of Arab spring…US ambassadors killed = 1
TRP said:
Well, given that there was no US embassy for the last 30 years
Seems like you’re the one who didn’t know. Thanks once again to uke for pointing out the facts:
The US has had an embassy in Libya since 2006 (with a hiatus from Feb to Sept 2011 while the war was in progress). So that was five years under Gaddafi with no ambassadors being killed.
and sucks once more to TRP for dodging them and hypocritically accusing others of ignorance.
But I suppose the cries of “Evil Dictator” across the MSM will always overshadow the warnings from the activists actually on the ground, until the people who warn against it are cast down as sympathizers
Congratulations to Wellingtons Dompost for the two articles by Chris Trotter and Brenda Pilott today.
The National Party are the purveyors of freedom and democracy but they are steadily trying to erode all our rights and freedoms in a welter of corporatist neo-liberal legislation that is based on ideology but also represents a transfer of jobs and decision power to a select group of consultants and 10c mba’s closely tied to the national party.
this tampering of the very warp and weft of society must stop and be exposed for what it is before they do too much damage.
the shadowy Constitutional Advisory Panel and the Local bodies act need more scrutiny and more action so they can die the death just like kweeweees shonkey aset sales.
they are no good and neither are the spnsors, The National Party.
Thanks Captain for mentioning these, I read them over coffee this morning, top articles. Seems to me Trotter gets given a hard time by the “left” for being “incorrect”. He is still in my mind one of the most perceptive scribe on the “left” side.
Trotter is fine (indeed often excellent) on both historical and strategic analysis. For specific issues and specific current topics however, he often fucks up or comes short in his perceptiveness.
The consequence of TINA as a leadership ideology, which I think might be more the focus of discussion by critics of austerity, is that TINA leads to bullying the public both rhetorically and increasingly physically via the use of the surveillance and police power of governments to enforce austerity measures. Efforts at coercion and control are already occurring both in North America and Europe where austerity measures are being imposed via physical force and political intimidation in certain municipalities, regions, and nations as a whole. Austerity isn’t a necessity but is made to appear “necessary” via coercion as well as the ideological blinders of mainstream economics.
Sounds remarkably like NACT are doing especially with all the beneficiary bashing that we’re seeing out of them as it’s becoming more and more desperate as their financial formulaic answers continue to fail to work.
Anybody out there able to help and tell me that I am wrong wrong wrong……..?
While meandering home I stopped at the local chainstore bookshop to scan the magazines. I always figure Gina can afford me! But I picked up the NBR dated today and scanned that too. On the inside editorial type page David Shearer appears to be agreeing that a sickness beneficiary who collects an NZ Herald off his porch to read is a sponger!
I’m still in shock – if I read this correctlyI think they can forget about being in power again.
In 1929 Labour’s leader, Harry Holland said, in a speech in parliament, “Gentlemen, we are revolutionists.” Of course, no-one, especially in the Labour Party, took him seriously. Keeping strictly to bourgeois parliamentarism, and gradually acquiring more parliamentary seats, the party’s pretence of being “socialist” wore increasingly thin. In fact, a number of important changes had taken place in the party organization and programme in the 1920s, to make it a more fit party for administering capitalism.
Even today we see that Labour is still more interested in managing capitalism than achieving any actual reform that would benefit society.
1) Democracy in work places.
2) Worker owned enterprises.
3) Making the reserve bank the sole source of debt free, interest free money into the economy.
4) Government policy of full employment.
5) Active government ownership, control and democratic governance of all core infrastructure.
I couldn’t find it on their website, but I would very much like to know if you are right or not. If you are right, then it simply makes me sick. Each day new job losses, each day Bennett crowing about next round of sanctions, and this kind of thing from the Leader of the main opposition party!
The NBR website. http://www.nbr.co.nz/ – that is the paper that RedBaron mentioned. He is referring to a print version. I would very much like to know, after all the fuss over the roof guy, if David Shearer actually agreed that a sickness beneficiary who collects an NZ Herald off his porch to read is a sponger.
how to spot a national party voter.
these days they use interrogatives much like secret handshakes to let each other know who they are.
Anyone who listened to the manawatu/northland game the other night on the radio would have heard the stockand station agent with an interest in Rugby, announcer end every second sentence with an interrogative.
much like mike valentine did in his opening sentence on close up tonight.
interrogatives are dishonest, disrespectful and an invalid fallacy in any book of logic so it is no wonder that the National Party has chosen this mark of dishonesty as their badge of recognition
I am concerned about the Christchurch School closures and mergers. I know this was inevitable but I feel far too soon. I also believe that all teachers deserve to be recognised for their efforts during the big earthquakes and for managing the well being of children after these events. I know my daughter’s classroom teacher was looking after her 3 hours after the initial February quake as we could not get across town. Mean while she had her own family to worry about and due to communication issues could not get through to them. They could have been dead but she still stayed and looked after our girl. Outstanding!! I don’t think too many politicians would have had this courage. These schools that are being merged, closed, built if this is a quick process I know many CHCH residence will be up set because the government is able to push for these to be done quickly yet there are still many residence who feel neglected as they live in their cold damp earthquake damaged houses.
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Mōrena. Long stories shortest: Professional investors who are paid a lot of money to be careful about lending to the New Zealand Government think it is wonderful place to put their money. Yet the Government itself is so afraid of borrowing more that it is happy to kill its own ...
As space becomes more contested, Australia should play a key role with its partners in the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative to safeguard the space domain. Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States signed the ...
Ooh you're a cool catComing on strong with all the chit chatOoh you're alrightHanging out and stealing all the limelightOoh messing with the beat of my heart yeah!Songwriters: Freddie Mercury / John Deacon.It would be a tad ironic; I can see it now. “Yeah, I didn’t unsubscribe when he said ...
The PSA are calling the Prime Minister a hypocrite for committing to increase defence spending while hundreds of more civilian New Zealand Defence Force jobs are set to be cut as part of a major restructure. The number of companies being investigated for people trafficking in New Zealand has skyrocketed ...
Another Friday, hope everyone’s enjoyed their week as we head toward the autumn equinox. Here’s another roundup of stories that caught our eye on the subject of cities and what makes them even better. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor took a look at how Auckland ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking with special guest author Michael Wolff, who has just published his fourth book about Donald Trump: ‘All or Nothing’.Here’s Peter’s writeup of the interview.The Kākā by Bernard Hickey Hoon: Trumpism ...
Wolff, who describes Trump as truly a ‘one of a kind’, at a book launch in Spain. Photo: GettyImagesIt may be a bumpy ride for the world but the era of Donald J. Trump will die with him if we can wait him out says the author of four best-sellers ...
Australia needs to radically reorganise its reserves system to create a latent military force that is much larger, better trained and equipped and deployable within days—not decades. Our current reserve system is not fit for ...
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...
I have argued before that one ought to be careful in retrospectively allocating texts into genres. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) only looks like science-fiction because a science-fiction genre subsequently developed. Without H.G. Wells, would Frankenstein be considered science-fiction? No, it probably wouldn’t. Viewed in the context of its time, Frankenstein ...
Elbridge Colby’s senate confirmation hearing in early March holds more important implications for US partners than most observers in Canberra, Wellington or Suva realise. As President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defence for ...
China’s defence budget is rising heftily yet again. The 2025 rise will be 7.2 percent, the same as in 2024, the government said on 5 March. But the allocation, officially US$245 billion, is just the ...
Concern is growing about wide-ranging local repercussions of the new Setting of Speed Limits rule, rewritten in 2024 by former transport minister Simeon Brown. In particular, there’s growing fears about what this means for children in particular. A key paradox of the new rule is that NZTA-controlled roads have the ...
Speilmeister:Christopher Luxon’s prime-ministerial pitches notwithstanding, are institutions with billions of dollars at their disposal really going to invest them in a country so obviously in a deep funk?HAVING WOOED THE WORLD’s investors, what, if anything, has New Zealand won? Did Christopher Luxon’s guests board their private jets fizzing with enthusiasm for ...
Christchurch City Council is one of 18 councils and three council-controlled organisations (CCOs) downgraded by ratings agency S&P. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories shortest:Standard & Poor’s has cut the credit ratings of 18 councils, blaming the new Government’s abrupt reversal of 3 Waters, cuts to capital ...
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that the economy grew by 0.7% ending the very deep recession seen over the past year, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Even though GDP grew in the three months to December, our economy is still 1.1% smaller than it ...
What is going on with the price of butter?, RNZ, 19 march 2025: If you have bought butter recently you might have noticed something - it is a lot more expensive. Stats NZ said last week that the price of butter was up 60 percent in February compared to ...
I agree with Will Leben, who wrote in The Strategist about his mistakes, that an important element of being a commentator is being accountable and taking responsibility for things you got wrong. In that spirit, ...
You’d beDrunk by noon, no one would knowJust like the pandemicWithout the sourdoughIf I were there, I’d find a wayTo get treated for hysteriaEvery dayLyrics Riki Lindhome.A varied selection today in Nick’s Kōrero:Thou shalt have no other gods - with Christopher Luxon.Doctors should be seen and not heard - with ...
Two recent foreign challenges suggest that Australia needs urgently to increase its level of defence self-reliance and to ensure that the increased funding that this would require is available. First, the circumnavigation of our continent ...
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, The ...
According to RNZ’s embedded reporter, the importance of Winston Peters’ talks in Washington this week “cannot be overstated.” Right. “Exceptionally important.” said the maestro himself. This epic importance doesn’t seem to have culminated in anything more than us expressing our “concern” to the Americans about a series of issues that ...
Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of "Climate Fresk" and at a guess, this will also be the case for many of you. I stumbled upon it in the self-service training catalog for employees at the company I work at in Germany where it was announced ...
Japan and Australia talk of ‘collective deterrence,’ but they don’t seem to have specific objectives. The relationship needs a clearer direction. The two countries should identify how they complement each other. Each country has two ...
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...
Labour does not support the private ownership of core infrastructure like schools, hospitals and prisons, which will only see worse outcomes for Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...
The Government’s new procurement rules are a blatant attack on workers and the environment, showing once again that National’s priorities are completely out of touch with everyday Kiwis. ...
With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine. ...
Te Pāti Māori extends our deepest aroha to the 500 plus Whānau Ora workers who have been advised today that the govt will be dismantling their contracts. For twenty years , Whānau Ora has been helping families, delivering life-changing support through a kaupapa Māori approach. It has built trust where ...
Labour welcomes Simeon Brown’s move to reinstate a board at Health New Zealand, bringing the destructive and secretive tenure of commissioner Lester Levy to an end. ...
This morning’s announcement by the Health Minister regarding a major overhaul of the public health sector levels yet another blow to the country’s essential services. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ targets. “This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. ...
Police have referred 20 offenders to Destiny Church-affiliated programmes Man Up and Legacy as ‘wellness providers’ in the last year, raising concerns that those seeking help are being recruited into a harmful organisation. ...
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...
Progressing a holistic strategy to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources, possibly in applications beyond energy generation, is at the centre of discussions with mana whenua at a hui in Rotorua today, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is in the early stages ...
New annual data has exposed the staggering cost of delays previously hidden in the building consent system, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I directed Building Consent Authorities to begin providing quarterly data last year to improve transparency, following repeated complaints from tradespeople waiting far longer than the statutory ...
Increases in water charges for Auckland consumers this year will be halved under the Watercare Charter which has now been passed into law, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The charter is part of the financial arrangement for Watercare developed last year by Auckland Council ...
There is wide public support for the Government’s work to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity protections, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The Ministry for Primary Industries recently completed public consultation on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act and the submissions show that people understand the importance of having a strong biosecurity ...
A new independent review function will enable individuals and organisations to seek an expert independent review of specified civil aviation regulatory decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Director of Civil Aviation, Acting Transport Minister James Meager has announced today. “Today we are making it easier and more affordable ...
The Government will invest in an enhanced overnight urgent care service for the Napier community as part of our focus on ensuring access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown has today confirmed. “I am delighted that a solution has been found to ensure Napier residents will continue to ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey attended a sod turning today to officially mark the start of construction on a new mental health facility at Hillmorton Campus. “This represents a significant step in modernising mental health services in Canterbury,” Mr Brown says. “Improving health infrastructure is ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed confirmation the economy has turned the corner. Stats NZ reported today that gross domestic product grew 0.7 per cent in the three months to December following falls in the June and September quarters. “We know many families and businesses are still suffering the after-effects ...
The sealing of a 12-kilometre stretch of State Highway 43 (SH43) through the Tangarakau Gorge – one of the last remaining sections of unsealed state highway in the country – has been completed this week as part of a wider programme of work aimed at improving the safety and resilience ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says relations between New Zealand and the United States are on a strong footing, as he concludes a week-long visit to New York and Washington DC today. “We came to the United States to ask the new Administration what it wants from ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has welcomed changes to international anti-money laundering standards which closely align with the Government’s reforms. “The Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) last month adopted revised standards for tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism to allow for simplified regulatory measures for businesses, organisations and sectors ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he welcomes Medsafe’s decision to approve an electronic controlled drug register for use in New Zealand pharmacies, allowing pharmacies to replace their physical paper-based register. “The register, developed by Kiwi brand Toniq Limited, is the first of its kind to be approved in New ...
The Coalition Government’s drive for regional economic growth through the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund is on track with more than $550 million in funding so far committed to key infrastructure projects, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. “To date, the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) has received more than 250 ...
[Comments following the bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; United States State Department, Washington D.C.] * We’re very pleased with our meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon. * We came here to listen to the new Administration and to be clear about what ...
The intersection of State Highway 2 (SH2) and Wainui Road in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be made safer and more efficient for vehicles and freight with the construction of a new and long-awaited roundabout, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop. “The current intersection of SH2 and Wainui Road is ...
The Ocean Race will return to the City of Sails in 2027 following the Government’s decision to invest up to $4 million from the Major Events Fund into the international event, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand is a proud sailing nation, and Auckland is well-known internationally as the ...
Improving access to mental health and addiction support took a significant step forward today with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announcing that the University of Canterbury have been the first to be selected to develop the Government’s new associate psychologist training programme. “I am thrilled that the University of Canterbury ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened the new East Building expansion at Manukau Health Park. “This is a significant milestone and the first stage of the Grow Manukau programme, which will double the footprint of the Manukau Health Park to around 30,000m2 once complete,” Mr Brown says. “Home ...
The Government will boost anti-crime measures across central Auckland with $1.3 million of funding as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Fund, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “In recent years there has been increased antisocial and criminal behaviour in our CBD. The Government ...
The Government is moving to strengthen rules for feeding food waste to pigs to protect New Zealand from exotic animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. ‘Feeding untreated meat waste, often known as "swill", to pigs could introduce serious animal diseases like FMD and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held productive talks in New Delhi today. Fresh off announcing that New Zealand and India would commence negotiations towards a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the two Prime Ministers released a joint statement detailing plans for further cooperation between the two countries across ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the forestry sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the horticulture sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new Family Court Judges. The new Judges will take up their roles in April and May and fill Family Court vacancies at the Auckland and Manukau courts. Annette Gray Ms Gray completed her law degree at Victoria University before joining Phillips ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU). “This unit will boost critical care services in the lower North Island, providing extra capacity and relieving pressure on the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and emergency department. “Wellington Regional Hospital has previously relied ...
Namaskar, Sat Sri Akal, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. What an honour it is to stand on this stage - to inaugurate this august Dialogue - with none other than the Honourable Narendra Modi. My good friend, thank you for so generously welcoming me to India and for our ...
Check against delivery.Kia ora koutou katoa It’s a real pleasure to join you at the inaugural New Zealand infrastructure investment summit. I’d like to welcome our overseas guests, as well as our local partners, organisations, and others.I’d also like to acknowledge: The Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and other Ministers from the Coalition ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Mairātea Mohi (Te Arawa, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), publishing associate te reo Māori at Auckland University Press.The book I wish I’d writtenAs a publisher, I know writing a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristin Diemer, Associate Professor of Sociology, The University of Melbourne Journalist and activist Jess Hill’s Quarterly Essay argues Australia’s primary prevention framework to end violence against women isn’t working. Hill says the framework focuses too much on addressing gender inequality and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Less than two months from an election, the Albanese government last night presented a budget that aims to swing the voting pendulum its way. Headline health expenditure ...
RNZ News The prime ministers of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have signed a new statement of partnership marking 50 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. The document — which focuses on education, trade, security, agriculture and fisheries — was signed by Christopher Luxon and James Marape ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer Treasurer Jim Chalmers has described the income tax cuts in this week’s federal budget as a “top-up”. They will amount to roughly one cup of coffee a week for every taxpayer in the first year. But they ...
It has no insulation, flaking paint, questionable pipes and all my old furniture and artwork. At the auction, bidding was competitive. Embarrassingly, my algorithm knows that I like to browse real estate listings online. The ones I like best are old and tatty, places where the cabinetry in the kitchen ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillipa C. McCormack, Future Making Fellow, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide A bill introduced to parliament this week, if passed, would limit the government’s power to reconsider certain environment approvals when an activity is harming the environment. It fulfils Prime Minister ...
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc says the Members’ Bill lodged by Joseph Mooney seeking to prohibit tort claims arising from or related to climate change matters raises serious issues for both the environment and the constitutional role of the ...
This bill would have a chilling effect on New Zealanders’ democratic rights and our ability to secure a liveable future for our kids and grandkids, says Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson. ...
Go easy on the speaker – corralling 123 overgrown children must be every school teacher’s worst nightmare.Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus.It’s been nearly two weeks ...
Creative projects are good for your wellbeing. And for many, the weekends are the perfect opportunity to get stuck in.New Zealanders love weekend projects. From tinkering with old machinery, to painting, building a shoe cabinet, playing an instrument, or gardening, New Zealanders find a wealth of ways to unleash ...
The visits took place amid a sharp lurch to the right by ruling elites around the world in response to the escalating global economic crisis of capitalism and the US-led drive to imperialist war. New Zealand is embroiled in these developments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Ellerton, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Education; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland Siora Photography/Unsplash There is a Fox News headline that goes like this: Transgender female runner who beat 14,000 women at London Marathon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey Martin, Lecturer/Podcast Producer, Swinburne University of Technology Shutterstock Podcasting was once the underdog of the media world: a platform where anyone with a microphone and an idea could share their voice. With low barriers to entry and freedom from ...
Yes, it’s flat, but there’s another crucial reason why so many Christchurch residents ride – the city’s extensive network of cycle lanes. Simon Kingham’s 9km commute, from Beckenham in south Christchurch to the University of Canterbury west of the CBD, is mostly on cycle lanes. “It’s only the first 400 ...
The top US commander in the Indo-Pacific has given a glimpse of a war with China playbook, as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth heads around the Pacific after revealing actual war plans to a journalist. ...
The Representation Commission has proposed changes to New Zealand’s parliamentary electorates ahead of the 2026 election, writes Madeleine Chapman in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.Wellington loses a seat In a suite of proposed changes, the Representation Commission has outlined ...
Planning consultants have told the High Court that tangata whenua in general, and Ngāi Tahu in particular, have substantial influence over freshwater policy and decisions.Tim Ensor, principal planner at Tonkin & Taylor, and Gerard Willis, a director of the firm Enfocus, appeared as Crown witnesses in the weeks-long case taken ...
"These decisions will place the most significant restrictions on New Zealanders movements in modern history," then-PM Jacinda Ardern said in announcing our first Covid lockdown. ...
On Tuesday, the Electoral Commission released its proposed changes to electorate boundaries. Joel MacManus takes a closer look at a few electorates where new maps could mean big political changes. Rongotai Shifts left Julie Anne Genter was a surprise winner on election night when she became Rongotai’s first Green MP ...
Until 2020, it was possible to book a voyage on a cargo ship. Today, it’s virtually impossible, despite being a greener, languid alternative to air travel. Before the time of te Tiriti, there were few passenger ships. Crossing the Pacific in 1830? Usually, only a merchant could take you – ...
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Opinion: As I sat down to write this, I was struck by a perplexing realisation: there were two very different ways I could frame this same message. I could choose an approach that completely avoided terms such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, an approach that reflects the imposed framework increasingly ...
Riley Chance claims in his angry story in ReadingRoom about the failures of the Public Lending Right (PLR) that the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and its members are happy with and doing nicely from the current PLR system. Au contraire. The lack of any progress to the PLR ...
It has occurred to me that New Zealand is a premium economy in which to have a business. http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zealand/. Therefore like any premium product, there should be a premium price. At the supermarket we pay more for Anchor than Home Brand, more for Dilmah than Choysa and more for Hunters than Jacobs Creek.
Offshore owners of businesses in New Zealand should also pay a premium for doing business here. Currently the tax rate for business is, I believe, 33%. I propose that a sliding scale of share ownership V tax paid should be introduced. If the offshore entity has a 51% ownership, the tax on the profit shifted outside of New Zealand climbs to, say, 39%. The scale then continues until on the final n% of shares owned, the tax is, say, 90%. However if they are 100% owned offshore, but choose to reinvest their profits back into the New Zealand economy, the tax rate would be mitigated, at an appropriate rate.
Seems like a great way to either raise revenue, or ensure that the money made out of New Zealanders is reinvested in New Zealand.
I’m sure you will correct me if I am wrong.
On the issue of the wine, by memory, NZ wines have a baseline price they can’t go under when sold in NZ. That’s why we don’t have cheap (sub $10) NZ wines compared to Aussie wines. Can’t remember the rationale, but it’s a industry/trade agreement. Probably doesn’t help, though, that the profits from a boutique vineyard of a few thousand vines will be necessarily less than a block with hundreds of thousands of vines.
Dilmah is imported here, already blended, to a warehouse in sunny Ellerslie, if I remember correctly. Choysa isn’t grown here, so what is premium NZ about those things? Our ability to re-handle or box product?
Is Anchor and Home Brand the same product except for the colour of the wax paper around it? How do we arrive at “premium NZ” anything – just believe it is?
All the tea labels are from bulk produced tea plantations. No label like Choysa or Tiger or Dilmah have their own plantations. They buy from the bulk producers just as carpet manufacturers buy from wool “plantations.”
“we pay more for Anchor than Home Brand”
Except for Anchor’s niche value-added products (lactose-free milk, extra calcium etc) and ones where the production process matters (cheese) you’d be a mug to buy anchor as it’s the same product as home brand.
“Seems like a great way to either raise revenue, or ensure that the money made out of New Zealanders is reinvested in New Zealand.”
Working for a multinational IT company that has exports in the $50m+ US range, it sounds like a good way to ensure the Christchurch office is shut down. We’ve already had a tough time with the exchange rate.
I see you’ve bought into the capitalist lie that the owners of businesses are the ones that create work. Here’s the truth:
If the work is there then the work is there, it doesn’t need a particular company or its owners to be satisfied.
The work wouldn’t be in NZ, is my point.
Why? Are you looking to move out of NZ?
I have smiled at the NZHerald TV advert celebrating the launch of their new format.
1981… Everyone knew what side they were on.
Yeah right… except for our current Prime Minister.
The US’s ‘war on terror’ and ‘containment’. How’s that working for them? Anyone got an up to date tally of current US embassies under various levels of siege?
No tally but lots to read.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/anti-islam-flick/all/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/13/mohammed-movie-s-mystery-director.html
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/christians-produce-anti-muslim-film-blame-jews/0019351
http://www.dailynews.com/travel/ci_21530557/movie-that-set-off-violence-middle-east-produced
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/09/egyptian-outrage-peddler-who-sent-anti-islam-youtube-clip-viral/56826/
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/egypt-embassy-marines-live-ammo
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/j9d2oa
This too.
http://imgur.com/a/tlCyI
Like
Oh that stench…
John Banks seems to confirm the character of the long line of municipal mayoralties throughout history (worldwide) who are less than squeaky clean (dodgy) – there to line their pockets through what ever means available. No surprises in the latest revelations really – did anyone expect different?
Logic97. The only surprise is that we actually got to learn about these latest revelations! But no surprise over the Key-Banks affair – they are glued together in dubious ethic, game-playing, defiance of anything or anyone that might represent decency.
TPPA
Avaaz has a petition to be sent….
‘To all the governments negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement:
As concerned global citizens, we call on you to make the TPP process transparent and accountable to all, and to reject any plans that limit our governments’ power to regulate in the public interest. The TPP is a threat to democracy, undermining national sovereignty, workers’ rights, environmental protections and Internet freedom. We urge you to reject this corporate takeover.’
If you wish to sign the petition here is the link:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_corporate_death_star/?bgkRPab&v=17848
Hey marsman, I was going to post this petition yesterday but I held off becuase I wondered whether folks were getting sick of me posting Avaaz petitions as well as Labour Rights petitions.
I’m glad you put it up though. Avaaz does make a difference and their campaigns work. The Americans seem to be taking the TPPA seriously. I get daily emails from all sorts of American organisations opposed to the TPPA. Sure our population is a drop in the ocean compared to theirs, but at least they have knowledge of it and are standing up to it. We seem oblivious to the threat here in NZ.
If you want to understand the anti-TPP case there is plenty of information on this page.
http://tppwatch.org/what-is-tppa/ and a newsletter here
http://tppwatch.org/2012/09/12/tppwatch-action-bulletin-17-12-september-2012. Apparently some back tracking by negotiators in recent days so all the more reason to push ahead with the avaaz petition.
Have you ever thought about how the supermarket operates, as you wander the aisles doing your grocery shopping? Having had the misfortune of working for a supplier to foodstuffs in 07 I can say that the unfair practices of foodstuffs reffered to in this article is just the tip of the iceberg
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/7673843/Supermarkets-called-too-powerful
There is also the issue of suppliers having to provide merchandisers to put the product on the shelf, once it arives from their warehouse or the hub, and do the displays. Merchies are low paid contract workers who usually have to organise their own ACC, sick and holiday pay. They also have to use their own cars and phones for the job, often being poorly compensated. This way the supermarket hires less of their own shelf fillers. Most NW workers are on minimum wage or slightly above. Foodstuffs have been known to block workers attempts to unionise while Aussie owned Countdown (Progressive Enterprises) has a good collective agreement and doesn’t block workers from joining the union. Countdowns’ starting hourly rate is higher than NW’s.
I shop at NW because I like to support NZ owned businesses and because they have more NZ made products and stock products from small suppliers that Progressive Enterprises won’t touch. Countdown on the other hand has a better employment agreement. Its a domestic dilema. Either way, the business of supermarkets really needs to be exposed. They are getting away with alot more than we realise.
Hi Rosie, definitely agree that its something which most people simply can’t/won’t or don’t want to know…
They go to the shop/supermarket, or whatever it might be, they buy/consume, and give very little thought to the practices of the establishment they are spending money at.
It is generally outside the scope of the bandwidth available to people..
Seriously , next time you are unfortunate enough to have to frequent a mall/supermarket, have a look at the faces/eyes of the people wandering around…its like a zombie nation!
Hi Muzza. Zombie nation indeed:) Its like folks go into a sort of catatonic state. My favourite is a bunch of people standing aimlessly right in the middle of a thoroughfare and you have to weave and dance through them. Its like they are dazzled by the fluoro lights and noise, which to me is one of the many reasons to avoid a mall excursion. Those mega supermarkets do that to folks too.
If I ever the $$$ to spend on something non grocery item I usaully go to an independant retailer in a non mall setting. I try to go for items that haven’t impacted negatively on the environment or the producer. Doesn’t always work out that way though, as its hard to avoid completely.
Good stuff Rosie, any thought given to what else is in play behind the shelves and “bright lights”, has to be a good thing.
Sometimes in AKL is not easy to get to a supermarket which is not attached to a mall, so its after hours or early mornings in order to avoid the stunned mullets wandering aimlessly around “the mall”
Mate calls them gormless, doddery consumers. And that’s exactly what they are. On autopilot they simply just walk into you, can’t even make eye contact if they try, like every reflex and instinct for self preservation they have has already died.
Supermarkets actually need to be nationalised and run as a government service with free delivery. They’re effectively a private duopoly which is just as bad as a private monopoly. Nationalising will get rid of the dead weight loss of profit that they impose upon us and free delivery will help us save on scarce resources.
True…I would love to be able to shop at a government run supermarket. I’m sick of having two options, both of which provide poverty wages, and rip off customers and local suppliers.
I prefer the halfway house of co-operative grower/supplier ownership myself.
No dilemna for me! I haven’t got a car, and NW are too far away… Countdown do not have a very good wage, but supporting NZ business is not always the way to go.
Range! It should say “Countdown do not have a very good range” drat it! (I was multi-tasking, silly me…)
I’ve recently reached a milestone on my blog – 1500 posts – three and a half years of blogging. Much of the inspiration to keep going comes from this site, from the posts and comments, the arguments and understanding, the links, knowledge, and new ideas introduced or stories broken. So I want to say thanks to all.
It seems that I follow the comments of my favourites here as much as those I really disagree with – which is interesting, I wonder if others are the same.
marty mars – good for you! Keep it going!!
Congrats marty – I know what a lot of work it is!
Congrats Marty. You are one of the commenters I look out for here, so I should get to your place more often. Totally agree about the diversity of views.
How to get the vote out in 2014.
on the other side of Pascals’ wager
Devaluation lowered across the boom in the House this weak
dearie me, dear oh dear oh dear
Joyce-mobility of low income families. into what?
-‘dynamic environment’. dynamite jobs. and he has ‘thought’ of an even more destructive plan; neo-liberal capitalism
i always enjoy Nanaia Mahuta’s questioning in the House
H.B Climate. many retail shops being left empty. vacancies for Green businesses?
Agree with Margaret Mutu’s assertion re colonisation of Public Servants, NGOs etc
Cunliffe is an effective communicator imo
to the consumption ‘priests’ Steppenwolf-“The Pusher”
off to fellowship now. will leaven People rather than burn the faithful. God Bless u and have a Great Day
2014 won’t be a repeat of 2011. The left and centre will come out in numbers against this government.
Although we always need to push the issue, the motivation in 24 months will be huge for the vast majority of New Zealanders who will by then be living below the poverty line. 2011 was the elction that matttered because it allowed the Nat to complete their intentional destruction of New Zealand society. 2014 will be about the rebuild of the economy and society
I don’t think “the vast majority of New Zealanders” will be living under the poverty line in 2014.
True. It’ll only be a million, or perhaps a million and a quarter people.
Eough is Enough. But NOT under Brownlee, please God!
btw, of all the internet cafes in all the world, u would not believe wot was just on the radio?
-Waiting for The Sun
Mazarati? I believe. Wow.
Have a nice Day.
Shine on you Crazy Diamond.
“…i’ve always been a little crazy..”
however, To the Fun Police,
” the loonatic is Off the Grass”
have a little compassion; unless you come as a little child, u shall not see…
Wonderful to hear the call of Unity through Maoridom over water, imo;
Ride Free.
Nationalise Money, Not Banks
It seems that more and more economists and other informed people are coming out in favour of a 100% reserve currency created by the state rather than the banks. Now all we need is for the politicians to wake up to the fact that we actually need to go to such a system.
Do you have links to any resources which explain how the transfer from fractional reserve to 100% reserve would work?
You turn the commercial banks into savings and loans institutions like the NZCU, the Co-operative Bank, and finance companies (albeit regulated and run to far higher standards).
The Reserve Bank would provide new funds to all other institutions as required.
Also worth reading about the public (state owned) Bank of North Dakota.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/03/how-nation%E2%80%99s-only-state-owned-bank-became-envy-wall-street
You could read the article and you could go to the top address that the article is on and read their information. You could also do a Google search. My own method would go something like this:
*) Build lots state housing which would be rented out at 5% of household income
*) Offer 0% mortgages through the national bank (Kiwibank in our case) which would be paid back at 25% of household income. This money would be created at the time that the mortgage was created
*) Offer to buy privately owned residences which the present owner could then rent from the government at 5% of household income
*) While doing this slowly (over say, two years) reduce the banks reserve/capital ratio to 1:1
Done this way it shouldn’t disrupt the economy. There are other ways and it’s probably worth having a discussion about them.
“Jesus has left Chicago…”
You’d have to scrap the futures market, which is the main driver of this inflation.
Created for “Financial Security” reasons, and abused by the controlling oranisations for profit usinfg the same “Financial Security” argument as justification.
It’s also the main driver behind the current Oil fiasco, which is costing the whole planet jobs every day.
Is this the best time to place even more stress and bureaucratic heavy-handedness onto Christchurch communities and families? http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/christchurch-suffers-schooling-shock.html
Someone please tell Jenny about the “Arab Fall” [Autumn]
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/arab-fall-becomes-anti-us-blowback-turmoil-spreads-morocco-sudan-and-tunisia
CV, you know full well that you’ll get more waffle about anyone > Assad = GOOD don’t you?
😎
Who would have thought that supporting a bunch of rebel militias would be bad for the citizens once they are “left to it”. A whole bunch of ethnic cleansing in Libya tends to show it’s not the best way of bringing about democracy.
But I suppose the cries of “Evil Dictator” across the MSM will always overshadow the warnings from the activists actually on the ground, until the people who warn against it are cast down as sympathizers.
As ZeroHedge put it the other day:
Total number of US ambassadors to Libya killed since “Arab Spring” = 1
Total number of US ambassadors to Libya killed during Gaddafi’s rule = 0
Well, given that there was no US embassy for the last 30 years, Gaddafi didn’t have much opportunity to kill any ambassadors, did he?
The US has had an embassy in Libya since 2006 (with a hiatus from Feb to Sept 2011 while the war was in progress). So that was five years under Gaddafi with no ambassadors being killed.
America also had an embassy there between 1969 and 1979, when Gaddafi was in power. The embassy was attacked and burned down by “a mob” in 1979, but it doesn’t seem that anyone was killed.
Thanks a lot uke.
TRP: you suck.
And you can’t count, CV. For the majority of the Gadaffi regime, there was no US embassy, something that Zerohedge, and you, clearly did not know.
The “majority” of Gaddafi rule? WTF are you on about? Some kind of political statistical dodge?
15 years of US diplomats under Gaddafi…US ambassadors killed = 0
1 year of Arab spring…US ambassadors killed = 1
TRP said:
Seems like you’re the one who didn’t know. Thanks once again to uke for pointing out the facts:
and sucks once more to TRP for dodging them and hypocritically accusing others of ignorance.
Sadly, you’re exactly right… 🙁
Congratulations to Wellingtons Dompost for the two articles by Chris Trotter and Brenda Pilott today.
The National Party are the purveyors of freedom and democracy but they are steadily trying to erode all our rights and freedoms in a welter of corporatist neo-liberal legislation that is based on ideology but also represents a transfer of jobs and decision power to a select group of consultants and 10c mba’s closely tied to the national party.
this tampering of the very warp and weft of society must stop and be exposed for what it is before they do too much damage.
the shadowy Constitutional Advisory Panel and the Local bodies act need more scrutiny and more action so they can die the death just like kweeweees shonkey aset sales.
they are no good and neither are the spnsors, The National Party.
Thanks Captain for mentioning these, I read them over coffee this morning, top articles. Seems to me Trotter gets given a hard time by the “left” for being “incorrect”. He is still in my mind one of the most perceptive scribe on the “left” side.
I googled chris trotter and found this list of Chris’s pieces at the Timaru Herald. A nice choice http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/opinion/chris-trotter/
Trotter is fine (indeed often excellent) on both historical and strategic analysis. For specific issues and specific current topics however, he often fucks up or comes short in his perceptiveness.
Beyond the Morality of Spending and Saving (Money) – Part 1
Sounds remarkably like NACT are doing especially with all the beneficiary bashing that we’re seeing out of them as it’s becoming more and more desperate as their financial formulaic answers continue to fail to work.
Beyond the Morality of Spending and Saving (Money) – Part 2
Anybody out there able to help and tell me that I am wrong wrong wrong……..?
While meandering home I stopped at the local chainstore bookshop to scan the magazines. I always figure Gina can afford me! But I picked up the NBR dated today and scanned that too. On the inside editorial type page David Shearer appears to be agreeing that a sickness beneficiary who collects an NZ Herald off his porch to read is a sponger!
I’m still in shock – if I read this correctlyI think they can forget about being in power again.
Couldn’t say but I’m finding this an interesting read:
Even today we see that Labour is still more interested in managing capitalism than achieving any actual reform that would benefit society.
DTB – for my benefit, are you able to very simply describe some of the reforms you would make?
Try scrolling up a bit.
IMO
1) Democracy in work places.
2) Worker owned enterprises.
3) Making the reserve bank the sole source of debt free, interest free money into the economy.
4) Government policy of full employment.
5) Active government ownership, control and democratic governance of all core infrastructure.
Thanks CV.
What currently prevents 1, 2?
3. How would that work?
I couldn’t find it on their website, but I would very much like to know if you are right or not. If you are right, then it simply makes me sick. Each day new job losses, each day Bennett crowing about next round of sanctions, and this kind of thing from the Leader of the main opposition party!
Olwyn do you mean by ‘their’ website, the Dompost one. I was looking there and couldn’t find things mentioned above.
The NBR website. http://www.nbr.co.nz/ – that is the paper that RedBaron mentioned. He is referring to a print version. I would very much like to know, after all the fuss over the roof guy, if David Shearer actually agreed that a sickness beneficiary who collects an NZ Herald off his porch to read is a sponger.
how to spot a national party voter.
these days they use interrogatives much like secret handshakes to let each other know who they are.
Anyone who listened to the manawatu/northland game the other night on the radio would have heard the stockand station agent with an interest in Rugby, announcer end every second sentence with an interrogative.
much like mike valentine did in his opening sentence on close up tonight.
interrogatives are dishonest, disrespectful and an invalid fallacy in any book of logic so it is no wonder that the National Party has chosen this mark of dishonesty as their badge of recognition
I am concerned about the Christchurch School closures and mergers. I know this was inevitable but I feel far too soon. I also believe that all teachers deserve to be recognised for their efforts during the big earthquakes and for managing the well being of children after these events. I know my daughter’s classroom teacher was looking after her 3 hours after the initial February quake as we could not get across town. Mean while she had her own family to worry about and due to communication issues could not get through to them. They could have been dead but she still stayed and looked after our girl. Outstanding!! I don’t think too many politicians would have had this courage. These schools that are being merged, closed, built if this is a quick process I know many CHCH residence will be up set because the government is able to push for these to be done quickly yet there are still many residence who feel neglected as they live in their cold damp earthquake damaged houses.
Yes it absolutely disgusting the way Parata, Brownlie and Langston have treated the schools on ChCh
If the teachers had behaved like those three, education would have collapsed in ChCh after the quakes.
For them to DUMP and run is disgraceful.
What happened to ‘accord’ with all the major education groups after their last stuff up.
I dont know how chch can have any confidence that they the Nacts will be able to organize such a huge task. Or is it just another list.