Yet another low point in neo-liberalism and it's current enabler, The NZ Labour Party.
The shame isn't exclusively the governments though. From the news clip last week, it was said that these men were here for welding and driving jobs. This is how messed up this 'free-market' belief system masquerading as a political system is. Businesses no longer need to train, develop, nurture or invest in staff. Just get their industry lobby group to squeal like the stuck proverbial and get folk from overseas to do it cheaper.
This is where we end up. Parasites masquerading as 'Employment Consultants' clipping the ticket, that is after 'Immigration Consultants' have had their go.
C'mon Minister Little, get assertive, push back and show everyone this is not to be tolerated here. Confiscate any of the properties involved in housing these vulnerable people. Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 should do the trick.
"In a statement, Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes said it was an "assurance review": checking the policy was working as designed, rather than assessing the policy itself.
As of 14 August, some 80,576 Accredited Employer Work Visa applications had been approved, for 27,892 accredited employers."
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the ticket clippers are running these scams are immigrants themselves, if so deport them Pronto Pronto, that'll send a message.
Absolutely, I was about to say that myself. And we need government inspectors to visit workplaces, or airports, and inform these immigrant workers of their rights under NZ employment law.
MBIE is unable to check it all because of the numbers, so it's just a bureaucrats rubber stamp – and David Seymour wants to get rid of the rubber stamp, to make it officially open slather, while there is lack of housing and a cost of living problem.
"So there’s Andrew Little last week on Q+A getting grilled by Jack Tame on the Worker Visa accreditation scheme that effectively trusts the 27 000 accredited to not exploit the 77 000 migrant workers.
Jack challenges the process and argues the system, is only funded to review 15% of applications yet to date had barely reviewed 3% and of the 27 000 accredited, the Government had dumped only 2.
The Minister struggled to look credible as he sat with a straight face and declared the current 3% was working fine."
ACT flags the Highways! In the 20km stretch of main Highway 6 from Renwick to Havelock, there are 18 shiny new election signs. All of them in farm paddocks.Those huge sign growth are presumably with the cooperation of the farmers. What does it mean if anything?
There was one small Green sign but no other Parties in sight.
So this is how the befuddled minority who call themselves the Freedom Party and their mates in the Destiny Church plan to humiliate and up-end Labour's campaign trail?
"And gender, specifically transgender inclusion, had been a hot button issue amongst conservative American politics. This has now reached New Zealand through groups such as Destiny Church…"
This is a leading statement, and demonstrably untrue. Concerns about legislative and policy changes obscuring sex for an incoherent gender identity have been discussed on this left-wing platform for years.
This framing occurs through the piece including the reference to BlackRock.
It is really unusual to have this type of reaction to public politicking though, and it deserves more consideration and better analysis as to the why.
I took that quote to mean that the ultra conservative (a polite way of putting it) among the American population are implacably opposed to any form of identity politics as a blasphemous conspiracy to take over the world – or some such barbaric nonsense. And their Kiwi counterparts have also taken up the cudgel.
However you are far better informed on the subject and I agree it would be interesting to have some formal analysis as to how and why this situation as arisen.
"Passed a piece of Council owned land on the North Shore isthmus used for election bill boards. The Labour billboard was down and someone had taken to it with an axe and chopped it into pieces. Rarely seen anyone go to that extent before."
Coincidentally had just watched this on Twitter (If link doesn't work – a cyclist ineffectively kicking someone's "Trump Won" sign, then concerningly, returning a couple of days later at night to burn it.):
This apparently growing aversion to even countenance anyone expressing a view or political position that is distasteful and disagreeable seems to be resulting in real world destructive acts.
I don't know why this is occurring, but it is a very real concern, especially if becomes accepted as expected behaviour rather than condemned.
(Above video not posted as whataboutery, just coincidence. I think all such acts should be called out.)
There's a sequel to that story. Went past this morning and a Labour billboard is back up only in a different spot. But the National billboard has been pulled down and axed up.
Retribution on someone's part?
It is funny but not funny. They used to be defaced or pulled down but rarely ended up completely wrecked. It is indeed a sign that people think they can take matters so much further than in previous times.
I don't find i funny at all. I'd be less concerned it we knew the perpetrators were teenagers who are still developing impulse control, but I have a suspicion these are acts of adults.
At first I smiled. Then it dawned on me its not a smiling matter. It is childish and stupid. Neither Labour nor National activists will be responsible. It will be either young idiots or some emotionally stunted older persons.
Edit: now here is a photo that really is a bit funny. That poor cop will never live it down:
Yesterday (Saturday) a Labour party representative knocked on the door and asked if he could put a couple of small electoral hoardings on my front fence. I said yes, and the two signs (one for Labour, and one for our local MP) went up later that day – the fences of two other nearby houses also had the same signs stapled up yesterday.
This morning all the signs were gone – just a few shiny staples remain. I've contacted the local Labour party office to let them know they can replace the signs on my fence if they want to.
Imho, such dull and dirty political tactics really speak to the character of some opposition party supporters. There will be ratbags in all political camps, but the National (and Green) party hoardings on our street still stand – for now.
We have 2 Labour signs on our fence which survived the night. Mind you – we are not on a busy road and I have signs every election. Never lost one yet.
His whiter than white crisp shirt together with his top to bottom shine from an over indulgent clean and polisher was too much for my aging eyes so turned the TV off.
Bollocks Blazer. TOP are not the only party to address the issue of house prices.
Both Labour and the Greens have, to different degrees, decried stratospheric property and house prices.
Labour has done several things to sort this out. They have built an extra 8000 state houses with many more in the pipeline (Keys government sold off state houses to finance tax cuts), they have brought in the 10 year bright line test , stopped most overseas purchases and stopped interest being claimed as an expense on rental houses. This has resulted in a roughly 12 percent drop in house prices, much more if inflation is taken into account.
Labour has also enacted rules to densify housing development in the major cities which reduces development costs and so house prices. Luxon has pathetically reneged on this.
In fact Luxon and Seymour will reverse all of these gains that have finally helped first time buyers.
'We’ve already added over 13,000 additional public houses and we’re on track to deliver over 18,000 new public and transitional housing places by 2024'
I must admit I don't think much of National's policy of making all road usage subject to road user charges. It would mean that if I drive 100 km in my relatively low emission Suzuki Ignis I would be paying the same mount as someone driving the same distance in a gas guzzling monster. It certainly won't do anything to discourage the purchase of gas guzzlers. Their proposed policy of gradually reducing the emissions profile of cars coming into the the country will take years, and perhaps even decades, to have any effect; and in the meantime I'll be paying more for my road usage, assuming the government wishes to collect the same amount of revenue as they do now.
National's policy of making all road users subject to road user charges also seems to be overlooking New Zealand's commitment to the Just Transition Declaration.
I can't seem to find any policy (from any party) that specifically aims to ensure it (a just transition). Nor do I see the media holding anyone to account.
I’d honestly forgotten about those Mod notes from you for TC.
Since I did not actually moderate TC today I feel he’s all yours, irrespective of my comments, if you follow my thinking.
TC was heading for a Mod note from me too, sooner or later, but you were there first, so do what you have (or want) to do about him; there’s still time …
Bollocks Blazer. TOP are not the only party to address the issue of house prices.
Both Labour and the Greens have, to different degrees, decried stratospheric property prices.
Labour has done several things to sort this out. They have built an extra 8000 state houses with many more on the pipeline (Keys government sold off state houses to finance tax cuts), they have brought in the 10 year bright line test , stopped most overseas purchases and stopped interest being claimed as an expense on rental houses. This has resulted in a roughly 12 percent drop in house prices, much more if inflation is taken into account.
Labour instigated cross party rules to densify housing in the major cities which also greatly helps to reduce house prices. Luxon has pathetically reneged on Nationals support for this.
Luxon and Seymour will reverse these gains all of which have helped first time buyers.
TOP have said they will get rid of the brightline tax and make interest once again deductible. The latter would seem to be counterproductive as non deductibility probably discourages the purchase of houses for investment purposes. However they do have a couple pf worthwhile policies: the introduction of a land value tax, offset presumably by reductions in income tax, and insisting on a 100% deposit when purchasing an investment properties. The former would probably have a longer term effect rather than an immediate one.
A land value tax will add to the costs of home ownership.
That's the general idea, the assumption being that the wealthy would probably live where land is most expensive, easing the burden on the poor who would very likely be living in less expensive areas. It would also encourage the more efficient use of land, perhaps encouraging greater densification. The whole system would of course be offset to some extent by reductions in income tax rates.
Making the cost of homeownership more expensive doesn't help people get on to the property ladder. And the extra costs could result in more costs being passed on to tenants.
As for the tax offset, those on lower incomes tend to pay less tax, thus the offset is less likely to stack up. Potentially putting more costs onto the poor opposed to the wealthy.
I worked out that, based on the land value of our property, my wife and I would be better off if TOP were to introduce its 0.75% land tax, assuming they they also introduced their tax free zone of 0 – 30,000 dollars at the same time. Though we are not planning to by a house (we already have one), our ability to get on the property ladder would be enhanced if were planning to do so. I assume also that if the tax were, say, $5,000 we would actually be paying $2,500 each.
Renters would also be benefiting from the same tax savings.
Obviously National's Simeon Brown has never traveled on an InterCity bus.
National argues the Government's decision to invest tens of millions into inter-regional public transport, focused on trains, is unnecessary as InterCity buses already exist.
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
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David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
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A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
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The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
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The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Yet another low point in neo-liberalism and it's current enabler, The NZ Labour Party.
The shame isn't exclusively the governments though. From the news clip last week, it was said that these men were here for welding and driving jobs. This is how messed up this 'free-market' belief system masquerading as a political system is. Businesses no longer need to train, develop, nurture or invest in staff. Just get their industry lobby group to squeal like the stuck proverbial and get folk from overseas to do it cheaper.
This is where we end up. Parasites masquerading as 'Employment Consultants' clipping the ticket, that is after 'Immigration Consultants' have had their go.
This shameful episode should not be happening.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/08/four-more-auckland-properties-under-investigation-for-allegedly-housing-exploited-migrants.html
C'mon Minister Little, get assertive, push back and show everyone this is not to be tolerated here. Confiscate any of the properties involved in housing these vulnerable people. Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 should do the trick.
Meanwhile get these people on a benefit.
"In a statement, Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes said it was an "assurance review": checking the policy was working as designed, rather than assessing the policy itself.
As of 14 August, some 80,576 Accredited Employer Work Visa applications had been approved, for 27,892 accredited employers."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/496103/immigrant-exploitation-should-have-already-been-reviewed-say-stakeholders#:~:text=Immigration%20Minister%20Andrew%20Little%20has,migrant%20workers%20vulnerable%20to%20exploitation.
Difficult to find it not "working as designed" when its the basis of your economic policy
'Meanwhile get these people on a benefit.'
That would be a vote winner and encourage more of the same.
They have to be permanent residents before they can vote … .
I have come to the conclusion that you are a wee bit…thick.
And you're here to encourage people to vote NZF, displaying all the class associated with that.
I'm not encouraging anyone to vote for any particular party.
You misinterpret things every time.
People can read your comment history.
Indeed they can, to realise you don't know what you're talking ..about.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the ticket clippers are running these scams are immigrants themselves, if so deport them Pronto Pronto, that'll send a message.
Absolutely, I was about to say that myself. And we need government inspectors to visit workplaces, or airports, and inform these immigrant workers of their rights under NZ employment law.
With you on that.
It would seem logical that a condition of this scheme is that the workers are given union membership for the industry they are joining.
In the news item last week, the ticket clipper belonging to CPL, Ross Berry, was as stale, pale and male as me (and, I'm guessing you are).
Well past stale , ,jail for young ross berry then I hope
The system under which we have hundreds(known(thousands) here without accredited employers looking for work.
They are supposed to have named accredited employers on their application.
But "somehow", they are are here without actual jobs from these employers.
Have they paid people (agents) to learn of an accredited employer, or did their agents fill in the forms for them in return for money?
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/accredited-employer-work-visa
The expansion from 3 to 5 years from 27 November.
3-5 years from 27 November.
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/working-in-nz/accredited-employer-work-visa
What could go wrong?
MBIE is unable to check it all because of the numbers, so it's just a bureaucrats rubber stamp – and David Seymour wants to get rid of the rubber stamp, to make it officially open slather, while there is lack of housing and a cost of living problem.
What could go wrong you ask?
This is a view of Minister Little on Q&A.
"So there’s Andrew Little last week on Q+A getting grilled by Jack Tame on the Worker Visa accreditation scheme that effectively trusts the 27 000 accredited to not exploit the 77 000 migrant workers.
Jack challenges the process and argues the system, is only funded to review 15% of applications yet to date had barely reviewed 3% and of the 27 000 accredited, the Government had dumped only 2.
The Minister struggled to look credible as he sat with a straight face and declared the current 3% was working fine."
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/08/20/andrew-littles-migrant-exploitation-arrogance-gets-bashed-and-it-aint-pretty/
We may not like the source of the thinking, but I am keen to see where if the numbers are wrong. Funded for 15% but only 3% audited.
ACT flags the Highways! In the 20km stretch of main Highway 6 from Renwick to Havelock, there are 18 shiny new election signs. All of them in farm paddocks.Those huge sign growth are presumably with the cooperation of the farmers. What does it mean if anything?
There was one small Green sign but no other Parties in sight.
Well a while back, there was this…
Note the above glowering Fed Farm face is now an ACT candidate.
And considering ACT's stance on our Climate…..he has found a like mind home.
So this is how the befuddled minority who call themselves the Freedom Party and their mates in the Destiny Church plan to humiliate and up-end Labour's campaign trail?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132776440/the-political-divide-drowns-out-chris-hipkins-splits-families-in-tara
And I suspect this campaign by the "haters" everywhere is going to become more hysterical as election day draws nearer.
Hi Anne. "hysterical haters" , thats one description ! I did comment with a link already..
I reckon they will be seen as that.
From your posted article:
"And gender, specifically transgender inclusion, had been a hot button issue amongst conservative American politics. This has now reached New Zealand through groups such as Destiny Church…"
This is a leading statement, and demonstrably untrue. Concerns about legislative and policy changes obscuring sex for an incoherent gender identity have been discussed on this left-wing platform for years.
This framing occurs through the piece including the reference to BlackRock.
It is really unusual to have this type of reaction to public politicking though, and it deserves more consideration and better analysis as to the why.
I took that quote to mean that the ultra conservative (a polite way of putting it) among the American population are implacably opposed to any form of identity politics as a blasphemous conspiracy to take over the world – or some such barbaric nonsense. And their Kiwi counterparts have also taken up the cudgel.
However you are far better informed on the subject and I agree it would be interesting to have some formal analysis as to how and why this situation as arisen.
I later readed your post about the billboards on the isthmus:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-08-2023/#comment-1965146
"Passed a piece of Council owned land on the North Shore isthmus used for election bill boards. The Labour billboard was down and someone had taken to it with an axe and chopped it into pieces. Rarely seen anyone go to that extent before."
Coincidentally had just watched this on Twitter (If link doesn't work – a cyclist ineffectively kicking someone's "Trump Won" sign, then concerningly, returning a couple of days later at night to burn it.):
https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1692884225953779887
This apparently growing aversion to even countenance anyone expressing a view or political position that is distasteful and disagreeable seems to be resulting in real world destructive acts.
I don't know why this is occurring, but it is a very real concern, especially if becomes accepted as expected behaviour rather than condemned.
(Above video not posted as whataboutery, just coincidence. I think all such acts should be called out.)
There's a sequel to that story. Went past this morning and a Labour billboard is back up only in a different spot. But the National billboard has been pulled down and axed up.
Retribution on someone's part?
It is funny but not funny. They used to be defaced or pulled down but rarely ended up completely wrecked. It is indeed a sign that people think they can take matters so much further than in previous times.
"It is funny but not funny. "
I don't find i funny at all. I'd be less concerned it we knew the perpetrators were teenagers who are still developing impulse control, but I have a suspicion these are acts of adults.
At first I smiled. Then it dawned on me its not a smiling matter. It is childish and stupid. Neither Labour nor National activists will be responsible. It will be either young idiots or some emotionally stunted older persons.
Edit: now here is a photo that really is a bit funny. That poor cop will never live it down:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-left-red-faced-after-officers-ride-ends-in-the-tide/6YDA25K5NZGSRPCLIUUSVR6C24/
Yesterday (Saturday) a Labour party representative knocked on the door and asked if he could put a couple of small electoral hoardings on my front fence. I said yes, and the two signs (one for Labour, and one for our local MP) went up later that day – the fences of two other nearby houses also had the same signs stapled up yesterday.
This morning all the signs were gone – just a few shiny staples remain. I've contacted the local Labour party office to let them know they can replace the signs on my fence if they want to.
Imho, such dull and dirty political tactics really speak to the character of some opposition party supporters. There will be ratbags in all political camps, but the National (and Green) party hoardings on our street still stand – for now.
We have 2 Labour signs on our fence which survived the night. Mind you – we are not on a busy road and I have signs every election. Never lost one yet.
Nick Rockell "Nick's Korero" had it right . Worth a read."Beyond the Fringe" on the side panel here.
Learnt today that Newshub political editor, Jenna Lynch (the author of the story) is married to ACT Chief of Staff, Andrew Ketels. Sums it all up!
Surely that represents a conflict of interest.
Q&A this morning observations.
Tame is a very good interviewer.
Simeon Brown is one of the Natz most polished performers…regurgitated 'our(insert policy)..will be released…shortly.
ACT ,don't bother putting their candidates visage on alot of hoardings….just the twerkster=party vote .
TOP- seems to be the only party that understands the real ramifications of ludicrous property prices and Raf has a plausible plan to address them.
Slippery things often give the appearance of being polished.
His whiter than white crisp shirt together with his top to bottom shine from an over indulgent clean and polisher was too much for my aging eyes so turned the TV off.
Simian is a cheeky we monkey 🐒
A reminder perhaps that some otters are exceeding vicious and violent.
Himiona if you please. His non-Kiwi name confuses me…
Bollocks Blazer. TOP are not the only party to address the issue of house prices.
Both Labour and the Greens have, to different degrees, decried stratospheric property and house prices.
Labour has done several things to sort this out. They have built an extra 8000 state houses with many more in the pipeline (Keys government sold off state houses to finance tax cuts), they have brought in the 10 year bright line test , stopped most overseas purchases and stopped interest being claimed as an expense on rental houses. This has resulted in a roughly 12 percent drop in house prices, much more if inflation is taken into account.
Labour has also enacted rules to densify housing development in the major cities which reduces development costs and so house prices. Luxon has pathetically reneged on this.
In fact Luxon and Seymour will reverse all of these gains that have finally helped first time buyers.
Yes Labour have tinkered around the edges to combat the housing problem.
Unfortunately they don't have the balls to really address the issue…no CGT .no empty homes levy,no stamp duties….nfi.
Its not just the tinkering that is insulting, the 20,000 migrants a month that is helping to keep the landlord class happy.
It's closer to 10,000 a month.
Yep, oops, I misread a graph.
Point stands though, the builds are not keeping up with the demands.
According to some it is higher than that.
January 2023 16,000. February and March 21,400. This is arrivals.
https://www.pathwaysnz.com/news-item/immigration-statistics-what-are-they-telling-us
Over 130,000 inward in the year to March 2023. Under 100,000 increase when deducting those leaving.
https://www.miragenews.com/net-migration-gain-driven-by-non-new-zealand-1004746/
It could be a higher net rate by March 2024.
Maybe it’s time to ask employers to arrange housing with the job?
Wouldn't be needed if they trained existing staff and then bought someone lower down the skill chain.
Although in the case I cited, no disrespect meant here, we are talking about welders and drivers.
'We’ve already added over 13,000 additional public houses and we’re on track to deliver over 18,000 new public and transitional housing places by 2024'
https://www.labour.org.nz/news-making_housing_more_affordable
I must admit I don't think much of National's policy of making all road usage subject to road user charges. It would mean that if I drive 100 km in my relatively low emission Suzuki Ignis I would be paying the same mount as someone driving the same distance in a gas guzzling monster. It certainly won't do anything to discourage the purchase of gas guzzlers. Their proposed policy of gradually reducing the emissions profile of cars coming into the the country will take years, and perhaps even decades, to have any effect; and in the meantime I'll be paying more for my road usage, assuming the government wishes to collect the same amount of revenue as they do now.
National's policy of making all road users subject to road user charges also seems to be overlooking New Zealand's commitment to the Just Transition Declaration.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-commits-just-transition
I can't seem to find any policy (from any party) that specifically aims to ensure it (a just transition). Nor do I see the media holding anyone to account.
You must have not looked hard, if at all. Because if you had it would have made your idiosyncratic negatively loaded concern narrative null and void.
Can you point me to any policy (from any party) that specifically aims to ensure it?
I think you should stop wasting my time and that of others.
If you need a tutorial for doing internet searches then you’re in the wrong place here.
It should be quite easy to find policies of parties that at least refer to it.
It should be quite easy to find NZ media articles that talk about it.
I could do the mahi for you but for each link that I find I’ll ban you for a month for lazy time wasting and concern trolling.
Deal?
Before I accept or decline your offer, what are you offering me in return if you fail to produce a valid one?
You don’t understand that you must lift your game here.
If you wish to keep your commenting privilege on this site then you must do the mahi.
I have a number of valid links ready for submitting.
People can then comment on those policies and discus them, which is what we do on this site. However, you’ll be excluded, of course.
Your call, just say the word or do the mahi yourself.
Stop wasting my time!
Incog, there's now a note in the back end about the moderation from two days ago (links also below).
I’d honestly forgotten about those Mod notes from you for TC.
Since I did not actually moderate TC today I feel he’s all yours, irrespective of my comments, if you follow my thinking.
TC was heading for a Mod note from me too, sooner or later, but you were there first, so do what you have (or want) to do about him; there’s still time …
You're bloody lucky Incognito got to this before I did, given I warned you two days ago about not researching properly.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18-08-2023/#comment-1965000
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18-08-2023/#comment-1965009
You should read this too
https://thestandard.org.nz/moderation-notes-in-election-year/
Bollocks Blazer. TOP are not the only party to address the issue of house prices.
Both Labour and the Greens have, to different degrees, decried stratospheric property prices.
Labour has done several things to sort this out. They have built an extra 8000 state houses with many more on the pipeline (Keys government sold off state houses to finance tax cuts), they have brought in the 10 year bright line test , stopped most overseas purchases and stopped interest being claimed as an expense on rental houses. This has resulted in a roughly 12 percent drop in house prices, much more if inflation is taken into account.
Labour instigated cross party rules to densify housing in the major cities which also greatly helps to reduce house prices. Luxon has pathetically reneged on Nationals support for this.
Luxon and Seymour will reverse these gains all of which have helped first time buyers.
As does TMP.
TOP have said they will get rid of the brightline tax and make interest once again deductible. The latter would seem to be counterproductive as non deductibility probably discourages the purchase of houses for investment purposes. However they do have a couple pf worthwhile policies: the introduction of a land value tax, offset presumably by reductions in income tax, and insisting on a 100% deposit when purchasing an investment properties. The former would probably have a longer term effect rather than an immediate one.
A land value tax will add to the costs of homeownership.
A land value tax will add to the costs of home ownership.
That's the general idea, the assumption being that the wealthy would probably live where land is most expensive, easing the burden on the poor who would very likely be living in less expensive areas. It would also encourage the more efficient use of land, perhaps encouraging greater densification. The whole system would of course be offset to some extent by reductions in income tax rates.
Making the cost of homeownership more expensive doesn't help people get on to the property ladder. And the extra costs could result in more costs being passed on to tenants.
As for the tax offset, those on lower incomes tend to pay less tax, thus the offset is less likely to stack up. Potentially putting more costs onto the poor opposed to the wealthy.
I worked out that, based on the land value of our property, my wife and I would be better off if TOP were to introduce its 0.75% land tax, assuming they they also introduced their tax free zone of 0 – 30,000 dollars at the same time. Though we are not planning to by a house (we already have one), our ability to get on the property ladder would be enhanced if were planning to do so. I assume also that if the tax were, say, $5,000 we would actually be paying $2,500 each.
Renters would also be benefiting from the same tax savings.
That's really great that it works out for you and no doubt others.
My opposition to it is it doesn't work out for a number of lower income earners. I don't support a tax that hits lower income earners harder.
Don't think it'd called a deposit if you've paid full price.
True.
' the only party that understands the real ramifications '
You can 'decry' them all you like -when you are in a position to really address an issue and tip toe around it..you are responsible.imo.
Yes I agree TPM also have sound policy re property affordability.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a44852031/how-long-do-electric-car-batteries-last/
Not politics, but interesting facts about ev batteries, hopefully my next ute has a battery powering it!
Yes bwaghorn. If true, it seems that an e-car has a much longer life expectancy that I believed.
Obviously National's Simeon Brown has never traveled on an InterCity bus.
National argues the Government's decision to invest tens of millions into inter-regional public transport, focused on trains, is unnecessary as InterCity buses already exist.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/08/20/intercity-buses-better-than-govts-105m-regional-trains-pitch-national/
Does anyone have any examples from previous elections (or this one) of NGOs or Media publishing party positions on specific issues?
eg https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/party-policies-election-2020
or https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/story/election-2020-what-have-political-parties-committed-to-do-about-climate-change-and-the-environment/