Protest for pay equity

Written By: - Date published: 1:21 pm, June 22nd, 2009 - 47 comments
Categories: activism, national/act government, workers' rights - Tags: , ,

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Earlier this year the National/ACT government announced it would be closing the Department of Labour’s Pay and Employment Equity Unit, which was set up by the previous government to address the 12% pay gap experienced by women workers.

The excuse given by State Services Minister Tony Ryall was that ending discrimination and paying women what they’re worth might cost too much money.

The Council of Trade Unions and a broad coalition of community, employer, union, and academic groups don’t think this is good enough, and are organising a series of activities on June 30 calling on the Government to reinstate the Unit and start taking pay equity seriously.

In Wellington there’ll be a small lunchtime protest on Parliament grounds:

When: 12:30, Tuesday 30 June
Where: Parliament.

If you work in the CBD make sure you round up your workmates at lunchtime on Tuesday and head down to show your support.

UPDATE: You can join the Facebook group here.

[Hat tip: No Right Turn.]

47 comments on “Protest for pay equity ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Redbaiter 1
    22 June 2009 at 1:37 pm

    The pay gap is not down to any kind of disadvantage to women.

    There is not any social construct holding women back.

    The difference in average pay rates is down to choices and trade offs in work and lifestyle.

    Men’s trade-offs include working more hours (women work more at home); taking more hazardous, dirtier, and outdoor jobs (garbage collecting; construction; trucking); relocating and traveling; and training for more technical jobs with less people contact (e.g. engineering).

    Women’s choices balance income with a desire for fulfillment, safety, flexibility, 35-hour weeks and proximity to home. These lifestyle advantages lead to more people competing for those jobs and thus lower pay.

    • felix 1.1
      22 June 2009 at 1:43 pm

      Garbage collecting?

      I can see you’ve never worked in the industry, biter. It’s not one known for it’s high rates of pay.

    • kim 1.2
      22 June 2009 at 1:43 pm

      Guess we don’t need the pay equity unit then. Dispense with all those ivory tower elitist academics with their so-called “research” and “evidence”. Let’s just hire redbaiter instead, he seems to have all the answers.

      • Redbaiter 1.2.1
        22 June 2009 at 1:53 pm

        “Dispense with all those ivory tower elitist academics with their so-called “research’ and “evidence’.”

        Oh wow, Kim.

        Here’s one of just that kind of academic, (PhD) and guess what?

        He agrees with me-

        http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0814472109

        • Lew 1.2.1.1
          22 June 2009 at 2:03 pm

          Never mind the thousands of others who don’t – they’re just communists.

          Just like when it comes to climate change.

          And when it comes to poverty.

          And when it comes to regulation.

          And when it comes to justice.

          And when it comes to the mass media.

          And when it comes to democracy.

          Yeah – that Redbaiter epistemology again: academics who agree with Redbaiter are fine, the rest are communists.

          L

        • Ari 1.2.1.2
          22 June 2009 at 3:39 pm

          Oh look, it’s Warren “Discredited” Farrel being brought up as evidence. I’ve read plenty from him, and he’s gone completely off-track without anything to back him up.

          All the evidence shows that even taking into account pay per hour and across equal conditions and among people with similar dedication to their jobs, women are still paid less even when they’re more qualified than men in the same position.

          Even his points about high-paying male-dominated industries are stupid: Being a secretary used to be a high-paid position when men did it, but now the field is dominated by women pay has gone down severely.

          • Redbaiter 1.2.1.2.1
            22 June 2009 at 3:57 pm

            Oh sure- All that has to happen for Farrel’s work to be discredited is for some pro-feminist to say it is unreliable.

            Its all you guys ever do. Shoot the messenger if he brings you news that challenges your world view.

            In fact there are hundreds of other sources of the same information. Shooting Farrel will not get you anywhere.

            Here’s a few-

            According to economist June O’Neill, a major reason women make less than men is that they often choose college majors in lower-paying “humanities’ fields, such as education, journalism, English and social work, while men are more attracted to high-paying fields like business and engineering.

            As economist Nancy Pfotenhauer, president of the Independent Women’s Forum, put it, “Women make decisions all the time based on things other than salary – enjoyment of the job and ability to have time with their families.”

            Even liberal groups such as the American Association of University Women (AAUW), who support efforts to counter the wage gap, admit that over three quarters of the wage gap is explained by factors other than discrimination.

            According to a study by economics professor Linda C. Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University, reported recently in the Washington Post, women may not actually ask for as much money as men. And their reticence costs them in both starting pay and in earning higher raises.

            Babcock and her colleagues observed how men and women reacted when told they would be paid according to a sliding scale. Men were eight times more likely to ask for higher compensation than they were initially offered to participate in a simple experiment.

            In one early study, Babcock brought 74 volunteers into a laboratory to play a word game called Boggle. The volunteers were told they would be paid anywhere from $3 to $10 for their time.

            After playing the game, each student was given $3 and asked if the sum was okay. Eight times more men than women asked for more money.

            Babcock then ran the experiment a different way. She told a new set of 153 volunteers that they would be paid $3 to $10 but explicitly added that the sum was negotiable.

            Many more now asked for more money, but the gender gap remained substantial: 58 percent of the women, but 83 percent of the men, asked for more.

            The claim that there is a social construct that keeps women’s wages low is just more religionist nonsense.

          • Ari 1.2.1.2.2
            22 June 2009 at 7:30 pm

            Actually, I bought into Farrel when I read him, I was just turned around by much more comprehensive facts afterwards.

            According to economist June O’Neill, a major reason women make less than men is that they often choose college majors in lower-paying “humanities’ fields, such as education, journalism, English and social work, while men are more attracted to high-paying fields like business and engineering.

            The issue with this view is that even when women “colonise” high-paying professions, the pay gap moves with them- I mentioned this earlier, for example secretaries used to be extremely well-paid when it was a profession dominated by men.

            As economist Nancy Pfotenhauer, president of the Independent Women’s Forum, put it, “Women make decisions all the time based on things other than salary enjoyment of the job and ability to have time with their families.’

            Right, but they’re still paid less than men who make those same decisions. This doesn’t explain away the whole issue.

            Even liberal groups such as the American Association of University Women (AAUW), who support efforts to counter the wage gap, admit that over three quarters of the wage gap is explained by factors other than discrimination.

            Something being explained, even partially, doesn’t make it right. For instance, I think we should all be able to have the work flexibility and praental leave that is necessary for some women to even get into the workforce seriously. Saying that this explains away some pay inequality is like saying having a nail in your hand explains the bleeding- that’s not the point, there’s a bloody nail in your hand. 😉

            According to a study by economics professor Linda C. Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University, reported recently in the Washington Post, women may not actually ask for as much money as men. And their reticence costs them in both starting pay and in earning higher raises.

            Babcock and her colleagues observed how men and women reacted when told they would be paid according to a sliding scale. Men were eight times more likely to ask for higher compensation than they were initially offered to participate in a simple experiment.

            And it’s certainly impossible that this has anything to do with the fact that they’ve been operating off a payscale 12% lower than men’s for how many years? 😉

            In one early study, Babcock brought 74 volunteers into a laboratory to play a word game called Boggle. The volunteers were told they would be paid anywhere from $3 to $10 for their time.

            After playing the game, each student was given $3 and asked if the sum was okay. Eight times more men than women asked for more money.

            Babcock then ran the experiment a different way. She told a new set of 153 volunteers that they would be paid $3 to $10 but explicitly added that the sum was negotiable.

            Many more now asked for more money, but the gender gap remained substantial: 58 percent of the women, but 83 percent of the men, asked for more.

            The claim that there is a social construct that keeps women’s wages low is just more religionist nonsense.

            I don’t think the social constructs are the only thing at play here, but I think it’s ridiculous and plainly untrue with a little critical thought that they don’t play into income inequality at all.

    • Lew 1.3
      22 June 2009 at 1:52 pm

      Redbaiter, I’m disappointed you’re not running your line from the other thread, viz. that women would be paid more if they weren’t such whining bitches.

      L

  2. vto 2
    22 June 2009 at 2:06 pm

    So are all the stats etc that support the contention that women are paid less adjusted for factors such as job, age and experience, ability, etc? i.e. is a male nurse with the same experience, qualifications, ability, and position within the heirachy paid more than a female nurse? Similarly say female and male partners in a law firm (with same client base, experience, ability, etc)?

    Or are those stats raw and unadjusted? And hence useless…

    • wtl 2.1
      22 June 2009 at 2:08 pm

      Isn’t that what the (now scapped) research unit is supposed to do? Come up with the stats (among other things)?

    • indiana 2.2
      22 June 2009 at 2:53 pm

      Also, the CEA’s that I have read certainly do not have a clause to pay differently on gender either.

    • Anita 2.3
      22 June 2009 at 3:08 pm

      Yes, there are statistical sets which show that with matched quals, experience etc etc women earn, on average, less than men.

      On another thread about this topic I pointed to a radio programme which talked about a recent survey of recent graduates which found exactly that.

      • Anita 2.3.1
        22 June 2009 at 3:12 pm

        I don’t have time to look for the recent stats right now, but here’s an article with 2005-2006 ones:

        The NZ Vice Chancellors Committee reported that the average male graduate’s salary working full time is $50,388 and average female graduate’s salary working full time is $42,112 an $8,000 difference. There is a gender pay gap in every university subject area on graduation, for example a female commerce student can expect to earn only 75.5% of what a male commerce student does on graduation $43,588 compared to $57,740.

        • Redbaiter 2.3.1.1
          22 June 2009 at 3:18 pm

          Mr. Farrell has some interesting stats in his book (see ref above)

          For example-

          Women are 15 times as likely as men to become top executives in major corporations before the age of 40.

          Never-married, college-educated males who work full time make only 85 percent of what comparable women earn.

          Female pay exceeds male pay in more than 80 different fields, 39 of them large fields that offer good jobs, like financial analyst, engineering manager, sales engineer, statistician, surveying and mapping technicians, agricultural and food scientists, and aerospace engineers.

          A female investment banker’s starting salary is 116 percent of a male’s.

          Part-time female workers make $1.10 for every $1 earned by part-time males.

          Surprisingly, Farrell argues that comparable males and females have been earning similar salaries for decades, though the press has yet to notice.

          As long ago as the early 1980s, he writes, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that companies paid men and women equal money when their titles and responsibilities were the same.

          In 1969, data from the American Council on Education showed that female professors who had never been married and had never published earned 145 percent of their male counterparts.

          Even during the 1950s, Farrell says, the gender pay gap for all never-married workers was less than 2 percent while never-married white women between 45 and 54 earned 106 percent of what their white male counterparts made.

          But its different in NZ right Anita??

          • Anita 2.3.1.1.1
            22 June 2009 at 3:26 pm

            I’m curious now, and might try to track the book down, but just looking at your first point

            Women are 15 times as likely as men to become top executives in major corporations before the age of 40.

            This is clearly bogus ? there are not 15 times as many females executives in major corporations who are under 40 as there are male equivalents. I have to assume that the sample is somehow narrower than your statement suggests. In fact, most of those examples look like hand-picked data.

            Anyhow, I shall have a look for the book as the stats might not be as bogus as you’ve made them look.

          • Ari 2.3.1.1.2
            22 June 2009 at 3:46 pm

            Anita- He means that 15 of 16 execs under forty are women, not that 15 of 16 execs are women in total. Most likely “execs under forty” is a small minority of total executive positions. Basically, that companies that select in favour of men tend to choose older, while companies that select in favour of women tend to choose younger. This probably isn’t about women getting into jobs faster so much as companies who are willing to consider female candidates seriously also being willing to consider younger candidates. (And probably candidates of minority races and other sexualities, too, I’d imagine.)

            I don’t really think this actually makes any point about pay equity one way or the other.

          • Anita 2.3.1.1.3
            22 June 2009 at 3:53 pm

            Ari,

            Yeah I’d got that it was 15 of 16 of the under 40 year old execs (which is pretty serious cherry picking of stats). But it’s not true in NZ anyhow, and I’d seriously welcome any other stats that show it in other countries.

  3. George D 3
    22 June 2009 at 3:03 pm

    C’mon you guys, what are you protesting about? These are “different times”, Paula Bennett said so. So different that pay equity has to go out the window.

    • Anita 3.1
      22 June 2009 at 3:13 pm

      Do you think she wants me to get pregnant before or after I start cooking meat-and-three-veg dinners for my man?

      • Tigger 3.1.1
        22 June 2009 at 3:33 pm

        After. It goes dinner then pregnant then the ironing. And she wants you to stop asking questions – it’s very unladylike. 🙂

        • Maynard J 3.1.1.1
          22 June 2009 at 3:50 pm

          Apparently this will all be covered tonight on 60 Minutes.

          • Anita 3.1.1.1.1
            22 June 2009 at 3:59 pm

            Do I watch 60 minutes while ironing? Or during my pregnancy inducing exercises?

            Dammit, I’m asking questions again, my man clearly needs to teach me manners.

          • Merlin 3.1.1.1.2
            22 June 2009 at 4:08 pm

            ‘pregnancy inducing exercises’

            the mind boggles.

          • Maynard J 3.1.1.1.3
            22 June 2009 at 4:15 pm

            Anita, don’t worry, you will be told in due course. If in doubt, a copy of the 1952 Good Housekeeping Guide will no doubt be invaluable. (actually thinking about that makes me happy that we are at least having this debate…kind of like Iran making you appreciate what we have to complain about here.)

            Merlin – think The Big Lebowski. More of a stretch than an exercise but, er, on the right track.

      • Redbaiter 3.1.2
        22 June 2009 at 3:35 pm

        Anita, when you finally get around to having children, just make sure you educate them in the Muslim religion, because thanks to the low birth rate of the Europeans of Christian heritage and the high birth rate of the Muslims, there will not be any other demographic option for them.

        If you do have a daughter, make sure she knows she will need to walk five steps behind her husband in public.

        • Merlin 3.1.2.1
          22 June 2009 at 4:01 pm

          I’m confused. First Redbaiter is telling women to get back in the kitchen and shut up. Then he’s saying they will have to walk five steps behind their husbands in a tone that suggests he thinks that’s a bad thing.

          In a same comment he manages to attack a woman for (he assumes) not having had children and then decries an imagined anti-feminist future

          • lprent 3.1.2.1.1
            22 June 2009 at 4:50 pm

            Seems to have some consistency issues. Doesn’t seem like line the redbaiter of norm. Perhaps ms red has been giving him a soft time recently and he is confused by the lack of stimulation.

  4. sonic 4
    22 June 2009 at 4:02 pm

    Why not give us the URL of whatever American crank right-winger’s opinion piece you are quoting ratbiter?

    http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/050321/21john.htm

    • Pascal's bookie 4.1
      22 June 2009 at 4:21 pm

      Stop oppressing him with your bourgeois leftist proto c0mmunist filth sonic. So called ‘plagiarism’ is just a Gramscian tactic for the silencing of the unoriginal. Intellectual property is theft.

  5. vto 5
    22 June 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Vive la difference!

    (I suppose we should ask the frogs if thats meant to mean the good the bad and the ugly)

  6. So Bored 6
    22 June 2009 at 4:29 pm

    All I would like is for real wages to reflect the social value of the work done rather the ability to position yourself to demand high pay. Take the example of mainly female staff of old peoples homes, paid stuff all. When those of you who used to be a merchant bankers and a right wing bloggers etc are sitting in a pile of your own excrement awaiting a change of pants it may occur to you what real social usefulness is.

    • vto 6.1
      22 June 2009 at 4:41 pm

      Good luck with that Mr & Mrs Bored. Money don’t follow social norms, money follows other tracks. I dont think anyone would expect that pay rates reflect “social usefulness”. There are many other measures of usefulnes in the world.

  7. So Bored 7
    22 June 2009 at 5:10 pm

    “There are many other measures of usefulnes in the world”. Indeed, and a huge number of them are championed by people who want to justify the unjustifiable. Which is why I champion the example of those wonderful ladies at the old peoples home as being worthy of the highest pay of all.

    Would you VTO get up to sluice down an incontinent geriatric at two in the morning and not reflect upon why you dont get paid the same as a merchant banker? I suspect you will have some spurious reason like “divine right for VTOs profession” to justify why you are worth more.

    • Rex Widerstrom 7.1
      22 June 2009 at 6:35 pm

      …sluice down an incontinent geriatric … you dont get paid the same as a merchant banker?

      Being one of the few people to have actually read The Winebox documents, I can attest that the end result of dealing with incontinent geriatrics and merchant bankers is that you’re left feeling much the same in either case.

      • Anita 7.1.1
        22 June 2009 at 6:41 pm

        Ah-ha! You can answer one of my (never ending) list of questions: what does a merchant banker actually do?

      • So Bored 7.1.2
        22 June 2009 at 7:26 pm

        Rex, now that really is a proper and fair argument to justify your value, must have been hell..hehehe

        • vto 7.1.2.1
          23 June 2009 at 8:56 am

          Well in reality Bored, I have cared for a severely autistic teen with bowel control problems of a similar such scale, as well as having an immediate family member currently occupying the most faraway town of Dementia, as well as having been a founding member of one of NZs investment banking firms.

          Your rant has very limited foundation. Pay rates are some of the last reasons people choose their place in this place.

          Perhaps it is you who should get out more.

          (p.s. Kevin they dont steal railways, dumb arse people in govt set up dumb arse rules – look there for the reason)

          (p.p.s. Rex comes the closest to describing the reality)

  8. mike 8
    22 June 2009 at 7:32 pm

    But Labour had 9 years to close the pay gap – how did they fail so badly and why aren’t you taking them to task on this?

    They formed “the Department of Labour’s Pay and Employment Equity Unit” wow that sounds very impressive – what a patronising bunch of muppets they were.

  9. Mach2 9
    22 June 2009 at 8:53 pm

    Yet another mess labours 9 year social experiment have left us

    But Labour had 9 years to close the pay gap

    If ‘talk-back tory’ is the best you can do Mike then roll on 2011.

    • mike 9.1
      22 June 2009 at 9:38 pm

      So no argument regarding labours pathetic record on this then???

      At least defend your fallen hero’s a little bit eh…

      • Maynard J 9.1.1
        23 June 2009 at 9:31 am

        The best you can do is call a unit of the DoL muppets. What exactly needs defending here?

        And defend our fallen hero’s what? I am not sure my fallen hero’s got “a little bit”.

  10. C.V. Compton Shaw 10
    23 June 2009 at 12:16 am

    The Orwellian, Machiavellian, and authoritarian political and cultural forces that are apparent in the USA are, apparently in force in New Zealand as well. Through out history, the basis for demands for preferential treatment for one group and the political, economic, and social oppression of another group have been based upon specious sophistries and terminological inexactitudes. The demands for preferential treatment by feminism are no different.
    In the USA, as I remember it, women control and spend over 80% of disposable income.
    As I remember it, women, in the USA, also, own about 80% of the wealth. The unemployment rate for American women is substantially lower than that of American men. The relative higher unemployment rate for men in comparison to women is dramatically understated, in my opinion. Whole professions have been taken over by women (education, nursing, paralegal, office jobs) while traditionally male jobs are now becoming predominantly female (law, medicine).
    Given the aforementioned, the feminist arguments claiming both discrimination in employment wages based upon gender and general employment discrimination based upon gender are not only without foundation but clearly point to massive and institutionalized discrimination against men both in employment and in employment wages.
    I am not a citizen of New Zealand but of the USA.
    I traveled to New Zealand on vacation on one occasion and enjoyed myself tremendously there.

    • Zetetic 10.1
      23 June 2009 at 12:46 am

      um. Thanks for that. Tell all your friends about The Standard, New Zealand’s number 1 news source.

      • infused 10.1.1
        24 June 2009 at 11:36 pm

        Hate to break it to you, this isn’t a news source. Your posts are more along the lines of celb trash talk.

  11. RAS 11
    24 June 2009 at 11:29 pm

    Easy to fix. Don’t charge women GST.

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    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago

  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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