Reining in student loans

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, March 13th, 2012 - 133 comments
Categories: benefits, education - Tags: , ,

As widely reported today, Key made several comments on student loans this morning.

The news that they will remain interest free will be very welcome of course. Key is refreshingly honest about the naked political opportunism in this – he’d like to bring back the interest charges dropped by the last Labour government, but he knows it would definitely cost him the next election. (Love the back-handed insult to students though – the issue is “about the only thing that will get [young people] out of bed before 7 o’clock at night to vote” according to Key. Charming.)

The news that the loans scheme will be reined in “in a big way” will cause much more anxiety, especially until the details emerge. It seems inevitable that the Nats will repeat their large scale mistake, the austerity cuts that are stifling the economy, and restrict eligibility criteria to the extent that it damages access to education. The only tool in National’s box is a knife, so their only solution to any problem is to cut cut cut. Cutting education will save them some cash in the short term, the long term damage to the “knowledge economy” is beyond the scope of their impoverished “vision”.

I’d like to change the student loan scheme in “a big way”. I’d like to get rid of it, and replace it with a benefit set at the level of the unemployment benefit. We pay people who are unable to find work, we should be paying people who are prepared to get out there and study. This could only happen in the context of a massive overhaul of tax and welfare, of the kind described by Morgan and Guthrie in The Big Kahuna. More of that in a later post perhaps…

133 comments on “Reining in student loans ”

  1. Bunji 1

    Gotta love Key the “anti-politician”:

    “That is about the only thing that will get [young people] out of bed before 7 o’clock at night to vote, but it’s not politically sustainable to put interest back on student loans. It may not be great economics, but it’s great politics. It is a bit of a tragedy because it sends the wrong message to young people, it tells them to go out and borrow debt.”

    That’s right remain true to your principles John. No wait, do what makes “great politics”, and make sure those young people don’t get out and vote…

    • Eduardo Kawak 1.1

      “It is a bit of a tragedy because it sends the wrong message to young people, it tells them to go out and borrow debt.”

      This is so hypocritical I can’t stand it. Is Shonkey suggesting you should wait until you’re older and in politics before you go out and borrow debt – on behalf of the whole country?

  2. queenstfarmer 2

    This could only happen in the context of a massive overhaul of tax and welfare, of the kind described by Morgan and Guthrie in The Big Kahuna.

    I love it how so many who express left wing ideology appear enthralled by the flat-tax advocated by Gareth Morgan. It is a great idea (though with a number of rough edges). As Gareth says:

    The most pleasing graph in the Tax Review’s recent report is the one that demonstrates the total futility of having a progressive personal income scale.

    A single rate of personal income tax remains one of the fundamental reforms that could improve the simplicity, efficiency and equity of the taxation system …

    I presume when you advocate the massive overhaul of tax and welfare, this include embracing the “fundamental” flat-tax part of the formula too, and not just the “free money” part?

    • r0b 2.1

      Don’t recall saying I was enthralled by flat tax QSF, I said a big shakeup “of the kind” in TBK (not adopting the proposals in TBK) – with more to come some time when I get finished reading it and have time for a post on the topic.

      • queenstfarmer 2.1.1

        Flat tax is a fundamental part of the Big Kahuna. You can’t call for a shake-up of the kind in TBK without it.

        • shreddakj 2.1.1.1

          Flat tax is also a terrible idea.

          • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.1.1

            Nothing wrong with a flat tax just so long as:-

            1.) There’s a Universal Income that ensures no one lives in poverty
            2.) Either all tax deductions are claimable by everyone or there aren’t any tax deductions

            Without the second then you won’t have a flat tax at all and the first makes it a progressive tax rate.

        • r0b 2.1.1.2

          The ideas in TBK aren’t set in concrete QSF, they are one set of proposals, and it’s possible to ponder variations.

          But if you insist on flat tax, then maybe I’ll agree, with the level set at 50% (and various rebates along the lines of Working for Families for lower income earners). Would that make you happy?

          • Bafacu 2.1.1.2.1

            So the flat tax is only a flat tax for those that don’t have the flat tax (that’s the result of allowances and rebates) – so in effect no flat tax, just a variation of the existing tax structure?

            How wonderfully thought out to achieve what – bugger all.

            • r0b 2.1.1.2.1.1

              Breath deep Bafacu, I’m not seriously proposing anything of the kind (yet), I’m just pointing out to QSF that the nirvana of a flat tax system that so many right wingers drool over might not be as pleasant for them as they think. A lot depends on the flat rate eh?

            • RedLogix 2.1.1.2.1.2

              qstf is misrepresenting as usual. He’s only telling half the story.

              The combined effect of BOTH a Universal Basic Income and flat PAYE tax is in fact quite nicely progressive.

              • queenstfarmer

                The combined effect of BOTH a Universal Basic Income and flat PAYE tax is in fact quite nicely progressive.

                I don’t agree (and neither does basic maths), but if you say that TBK flat tax + UBI is “quite nicely progressive”, I take it you don’t have any problem with the flat tax?

                • Bren

                  Actually the combined effect of a UBI and a flat PAYE tax is progressive.

                  I even made a nice little table for you.

                  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AqEQVhEnsxsqdEhIaFB1UFN2ZE5xWWZZcDVBU0JrNWc&output=html

                  It shows that as your income goes up, then the proportion of the income you pay as tax also goes up. Which I believe is the definition of progressive taxation.

                  • r0b

                    Interesting table – thanks Bren.

                  • queenstfarmer

                    I don’t know what figures those are, but TBK isn’t proposing a tax rate of 40% and $50,000 UBI.

                    Using the real figures ($11k UBI plus 30% flat tax), the marginal tax rate between someone on say $40K vs someone on $200K is less than 5%. Versus 21.5% under Labour’s tax rates it campaigned on. I don’t think many Labour or Green activists would regard a <5% marginal rate per $160,000 of income as "progressive".

                    Hence my surprise that so many on the left have been expressing support for TBK.

                    • McFlock

                      maybe they support it because it’s at least on the same planet, rather than the myth of if the rich pay less tax, the poor would be better off?
                         
                      $11k is way too low, imo.  

                    • RedLogix

                      Really it’s hard not to lose patience with such obduracy.

                      ANY level of UBI combined with ANY flat tax creates a SOME degree of progressiveness.

                      Using the real figures ($11k UBI plus 30% flat tax), the marginal tax rate between someone on say $40K vs someone on $200K is less than 5%

                      Income= $40k; UBI= $11k; PAYE = $12k; Total Tax = $1k; Effective Rate = 2.5%

                      Income= $200k; UBI= $11k; PAYE = $60k; Total Tax = $49k; Effective Rate = 24.5%

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Using the real figures ($11k UBI plus 30% flat tax), the marginal tax rate between someone on say $40K vs someone on $200K is less than 5%.

                      According to my calculations it’s a difference of 22%. Some with a $40k income pays 3% tax and someone with $200k income pays 25%

                      That spreadsheet rounds off the decimals.

                    • RedLogix

                      Thanks DtB… that’s a much smarter presentation.

                      Really qstf reminds me of a lawyer I once met who coudn’t do simple fractions.

                    • Bren

                      Sorry I admit that I just made up my numbers. My point was just to demonstrate that UBI +Flat Tax is progressive and as RedLogix says, any combination of figures would create a progressive tax system. I didn’t stop to think if $50,000 a year was realistic. Obviously it’s not but it doesn’t deflect from my point.

                      On a side note, a progressive tax system is one where the proportion of tax paid increases with the income of the tax payer. What a Labour or Green activist considers “progressive” is beside the point.

                      On another side note, I think I now where queenstfarmer gets his less than 5% figure. It all depends how you frame the data.

                      https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AqEQVhEnsxsqdHlKLTlvUkdyZGQtSG5adjRsOVhNTWc&output=html

                      I’ve put in the “real” figures of $11k UBI and 30% tax. The first tax rate column shows

                      Tax/(Income+UBI)

                      that gives us queenstfarmer’s claim of “less than 5%” while

                      (Tax-UBI)/Income

                      is what RedLogix and Draco have used.

                    • queenstfarmer

                      DTB that’s because you’re ignoring the UBI in calculating the tax rate.

                    • RedLogix

                      Yeah… but the point is that the UBI would be tax-free, so there is no point in treating it as taxable income.

                    • Lanthanide

                      Yes, in TBK the UB is tax-free. Taxing it somewhat defeats the purpose, because:
                      1. It is being paid to everyone
                      2. There is a flat rate tax for all income
                      3. There are very few deductions available in TBK

                      At the moment people pay tax on their welfare income, but that’s because the 3 conditions above are not the case in the current system, so many people on benefits have very different circumstances that can’t be easily computed up-front as in TBK: instead of paying everyone say $14k and then taking back $3k in tax, just pay them $11k tax-free to begin with.

                    • RedLogix

                      Thanks Lanth. A very clear explanation.

                      I assumed it was obvious that the UBI would be tax free.

                    • queenstfarmer

                      but the point is that the UBI would be tax-free, so there is no point in treating it as taxable income.

                      It’s not being treated as taxable income, but it is being treated in determining the effective marginal tax rate.

                      Regardless, I’ll be very happy if more people regard TBK as progressive (or massively progressive, on your methodology) because typically the ideological far-Left would never even consider a regime that applied the same tax rate to the poor as to “the rich”, regardless of any UBI (under whatever name), which usually gets ignored.

                      For example, Labour’s tactics of deliberately ignoring WFF, housing allowances, and other income & credits to make deliberately misleading claims about parliamentary cleaner income during the election.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      It’s not being treated as taxable income, but it is being treated in determining the effective marginal tax rate.

                      And it’s the effective tax rate that’s at the heart of the problem with the normal flat tax from the right. Farmers paid, what?, $1700 average in tax last year? That’s about the same as what someone on the unemployment entitlement pays and yet that person doesn’t get to drive around in brand new $200k cars.

                      You need to do more than just have a flat tax.

            • Fortran 2.1.1.2.1.3

              Surely a flat tax is only for those who actually pay tax.
              A large number of families are negative tax payers, so how will this work ?

          • shreddakj 2.1.1.2.2

            Actually I hadn’t thought of that, a high flat tax with tax subsidies and income assistance for lower earners. That could work pretty well. The doctrine usually brings to mind people like Herman Cain and Rick Perry of recent Republican fame, who were advocating single digit and low double digit flat tax rates. I think also the ACT crowd were proposing a 20% flat tax rate a few elections ago weren’t they?

            • r0b 2.1.1.2.2.1

              I think they were yes (not sure because, like 98% of the country, I don’t pay any attention to ACT policy).

            • Matthew Whitehead 2.1.1.2.2.2

              Yeah, a UBI + Flat Tax system proposal tends to be very popular on both the left and the right in principle, but when you go into specifics you find that the Right wants a low UBI and rate, while the left wants a high UBI and rate.

              I think with a reasonably high rate, a system with a tax-free UBI and flat tax rate would be a much simpler way to administer both the tax system and basic-level benefits like the unemployment benefit. (You could have additional supplements available below certain income thresholds for dependents, various degrees of illness, and other critical social needs as appropriate, too) It also has the advantage of freeing up a large amount of people from administering gatekeeping on welfare payments who could be more productively used to improve society directly, either as government employees or in the private sector.

          • queenstfarmer 2.1.1.2.3

            The ideas in TBK aren’t set in concrete

            That’s right. But Morgan himself says the flat tax part is fundamental, i.e. essential. You seem to be saying you want the universal allowance TBK promises, but not the process its architects say will make that wonderful outcome possible. That is textbook blinkered ideology.

            But if you insist on flat tax

            I’m not insisting on it, The Big Kahuna is.

            then maybe I’ll agree, with the level set at 50%

            So Morgan comes up with a calculated and costed (albeit somewhat approximately) flat tax rate of 25%, which is all he says the plan needs. For what reason, exactly, are you now proposing 50%? Once again, you appear to be ideologically bound, in this case to the concept of high taxes. Just pluck out a figure of 50%. Great.

            • r0b 2.1.1.2.3.1

              50% was mainly just to wind you up QSF (sorry, I guess I’m feeling particularly grumpy today). It is not a serious proposal about anything. The only claim in the post was that a big shakeup is needed, “of the kind” set out in TBK. You’re the one who wants to turn everything in to a discussion of flat tax, not me.

              I’m not sure where I stand on the exact details of TBK yet, I haven’t finished reading and thinking about it yet, again as stated in the post. So patience my dear QSF, we can have this debate some time I’m sure, but here and now is the wrong post.

            • mik e 2.1.1.2.3.2

              QSF Morgan also says their is a $20 billion hole shortfall in his idea
              Meaning gst would have to rise and a tax on all capital gains would have to be put in place.

              • Lanthanide

                If you read TBK as finalised, it is roughly revenue neutral, because it does indeed include a comprehensive capital tax and increase in GST.

              • RedLogix

                IIRC TBK proposed an increase in GST from 12.5% to 15% ….

                A CGT and perhaps an FTT would make up the difference. Moreover the flat tax would not only eliminate the incentive for most tax avoidance and probably improve compliance rates substantially.

            • Matthew Whitehead 2.1.1.2.3.3

              Right, a flat tax is a big part of the plan, because it’s part of what greatly simplifies the administration costs of taxation and allows for the payment of the UBI- the point is that the UBI is largely paid for from savings.

              And yeah, 50% is ridiculously high, as this plan includes capital gains as part of income, so the rate sounds lower than it actually is due to that. I can’t see the rate ever needing to reach 40% in such a system, barring catastrophes. A high rate of tax under such a system would be 30-35%. Morgan’s proposal of 25% and a low UBI payment might actually be acceptable under an economic boom with near-full employment, but in times of economic depression or recovery there could be advantages to ratcheting the rate up towards 40% and boosting the UBI higher to stimulate the economy.

        • Blighty 2.1.1.3

          I don’t see why flat tax is fundamental to having a guaranteed minimum income/negative tax plus comprehensive capital tax.

          You could still have tax brackets.

          • Lanthanide 2.1.1.3.1

            You’re right, they definitely could have tax brackets. A large tenant of TBK however is that it makes structuring your affairs to avoid tax very difficult / worthless. Even having a tax bracket that kicked in at $1m would encourage people to create structures to avoid that tax.

          • Matthew Whitehead 2.1.1.3.2

            It would make more sense to have a sloping tax rate than to have brackets under a UBI system- brackets require much more admin than applying a simple formula.

    • mikesh 2.2

      I would be quite happy with a flat tax if I was receiving at the same time a tax handout of $11,000 pa from the government. But not otherwise.

      • Kotahi Tane Huna 2.2.1

        So what? Seriously, do you think policy decisions should be based on what you are happy with? Or do you think they should be based on stuff that works?

        When there’s a discrepancy between what works and what you’re happy with, then what?

      • $11,000 is actually a very low UBI.

        • Colonial Viper 2.2.2.1

          Yeah, its hardship poverty level living.

          A $7/hr full time job (which we all know intrinsically that no one can live on) would be a $13650 p.a. income. That’s a full 24% more. And still virtually unlivable.

          Looking at the comments which say the UBI is a tax free figure, the unlivable full time job above would still pay more than the UBI after taxes (if only by a few %).

  3. If they cut eligibility to people who are already studying (oh wait they already have with their limit on how many years you can get the loan for) then I’m buggered. This is my 5th year at university and I’ll have at least another 2 before I’m done, if my access to funding for education gets cut before I can finish I’m going to go postal. Full time activist perhaps.

    • higherstandard 3.1

      Hi Shreddakj

      Are you able to save or pay any of your loan off while studying in case you no longer qualify for a subsidy ?

    • r0b 3.2

      shreddakj – they would have to be insane to kneecap people like you who are already studying. I can’t believe that even the Nats would be so stupid.

      • shreddakj 3.2.1

        @ hs, I would probably be able to mooch of family members for money for transport and nutrition, but I would have absolutely no way to pay for the $6,000+ requires for annual tuition fees. Actually, since the neoliberal University of Auckland management are raising fees by 4% a year (the maximum allowed by legislation put in place during the Clark administration) that would be even higher.

        @r0b, they’ve already kneecapped some people I know who had to go frantically looking for scholarships and grants they might be eligible for in order to finish their last years while working for a slave wage at a local retail outlet just to eat. Having to do this places an enormous burden on any student, and their grades suffer, and if they fail any courses it exacerbates the problem.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.2.2

        I can. They want themselves and their children to be special and being educated while everyone else isn’t is one way to bring about that special feeling that the psychopaths want.

      • Simon Poole 3.2.3

        Studylink refused to give me a loan to study the final paper in my degree. The reason: I wasn’t doing enough papers to qualify.

        Following that logic, the Government wants me to borrow extra money to complete papers I don’t need. Either that or stop university with a sole paper left until I pull together the $1000 odd needed to pay for it – an easy task when working part-time and caring for a toddler.

        • NickS 3.2.3.1

          Did you try the limited full time study option? iirc last I looked it wasn’t limited solely to the sick or disabled, and was there for anyone who had one or two papers to knock off to finish their degree. Though that was pre-National…

    • Vicky32 3.3

      If they cut eligibility to people who are already studying (oh wait they already have with their limit on how many years you can get the loan for) then I’m buggered.

      My sympathies! 🙁
      I am also buggered – being over 55 I simply can never get another student loan, which reflects Key’s estimate of my chances of ever getting a job, it seems. I took out a loan for a course in 2009 which was supposed to guarantee me work – yeah, right! 
      I need and want to do at least another two courses, even to be an HCA in a resthome (or so I’ve been told.) I can’t do it.

    • That’s not the only way their existing restructuring has hurt students. Due to the requirement for set end-dates, self-directed study no longer has timing flexibility and has to estimate completion times, usually allowing far too little time for a reasonable grade. Guess who has 3/4 of a qualification due to fixed end times? 😉

      If National kicks students any further they’re going to lose the next election spectacularly- they’re very lucky that voting among students was heavily depressed this election.

  4. DH 4

    I’m surprised at how many support Gareth Morgan’s idea of a universal income. It’s as extreme & unworkable as the free market bullshit he used to espouse so ardently. Morgan is the typical economist who knows naff all about people & human behaviour, the grand ideas will never fly in the world of real live people. He’s in fantasy land IMO.

    • r0b 4.1

      I’m interested in the problems as you see them DH. Care to set them out?

    • James 4.2

      Can you elaborate?

      • DH 4.2.1

        Well basically IMO Gareth’s economic opinions have always been coloured by a view of how he personally wants people to behave and not how they do behave in real life. You can see that in all of his writing. His UBI is predicated on an expectation that people will act in a certain manner and it doesn’t match with the way people actually do behave.

        The plain fact about people is that if you offer them free money they’ll take it. Gareth is labouring under the misapprehension that many will take a more socially responsible approach to UBI and basically work for the collective communal good. He’s dreaming. If the UBI is an adequate income to get by on then you’ll see over half the population quitting the work force. If it’s not enough then it’s a waste of time anyway.

        If you want a recent example of how people respond to offers of free money you only need look at WFF. Well over 60% of those eligible didn’t actually need WFF, it was desirable but they certainly weren’t going broke without it. But they all took it whether they needed it or not. Now translate that behaviour into Morgans UBI and then ask yourself how many taxpayers are going to be left to fund the UBI.

        • dave brownz 4.2.1.1

          In TBK these are both in a package with a serious CGT. Now that would be a redistribution of wealth, no? Trouble is that no-one is ever going to seriously tax capital gain in this country. We will have to wait on the proletariat to expropriate all unearned income. Whoopee!

          • mikesh 4.2.1.1.1

            Morgan is not suggesting a CGT but a tax on an equitable rate of return on all capital.

        • mikesh 4.2.1.2

          People are basically greedy. Most will continue working for the extra income they can earn over and above the $11,000. UBI will give those who are prepared to live more frugally the option of opting out of the paid work force, whatever might be their motive for doing so.. After all there are still many superannuitants who continue in paid employment beyond the age of 65.

        • Kotahi Tane Huna 4.2.1.3

          @DH: yes, because people who win lotto always quit working, don’t they? And obviously the UBI is like winning lotto, so anyone on the UBI will quit work too.

          And when WFF kicked in, the economy shrunk because people didn’t need to work so hard. Didn’t it?

          I don’t know if Gareth Morgan has it right, but you are going to have to do better than that to debunk him.

          • DH 4.2.1.3.1

            None of those are the point I was making. The financial viability of UBI is totally dependent on only a small percentage of the population removing themselves from the workforce. Far more than Gareth Morgan thinks will take up the opportunity; so many so that it won’t come close to funding itself.

            The very principles of his UBI make it unworkable. It is a universal income for life given to all without preconditions. It must be a survivable income as it’s intended to replace all existing welfare payments. If, right now, everyone knew they could leave work & go on the dole for life the dole queue would more than double tomorrow.

            • Vicky32 4.2.1.3.1.1

              If, right now, everyone knew they could leave work & go on the dole for life the dole queue would more than double tomorrow.

              That’s complete nonsense.

              • Kotahi Tane Huna

                So bad it’s “not even wrong” 🙂

                • DH

                  Well I’d suggest you’re projecting your own middle class outlook onto every member of NZ society. It’s a big diverse world out there, I can think of at least a dozen people Iknow who’d hapily

                  • Vicky32

                    Well I’d suggest you’re projecting your own middle class outlook onto every member of NZ society.

                    If you mean me by that remark, it’s hilarious! I am not middle class, and in fact, I loathe middle class people. I assume you don’t know any working class people – because it’s them I am thinking of when I say I don’t believe most people would give up work if they could get UBI.

                  • Kotahi Tane Huna

                    Well I’d suggest I’m no more subject to confirmation bias than you are, my anecdotes are better than yours, and my advocacy is irrelevant, but my evidence isn’t based on either of them.

                    *happily

                  • Populuxe1

                    Clearly you’ve never tried to live on it as a single person with no dependents. It doesn’t even cover rent.

                • DH

                  Try breaking out of that middle class world you’re inhabiting & take a look around you. Ask the many people in crap jobs paying $13 an hour what they’d prefer to do.

                  • Kotahi Tane Huna

                    Stop your hand-waving and construct an argument.

                    • DH

                      I just did. There’s a whole bunch of people out there who would be no worse off if they quit work & went on the dole. They’d get a free 45-50hrs a week they can use to augment their income by whatever means they can come up with.

                      There’s a lot of really dirty, crappy jobs out there that people do because they have no other choice. We’re not the land of milk & honey any more, not for the low socio-economic groups. Give them a choice & then ask them if they’d still shovel shit.

                    • RedLogix

                      Starting to get it…

                    • Kotahi Tane Huna

                      @DH: I see your advocacy and I wonder what evidence you have to support it.
                      There are “dirty crappy jobs” that pay well because they are dirty and crappy (presumably as opposed to clean and crappy). Do you have some basis for your assertions?

                    • DH

                      Reply option isn’t on your post so using this one….

                      “@DH: I see your advocacy and I wonder what evidence you have to support it.
                      There are “dirty crappy jobs” that pay well because they are dirty and crappy (presumably as opposed to clean and crappy). Do you have some basis for your assertions?”

                      Could give you plenty but one example; Last proper labouring job I did was casual work for one of the slave gangs at ten bucks an hour. Had just come back from overseas & needed an income while I looked for decent job. I didn’t mind the work, quite like manual labour for a while & it was only short term

                      For me that was ok but I’m one of the privileged. Got a good education, a reasonable intellect & life ain’t that hard for my kind. My workmates weren’t all in the same boat. They had to do that shite because that’s all they could find. And it was shite work, ok for a while but not if you’re looking at a lifetime of it. Many days I’d come home totally rooted & I was pretty fit then.

                      The point? There’s a big sector of NZ society who can never be a cosy educated middle class sitting in a comfortable office. They’re incapable of it, either through upbringing or because they’re better with their hands than their head. They deserve a decent life just as much as anyone else, and for that they need decent jobs that pay a decent wage. UBI ain’t going to give them that is it?

                    • RedLogix

                      They deserve a decent life just as much as anyone else, and for that they need decent jobs that pay a decent wage. UBI ain’t going to give them that is it?

                      That’s shifting the goalposts somewhat. The UBI idea is important because it demolishes all the distortions and poverty traps that the existing tax system is riddled with. It treats ALL taxpayers exactly the same.

                      As you’ve already pointed out the existing system means that for most people earning around the minimum wage is probably not a lot better off after all their costs are taken into account. The UBI gets rid of this completely; if fact it gets rid of the whole idea of being ‘unemployed’ altogether.

                      The crucial point you miss is that while my proposed UBI is fairly low ($11k) … it can be very easily supplemented with a part-time income of some sort without facing absurdly high marginal tax rates.. That’s the incentive to do better.

                      There are all kinds of ways people can earn a bit of extra cash without necessarily entering the formal job market. Lot’s of small-scale entrepenurial businesses or gigs that pay ok … so long as they aren’t being taxed all to hell and back.

                      That would go a long way towards making life a lot better for a lot of people.

                    • Kotahi Tane Huna

                      “Slave gangs”. Nice vision thing for the future, and this is your manifesto is it? Just asking.

                      RL is far better informed than I.

                  • RedLogix

                    Three responses:

                    1. $11k pa is barely enough to pay the rent and power. If you want to survive on that then great.. personally I doubt very much that more than a tiny fraction of the workforce would choose to live like that long-term.

                    2. A flat tax means that every dollar you earn you get to keep at least 70c … from the first one you earn in a part-time job as a paper-boy or waitress in cafe, to the last one earned by the CEO of Westpac. It eliminates the huge marginal tax rates faced by people on benefits as they transition into low-paid work. The reason why they hate their crappy $13/hr jobs is that not only do they suck; at the end of the week they’re not so much better off than being on the benefit.

                    3. If $13/hr is still not enough to do the crappy damned job… maybe employers might have to meet the market.

                    • DH

                      For some reason some posts don’t have a reply button, might be the FF fonts…so…

                      No moving any goalposts there, just addressing a different part of the issue. My original argument still stands. If UBI isn’t enough to survive on then it isn’t socially desirable. If is enough to survive on then loads of people will exploit it to change their lifestyle; far more people than Gareth would anticipate. UBI has to be funded by the remaining taxpayers and human nature is such that there won’t be enough of them. Everyone wants to give up work & retire early, many will find a way to do it with UBI.

                      Just as people learn to avoid tax, so will people find ways to exploit a guaranteed income for life. It’s just the way we humans are.

                      [lprent: the comments go to a maximum depth of 10 replies and then the reply turns off. Yo have to go up to the previous level and reply from there. Or start a new thread. Otherwise the comments start jamming up on the right and go vertical… ]

                    • RedLogix

                      Just as people learn to avoid tax, so will people find ways to exploit a guaranteed income for life. It’s just the way we humans are.

                      I totally disagree. Under the current system there already is a form of ‘guaranteed income for life’. We call them benefits.

                      Yes some people exploit the system; but when there are plenty of jobs around as in 2007 the total number on the Unemployment Benefit fell to about 17,000. That strongly suggests that there are not huge numbers of people who are likely to be a problem in the sense you suggest.

                      With the UBI set at $11k and a 30% flat tax, the actual net sums people receive under TBK system are not hugely different to the current model…. but crucially without all the distortions.

                      Besides if someone is feckless/clever enough to want to try and live long-term on $11k pa… then good luck to them I say.

        • mik e 4.2.1.4

          DH Gareth Morgan has travelled to many countries in the world a knows a lot more than most economists to write him off so flippantly shows your naive ignorance.
          He has put these ideas out for discussion their are some very good ides in that mix but he has also admitted it need quite a bit of tweaking.
          One of the main problems he identified was the huge tax burden of those trying to work their way off the benefit who are paying over 70% tax.
          Morgans cash up front is a flat tax break no need to have a bureaucracy to make it work no need for people to work under the counter while on a bene etc .

        • Vicky32 4.2.1.5

          If the UBI is an adequate income to get by on then you’ll see over half the population quitting the work force. If it’s not enough then it’s a waste of time anyway.

          You’re completely wrong! It’s not just for $$ that I want to work.. IMO, it’d have to be more than 11,000 a year – my UB is less than that, and I can’t live on it, full stop. No one can. $11 000 is a pathetic amount for UBI.

          • DH 4.2.1.5.1

            Err, that was my point there Vicky. UBI is meant to replace superannuation, the dole & every other benefit. If it’s not enough then it won’t work will it.

            That’s the contradiction. If it is too low then it won’t achieve the intended social objectives. If it isn’t too low then lots of people will retire on it, making it unaffordable.

            • Vicky32 4.2.1.5.1.1

              That’s the contradiction. If it is too low then it won’t achieve the intended social objectives. If it isn’t too low then lots of people will retire on it, making it unaffordable.

              You’re right that if it’s too low it won’t work. The $11 000 figure I keep hearing is way too low, and would be workable only with the plethora of accomodation allowances we now have – or for people living together with (lots of) others. Where would it leave people living alone (or trying to?)
              However I believe you’re wrong about people retiring on it. As I’ve said, I want a job for other reasons as well as money and I think that’s true of 99% of unemployed people.

            • RedLogix 4.2.1.5.1.2

              Yes there is a gap between the proposed UBI and the current levels of Superannuation.

              Super is a form of UBI for the elderly already, as is WFF for children.. so there are several options.

              1. Adjust the UBI on age. Below 18 yrs old make it say $3k, above 65 yrs old make it $18k

              2. Or keep Super at $11k and fill the gap with KiwiSaver income tax-free.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.6

          If the UBI is an adequate income to get by on then you’ll see over half the population quitting the work force.

          Have you considered that half the work done in the country isn’t actually needed?
          That we actually produce far more than what we need?
          That we are motivated by purpose and not money?

          That latter is the most important. Give people a purpose to go to work and they’ll quite happily do so. Force them to go to work, as we do now, and they’ll resent it.

          All I really see from what you’ve written is that you’ve fallen for the lies of the RWNJs in believing that people have to be forced to work – just like slaves.

          • DH 4.2.1.6.1

            I’m not falling for anything. All of my comments have been based strictly on my own life experiences in NZ society. I’m lazy middle class these days but I haven’t forgotten my upbringing. I’ve worked in factories, had numerous labouring jobs, worked in shops, been both manager and wage slave over the years. I’ve worked often with those at the bottom of the pyramid. I’ve drank with them, socialised with them & spent more time with that group than I have with the middle class. I’d have fought with them too but they’d kick my arse too easy. I know & understand those people a hell of a lot better than the Gareth Morgans of this world, which is perhaps why I stick up for them.

            • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.6.1.1

              I’m not falling for anything.

              Yes you are.

              All of my comments have been based strictly on my own life experiences in NZ society.

              Anecdotes are not proof.

              …understand those people a hell of a lot better than the Gareth Morgans of this world, which is perhaps why I stick up for them.

              Except that you’re not. You’re saying that people need to be forced to work which the reality disproves. We didn’t get down to 3% unemployment because half the people didn’t want to work. If half the people didn’t want to work then, quite simply, they wouldn’t.

              • DH

                Huh? Where have I said people need to be forced to work? You’ve totally lost me there.

                • Draco T Bastard

                  In nearly every comment in this thread you’ve said that people won’t work if they don’t have to. The obvious corollary is that they must be forced to work.

                  • DH

                    Hmm, that’s a bit of a stretch. Certainly a large percentage of the workforce would leave if they had better options, work isn’t a joy for everyone.

                    Gareth Morgan himself obviously thinks people need to be ‘incentivised’ to work or he wouldn’t have set the UBI at such a low level. People would have to work because they couldn’t live on $211 per week. An income that no-one can live on kinda defeats the purpose of it, doncha think?

                    All I see with UBI is the country once again being treated as a fucking lab experiment. Morgan isn’t God, there’s no guarantees with it. What if he’s wrong? What damage would it do? Can it be undone? What if it turns into one big clusterfuck like all the other great ideas forced on us.

                    If it all turned to shite, like I think it would, is anyone going to front up & say “Err…um… ahem… well sorry folks but we made a bit of a blue. You’re totally fucked now. But hey, don’t feel too bad, we fecked up the future for your kids & their kids too so you won’t be alone in your misery.” Will they hell.

                    Even if I was a believer I wouldn’t support it, the risks are too great. I sometimes wonder if anyone who worked for Treasury ever reflects on the harm they’ve done. The lives they’ve ruined, hopes & futures they’ve destroyed. Do you think any of them have a conscience?

                    • RedLogix

                      That’s not an argument… it’s just a rant against ever trying out anything new. And like the existing system is somehow perfect.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Even if I was a believer I wouldn’t support it, the risks are too great. I sometimes wonder if anyone who worked for Treasury ever reflects on the harm they’ve done. The lives they’ve ruined, hopes & futures they’ve destroyed. Do you think any of them have a conscience?

                      The funniest thing here is that you are attacking Treasury – an outfit who are facilitators and enforcers of the present neoliberal status quo.

                      While (as RL has pointed out) you are doing exactly the same by refusing to consider change.

                      Oh the irony of that.

                  • DH

                    RedLogix …
                    14 March 2012 at 11:55 am

                    “That’s not an argument… it’s just a rant against ever trying out anything new. And like the existing system is somehow perfect.”

                    Nope. It’s making the point that you don’t try something new just for the sake of it. You have to weigh up all the possible consequences and be prepared to carry them if it turns to custard. The people in this country aren’t lab rats who can be swapped for new ones if the big experiment fails.

                    No the system isn’t great but you don’t make major changes that have the potential to make things even worse if all doesn’t go to plan. Irresponsible recklessness got this country in the mess it’s in, the last thing we need is more of it.

                    I think Lynne here might understand when I say that Morgan hasn’t got a disaster recovery plan & until he does UBI gets no creds from me.

                    • RedLogix

                      I think Lynne here might understand when I say that Morgan hasn’t got a disaster recovery plan & until he does UBI gets no creds from me.

                      Easy… just go back to the existing tax system.

                      In fact that’s one of the aspects you haven’t thought about. The entire TBK system can be gradually be phased in over say 3-6 years; starting with a low UBI of say $5k and gradually increasing it $1k per year.

                      There is no need to go cold turkey overnight; if the numbers go badly wrong .. then just unwind it.

            • Vicky32 4.2.1.6.1.2

              understand those people a hell of a lot better than the Gareth Morgans of this world, which is perhaps why I stick up for them.

              That’s always been my issue with the Big Kahuna… the person advocating it! Gareth Morgan was an ACT activist and a disciple of/advisor to Ruth Richardson. Meant to me, that there must be a sting in the tale/tail of the idea as put forward by him..
              OK, I am speaking for myself only here. I have an education, I’ve worked in offices and classrooms, but that’s not all I’ve done! I spent years working for IHC, as a support person, which in the 1980s, before they offered any training, meant teeth cleaning, bottom wiping, bed-making etc (I’ve also done similar things in rest homes.) Nevertheless, health issues notwithstanding, I would still rather do that than sit at home, even if I had a UBI of say, $20 000. I work when I can get work, for money of course, and because I feel much better in myself, to have a reason to leave the house every day, and a purpose and yes, even the label of ‘tutor’, or ‘support worker’ or office admininistrator’ or ‘library assistant’. I dread dying in a noteworthy manner (flood, earthquake, bus crash) and being described as “Mrs X, 58 years old, unemployed of Mt XXXXXX”…

              • DH

                Aye he’s counting on everyone to be like you Vicky, that was my reference about people acting in socially responsible manner. But we’re not all like you, only need look at our voting to see how much our values vary. His reasoning seems to be that people will work through greed or need.

                The devil is in the details really. No-one can live on $11k, hell I was on & off a sickness benefit more than 10yrs ago & I couldn’t get by on it back then even when I was getting a bit of extra income from part time work. So he either has to get the $11k up or he’s just a bit callously putting a lot people into penury.

                • Draco T Bastard

                  Aye he’s counting on everyone to be like you Vicky…

                  But that’s just it, most people are like that. Sure, there are a few (~1%) that don’t want to work but we can carry them and they may even come up with a viable idea to make society better while not “working”.

                  • McFlock

                    and really, not wanting to work and contribute to something could be regarded as the purest form of alienation of the worker, according to Marxist theory. Someone completely disengaged and unable to relate to the rest of society.
                       
                    I don’t agree with his solutions, but that guy sure identified the problems. 

                  • DH

                    I admire your faith in people but I’m afraid it’s misplaced. I can think of three groups who’d leave the workforce in a flash if the opportunity presented itself;

                    One is those mid forties & onwards, white collar workers. They’ve been in the same job all their life, reached the end of the career path & work has turned into drudgery. They’ve got nothing to look forward to except retirement or, possibly, redundancy. What keeps them there is the money & force of habit.

                    Two is those in manual trades whose bodies are getting plain worn out – usually fifty & upwards. Nothing you can do about it, work just gets harder each year & making the transition from manual work to seat warming is beyond many. Those who played contact sports can find it tough even earlier.

                    Three is those in low paid soul destroying jobs. Can be repetitive process work, hard manual labour, service work & other types of jobs that are totally unrewarding. Often made worse by a shite boss who treats people like crap.

                    Those three alone would make up around half the workforce.

                    • RedLogix

                      And what is so meritorious about all these people slogging away at jobs they really don’t want to do?

                      The first group will likely keep working more or less because they have mortgages, families, a retirement to save for and as you say; force of habit will likely keep them going to work each day.

                      The second group can damn well ease back on their hours if they really need to.

                      The third group can tell the boss where to shove his shitty job if it’s that lousy.

                    • McFlock

                      Number 3 in particular is a great reason to have a UBI. Basically the point seems to be that a UBI is bad because it would end wage slavery.
                         
                      Good. 

    • RedLogix 4.3

      I’ve been studying the UBI idea for about a decade DH. You tell me what’s unworkable with it and I’ll knock you over.

    • mikesh 4.4

      I can’t comment on that, but Morgan is a trained economist and I assume he has done his arithmetic.

      • Descendant Of Smith 4.4.1

        I’d still rather tax businesses on gross income same as employees:
        http://thestandard.org.nz/tax-take-bullshit/#comment-422506
        I can’t find any real way of finding out what the gross (before tax) income is of all businesses is in NZ but if anyone knows where this info is I’d love to know it to consider what that rate might be.
         
         

        • Kotahi Tane Huna 4.4.1.1

          Whatever it might be it would never bring in anything close to a paltry tax on financial transactions.

          • Descendant Of Smith 4.4.1.1.1

            That’s nonsensical.
            It’s not about bringing in more tax (whether we should bring in more tax is a different argument) it’s about how the tax collection is distributed.
            Both could bring in equal amounts of tax revenue.  Each would bring it in in a different way.
            I see taxing every financial transactions as much more complicated.
            Take the example of a bank.
            It would be much more complicated taxing every financial transaction (for instance would internal transfers between their own accounts count) than to simply tax each month their gross income before expenses.
             

            • RedLogix 4.4.1.1.1.1

              Not complicated at all. That’s what computers are really good at.

              If you set the FTT at a very low number (say 0.1% or less), then it’s a meaninglessly small number that rounds out to virtually nothing for most ordinary transactions for ordinary people.

              But it does raise real money from the people in the finance industries who shuffle millions around on a daily basis.

  5. js 5

    There is also blatant ageism as you can’t even get a student loan over 55, despite the fact that you will likely be contributing to the economy for several more decades. This government policy discriminates against those who have been made redundant or who have finally finished (or are between) caring responsibilities and want to do something with their brain.

  6. Bored 6

    Has anybody on either side of the political spectrum asked why the hell we have so many students? Or why we give degrees for every subject or practice known to man?

    And while all this “learning” is going on does anybody learn anything useful enough to justify the vast amounts of money they are charged for it? And is it useful to society and / or the economy?

    Has anybody asked how much universities have become businesses as opposed to places we need for the cultivation of applied thinking and abstract ideas that don’t directly relate to money?

    Has any bugger asked how much student numbers mask youth unemployment or if there are any real jobs for half the graduates?

    I personally believe student debt is an abhorrent imposition upon the individual and should be written off: more importantly before we take on more we need to ask what do we really want for and from our students?

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      Has anybody asked how much universities have become businesses as opposed to places we need for the cultivation of applied thinking and abstract ideas that don’t directly relate to money?

      Yes

      Has any bugger asked how much student numbers mask youth unemployment or if there are any real jobs for half the graduates?

      I’ve been wondering if we need to have real jobs that take up 40 hours plus per week each. Does that count?

      • Bored 6.1.1

        Yes it does count Draco. I reckon if our living costs and desires were a lot less we might all take benefit of a shorter week and spread the load. Nobody mentions it much with regard to employment and equity, proof our education system fails big time at turning out any original thinking…..parrots only.

  7. ad 7

    Tertiary edcuation in the end should make us wealthier and with greater options in life. But does it now? What we should be tracking is the relationship between student loan debt growth and home ownership. In the United States, I understand, the parallel is pretty close.

    I suspect (as in the case for my child) if they do acquire a reasonably hefty student debt, it is particularly hard to step them onto the property ownership escalator (and hence long term wealth) unless you fork out and give them the deposit. There’s simply so little left over in their pay packet for aggressive saving towards a deposit, let alone to service their first mortgage.

    I would like to hear if statistical work has been done tracking long term home ownership rates versus student debt in this country.

    I suspect it will be a real debt versus equity tradeoff: you can’t take on the debt that comes with qualifying, and also have earning capacity to take on the debt of a mortgage. You can only have one or the other.

    It’s a terrible signal to send to young people about to leave high school, facing the choice of further training, or getting into lower-skilled and lower-paying occupations. And a really brutal sorting mechanism for society. Policy quandary, anyone?

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 7.1

      Apples, meet oranges.

      Student loans are not the only way to fund tertiary education.

      • shreddakj 7.1.1

        “Student loans are not the only way to fund tertiary education.”

        There’s always trust funds and rich parents.

        Oh wait..

        • Kotahi Tane Huna 7.1.1.1

          Yes, those are other ways. But the traditional way is that we all pay for it through taxation, except for industry-specific training, which is a business cost.

          This Tory loan experiment, like most Tory experiments of recent times, is a failure.

          • shreddakj 7.1.1.1.1

            Oh I was just thinking of within the current paradigm. I would love to shift back to fully funded education for all. It would be a victory for social mobility.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.2

      Tertiary edcuation in the end should make us wealthier…

      Why? Or, perhaps, I should ask you to define wealthier. IMO, Having more money isn’t being any wealthier and doesn’t achieve anything.

  8. Harry 8

    It’s disgusting that there’s no interest on student loans.and anyone that thinks otherwise is not quite there upstairs. Of course there should be interest on them – not as much as the1990s, but at least at the rate of inflation. Plus much more pressure should be put on people who have taken off overseas to pay them back.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 8.1

      It’s disgusting that there’s no evidence whatever that the whole student loan experiment has been anything other than a colossal failure, a rort from start to finish, and yet those who drove the policy into being against all good advice cannot be prosecuted, but instead become company directors.

    • Colonial Viper 8.2

      Fuckers in charge in Parliament all attained their lofty positions via tertiary education during the pre student loan era, when a university education was essentially free.

      Make the younger generations pay for their privileges.

    • Bored 8.3

      Harry you probably think that you are the only sane person in the asylum, keep taking the pills.

  9. Hilary 9

    Universities are supposed to be the conscience and critic of society. The role of education is to train people to think critically, and thus challenge political and social structures and assumptions. Of course the powerful who fear such challenges want to make education less accessible.

  10. hateatea 10

    One of the biggest problems with the Student Loan scheme, IMHO, was the way it was applied to almost every student involved in PCET. Industry played a part in that too by supporting 6 month and 12 month pre-employment programmes where the future apprentices took out loans to learn what they would have once learned on the shop floor with the employer footing the bill.

    At the time of the introduction of the scheme I saw students suddenly paying $2000 of more for anything from full time literacy and numeracy courses through pre-apprentice courses to Batchelors programmes. Worse, many suddenly found that they were ineligible for student allowances because of the income criteria. Two parents working jolly hard at minimum wage jobs showed incomes above the limits while the children of those who lived in the more plutey parts of town but had means of ‘income reduction for taxation purposes’ WERE eligible.

    Add to that the pressure on all of the polytechnics to have more and more of their academics with PhD’s, researching and presenting papers at symposia and conferences thus adding to the overheads of the staff without any other means than fees to recoup and you have some of the ingredients that have driven up the costs of tertiary education over the past 20 years or so.

    It annoys me still that there is a widely held perception that all students are studying subjects that will earn them significant salaries once they are qualified whilst the reality is that many will go into jobs that are little more than minimum wage but still with Student Loan debt to repay.

    That said, the pursuit of knowledge, in and of itself, may bring rewards to the student and the community in which they live far in excess of the amount of the loan amount. I sometimes think that it is a shame that we look so much at the monetary cost of education and insufficiently at the sense of fulfillment and emotional richness that can come from study.

    Off my soapbox now 

  11. rosy 11

    “It annoys me still that there is a widely held perception that all students are studying subjects that will earn them significant salaries once they are qualified whilst the reality is that many will go into jobs that are little more than minimum wage but still with Student Loan debt to repay.”

    Exactly, this is one of my soapboxes too. I’ve spent a very long time trying to get this across to people who see student loans as something for middle-class kiddies to go to university. The abrogation of the employer part of training workers means that student loans are paid across all sorts of job training, regardless of probable income.

    I agree that knowledge for knowledge sake is a worthwhile pursuit, but when it’s job training rather than education there’s not so much of that emotional enrichment, it’s more paying to get a job – and enriching employers who no longer fork out for training, who then have to the cheek to complain about the ‘quality’ of their new employees. Take on some apprentices for goodness sake! It’s win-win in the long run.

    • Bored 11.1

      Hatatea is onto it. Basically what I see is that without paying for “training” and racking up a debt students dont get the interview for the job. There are then so many of them that supply exceeds demand and the price is low. And worse as Hatatea says less affluent families struggle to compete. It is just plain wrong from start to finish. Time for a major overhaul.

  12. I’m really impressed with all your writing skills in addition to with the
    layout on your own weblog. Is this a settled theme or did an individual
    customize it yourself? Anyway keep up the superb quality writing, it is rare
    to find out a nice blog this way one nowadays

  13. Fortran 13

    Superannuation is for a married couple just over $11,000 pa each.

    • Vicky32 13.1

      Superannuation is for a married couple just over $11,000 pa each.

      Which is nice for them, because there are two of them! As I know from the experience of solo mothering, two can (and do) live as cheaply as one.

    • Colonial Viper 13.2

      Thats bullshit. Jeeezus fortran please realise we all have access to google. For a single person NZ Super is over $17,600 pa

      https://www.sorted.org.nz/a-z-guides/nz-super-rates

      Where did you get your bullshit numbers from? Out of your ass?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    7 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    8 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    13 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T10:07:48+00:00