Robertson / Labour on the future of work

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, January 18th, 2016 - 60 comments
Categories: capitalism, employment, human rights, thinktank, workers' rights - Tags: ,

A good summary in The Herald yesterday:

Expect radical changes to economic policy, says Robertson

Grant Robertson says New Zealanders can expect a radical shift in the Labour Party’s economic policy ahead of the 2017 election as his party looks to prepare workers for huge changes in the labour market in coming decades.
…
“If we look ahead two decades, there will be enormous change,” he told the Herald from Paris. “Up to half of the jobs in the economy today won’t be there.”
…
Mr Robertson said addressing these changes would mean a radical change of direction for his party. “I do think there will be some big shifts because that reflects the magnitude of the change that is happening,” he said.

One of the ideas he has been discussing in Paris is Denmark’s “flexisecurity” model. The Danish system has three parts. It has flexible rules for hiring and firing workers, to make it easier to cut staff in downturns and easier to hire new staff when an economy rebounds. It has a generous unemployment benefit of up to 90 per cent for low-paid workers. And it has an “active labour market” policy, which means unemployed are helped into work, given guidance or re-trained.

Mr Robertson said New Zealand already had a flexible labour market, but it needed to be balanced with greater security and income support.
…
“I expect big changes in the education and training system to be one of the things that comes out of the commission,” the Labour MP said. …

Well worth reading the whole piece in The Herald. It’s a good thing that one of the major parties is thinking seriously about the future…

60 comments on “Robertson / Labour on the future of work ”

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  1. Paul 1
    18 January 2016 at 7:18 am

    ‘Expect radical changes to economic policy, says Robertson’

    I hope that this means a rejection of neo-liberalism.
    Not just more tinkering with the dangerous beliefs of Ayn Rand.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1
      18 January 2016 at 10:51 am

      Yep, to get the changes needed we need to shift from the present failed financial system to a sovereign monetary system. Get rid of the interest bearing private money creation that has the poor paying the rich to be rich. Thing is, Labour used to understand that.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1
        19 January 2016 at 5:51 pm

        it’s Grant Robertson, the last thing the man supports is anything which will put at risk his GR 2020 campaign.

        Hence all the “radical” reforms he is talking about will equate to fuck all when they are finally announced. Hot air, panel talkfests, and white papers.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1
          19 January 2016 at 8:15 pm

          Well, I’m certainly not holding my breath. Labour have been hard capitalists for the last thirty years. It’s their reforms from the 1980s that are dragging us down and I don’t really see them doing what’s needed to start rebuilding NZ.

  2. Ad 2
    18 January 2016 at 7:40 am

    Not sure what the point of what he’s saying.

    He’s been at it for over a year.

    Isn’t it time, in policy terms, to shit or get off the pot?

    • Paul 2.1
      18 January 2016 at 7:49 am

      I hope ( yet doubt) he’ll outline some policies like this.

      Here are Corbyn’s key policies.

      Renationalise railways to bring down fares. Franchises would be managed locally;
      Locally owned energy suppliers, emulating the German model;
      Integration of health and social care;
      Creation of a lifelong education service that would help retrain and reskill workers;
      Universal childcare;
      Repeal the Tory Trade Union Act;
      Fixed pay ratios for companies to stop top management earning many multiples more than lowest paid workers;
      Restriction on dividend payments for firms that don’t pay the living wage.

      http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/16/jeremy-corbyn-to-confront-big-business-over-living-wage
      http://uk.businessinsider.com/jeremy-corbyns-policies-at-the-fabian-conference-2016-2016-1

    • Pat 2.2
      18 January 2016 at 8:05 am

      “The Future of Work Commission’s findings will be published in November.”

      so a year , more or less……I had the impression from a previous article there would be some detail released early this year…apparently not.

      • Ad 2.2.1
        18 January 2016 at 8:26 am

        It’s been his baby for the last two terms; he was talking about it well before the Cunliffe leadership contest.

        It’s not a media story, just an ideological burp that he’s pleased with the flavor.

        Labour have to seriously start the year better than this.
        Key’s speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in two weeks will trump the annual Speech From The Throne because it will trump a massive series of developments and projects that are underway.

    • Lanthanide 2.3
      18 January 2016 at 8:55 am

      Apparently it was “always planned to be a 2 year project”, with the “first year to talk to New Zealanders and really understand the issues”. The first year is now complete.

      He promised that Labour would be unveiling all the new policies at the end of 2016.

      I’ll be surprised if there is any such significant policy unveiled that would suggest that the whole project couldn’t have been completed in 15-18 months instead of the 24 it will have taken them.

    • Colonial Viper 2.4
      19 January 2016 at 5:52 pm

      Exactly. See my 1.1.1

    • Descendant Of Sssmith 2.5
      19 January 2016 at 6:08 pm

      I managed to survive the year of the manifesto followed by the year of the policy (2nd year got cancelled) without changing my disdain for Labour and it’s current worldview.

      No doubt I’ll survive this one.

      I can’t imagine radical will involve:

      1. The right to strike
      2. Increases in benefit rates
      3. Removal of youth rates that adults get
      4. An 8 hour working day or less
      5. General wage orders
      6. A substantial increase in the minimum wage
      7. Reversal of tax cuts and esp the increase in GST
      8. Fining Talleys as a matter of principle and giving the money to their long suffering workers
      9. Finding out who all those people were who “invested” in South Canterbury Finance in the four or so weeks before the bailout when it was well known it was a dead duck – presumably knowing that interest was going to be paid

  3. b waghorn 3
    18 January 2016 at 10:22 am

    I’m willing to wait patiently ,but it better be bloody good when it gets or else!!
    Ie make it easy for people that pick up casual work to switch on and off the benefit easily , if you treat people like crooks they’ll behave that way.
    Don’t penilize couples for living in the same house.
    Don’t forget small town nz , not many votes I know but there are actual people living out here.

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    18 January 2016 at 10:47 am

    “Up to half of the jobs in the economy today won’t be there.”

    This is actually wrong because it continues the belief that there will still be more work to fill in the work lost. This is incorrect. What we’ll see is a decrease in available work and so, in two decades, we’ll be looking at 50% unemployment. The best thing to do with that sort of work reduction is to shift people into R&D.

    Mr Robertson said New Zealand already had a flexible labour market, but it needed to be balanced with greater security and income support.

    Actually, due to the attacks by both Labour and National on our education system over the last few decades our labour market has become less flexible. If people can’t get the education to move out of a dead end job then they’re pretty much stuck in that dead end job and when that dead end job goes away they’re simply stuck on the unemployment benefit.

    To get a flexible labour market that ensures security we need a UBI to ensure that no one lives in poverty and a free education so that, if people can’t get a job, they can walk into education.

    Technically, there shouldn’t be any unemployed. People should either be in work or in training (and that latter is either doing the learning or doing the teaching).

  5. Ovid 5
    18 January 2016 at 12:58 pm

    There’s a lot of thinking going on about this. President Obama mentioned it in his state of the union. This video is a good explainer.

    https://youtu.be/7Pq-S557XQU

    Just look at the advent of self-driving vehicles – how many people are employed in transport and logistics? If a truck can drive itself safer than a human-being, with only a need to refuel and recharge – working say 20 hours out of 24 rather than 8 – that would be a lot of jobs lost.

    • Lanthanide 5.1
      18 January 2016 at 1:33 pm

      Hence why trucking is likely to be one of the real first uses of self-driving vehicles. The industry is there and willing to pay the price for the vehicles / software and have significant gains to be made. The routes are well-known and (in the US) often driving through sparsely populated areas so road conditions should be fairly unchanging.

      It’s probably not really the lack of wages that will be the main benefit, but the increase in utilisation. If you can cut your fleet by 25-33%, and each vehicle is costing you $200,000, then that’s a very big saving.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1
        18 January 2016 at 2:37 pm

        It’s probably not really the lack of wages that will be the main benefit, but the increase in utilisation. If you can cut your fleet by 25-33%, and each vehicle is costing you $200,000, then that’s a very big saving.

        Now just think if we used that logic on privately owned vehicles. It would quickly become apparent that owning a vehicle is purely uneconomic. The problem is that we only look at these things from an individual perspective which brings about uneconomic results.

        • Matthew Whitehead 5.1.1.1
          18 January 2016 at 4:02 pm

          The thing mass automation is making increasingly clear actually is that the problem is the assumption of jobs in the first place.

          We are already to the point in automation where we should have dramatically cut working hours in order to spread available work among the labour market, however, the business community has moved much of that work to marketing, and lobbied the rest of the labour market into unemployment and underemployment.

          We would do much better if we abandoned the fantasy that we can get everyone into paid work, and instead acknowledged a basic income as a right and as part of a healthy modern society, allowing people to expand into R&D, innovation, and the areas currently recognised as “unpaid work” in various forms.

      • greywarshark 5.1.2
        18 January 2016 at 4:18 pm

        Gosh I remember driving through Waouru in the North Island and down from Ashburton in the south and thinking what lovely straight roads, or just slightly curved.

        I can’t see safety from self driving trucks on most of our roads. I think there would be more cyclists drawn into the vacuum at the sides, and even if they had some cow catcher thing that meant they weren’t run over, it would be extremely frightening that there was a machine driving a machine, and being programmed by someone who had trained his mind to the extent that he thought like the machine he worked on. Would they pull off the road where provided and let cars behind pass? The professional truck drivers do this. (I don’t notice the old double toot of thanks now though as cars stream by the behemoth. Have the prissy driver controls thought up by the PTB banned such communicating toots?)

        • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2.1
          18 January 2016 at 6:05 pm

          I can’t see safety from self driving trucks on most of our roads.

          I can. Or this.

          The problem with self-drive vehicles is still the humans. What we need to do is get the human drivers off of the road. And once we do that trains and buses become obviously more economical than cars and trucks anyway.

      • Wainwright 5.1.3
        18 January 2016 at 5:13 pm

        Putting all that freight on trains would be far too logical and cost-effective.

  6. Wairua 6
    18 January 2016 at 2:39 pm

    Sexism in Silicon Valley !

    http://elephantinthevalley.com/

  7. Katipo 7
    18 January 2016 at 4:13 pm

    From Wikipedia….
    In sociology and economics, the precariat is a social class formed by people suffering from precarity, which is a condition of existence without predictability or security, affecting material or psychological welfare as well as being a member of a proletariat class of industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their labour to live. Specifically, it is applied to the condition of lack of job security, in other words intermittent employment or underemployment and the resultant precarious existence. The emergence of this class has been ascribed to the entrenchment of neoliberal capitalism…
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precariat

    Guy Standing has written on the subject and was interviewed on RNZ earlier this year…
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20168199/guy-standing-the-precariat-charter

  8. Michael 8
    18 January 2016 at 4:40 pm

    From what I’ve seen of the “Future of Work”, the only “radical” bits are those that create even more risk and insecurity for workers. Capitalists OTOH, and the politicians who serve their interests, are well protected by any adversity in the Brave New World. Labour will have to do much better if it really wants to become a popular, and legitimate, democratic government again (I’m unsure whether it does want to attain this end; the easy way seems to be to say and do nothing, let a few fickle middle voters decide they’re sick of John Key, and decide to tick the box next to the B team at the next election).

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      18 January 2016 at 6:06 pm

      Capitalists OTOH, and the politicians who serve their interests, are well protected by any adversity in the Brave New World.

      QFT

    • Olwyn 8.2
      18 January 2016 at 6:58 pm

      From what I’ve seen of the “Future of Work”, the only “radical” bits are those that create even more risk and insecurity for workers.

      I see potential in the flexisecurity idea, but only if the deal includes the infrastructure to make it work as claimed. Labour cannot afford to mess their voters around anymore. What is needed is real commitment to making moves that actually make people’s lives more secure. There has to be more to it than a PR pitch and the repetition of a catchy word.

  9. tory 9
    18 January 2016 at 7:42 pm

    what i want to know where is the john key plan what has john key been doing the last 8 years he is the pm he should be leading john key has to deliver the brighter future he has promised

  10. acrophobic 10
    18 January 2016 at 8:23 pm

    It’s no wonder so few people take Labour seriously.

    First they decide they need to study the future of work, and so they give it a big name, ‘commission’, just to make it sound important.

    Then they get Robertson, who is a life-long trougher with zero practical experience of actual work, to conduct said study. Robertson wouldn’t now what work is if it jumped up and bit him on the arse.

    Is Labour really that devoid of ideas that this is the best they can do?

    • AmaKiwi 10.1
      18 January 2016 at 9:36 pm

      “Is Labour really that devoid of ideas that this is the best they can do?”

      They are devoid of serious thinkers on the ABC front benches.

      If the clowns running their caucus were running a business, the competition would swamp them. Oh, I forgot. That’s what’s been happening.

    • Incognito 10.2
      18 January 2016 at 11:26 pm

      If I can execute any little commission for you [Dickens, 1853] and since you seem to struggle with the English language please let me aid you by pointing out that the noun “commission” has multiple meanings, one of which is:

      An order to undertake a particular task or duty; (now freq.) a request, instruction, or order to produce a particular (esp. artistic, musical, or literary work) work, now esp. in return for payment. Also: the task or duty itself.

      [OED]

    • One Anonymous Bloke 10.3
      19 January 2016 at 7:31 am

      …character assassination is a common ploy of those with no other way to debate.

      Perhaps the Gosman Rule needs a name change.

    • Colonial Viper 10.4
      20 January 2016 at 5:41 pm

      Dude, it’s already all over for Labour. The thing is, it means that National is basically winning by default, not by performance.

  11. Craig H 11
    18 January 2016 at 10:08 pm

    Gee, a bit harsh on Labour there… Policy is the purview of the Labour Policy Council based on remits provided from local branches, LECs etc via Regional and National Conferences.

    After the last election, Labour effectively started again, so lots of policies were put forward at the conferences, a new Labour Policy Council was elected recently, and meanwhile the Future of Work Commission is chugging along accumulating data, ideas etc.

    Now that the Labour Policy Council has been elected, policy is being shaped, but any major policy around the Future of Work Commission will be months away from being announced, because any suggested policies have to be proposed, tweaked and agreed before they become official Labour policy.

    This confuses the MSM because they don’t get it at all, but the regulars here at the Standard are smarter than that, so I’m confident that now I’ve explained the democratic process behind Labour policy, people here will understand that it is still a work in progress, hence why nothing has been announced.

    • AmaKiwi 11.1
      19 January 2016 at 2:09 am

      @ Craig H
      Thank you for that concise explanation of why Labour is a dismal failure.

      1. NZ is an elected dictatorship. Governments ignore their election promises and do whatever they want. We all know pre-election “policies” are b.s. Since we have no control over what our government does, our elections are mere personality contests.

      2. The Labour caucus is unshakable in it opposition to democracy. The caucus ignores the general population in the service of some higher wisdom the caucus alone possess (i.e., how can they stay in control of their sinking ship?)

      3. If you want a Labour party based on policies, go into the neighborhoods and organize people to get what they want. It’s radical. It’s called democracy. Labour MPs sneeringly call it populism, implying it is a dangerous form of collective insanity.

      Having firsthand experience of Labour platform policy writing, I can assure you it is nothing more than a way to keep some members occupied between elections.

    • Colonial Viper 11.2
      19 January 2016 at 6:16 pm

      Craig H – Labour’s policy development model is a 19th century, union procedure inspired molasses.

      It is the equivalent of the British Red Coats reloading, aiming and firing in ordered ranks, even as the world has moved to an age of fast, flexible special operations.

      They are completely outclassed and out of date.

      • Craig H 11.2.1
        19 January 2016 at 11:28 pm

        On the fly policy is a terrible idea, and is one of our leading criticisms of the current government. Why would Labour operate in the same manner? If we want considered, high quality policy from volunteers, then it will take time. Given the result of the last election, everything is on the table, so there is a lot of policy to review.

        Also, the next election is still ages away, so there’s little point coming out with great stuff, only for it to forgotten or co-opted.

        The current model was put in place by the members to bring democracy back to Labour policy, and to try to avoid a repeat of Rogernomics.

        • Tautuhi 11.2.1.1
          22 January 2016 at 7:15 pm

          NZ has suffered from seat of the pants policy since the madman Muldoon in the 1970’s when he robbed the Superannuation Fund to finance his hair brained Think Big Projects.

          NZ has been an economic basket case ever since Think Big and Rogernomics, these latest clowns are heading quickly us towards a Banana Republic?

  12. millsy 12
    18 January 2016 at 11:00 pm

    You can have all the training in the world, but it is pointless if there aren’t any jobs at the end of it.

    Better off giving people a fighting chance by giving more assistance to people who want to start their own business.

    • Colonial Viper 12.1
      19 January 2016 at 6:17 pm

      You can have all the training in the world, but it is pointless if there aren’t any jobs at the end of it.

      And at its heart, Labour endorses the neoliberal model, so while it will fund training to some extent, it will not create jobs. That is left to “the market.”

  13. tory 13
    19 January 2016 at 5:59 am

    are you asleep at the wheel automation is happening know look at local mc donalds self help stations have arrived lawyer account and middle management jobs are going to be hammered as well you hate labour so much well let see the john key solution where is it they have had 8 years

  14. peter petterson 14
    19 January 2016 at 9:18 am

    Nz has a flexible job market that was never designed to help workers, just the bosses.

  15. Tautuhi 15
    22 January 2016 at 6:05 pm

    National have no solutions in creating economic growth or work opportunities, their only solutions are Asset Sales and Offshore Borrowing?

    Lucky we had the Christchurch Earthquake and Asian House Buying in Auckland?

  16. Tautuhi 16
    22 January 2016 at 6:13 pm

    One must create the environment for economic growth to enable jobs to be created, our workforce can not compete with $1.00 a day slave labour in Asian economies?

    Many with University degrees and many years work experience can only find casual jobs on minimum wages in NZ no wonder our young people migrate overseas for employment opportunities.

    We have had useless business managers in NZ and hopeless Government in NZ over the past 30-40 years who have decimated the economy and divested very profitable State Assets built up by taxpayers money over the past 175 years?

    The Neoliberal Experiment has failed horribly in NZ.

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  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
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