Roger Douglas attacks economic privilege and inequality
Written By:
- Date published:
10:18 am, May 5th, 2020 - 261 comments
Categories: act, labour, political parties, roger douglas, workers' rights -
Tags: covid-19, Covid19, rogernomics
The Act party will probably be reviewing his membership. Because Roger Douglas has gone back on his pro market mantra that he has stuck to for the past 35 years and has criticised the economic privilege and inequality that he helped create.
From Thomas Coughlan at Stuff:
Former Labour Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas says the Government should use the coronavirus crisis to attack economic privilege and reduce inequality.
But, unlike his contemporary Labour colleagues, Douglas said this should be achieved by reducing stimulus spending, including on things like the wage subsidy and infrastructure building.
The Government’s current policies, in particular the wage subsidy were “unfairly advantaging big business and the professional elite”, he said.
Douglas said this money would be better directed “towards assisting the newly unemployed – namely workers, their families, and small business owners”.
He has with Professor Robert MacCulloch published a paper on what the Government should be doing, and its emphasis is on reducing handouts to big businesses and dealing with entrenched inequality and poverty.
The paper includes a number of proposals including this one:
The most radical proposal was to “identify, and eliminate, unnecessary spending, privilege, and waste” from the Government budget totaling $15 billion.
This would mean cutting or reprioritising 18 per cent of the last budget. That’s roughly the amount spent of superannuation each year.
Douglas was particularly critical of the way that large businesses with healthy balance sheets had been claiming the wage subsidy, which has now paid out more than $10b.
He singled out The Warehouse and large law firms Simpson Grierson, Bell Gully and MinterEllison in particular.
“Why haven’t they been required to fend for themselves and their businesses?
“Why, when the good times suddenly come to an end, have they gone cap in hand to the Government?”
Douglas said it was an example of “the old maxim rendered true — there is never someone more socialist than a wealthy capitalist in a time of crisis”.
To be frank I believe he misrepresents the goal of the wage subsidy. It was to stop mass redundancies occurring. Without it potentially hundreds of thousands of kiwis would have been thrown out of jobs as firm after firm retrenched. With it people have been retained and the plan and hope is that things revert to some sort of normality within three months so their jobs are preserved.
And the amount paid does not cover the full wages bill but there is the obligation to use best endeavours to keep all employees in jobs. For many firms the subsidy will run out well before the 12 week period finishes.
Douglas proposes that the employee should be furloughed and the payment made directly to them. But the job is then gone. And the temptation will be that some of those jobs will not reappear as employers take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of their “worst performers”. After all, never waste a crisis.
I am pleased that for the first time in nearly 40 years Roger Douglas is on the left of me on an issue. Welcome back to the collective comrade.
261 comments on “Roger Douglas attacks economic privilege and inequality ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- Treasury warns deeper recession worsening Budget deficit
The gift that keeps giving: David Seymour has now opened a split in the coalition over the future of National’s promise to build a new medical school. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / TheKakaKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...2 hours ago - Weekly Roundup 22-November-2024
It’s another Friday and we’re inching closer to the end of the year. Here’s some of the stories that have caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and ...3 hours ago - Beyond Question?
Record Numbers: The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, which began at the tip of the North, and the tail of the South, on 11 November, culminated outside Parliament on Tuesday, 19 November 2024, in one of the largest demonstrations in New Zealand’s political history.ACCORDING TO TE ARA, the Ministry of Culture ...3 hours ago - The Rush To Blame “The Activists”
Activists are such easy scapegoats. The right and center have been conditioned for decades to roll their eyes at all protests. The left are easily aggravated over students leading movements they see as belonging to grownups, who have more important concerns like the economy and whether the trains come on ...3 hours ago - Cutting Through An Inundation of Dipshit Racists
Hi,Watching New Zealand from afar offers a strange perspective. It can be a good thing — distance from Aotearoa helped keep me sane while I reported on abuse at New Zealand’s biggest megachurch over the course of a year. It helps fuel my silly podcast. But it can also be ...4 hours ago - This is bad news
The speech yesterday by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor warning that the books are in worse shape than forecasted looks like it’s part of a softening-up process for either more cuts or a longer wait to get back into surplus. The speech was a highly unusual public preview of Treasury’s Half-Yearly ...6 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2024
Open access notables Projected increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons, Lopez et al., Science Advances: Future changes to the year-to-year swings between active and inactive North Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) seasons have received little attention, yet may have great societal implications in areas prone to hurricane ...15 hours ago - Chicken Kiev
Chatting in the supermarket this morning, I found I needed to lunge for the chicken drumsticks.Coping mechanisms: who hasn’t felt a greater need for them lately?When it all gets too much, I turn to demonstrating handy butchery hacks.It wasn’t that she’d said anything wrong, our friend, not at all. We ...18 hours ago - The year is 2024 and it’s 1984
This is written in response to the highly significant open letter from a group of economists that was today addressed to Christopher Luxon. The year is 2024, and it’s 1984. The country is reeling from a record Olympic medal gold haul, while the globe grapples with the choice of the ...19 hours ago - The IPCA has failed
Back in 2022, RNZ took an in-depth look at the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority and its handling of killings by police. These are the most serious test of oversight, and you would expect the police's use of lethal force to receive the most severe scrutiny. But despite the police regularly ...23 hours ago - Thursday 21 November 2024
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti arrived at Parliament on Tuesday – the size is being debated but estimates range from 42,000 to 100,000. The Prime Minister is defending not attending due to some of the organisers being affiliated with Te Pāti Māori. The national gang patch ban came into force ...23 hours ago - ‘These budget cuts are counter-productive and make no sense’
I spoke to former Productivity Chair Nana this morning about the letter he and a group of other economists sent to PM Christopher Luxon to urge the Government to urgently suspend cuts to spending and investment for the sake of the economy, struggling businesses and the wellbeing of vulnerable ...1 day ago
- ACT’s Astroturfing & A Co-ordinated Attack on Te Pati Māori
Unity on the Streets / Unity at the TableAfter the Hīkoi, all three right wing Coalition leaders came together to push the idea that the 42,000 - 50,000 + strong Hikoi was somehow less potent and brave, and more illegitimate than the energy and crowd displayed.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 20-November: ...1 day ago - Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for stabilizing temperatures
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink The world is emitting over 40 gigatons of CO2 per year, contributing to an accelerating warming of the planet. The world needs to cut emissions rapidly to be remotely on track to meet our Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to well-below 2C, and we ...1 day ago
- I Love My Leather Jacket
I wear my leather jacket like a great big hugRadiating charm - a living cloak of luckIt's the only concrete link with an absent friendIt's a symbol I can wear 'till we meet againOr it's a weight around my neck while the owner's freeBoth protector and reminder of mortalityIt's a ...1 day ago - Throwback Thursday: Will “Auckland Transport” Survive?
With Auckland Transport’s future up in the air under Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed CCO reform, we’ve dug way back into the archives, to unearth this post originally published in March 2010. As you’ll see, many of the debates that were being had when AT was first proposed continue to ...1 day ago
- Economists call on PM to suspend budget cuts for the sake of the economy
Nicola Willis’ budget cuts are under fire from economists for having no clear rationale and worsening the recession. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 21: The news at ...1 day ago
- The end of policing by consent
National has appointed a new police commissioner. And he explicitly rejects policing by consent: Asked if he subscribed to policing by consent, he said he did not. “I don’t talk about policing by consent. I talk about trust and confidence, and it is fundamentally important that the police have ...2 days ago
- The Treaty Principles Bill: A Who’s Who
David Horatio Waterbed SeymourFringe politician and dweeb transformed successfully by ThinkTank money into a well-oiled soundbite robot.Currently programmed to say: Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Was previously programmed to say:I am a proud libertarian andI am a ...2 days ago - Kinleith mill closure shows need for industrial strategy
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to deliver an economic and industrial strategy for regional manufacturing, rather than just expressing sympathy for job losses, following the announced closure of Kinleith mill in Tokoroa. “The closure Kinleith mill in Tokoroa is not just devastating for ...2 days ago
- 27% of kids going hungry, up from 21% in a year
One in four Kiwi children live in households where food runs out often or sometimes. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, November 20: The lead: The official annual Health Survey found sharp ...2 days ago - Transport modelling is an illusion
This guest post by Tim Adriaansen, an advocate for accessibility and sustainable transport, originally published on LinkedIn and cross posted here with permission. People prefer cars, right? Probably not. Here’s why. Granted, most people in English-speaking countries use a car to get around. This simple reality underpins our transport ...2 days ago
- Young Maori take over
Neither Wellington nor Parliament has ever seen anything like it before. The Police said there were more than 40,000 but however many there were, yesterday’s Hikoi to Parliament was a monumental event. It was almost three times the Foreshore and Seabed martch of 2004 and many,many times bigger than ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Aftermath
The euphoria from yesterday’s hikoi may be transitory, but is no less valuable for that. It is pretty rare for the left to feel itself to be in the overwhelming majority, and speaking as the voice of the people. Lest that momentum be lost, the organisers will no doubt be ...2 days ago - Sabin 33 #3 – Solar panels generate too much waste and will overwhelm landfills
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...3 days ago
- What’s the time Mr Seymour?
Mr David Seymour crawling up to the ceilingThe sun don't shine the sun don't shine the sun don't shine at allMamma Pappa say you should go to school, I don't know what forNow that I've grown up and seen the world and all its liesSong: Southside of Bombay"Ake, ake, ake" ...3 days ago - Submit to defend te Tiriti!
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on National's racist and constitutionally radical Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. Submissions can be made at the link above or by post, and are due by Tuesday, 7 January 2025. But I'd get in quick, in case National grows a spine ...3 days ago
- We need to talk about Kevin
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family has a Drunk Uncle Kevin in there somewhere. If your Kevin is anything like the ones I know, he was getting along happily enough without having to think too much about the Treaty Principles Bill apart from bloody good job, onya guys ...3 days ago - The hikoi
Like everyone else (everyone who wasn't there, anyway), I've spent the morning watching the hikoi march on Parliament. The pictures are astounding: parliament grounds and the surrounding streets are full, and there are still people backed up along Lambton Quay. The police are estimating 35,000 people, and that's a floor ...3 days ago
- Why Govt & NZ Inc should boycott & regulate Facebook
3 days ago - How should we talk about change?
A better world isn’t just possible, it’s desirable. And that’s how we should frame a lot of our conversations around making a greater Auckland. As an example take urban climate action. A climate friendly Auckland: Is free from congestion Enables people to travel how they choose Is filled with ...3 days ago
- AMA + Holiday Webworm Merch!
3 days ago - Discount Code for Webworm Merch!
Hi,So there’s a bunch of new stuff on the Webworm store (www.webworm.store) — just in time for the Holidays. Read more ...3 days ago - Trying to defuse the tension
There were urgent moves yesterday at Parliament to try and defuse the tension building up over ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill. The Bill’s author, ACT leader David Seymour, told reporters that he understood the Justice Select Committee met yesterday to discuss how long it should take to consider submissions on the ...3 days ago
- An Irritable NZ Pawn – David Seymour Admits Treaty Principles Bill will clear the way for deve...
3 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Arrival, And Tyler Childers
Politicians like to bang on all about the need to heal society’s racial/economic divisions, but in their actions they’re more keen on stoking those divisions, with the Treaty Principles Bill being the classic example. The Bill seeks to dilute the Crown’s responsibilities to Māori at the same time as it ...3 days ago
- Socially Backwards and Fiscally Forwards: the False Ideological Divide and the “Conservative” Li...
3 days ago - Kaamos: Accepted
I appreciate that A Phuulish Fellow has been fairly quiet recently. That’s a combination of two things – comparatively little in the way of relevant material to discuss (at least until The War of the Rohirrim comes out next month), and my general work on The Secret Non-Fiction Writing Project. ...4 days ago - Here’s how governments could fix their Paris climate commitment failures
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Governments around the world face a conundrum. Virtually none are on track to meet their Paris climate commitments. That includes the United States, which committed to cut its emissions at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 but is only on track for 32-43% cuts ...4 days ago
- Unstoppable.
4 days ago
- Katherine Trebeck – An Alternative Economic Narrative
The era of neoliberalism has been destructive on so many levels, with a huge growth in wealth and privilege for the one percent. A hollowing out of the state; fraying of the safety net; inadequate government investment in infrastructure; and continued environmental degradation has resulted in damage on a vast ...4 days ago - In a Manner of Speaking
In a manner of speakingI just want to sayThat I could never forget the wayYou told me everythingBy saying nothingOh, give me the wordsGive me the wordsThat tell me nothingOh, give me the wordsGive me the wordsThat tell me everythingSongwriter: Winston TongNext Tuesday, the subscription price for Nick’s Kōrero will ...4 days ago - Monday 18 November 2024
The NZNO have announced a nationwide strike for December over its pay dispute with Health NZ, who have put a 1 per cent cap on pay rises. The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti and Treaty Principles Bill remain front and centre in the media, with the impacts of the Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke-led ...4 days ago
- Shipley warns Seymour’s bill is ‘inviting civil war’
The divisive Treaty Principles Bill is not just a risk for the National Party, it’s a risk to civil order and unity, warns a National Party grandee. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on ...4 days ago - A clearer network for the City Rail Link?
This post was originally published on Linked In by Nicolas Reid. It is republished here with permission. Auckland is now just a year or so away from having the keystone of its urban rail network complete. As I wrote about here, the City Rail Link will be a literal game changer for ...4 days ago
- National’s support base is wobbling
If ACT leader David Seymour intended the Treaty Principles Bill to drive a wedge into National’s support base, he may well already be succeeding. By midnight on Thursday after the Maori Party haka in Parliament, National MPs were being deluged with emails and messages from their members calling them out ...4 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #46
A listing of 33 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, November 10, 2024 thru Sat, November 16, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is completely "meta" (no, not that Meta). It's about our exploring how ...5 days ago
- Grifter Eftpos Tamaki at it again
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Self-appointed “Bishop” and proto-fascist, Brian Tamaki was at it again on 16 November, blocking Auckland’s southern motorway, SH1.This time, the target of his ire wasn’t the Civil Unions Act; covid lock-downs; mask mandates; or ...5 days ago - Rip up a bill, lead a haka are words to live by
I cannot stop grabbing people by the lapels, or shoulders, or similar, and raving at them about the tiny miracles in my ears.I can hear again! There could not be a more satisfied customer in all the world.In a noisy cafe I am even catching words that Karren cannot, she ...5 days ago - Unintended Consequences
Take the baitYou pay the priceIt's much too lateFor good adviceYou know and I know that our good things' throughBecause there's consequences for what we doConsequences for me and youWriters: Kevin Robert Hayes, David Nagier, Bonnie Adele Hayes.Fallout from the first readingOne News began last night by saying that tens ...6 days ago - Thank you, driver!
Today, Saturday 16th of November, is Auckland Transport’s Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Saturday 16 November marks the third annual Auckland Transport (AT) ‘Bus Driver Appreciation Day’, and this year we are encouraging all of New Zealand to thank their driver or let the bus go first if you are in ...6 days ago
- Totally Normal: Holiday Edition
Hi,If I was to accurately sum up my mental state over the week, I’d just say that I got a huge fright from my own shadow.I’d nipped out for an 11pm neighborhood stroll, just to calm down after a day of stress and screens. The Cure and Fazerdaze’s new record ...6 days ago - We Are Not Listening
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
7 days ago - More lawlessness from National
On Tuesday, sick of government stonewalling, the Waitangi Tribunal issued a rare court order, ordering the Minister of Health to release unredacted documents within 48 hours showing its reasoning for disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. The government's response to the lawful order of a court? Yeah, ...7 days ago
- National’s tyrannical “foreign interference” law
Yesterday, under cover the the biggest political fight of the year, National quietly - covertly, even - introduced anti-foreign interference legislation. The bill is the product of a years-long work-program aimed at countering shit like this and this, and there's unquestionably a need to do something to counter foreign states' ...7 days ago
- The Haka Represents The Best Of Us
A few months ago, I was in an audience watching a Haka-Kapa and as I watched children dance and sing and sway and shout and beat, I couldn’t help but think “The Haka represents the best of us.”Yes, yes - there will be a thousand voices that rush forth to ...7 days ago
- Adding up the climate cost
St Mary’s Bay housing left hanging: Climate risk is systemically underestimated in the climate scenarios used by central banks, and a new report warns 10,000 houses are set to become uninsurable in Aotearoa. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in ...7 days ago
- Auckland chafing at Bishop’s housing intensification orders
One of the major problems the Government has in implementing its ‘going for housing growth’ strategy is that it isn’t giving much funding help to councils. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...1 week ago - Friday 15 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dominate political news, with it passing its first reading in the House. Parliament was briefly suspended and Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke suspended for 24 hours after leading a haka that was joined by opposition MPs and the public in the gallery. Willie ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 15-November-2024
Happy Friday, welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers ...1 week ago
- Are We The Waiting?
And screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingAnd screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingForget me nots, second thoughts live in isolationHeads or tails and fairy tales in my mindAre we we are, are we we are the waiting unknownThe rage and love, the ...1 week ago - The Hoon around the week to November 15
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including from COP29 this week; on the US Presidential elections, Israel vs Gaza/Iran/Lebanon, Ukraine/Nato vs Russia/North ...1 week ago
- First Tea and Toast, now Milo — why do NZ’s best beverages need so much defending?
Only two months ago, Nicola Willis had to step in to stop Health New Zealand cutting tea and toast for post-birth parents, and now Lester Levy is riding to the rescue with a welcome message for all: our health workers can once again drink Milo, and will no longer need ...1 week ago - Gordon Campbell on the folly of making apologies in a social vacuum.
Day One of the Treaty Principles Bill…and everyone got what they wanted, and did what they liked. Heated words were exchanged. Culturally appropriate acts of outrage were performed. David Seymour got to play the victim card. Willie Jackson got kicked out of class. A comically red-faced Mr Speaker bellowed “Order, ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #46 2024
Open access notables Microbial solutions must be deployed against climate catastrophe, Peixoto et al., Nature Communications [comment]: The climate crisis is escalating. A multitude of microbe-based solutions have been proposed, and these technologies hold great promise and could be deployed along with other climate mitigation strategies. However, these solutions have ...1 week ago
- The PM gets some extremely valuable legal advice for free
You can pay a great deal of money for the services of a KC. So just what would some peerless legal writing from 40 or so of them be worth, do you reckon?Priceless, that’s what. It’s not even the half of it, but this is my favourite part of the ...1 week ago - D-day for the government
The government's Treaty Principles Bill is up for its first reading today - bought forward in a rush in a desperate effort to avoid the hikoi which is currently marching on Wellington. But the Prime Minister won’t be there for it – he’s literally running away to Peru! But he ...1 week ago
- 97% of submissions did not want no-cause evictions, Trump chooses a Russian spy for US Intelligence ...
Good morning, and I’m sorry I’ve been away for a couple of days.I’ve been focusing on the Hikoi, and also testing out sentiment on the Treaty Principles Bill. It’s complicated, and the Treaty Principles Bill will be debated in the House today. The Government’s own lawyers have told them the ...1 week ago - Government must vote down ACT Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to vote down an ACT Party Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights by making it easier for employers to fire workers. Last week ACT MP Laura Trask’s Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill was ...1 week ago
- Seymour causes thousands of unjustified absences by forcing kids to fight for their rights instead o...
The State would like to remind you that they are in control. They manage your employment prospects, and can destroy the job market you and yours rely on by mass-cancelling construction projects, cutting funding, and firing a good chunk of our public servants. They wield the mechanisms that provide scrutiny ...1 week ago - The Weight of the World
As the weight of the world Hangs on your shoulders The weight of the world Starts to take over again And over again All that you once loved, now you hate So slowly relearn how to meditate To have and to hold And never let go Can you feel it ...1 week ago - Thursday 14 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill is set to have its First Reading in the House today, as the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti continues. More than 40 KCs have written to the Prime Minister and Attorney-General outlining their “grave concerns” about the substance of the Treaty Principles Bill, while an academic and ...1 week ago
- Trump’s return to White House brings the climate’s ‘find out’ phase closer
As we absorb the news of Trump's victory in the US Presidential election, here’s a wrap compiled just before the result of what it might mean for climate action: The UN Secretary General says the prospective departure of the United States would cripple the Paris Agreement, likening it to the ...1 week ago
- Time and Space in the City Centre
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the City Centre Advisory Panel. The header image is from Walthamstow, London The city centre now has a few stretches of street where the space has been repurposed to a people and place focused design from full time traffic use. These are a great ...1 week ago
- An opportunity for a pro-growth tax switch
As the Hikoi against it swells into the tens of thousands, KCs call on National to kill off ACT’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 14: The ...1 week ago
- Release: Government should be transparent on live exports
Targeted consultation on reinstating live cattle exports by sea won’t allow the New Zealand public to have their say. ...2 hours ago - NZ’s global climate rankings plummet as Govt removes agriculture from ETS
The Government has passed legislation to remove agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) while Aotearoa’s reputation on climate action plummets. ...17 hours ago - Failed boot camp experiment must end
As legislation to set up boot camps passed its first reading, the Green Party urged the Government to abandon this failed policy experiment for the good of our rangatahi. ...18 hours ago
- Gender-affirming care must centre evidence and health needs, not political posturing
The Ministry of Health has today released an evidence brief regarding the use of puberty blockers in gender-affirming healthcare, amid moves by the government to limit access. ...18 hours ago
- Release: National doesn’t care about manufacturing
The National Government is walking away from our manufacturing sector with constant reports of closures and job losses. ...20 hours ago
- Release: David Parker speech – Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change
David Parker's speech from the University of Auckland's forum on Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change in September 2024. ...20 hours ago
- Release: Youth mental wellbeing no longer a priority for Child Poverty Minister
Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...21 hours ago
- Release: National’s lack of climate action taking NZ backwards
National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...21 hours ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...1 day ago
- Govt’s child wellbeing strategy ‘shallow and shameful’
The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...1 day ago
- Release: A historic win for Samoan communities
Labour warmly welcomes the Restoring Samoan Citizenship Bill as it passes its third reading, before becoming law. ...1 day ago
- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...2 days ago
- Pasifika justice as Member’s Bill passes final reading
Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, the Citizenship (Western Samoa Restoration) Amendment Bill, has passed its third reading and will become law. ...2 days ago
- Release: Minister of Education thinks New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills
The Minister of Education has shown complete disregard for rural communities and their school bus routes in Question Time today. ...2 days ago
- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...2 days ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...2 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...2 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...4 days ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...5 days ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...7 days ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...1 week ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Over 15,000 sign Labour’s open letter to Luxon
As the hīkoi to Parliament continues, Labour has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a last-ditch attempt to get him to kill the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation
The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...1 week ago
- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...1 week ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...1 week ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...1 week ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect
The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent wake-up call on climate
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- New facility in Christchurch will improve the lives of young New Zealanders
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey today opened Kahurangi, an innovative and much-needed facility for Canterbury’s Child, Adolescent, and Family Mental Health Services. “The new state of the art outpatient facility opened today will be a gamechanger for the way mental health is delivered for young people in Canterbury,” says Mr ...36 minutes ago - Driver safety screens to be installed on Auckland buses
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) that bus driver protection screens will be installed across Auckland’s bus fleet by 2026.“The Government is committed to improving the safety of working environments for bus drivers, and Budget 2024 allocated $15 million of Crown funding over ...1 hour ago
- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
The Government is taking action to ensure Southland farmers and growers are not affected by unreasonable regional farm plan deadlines, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.“Cabinet has agreed to provide more time for farmers and growers to comply with regional rules ...18 hours ago
- Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...18 hours ago
- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
Fairer, more sensible rules about managing earthquake risks are a step closer with the passing of legislation and the appointment of an independent chair to provide expert advice, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The Government is committed to reinvigorating our cities and regions to support economic growth, ...19 hours ago
- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
People in Northland and Auckland will benefit from a new machine for cancer treatment installed at the Regional Cancer and Blood Service at Auckland City Hospital. The MV5 linear accelerator, or LINAC machine, officially opened today targets cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says this new, ...19 hours ago
- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...20 hours ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
Police have made their first arrests under the new gang patch legislation, with two gang members arrested, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement ...21 hours ago
- Better support for victims of sexual violence
The Government is proposing two major changes to name suppression laws that will put the views of victims of sexual violence first, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “We are committed to restoring law and order and these two proposed changes will help ensure the victims of crime are put at ...22 hours ago
- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...22 hours ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...23 hours ago
- Fighting for Kiwis in Trade
Delivered at Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School Good morning and thank you Deputy Vice Chancellor Lithander for your warm welcome and for inviting me to open Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School today. A Special thanks to the University of Auckland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ...24 hours ago
- Attendance rates increase, again
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...1 day ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...1 day ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...2 days ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...2 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...2 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...2 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...2 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...2 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...2 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...3 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...3 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...3 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...3 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...3 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...3 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...3 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...3 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...4 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...4 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...4 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...4 days ago
- Launching the White Ribbon Ride
The Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, was on hand to wish riders well at the start of the North Island leg of the White Ribbon Ride in Whakatāne this morning. The ride helps mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ...5 days ago
- Construction to begin on next stage of Papakura to Drury
Construction on the next stage of the SH1 Papakura to Drury project will begin early next month, with the contract for works awarded to Fulton Hogan, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. "SH1 Papakura to Drury is a key project that will drive economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, and enable people ...6 days ago
- NZ signs trade deal with Costa Rica, Iceland and Switzerland
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has signed a pioneering trade agreement that prioritises New Zealand’s sustainable exports at a ceremony during APEC in Peru today. “The Agreement on Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS), between Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland was concluded in July of this year and opens up significant ...6 days ago
- Government and iwi work together on aquaculture
Five new Aquaculture Settlement Areas will help ensure Ngāi Tahu shares in the opportunities aquaculture offers for Southland’s economy, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. “The Aquaculture Settlement Areas (ASAs) I’m announcing today set aside space so the Crown and Ngāi Tahu can assess their potential for aquaculture development. ...7 days ago
- Government launches review to ensure electricity market is fit-for-purpose
The terms of reference for a review of the performance of the electricity market have been released. The review, initiated by the Coalition Government during the power crisis in winter will look at whether current regulations and market design support economic growth and access to reliable and affordable electricity, Energy Minister ...7 days ago
- RNA editing is the next frontier in gene therapy – here’s what you need to know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne IoanaB/Shutterstock The United States Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first-ever clinical trial that uses CRISPR-Cas13 RNA editing. Its ...2 hours ago - Yes, you still need to use sunscreen, despite what you’ve heard on TikTok
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Lee, PhD Candidate, Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Karolina Grabowska/Pexels Summer is nearly here. But rather than getting out the sunscreen, some TikTokers are urging followers to chuck it out and go sunscreen-free. They claim it’s healthier ...2 hours ago
- Humans are killing off the old and wise animals that hold nature together. Here’s what must change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keller Kopf, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Charles Darwin University Laxmikant Ameenagad, Shutterstock In humans and other animals, ageing is generally associated with a decline in biological function. But scientists are now discovering older animals perform vital roles in populations and ecosystems. ...2 hours ago
- A man scouring Google Earth found a mysterious scar in the Australian outback – and now scientists...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matej Lipar, Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University Author provided/Google Earth Earlier this year, a caver was poring over satellite images of the Nullarbor Plain when he came across something unexpected: an enormous, mysterious scar etched ...2 hours ago
- Design as a movement: how First Nations people take ownership of their cultural stories through fash...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney Once located 250 metres to the east of the Art Gallery of South Australia, the grand beaux-arts style Jubilee Exhibition Building was constructed to house the ...2 hours ago
- ‘We need more doctors’ – Support for new Waikato medical school
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says a third medical school and more students in Auckland and Otago are both needed. ...2 hours ago - Cricket balls can concuss and even kill batters – at all levels, helmet use must be taken seriousl...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Greenhow, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Bond University Linda George/Shutterstock The ten-year anniversary of the death of much-loved Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes falls on November 27. The 25-year-old’s life was tragically cut short in 2014 when a bouncer ...2 hours ago
- Hold the roosters, no economic dawn yet
Treasury likely to downgrade economic forecast while Chris Bishop says the government won’t be ‘a slave to a surplus’, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Recession will be deeper and last longer — Treasury At a recent Spinoff ...3 hours ago - Knowing superstitions aren’t real doesn’t stop us behaving superstitiously – why?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Gomes-Ng, Senior Lecturer of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Former New Zealand prime minister John Key has three white rabbits painted on his helicopter, a nod to his “massively superstitious” habit of repeating “white rabbits” three times at ...4 hours ago
- Government slammed for pushing ahead with boot camps while trial still under way
The coalition has "absolutely no intention of listening to the evidence that comes out of their experiment", Labour MP says. ...5 hours ago
- Smoke and mirrors in tobacco debate
Labour claims Government is ‘cherry-picking’ smoking trends data to hide decade-first increase in daily smokers The post Smoke and mirrors in tobacco debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago - Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate
Labour claims Government is ‘cherry-picking’ smoking trends data to hide decade-first increase in daily smokers The post Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- Treasury bangs the drum on ‘unsustainable’ superannuation
The Government’s economic adviser is sending a message it doesn’t want to hear – superannuation is increasingly unaffordable The post Treasury bangs the drum on ‘unsustainable’ superannuation appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- Victims of sex offending welcome shift on name suppression laws
A man abused by a former political figure is "immensely relieved" at a government proposal to end secrecy around sex offenders' identities. ...5 hours ago
- This week three parties stood together – can they withstand the storm to come?
There is plenty yet to play out, but the next election is at this rate shaping up as trio versus trio, writes Toby Manhire. A subplot of this week’s historic hīkoi mō te Tiriti has been the sight of the three opposition parties presenting a unified front. Te Pāti Māori ...6 hours ago
- All 33 malls in Auckland ranked from worst to best
From the low lows of abandon empires to the high highs of a mall done just right. This is the second in the Malls of New Zealand series, where we rank the malls in major centres. Next week: Wellington. A note from the editor: This is the hardest ranking we’ve ...6 hours ago
- The cost of being: A clothes-mad 20-something who walks everywhere
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 27-year-old apartment-dwelling marketing exec explains her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 27. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Marketing exec at ...6 hours ago
- Nuclear winters know no borders
Opinion: The immediate horror of nuclear weapon explosions – the blinding flash, crushing blast wave, and radioactive inferno – is well documented.But what nuclear-armed nations either don’t grasp or won’t admit, is far more chilling: how their weapons could devastate even countries thousands of kilometres from any mushroom clouds.The collapse ...6 hours ago
- This week’s bestselling books – November 22
FICTION1 Kāwai: Tree of Nourishment by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)Sample dialogue, all from one chapter:“That can’t be,” replied Taona doubtfully.“You were right. The pā is unnervingly quiet,” Taona murmured.“The Hākuwai,” Motukia breathed. “Our grandfathers told us they rarely saw the Hākuwai in daylight,” Motukia muttered.“Their fight would have been futile ...6 hours ago
- Burma the flying elephant
After about two and a half years of planning and waiting, New Zealand’s last elephant has moved to her new home at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia.Burma and her “human herd”, that is, her keepers, arrived last week, and she’s settling in well, according to Auckland Zoo’s Andrew Coers.“Something ...6 hours ago
- NZ’s membership of Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in jeopardy
Senior ministers in the coalition suggested NZ’s membership will be re-evaluated if it restarts offshore oil and gas drilling The post NZ’s membership of Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in jeopardy appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago
- Raw Politics: Six months in a leaky Bill
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not meet the Treaty Principles Bill hikoi crowd, sees “nothing” of merit in the Act-proposed law but the Parliament his Government dominates will spend six months debating a “divisive” measure.That’s because he has accepted there needs to be “aeration” of people’s views on the Treaty, ...6 hours ago
- Taken to the brink, Govt is now close to selling big Whakapapa ski field
Bidder Whakapapa Holdings walked away from the sales process last year, but says it’s now ‘95% there’ on a purchase agreement – so who blinked first? The post Taken to the brink, Govt is now close to selling big Whakapapa ski field appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 22 November
The post Daily crossword, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago
- China likely to strengthen regional relationships in response to another Trump term
Opinion: Recent discussions in Shanghai provide some insight into what’s likely to be on the table The post China likely to strengthen regional relationships in response to another Trump term appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago
- Watts nears a landmark deal on global carbon trading
A framework for global carbon trading under the Paris Agreement is finally nearing completion at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan after years of halting talks.Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is one of two ministers tasked by the COP29 hosts with landing a long-sought deal on Article 6 of the climate accord, ...6 hours ago
- Grattan on Friday: Marles plays a defensive bat on nuclear as the government rushes to get though la...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Richard Marles is an ambitious man who hasn’t given up the dream of one day reaching the top job. But, despite being deputy prime minister, his profile is much lower than that of Treasurer Jim ...11 hours ago
- Fears Māori will pay heaviest price if police carry guns
"Overwhelmingly, those people who die will be young Māori men," the spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa says. ...13 hours ago
- NEW POLL: Kiwis Overwhelmingly Support MPs’ Expenses Transparency Law Change
62% of respondents support the extension of the OIA to cover MPs’ spending, compared to just 13% opposed and 24% were unsure. ...13 hours ago - The House: Meanwhile, a week of passing law
The political week has been packed with worthy distractions, but all week Parliament has focused on passing new laws. Here are the highlights. ...13 hours ago
- The biggest difference between Hīkoi mō te Tiriti and past hīkoi: More support from non-Māori
Analysis - The diversity of voices during the hīkoi was noticeable - from tangata moana to young immigrants to elderly Pākehā from the South Island. ...14 hours ago
- The House: Samoan citizenship restoration – ‘It means we belong to this land’
When the bill to restore NZ citizenship to some Samoans passed this week, Parliament's galleries were full to the brim with members of the community. ...15 hours ago
- More Delays In Action On Use Of Puberty Blockers With Children
Women’s Rights Party Co-leader Jill Ovens says the Ministry has put New Zealand children at risk by continuing to allow “off-label” prescribing of puberty blockers at far higher rates than other similar countries. ...16 hours ago
- Police Minister adamant he wasn’t aware of gang members training at gun clubs
That is despite two papers from police that raised the matter with him. ...16 hours ago
- Shorten declares himself ‘a proud moderate’, saying Australians ‘in the middle’ shouldn’t ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Bill Shorten has declared himself “a proud moderate” in a valedictory speech declaring parliament has the responsibility to ensure the extremes of left and right do not set the terms of political debate. Shorten, ...17 hours ago
- New ‘best practice’ principles for superannuation products are coming. We asked a panel of exper...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer Studio Romantic/Shutterstock We all know how important it is to save enough money for retirement – but what about spending it wisely when we get there? Even for those who have built up a suitable ...17 hours ago
- Government accused of betraying Kiwis’ trust over lack of consultation on live exports
The government has always vowed to reinstate live exports by sea, which was banned by the previous Labour government. ...17 hours ago
- 7 things you can do if you think you sweat too much
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Freeman, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Bond University ERIK Miheyeu/Shutterstock Sweating is our body’s way of cooling down, a bit like an internal air conditioner. When our core temperature rises (because it’s hot outside, or you’re exercising), sweat glands all ...17 hours ago
- Phenergan for under 6s is now banned due to hallucination fears. Here’s what to use instead
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Macquarie University Australia’s drug regulator has issued a safety warning over the medicine Phenergan and related products containing the antihistamine drug promethazine. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said the over-the-counter products should not be given to children ...17 hours ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Umm… this has ALWAYS been Roger Douglas' position. He hasn't changed his views. There are speeches of his from 20 – 30 plus years ago stating EXACTLY the same thing.
Pity he fucked that up then. Although I guess the lack of concern for workers/citizens has been consistent.
He didn't. His reforms have stood the test of time. It is why even after the election of two progressive left wing governments the core of his reforms are still in place. That is what gets many of the hard left quite annoyed.
If his reforms were so successful, why does he have to make the proposals he is now?
We haven't had a progressive left wing govt since Rogernomics. We have had centre left governments (hint: NZF and the neolibs in Labour), some of which have been progressive and some regressive.
If his reforms were so successful…
lol – they were! But only insofar as they were implemented. Sadly, reactionary forces meant that the market was never truly freed, and that's why things are a bit of a mess.
A bit like baking a sponge but holding back on the eggs, or maybe more accurately like the patient dying from anemia because not enough leeches were applied. 🙂
Scarily, in spite of the seemingly obvious madness of it all, we have in NZ today a PM who thinks that 'neo-liberalism' is "just what happens to people"…
I'm determined on a strong govt for the people that ever trumps your market and rich fellas. Everything else passes the cost of plenty onto the future, or your fkn descendants, me having none.
@Gosman, What the hell are you talking about?…here in the Hawkes Bay his disgusting ideology has destroyed the orchard industry/meat industry/canning industry for workers….20-25 years ago these industries used to provide good paying jobs for huge parts of our communities,,,not now, all gone,no the only result of his now debunked ideology locally is the end of owner operated orchards, masses of imported labour and the rise of ghetto's…fuck Douglas.
Of course luxury car sales in the Bay have gone through the roof over this same period..enough said.
The Hawkes Bay economy was booming pre Covid-19. This includes a very successful manufacturing sector. I have no idea what you are basing your views on
https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/Hawke's%20Bay%20Region/PDFProfile
I base my views on living here…
So on anecdotal not actual scientific evidence then
Yep just the actual evidence that I see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears while living in the actual area where these things are actually happening to real humans that actually exist…..It is called reality, something you are obviously not familiar with.
Yeah I prefer to base my views on more than just the experience of hard core lefties. Data is king.
So looking at that graph I see coming off a low base of below average growth from 2009 to 2017. 9 years of poor growth compared to the rest of NZ. Some of that growth driven presumably by increased incarceration rates of Maori as more were imprisoned and the cost to keep them there also lifted.
In 2015 Winston Peters won Northland and suddenly some neglected regions became important and money was pumped into them in 2017 after developing REDS plans – Hawkes Bay, Northland. This helped lift GDP in those regions. Growth went into negative again as National's bribe resulted them in not being in power.
So one year of above average growth since 2009 is somehow a boom. I'd love to see how you view the rest of the country.
Over the same period:
Auckland 9/10 years of above average growth now that's booming.
Yeah well I guess that helps explain why when people like you have kind any power you make such awful decision all the damn time…
Adrian: I assume that comment is aimed at Gosman and it's just fallen below my post.
For one who wants facts he is quite quiet when they don't indicate what he tries to say they do.
Whatever. they were a fuck up . Go to murupara and see what his reforms caused!
The ongoing cost of destroying small town nz would far outweigh the money saved .
The only thing that makes you be able to spout your bs is that those costs would be impossible to calculate.
Yep. Economics divorced from the real lives of actual people is a terrible thing.
What in particular did they do that lead to Murupara's problems? Please be specific.
Turning forestry employment into a dog eat dog race to the bottom where scum companies like fletcher forestry would pit contractor against contractor to fuck each other for scraps while sending as much raw product offshore as they could .
Are we selling more or less forestry products now than we were in 1984?
What do you mean 'we' whiteman?
Wtf does that have to do with the gutting of small town nz and the shafting of plain old kiwi guys who just want a job a life and not be always under threat of layoffs and being fucked over by companies who's only driver is margins.
But making bigger all out of it.
If his reforms hadn't been installed we would be entirely prepared for climate change and resource finitude. Let alone the cost entirely laid on the neediest during 'his' decades. But all I could say to him if I encountered was 'you've kept the snuffly moustache'. Don't rate him as a devil.
So why did he oversee Rogernomics and form the ACT party?
For the very reasons mentioned in his recent speech. ACT does not support corporate welfare or State support for the privileged class.
ACT does not support corporate welfare or state support for the privileged class?
Is that all of ACT or just some of them? Their Parliamentary team?
Apart from the army and police to help them stay priviledged.
Oh, and tax cuts, so they don't pay for the resources they use.
Gosman except for its sycophants
Yet the ACT party rely on corporate welfare and Tax payer welfare .
You are joking sycophants can't see the truth just keep repeating the failed mantra.
Yet he is now saying successful businesses should be subsidising failing businesses.
Yeah, nah, he can get fucked. I don't care if he comes out with the most progressive, green plan of all time, until he apologises and makes amends for his role in the damage of the last 40 years, his words are meaningless and hubristic. He can get behind the many other people with far better opinions and perspectives than his, including ones that the business and political classes want to listen to.
He hasn't changed his views so why would he apologise for something?
I should have added the satire tag!
Does that mean you agree that he hasn't changed his position on the points you raised at all?
Lol, I think so.
In the mainstream media Roger's ejaculation was summed as building houses and cost-saving elsewhere.
Actually, if you read what he has in mind it is basically the same old Roger Douglas – claiming the opposite effect of what a common sense appraisal for his policies would indicate, hinting anyone who comes to that common sense conclusion simply isn’t clever enough to grasp the genius of his insights then using that to cry crocodile tears for the little guy.
He is a loony old man. He was always never quite there, but these days he adds a certain boiled cabbage smell to his utterances. Whenever I hear he is still alive and not dead with a stake through his heart and a stone in his mouth I am first startled, then disappointed. he is one of a handful of people whose demise will occasion the popping of corks in my household.
sanctuary – Agree +100 (plus inflation and interest)
plus 10 % gst that mysteriously ratchets up another few % when national is in power
Despite him being half-rate my main solemn galvanance is NOT to piss on his grave.
Roge is Labour to his boots so he always tries to justify everything in those terms, but his father and grandfather wait up there for him. They were both quiet men so they'll have to call in the old fighting Labourites to deal out righteous justice.
Yeah, I fully concur, give credit where due. He has learned from experience, huh? "Douglas said it was an example of “the old maxim rendered true — there is never someone more socialist than a wealthy capitalist in a time of crisis”."
I think you're right to point out that the govt was bailing out the capitalists to provide the most effective rescue of the workers. So the left & right can stroll hand in hand into the sunset, may the illusion of comfort provided by business as usual never end…
So the left & right can stroll hand in hand into the sunset, may the illusion of comfort provided by business as usual never end…
lol – somewhere in the world, someone has opened a book on that. Y'know, different time periods with various odds attached 😉
The old `surely the penny must drop soon'. It's been rolling around in my head since the '80s.
Aye. It's been a long wait. Maybe worth an epitaph on that there hunk of head stone – Still Waiting. 🙂
So…austerity then. Sigh.
Austerity for wealthy people. Do you not support that?
You, of all people, should know what austerity means. In any case, austerity for wealthy people is an oxymoron.
That would be called Tax Gosman which rich rarely pay
Douglas is advocating for large companies to pay back the wage subsidies. That's the austerity.
There is a lot of merit to that. Why the hell should young New Zealanders be saddled with a generation of debt, to repay the cash that places like Belly Gully and Simpson Grierson have taken. Its a disgrace.
Enough is Enough you do not know how economies work you are making a claim that debt is bad for economies.
Then the govt buying it's own debt/ debt swap is a way of printing money it will be written off, minus interest at •25% interest to be paid to the govt.
Enough is Enough getting liquidity into the economy quickly requires a universal non bureaucratic response ,Sorting out the chaff from the hay would take months.The patient is dying he needs a transfusion now not in 3 months time.
That Money goes into the economy keeping the economy ticking over modern economics.
Your thinking Thatcherism pretending the economy is like household budget,extremely naive but makes for good scaremongering.
That money does not always go into the economy. Big law firms were never at risk of being unable to pay their employees. The money was called on to preserve the profitability of the firms and the 7 figures incomes the partners take.
Public pressure has worked in this instance and they are paying it back.
Douglas proposes that the employee should be furloughed and the payment made directly to them. But the job is then gone.
How so? The worker is given time off (not fired) and they get payment from the public purse…which is basically what's happening, except "middle man" (some of whom have been trying to line their own pockets).
And there may soon be enough unemployment to go around anyway if or as businesses discover they have zero viability in a 'covid world'.
It is typical Douglas, propose a wild experiment in a crisis where we'll just have a suck on the sav and then see if his fantastical insights were true or not. The trouble is, a crisis is seldom a good time for the untested brain farts of an aging fanatic to be put to the test.
This is especially funny. However I do agree with you. Now is not the time to try and change things radically. Wait until after the next election. However try and tell that to the people advocating for a full blown socialist takeover of the economy right now.
Please elaborate!
Why am I not surprised, that you don't want the radical changes, of the "unfortunate experiment" reversed to, what worked.
I wonder why the Labour establishment like The Standard bring up
Douglas. Since modern Labour is founded on him, never been broken off from. The anger here rarks up the coals. Supporting Labour is machiavellianism or ignorance. Isn't Labour just professional operatives now. A questionmark would be rhetorical.
Sumsuch the World has bought into the luxuries of the free market.Those advocating for a Socialist paradise are as rare as those who advocate for a pure capitalist state ie Gosman.Those on the fringes gain very little support.
Pragmatism is the winning formula a balance between the 2 extreme ideologies with tinkering around the edges.
Right you are I interpreted “furlough” as down the road. The policy is a mix and it is a high trust model. I suspect the test will be what unemployment trends look like at the end of the 12 week period.
The piece in "stuff" mentions furloughs and lay-offs, but I hadn't read that before responding to your post.
I'm less concerned about unemployment rates than I am about what happens to unemployed people. The WINZ system of these past decades is basically a punitive regime that's used as a stick to 'encourage' people to take whatever the market will offer.
That cultural trash which has people believe they are less than they might be if they aren't holding down a job has to go.
Maybe (and I'm being serious here) launch classes or some-such for people so they can begin to learn how to not have a job. (How many people you known who have become either deeply depressed or killed themselves in the early days of retirement?)
Post Covid, and putting global warming front stage, there is a lot of nonsense shit we did before that we need to not do any more. And there's a steep learning curve for some around not doing some stuff and still feeling whole.
But people won't be encouraged to value themselves by measures that don't include "job" in the mix, and physics will still be ignored in the rush to 'fix' the foundations of the shaky tower that's liberal capitalism.
It's over.
A virus from an anteater gifted us our best last chance to avoid wrack and ruin and we're about to squander it "because gross domestic product" and other such tosh that insists we rush up some scaffolding…any scaffolding…something. ~shrug~
Maybe this was some sort of satire. Or he had a knock to the head some time recently. Or has been in hospital and been cared for by public hospital staff and realised the benefit of the state having a role in our lives. Goodness, next he will be volunteering at a local food bank.
He hasn't changed his position on this one iota. This is what he has been saying for around 50 years.
Is this what you admire about him Gosman? a person who sticks to his guns despite the outcome being widespread suffering all around him.
I suspect you will argue either 1) there wasn't any suffering (it was fake news) or 2) if there was, the good outweighed the bad under a skewed utilitarian justification (ignoring of course that the people who benefited from Rogerednomics, were not the same people who suffered from it).
Except NZ doesn't have widespread suffering. That is just overblown hype fprom leftists. If you want to see a place with widespread suffering visit Venezuela or Zimbabwe.
So, its fake news – I was curious which it would be… that’s all.
You forget. Columbia, Honduras, Haiti, Appalachia, Detroit, Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, Bolivia and other triumphs of gangster capitalism.
Or we can visit Venezuela, which by your own definition is less "Socialist" than the USA. And a result of US economic warfare, not socialism.
The people put out of work by your hero in the 80’s, suffered by any definition.
You haven't lived in the poor suburbs nor understand the NZ Idea of carrying everyone along with us. We left the neediest people behind and made most of us desperate for a solid surface.
Gosman we are not living in Zimbabwe where the free market is in free fall or Venezuela where the socialist paradise is also in free fall.Both are military Dictatorships and not free democracies like NZ or Australia.We get to choose our govt fanatical f/wits like you Gosman get pushed into irrelevance because 99% of people want pragmatic reasonable solutions from pragmatic reasonable politicians.
The 1% who advocate extremist unworkable ideologies have mental health issues ,They Stubbornly promote their fanatical ideas and refuse to see the other 99% point of view.psycophants in Silos.
"Uumm".
Venezuela's Government was democratically elected.
By a higher proportion of the total country vote than Trump, I might add.
Yeah Venezuela has been run by murderous dictators ever since the US began meddling in South Americas policy.The US has been propping up fascist Dictators.Maduro is a left wing dictator .
Dictators are not elected by a majority at frequent intervals.
Guido is the Dictator the USA wants in Venezuela.
Whatever Maduro's faults, his Government has popular support and in no way fits the definition of a Dictatorship, except in the propaganda of those who want to remove the Chavista Government.
He never completely left it mickeysavage.
Back in the early to mid 1990s, I had a couple of conversations with Roger Douglas and formed the opinion that underneath the noise and bluster of his newly held radical ideas there still beat the socially conscious heart he inherited from his father, Norman Douglas.
Someone I knew witnessed an argument he had with the chief bank-roller of the ACT Party, Alan Gibbs who accused him of… still being a socialist. Roger vehemently denied it but in truth I think it was always there albeit in a much weakened form.
He was, and still is, an enigma of a man who I think tried to marry what came to be known as neo-liberalism with some of the old socialist ideals he grew up with. He came a right cropper.
Except you misrepresent the point of his policies because you don't like them ideologically. Gibbs himself agrees with Roger Douglas on the attacks on privilege. He makes that clear in his writings on the topic.
Gosman, the reason Social Democrats despise Douglas & his cronies is because when they inherited NZ's full employment economy, which had given us wide spread prosperity & opportunity over the previous 50 years, they deliberately set out to smash it. In doing this, they returned us to a pre-1935 society disfigured by entrenched poverty, homelessness & unemployment. This is Douglas's legacy & for him to suggest that he's 'concerned' about inequality, is absurd. Douglas & his neo liberal mates are unprincipled shits.
It was a "make work" full employment economy rather than one based on productivity. It was also not a full employment economy as unemployment had been steadily rising since the early 1970's.
Gosman, one of Douglas's many lies was that his neo lib policies would boost productivity by shrinking the role of the State & allowing 'free enterprise' to flower – except it didn't. After 35 years of mostly neo lib policies, our productivity is pathetically low, with idle resources a permanent economic feature.
But here's the good bit – Covoid 19 will destroy neo liberalism. On 'Politik', Richard Harman, a respected political journalist, has an excellent article, 'Robertson's Revival Plan', stating that Robertson, to avoid the looming recession, will be implementing policies, 'that (will) challenge the past 35 years of market driven economic orthodoxy.' What's just up ahead, Gosman, is full blown Social Democracy, because nothing else will cope with the impending recession. Neo libs like you, who are still gibbering about tax cuts for the wealthy & shrinking the size of the State are yesterday's men on the wrong side of history – get used to it.
Yes, yes!
There's no sign that Robertson's upcoming policies are going to make us any more productive than Douglas's were. At best they'll soak up the unemployed. If he thinks carpenters are going to turn into Kiwifruit pickers he's mistaken.
After 35 years of mostly neo lib policies, our productivity is pathetically low, with idle resources a permanent economic feature.
I find myself constantly irked by the lazy demonisation of 'neo-liberalism' as if Roger Douglas was the only thing that ever happened to this country.
It's not obvious that New Zealand's economy might have performed all that differently under a different 'social democratic' setting either. The critical factors which determine productivity are geography, demography, security, continuity and governance.
Without drilling into each of these factors in depth I'd make the case that while the relative competence of government does matter, and like everyone else here I too believe that if we'd spent the last 35 yrs with monetary and fiscal settings that had optimised for social cohesion, we would still have been hard up against the other constraints.
It's like, yes I get it, neo-lib bad. We've been saying this for 35 yrs. And if as you claim COVID 19 really has smashed it, then well and good. Now lets stop fighting yesterday's battles and get on with a plan that takes account of the other even more important productivity issues NZ faces.
A plan as Ad says.
First define productivity. Productivity by and reasonable measure has grown in New Zealand right through the neo-liberal period, what has not consistently grown in line with productivity is wage rates.
Also consider the neo-liberal govt policy of holding a pool of unemployed as an inflation discipline measure is wasting (at minimum) all the potential work outputs of this pool of workers. Its no wonder that aggregate (real) output is lowered so far when so much potential output is wasted.
Productivity and profitability are almost synonymous to some people.
The meat industry is a good example where productivity has lifted significantly but workers have not shared in the productivity gains. Some of those productivity gains have come from increased kiils per hour, some have come from operating multiple shifts, some have come from more effective breeding and science e.g. the weight of lambs is now about 20% greater than it used to be meaning less need to be killed for the same amount of meat, some has come from much improved technology and systems. The most gains in productivity most likely do not come from making people work harder and for less wages.
Our orchardists have won awards for being the most cost effective in the world with the lowest productions costs per apple grown yet pay rates have barely grown and in some cases are similar to the 80's.
Latetst OECD rankings of productivity based on GDP per hour worked have us above the OECD average and at 24th out of 47 countries.
Lifting productivity of course means less jobs and higher unemployment which then means suppressed wages unless one of three things happens:
1. Sales increase sufficiently requiring enough extra workers to compensate for not only those not needed here but also those who may lose their jobs at displaced competitors. If 100 people were needed to make 100 widgets across an industry and now only 80 are needed then 20 workers are no longer required. To keep 100 people employed then you need to make more widgets which you would only do if you could have an increased demand for them. The fact that you now have 20 surplus people means you don't have a skill shortage, workers know they can be replaced and so the incentive is to use that mechanism to suppress wages as quarter of your (now 80) workplace could be replaced tomorrow.
2. The gains in productivity means the workers can now have more leisure time as they only have to work 80% of the time to produce the required output. This was the idealised sci-fi solution as technology evolved. We would all have much more time. In fact what has happened is that many people now work longer hours/hold down multiple jobs while many other people have no work at all. Productivity gains have not been shared with workers through more time or improved incomes. That was part of the rationale behind the 40 hour week and time and a half/double time. You could pay more to the same workers or you could employ another if you had surplus work – it pushed you towards employing another.
3. New businesses and and services and products are developed that – and this is important – have a higher productivity outcome that the current average in New Zealand. This is important as if the new job created is less productive than the existingjobs then the country's overall productivity per person decreases. This is what Paul Callaghan was getting at in his Mapping Our Future speech in 2011 (below). New Zealand to be successful had to stop investing in low productivity industries like tourism. Fonterra is an example of how a state company making a range of quality products was stripped back to making pretty much the one product (milk powder) that was the most profitable based on production cost to sale price. (ignoring externalities like pollution).
Selling raw timber is another example where we are selling a low cost product. All jobs are not equal in a productivity sense and we really need to consider the types of jobs that are being created. Lifting the countries GDP though good job creation (which means better investment in skills, knowledge and plant) means we can afford to do more – less poverty, we can easily afford NZS and hospitals, etc.
A fourth factor that New Zealand has to deal with and that is the inherent racism in the labour market that results in poorer outcomes for Maori. Young Maori are the future in this country as our older European workforce declines and our young Maori workforce increases. This is a demographic change which is happening now and cannot be avoided.
The fifth is job distribution. We need to improve the distribution of jobs across the country so communities are not left behind – tourism as a low productivity job was never the answer. The other option of improved urbanisation creates it's own issues. Many high productive jobs eg software development, planning and analysis can be done from anywhere.
As a matter of interest the most highly productive country in the OECD is now Romania who were the lowest in 2001. This has significantly been achieved due to labour shortages as 3.5 million people have left the country and few have immigrated in. This is in contrast to New Zealand who was 15th in 2001 who have had quite an increase in migration and how now slipped to 24th. It shows that low waged migration isn't a solution. Keeping wages low i.e. workers not benefiting from productivity growth suppresses investment in better jobs and better plant.
And so that's the challenge before us – much of the low paid, low G.D.P work has just been demolished – how do we invest now in better jobs, better plant, in Maori, in sharing the spoils more evenly with workers through better pay and or more leisure so we all benefit moving forward?
Excellent comment.
You touch on the big things that really matter.
Geography. We have some factors that hurt us like isolation, and lots of hills and mountains that make transport and infrastructure expensive. We have decent rainfall, yet our soils are not naturally fertile. Major earthquakes are a constant risk, yet the tectonic uplift that causes them also creates attractive landscapes that tourists enjoy.
Demography. This is indeed one of our big strong points; we are one of the few OECD nations that does NOT have a terminally aging demography. Yet fully 25% of people born in NZ do not live here anymore, many of our most productive people left, and took their growing families with them. And it turns out that replacing them with low-skilled migration has it's downsides.
You are also on point with Romania as an example, but don't drill into the reasons why.
In Romania’s case, the productivity boom was due in part to labour shortages created by millions of workers leaving the country in search of higher pay. The lack of new workers put pressure on companies to boost the productivity of existing labour.
As for security and continuity NZ enjoys a truly enviable position, our isolation and relative obscurity means we've not had to spend much on defense. And our stable form of govt gives us predictable, low risk, rule of law based governance. This is a critical strength we should not be taking for granted, and is one area I would actively add into the mix.
"This has significantly been achieved due to labour shortages as 3.5 million people have left the country and few have immigrated in."
I sort of figured the why was pretty well known.
Productivity by and reasonable measure has grown in New Zealand right through the neo-liberal period, what has not consistently grown in line with productivity is wage rates.
Yes I agree NZ productivity has moved in that period, but relatively we have fallen in the pack. I forget when I first commented here on NZ's unusually low Wages Share of GDP compared to the rest of the OECD, but it's one structural factor that begs for more open discussion.
Our labour policy settings are one obvious place to start.
I'm ambivalent on the 'holding a pool of unemployed' aspect. It's true that combating wages inflation was the purpose it was touted for, but unemployment is a complex creature with many aspects. Not all of them bearing much direct relationship to an also complex labour market. And it entirely neglected to the question of asset price inflation. It was always a weak self-serving argument even on it's own terms.
But it has to be said that the productivity contribution of many of the chronically unemployed is scarcely missed.
The underlying reason for supporting productivity focused reforms across the economy is to share the benefits of our higher productivity in the form of higher real wages. On the other hand many of the measures suggested to increase productivity appear to actively restrict worker shares. There is a more direct way to increase the worker share and so distribute the benefits of the on going productivity increases is to increase worker bargaining power and wages in a range of ways.
“But it has to be said that the productivity contribution of many of the chronically unemployed is scarcely missed.” – RedLogix is particularly foolish in this regard because its the output of the productivity you want to distribute, the productivity rate at which that output was produced is obviously beside the point here.
There is also the issue that productivity is actually a rather nebulous term. Even if we agreed that GDP per hour worked (the macro definition of productivity) should be increased that does not mean that the impacts of doing this look like productivity increases as we may recognize them at the micro level.
There is also the issue that mainstream economic theory completely suppresses the existence of power relations in influencing the wage/capital share. Even in Keynes the concept is that workers and capital are paid what they are worth (due to flexible wages and pricing) and so the most efficient outcome suggested completely ignores the power relations in play here. Its obvious to anybody who looks at the real world that this is nonsense and not fit as a model in which to understand policy choices. This is the underlying reason why various productivity reforms will have a negative influence on wages.
Well yes it was because the public sector employed the people that the private sector could not – in particular those with disabilities, youth and given the racist nature of the private sector Maori and Pacific peoples – with a fair amount of Irish Catholics thrown in.
You call it "make work" as if it is a bad thing.
I call it welfare with a purpose.
A monkey could have laid off all those people in the name of efficiency. It'd didn't take a modicum of intelligence. All it took was a reversion back to the conservative laissez faire business practices prior to the welfare state where workers were just a production unit.
It's clearly been much better to have our vulnerable living in poverty and without homes than working for the government, learning skills, doing apprenticeships and so on.
It's clearly been much better to shift the costs to employers such as holiday and sick pay and providing your own gear and vehicles onto workers – many of whom now are classed as self-employed and all the stress that goes with that.
And the promised productivity improvements haven't flowed to the workers incomes – they flowed to the pockets of the elite through capital theft by salary. Millions and millions and millions of dollars that they have pocketed.
Gosman since 1984 NZ's productivity has stagnated
Gosman it's what young economies do look at China it subsidises vast swathes of its economy underming other economies who don't .
So once the subsidized business has enough size and profit to monopolize the majority of manufacturing in that industry.They either by competitors or dump much cheaper product to destroy competition .
That's China's modus operandi snuff out all competition every major trading block has a version of this.
Your Freemarket ideology is just a myth that doesn't exist.
Except for those countries who embraced it damaging vast swathes of manufacturing especially.while everyone else carried on with massive subsidies looking after their industries.
You don't really undertsand the point of international trade. If another country subsidises exports then thay are essentially helping consumers in another country.
Goosestepper the consumers in other countries are borrowing money to buy cheaper chinese subsidized goods because they don't have a decent job that pays well enough . This country ends up having a worse balance of payments.importing debt to pay for imports.NZ's private debt has continued to rise because of the lowest median income in the developed world. Like I said Chinese dumping highly subsidized products on world markets is destroying competition.
Debt has risen exponentially as productivity continues to stagnate.selling houses and farms to each other for non taxed profits.
New Zealand is still a commodity based economy. Most other areas are low wage expendable jobs.
Value added is rare orminiscule
Gosman Since the Mid 1970's 1976 was the first time in 20 years unemployment hit NZ.because we abandoned the idea of QE because the big Vulture Banks didn't want competition.So Muldooon had to go cap in hand to borrow to keep the economy a float.Unlike Savage who was able to print mainly for infrastructure projects . State advances helped farmer to buy land ,families buy and build houses at a guaranteed 31/4 % giving certainy for their families.
Prior to 1936 we had widespread poverty and masses of people living in filthy dirty freezing substandard homes.On a much larger scale than today.We could fix that problem now with printed money solong as it's going into areas of the economy that doesn't create inflation.
The Banks in NZ print 33% of their loans without deposits backing those loans.
Banks will be reluctant to loan now the govt will step.
I think the "writing had been on the wall" as far as NZ was concerned since Britain joined the EEC. Marshall realized this, which was why he was able to depose Holyoake and assume leadership of the National Party. One of the things that contributed to Kirk's win in 1972 was the fact that many who would normally have supported National feared that they would lose their jobs, if Marshall was elected and started dismantling border controls, and therefor voted Labour that year. Later, NZ's problems were exacerbated by the fuel price rises in the seventies. Douglas set about effecting a long delayed sorting out of these problems; though perhaps in a too doctrinaire fashion.
Yet he didn't sort anything out did he? …and lots of jobs were lost, the rich got richer, production dropped, and hardship for workers and people who depended on state support followed for over 35 years… and the doctrine became to be known as rogernomics locally, and neo liberalism internationally.
He didn't manage to get inflation under control, though no doubt the devaluation of the dollar didn't help.
Kirk needed to die before his replacement Rowling and new Finance Minister Tizard could actually work on a decent plan to respond to the oil crisis brought on by Egypt and Syria attacking Israel in October 1973.
It was Kirk's failure to form a plan with Rowling his Minister of Finance to respond to this crisis, that enabled Muldoon to sweep to power for 9 years.
It was all too late.
He died less than a year after that attack Ad and he was already a sick man but nobody knew it.
Muldoon swept to power on the back of a massive superannuation bribe. It doesn't sound to me like you know all that much about the 1972 -75 Labour government. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm picking you were a young child around that time.
A Superannuation bribe that most left wing people support to this day
You must be joking. As I have already claimed on this thread, Sir Michael Cullen campaigned for years on Super reform and was finally able to institute "Kiwi Saver" as a compromise. You right wingers would have obstructed any return to the original Labour scheme in the same way Muldoon did in such a dastardly way in 1975. Lange's government introduced the surcharge because they realised that Muldoon's scheme (eligible at 60 remember – the only time my Dad voted National in his life) was unsustainable and how the wealthy elderly objected-they established Grey Power to fight it – then Bolger asked us to "watch my lips" when he told us he would abolish it – yeah right. I suggest that you get hold of a copy of Hugh Templeton's book "All Honourable Men" and read his account of how the dishonourable bribe was put in place – a very dark moment in the National Party history. Oh, and can I remind you again of the Cullen Fund and its reasons for being.
The Labour superannuation scheme that was the brain child of one R Douglas do you mean?
Of course – so why did he not revive it – I do wonder if you have used the link I referred to elsewhere which summarises Roger Douglas's contribution to NZ politics and the impact it had. Further, I am sure Hugh Templeton's book is available in any good library. Mind you, I understand that the Party faithful did not like it, with good reason.
As one who reached the voting age (21 in those far of days) in 1962 I have taken an active interest in NZ politics ever since, (actually I had become politically aware some years before that) I lived through the Holyoake years of laissez faire government and it was the wool price slump of 1967 that shook us out of our lethargy. Holyoake hung to power for one more election after that and it was clear that by 1972 Norman Kirk, with his slogan "Time for a change" that really turned the tide. It was his presence that made the difference. "Gentleman" Jack Marshall couldn't match him and I don't think that the average voter had thought too much about the impact of Britain's joining the EEC. I think to claim otherwise is to downplay the huge impact of Kirk's energy and charisma on the electorate. We can only speculate on the consequences of his untimely death for the nation and there is no doubt that the country as a whole did go into mourning.
LOL! You think Holyoake's government was a laissez faire government.
You are telling me he was a progressive. Pray elaborate. It was "Steady as she goes" or, as Harold McMillan would have said "You have never had it so good. The farmers were happy (until the wool crises) but, oh yes, he did drag us into the dreadful conflict in Vietnam (which we were told later he did with extreme reluctance and much soul searching) although he seemed pretty gung ho at the time. I suppose he had to be to sell it. Anyway, we have strayed a long way from Roger Douglas.
Ptttf…don't believe it. All his actions at the time and since suggest the opposite no matter what he might say in his writings.
The argument I referred to was over Douglas' planned Social Welfare policy for the up-coming 1996 General Election. Don't recall the details, but Gibbs regarded it as "socialist dogma" and demanded Douglas change it. Since Gibbs was the chief financial donor, he got his way. The policy was radically altered.
Sounds like Gibbs is partial to rewriting history.
the merging of neoliberalism with the left (or the capture of the left by neoliberalism) is the great damage that was done to NZ. Had it been a right wing govt we might have fared better at recovering. Maybe.
Agree weka. Neoliberalism has been an almighty failure. Its easy to see that with the benefit of hindsight but at the time few knew what the hell was going on.
As far as I could tell, Roger genuinely believed it would be beneficial to the country and there was at least one aspect of Rogernomics that did stand the test of time. I refer to GST of course. But as you succinctly put it @1.1:
“He fucked up”.
You keep stating that yet not one significant element of the neoliberal reforms has been changed even with this government. There have been but mere tinkering around some of the policies.
It annoys me no end that when National is in government, we on the left decry rogernomics and call for the end of it.
Then when we win government, we forget about that, and continue to support the status quo economic system, simply because the 'left' is in power.
You are right on that front. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased that is the reality but I am sure people like you get disillusioned after a while.
I would have thought the re-nationalisation of the railway network might have counted as an example. I am sure that Sir Michael Cullen would have preferred to bring back Norman Kirk's Super scheme but he compromised to blunt right wing reaction. It is interesting to recall that in nine years National failed to contribute to the so called "Cullen" fund. Politics is the art of the possible and I think that the damage of years of neo-liberal economics is gradually being rolled back. I would love to see a return of the Ministry of Works!!.
The railways was sold by the Bolger government not by Douglas. It is still an SOE though which was a key part of the Rogernomic reforms
I stand corrected. It was Telecom of course. Another tragedy.
Come to think of it, in the context of this discussion, did it matter who sold it off? It was avery bad mistake.
No it wasn't
Gosman it's what young economies do look at China it subsidises vast swathes of its economy underming other economies who don't .
So once the subsidized business has enough size and profit to monopolize the majority of manufacturing in that industry.They either bu competitors or dump much cheaper product to destroy competition .
That's China's modus operandi snuff out all competition every major trading block has a version of this.
Your Freemarket ideology is just a myth that doesn't exist.
Except for those countries who embraced it damaging vast swathes of manufacturing especially.while everyone else carried on with massive subsidies looking after their industries.
Your understanding (or lack thereof) about economics is coming through in your recent comments. When a country subsidises exports it is essentially giving consumers in the foreign nation a discount. The other nation is better off as a result.
Railways was sold to Alan Gibbs who asset stripped NZR.then sold to Wisconsin rail who sold of the rest of the surplus land they couldn't make a profit after their asset strip, The govt bought it back after that it was sold to Toll Road they sold it back to the govt again they couldn't make a profit.Both Wisconson Rail and Toll wanted the same subsidy as Road Transport gets from Motorist's who subsidise Road Transport.Both Private operators couldn't compete on an uneven playing field.
One of the more pernicious effects of the Neo-liberal "unfortunate experiment" inflicted on us, is that it is so hard, and costly, to reverse.
Even sorting out the destruction of rail has cost hundreds of millions.
Now, we are buying back Air New Zealand, yet again!
Roger Douglas outlined his methodology for getting the changes through some years ago. He understood these processes well.
He didn't do this stuff by himself – that's why it's been hard for Labour to move away from it.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3563690
"Another important factor was the almost 100 per cent agreement between the members of the finance team of Caygill, Prebble and myself on what needed to be done and how best to achieve it. This proved to be the case on an ongoing basis during our first term in government.
Add the active involvement of Lange and Palmer on some important issues (e.g. SOE legislation) also de Cleene (on tax) and you had a formidable team. The importance of the process cannot be underestimated – most issues had been thoroughly tested before they went to Cabinet and then Caucus.
My practice of having members of my staff, including my Press Officer, Bevan Burgess, sit in on the decision making process also helped in that they understood not only what we were doing but why, including why we favoured one particular option over another. This helped immeasurably with presentational aspects of the policy changes.
Undoubtedly Lange's ability to communicate with Labour voters was at times vital – his work at the summit also proved invaluable in setting the scene for my first budget in November 1984."
He never completely left it mickeysavage
It seems that when a person believes the market is neutral, then the possibility to form a lot of really weird and ideas and run with truly bizarre notions becomes kind of overwhelming.
There are plenty of very right wing types who I'd have no problem entering into political discussions with and who I have common ground with on a number of issues..
But then that cognitive fail around the nature of the market sucks at their reasoning like a black hole and their thoughts become a scattered trail of contradictions and inconsistencies …
In your opinion.
lol Yes Gosman. "In my opinion" – not something I just pulled out of my arse, out of the air or from any magic hat. "In my opinion" – as formed from discussion and engagement with views and analysis of ideas.
It can be said that Roger Douglas made Gibbs one of NZ's richest men at the expense of the NZ taxpayer.
Gibbs and Fay were allocated the 'kiwi share' 10% of Telecom when state assets were put on the block.
For an outlay of around $NZ 50,000,his stake realised over $200 million.
Not bad work if you can get it…and he certainly has lead the charge for more privatisation.
The NZ rich list is full of beneficiaries of NZ state asset sales….at gift prices..including NZ's richest man.
Umm… wasn't that Richard Prebble? Yep, they rewarded him at a later date my making him leader of the ACT Party.
The setting up of the ACT Party was essentially a set-up by NZ's richest men to be a suitable coalition party for National under MMP. Douglas and Quigley were pretty much the willing puppets.
If you wish to change 'Rogernomics' to 'Prebblenomics'….you may have a case.
ACT is primarily a dumping ground for politicians past their use by date…Douglas,Prebble,Banks,.
Lets face it they are unelectable without a leg up from the Natz.
"The most radical proposal was to “identify, and eliminate, unnecessary spending, privilege, and waste” from the Government budget totaling $15 billion."
This is a tired old trope. Every time it has been tried it has resulted in millions of money spent for no saving. If he was serious he would already have identified the waste.
Roger Douglas speaks with forked tongue.The flat tax flat playing field is the ideology.
Corporates paying tax to subsidise SME's as he is saying in his media release goes directly against the flat playing field.
Douglas is just parroting National Party policy.
Bravo – but so pale and so little Sir Roger !
" Former Labour Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas says the Government should use the coronavirus crisis to attack economic privilege and reduce inequality. "
Good words.
The Wealthy always know they can walk allover the Common Man. It is the main aim in their putrid lives.
But the struggling many, did not rise up against the Wealthy. Not then nor now. Grant Robertson will feed and barrack for the Wealthy. I wager.
I don't still understand why anyone gives a toss about anything Roger Douglas violently expels from his diseased maw. He's a hideous old vampire who has caused untold hurt to this nation through his ideological fanaticism. He needs to shuffle quietly off into the night, never to be heard from again.
I tend to agree with Gos – he has been saying that "corporate welfare is an abomination" for ever, and so has the ACT party.
Saying.
*Saying*.
I clearly remember him explaining on the radio that we needed to develop a high-wage economy back in those early days… a low-wage economy would not be good…
In practical terms, his government then did everything it could to destroy the power of Unions, and lower wages to save costs for the sacred share-holders.
that kind of double talk is evident in what he's saying this week too. Wanker.
What did Roger Douglas or the 4th Labour Government do to destroy the power of the Unions?
Exposing NZ industry to overseas competition by reducing border controls would have reduced bargaining power.
Not only that – some unions were depleted simply by the destruction of jobs involved with privatisation. eg, jobs in the Railways – guards' vans gone, etc. Unions were weakened by privatisation as much as legislation.
Douglas legacy creating a continuing increase in poverty since 1984.
He threw out the baby with the bath water.
Rather than a well planned managed organized change Douglas just willy nilly destroyed vast swathes of destruction of existing businesses.
In Economics destroying industries on average it takes up to 30 years to bring that level of economic activity back.
Other countries took a far more measured approach planning the future like a business would do.
Keeping the cash flow while redirecting the economy.Douglas pulled the rug without notice .Farmers and manufacturers were decimated no chance to change just widespread carnage.
He didn't only throw out the baby with the bath water – he privatised the bath and sold that off as well.
Muldoon started that ball rolling In Vino and iirc it was the 1990s government under the stewardship of Bolger/Shipley who did most of the finishing off. But certainly the Douglas and co. ideology wouldn’t have helped the state of the unions.
Muldoon didn't destroy Unions .Unions got way to bolshy and were the architect of their own downfall.Unions were belligerent and sabotaged the gains they made by pissing off to many average NZers.Overseas agitators were pushing ordinary kiwiworkers to shut down industries for a power grab rather than the benefit for workers.because of the backlash they were willing to give the far right wing of the Labour party a go at fixing the problem.But they went way to far and threw out the baby with the bath water.Labour MP's of the 1970's were largely second Generation of Labour party members moving from cloth cap shop floor factory workers laboures etc to highly educated professionals removed from the every day struggle to put food on the table.The result no empathy for the working class.
Nah. If they were self-destructing then there was no need to make legislative change. The fact is is that the state dismantled them e.g. their ability to with-hold labour which can now only be done at the expiry of an agreement their ability to have wage agreements across a sector and so on.
The forcing of people onto individual contracts which for most was not a choice – it was take it or no job.
The really strong unions, the Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Teachers, Managers, Employers and Manufacturers Association, Chambers of Commerce, the PSA, are still there.
Professionals know the value of Unions.
Even while they stood by and let blue collar Unions be destroyed.
A lot of that is bullshit Tricledrown. Sure, there were a few "bolshy" unions like the Cooks and Stewards Union and the Maritime Union but the vast bulk were reasonable in the way they operated.
I was a member of the PSA (Public Service Association) which was far from belligerent yet Muldoon had an obsession with them and did his damndest to destroy them.
Part of the problem was the media of the day who used to talk up the Unions are bad meme ad infinitum. And every time the Cooks and Stewards Union removed their workers on the Cook Strait Ferries – which was often – Muldoon would embark on a prolonged session of union bashing per se. A large section of the public went along with him because – like their modern day counterparts in Trump's America – they were too red-necked and ignorant to appreciate what he was doing… and that was using one bolshy union to bring all of them into disrepute.
Like today, a lot of the bad publicity about Unions was BS.
Trickledown. Your characterisation was mostly inaccurate.
We never heard about the seaman's union offers to sail the ferries, without pay, for passengers and private cars, during strikes, and railways reply, " no rail, no sail" for example.
Or the management deliberately provoking strikes, when project materials hadn't arrived, to cover up delays.
A very few union members were their own worst enemies, I know, I used to have to work with some of them, and i’m still pissed off with them for giving the RW, ammunition, but on the whole they kept money local and in workers hands.
A lot better than it haemorrhaging, to overseas shareholders, banks and overpaid excess management.
"Just saying", as they say.
Roger is advocating for reduced government spending, and is against corporate welfare.
That's the position he has held forever.
Lower govt spending when the market fails has failed in every economy it has been tried
I agree with you.
I'm just pointing that Roger today is the same Roger he has always been. He didn't say anything in his report that he hasn't said before.
Umm… the market hasn't failed here.
Explain to me how the market was prepared for this pandemic – something that has been forecast to happen for a long time and has had quite a few early indicators e.g. SARS, Ebola, Swine flu and plenty of scientists warning about it.
Seems to me if the "market" was prepared the government wouldn't have been needed to step in.
Elsewhere I've talked about religious believers resistance to reality, and stubborn adherence to beliefs, even when conclusively proven wrong.
Gosman, and Douglas, are prime examples.
Where has someone conclusively proven me wrong here?
Proved you wrong about what? You mostly write RW talking points that assert opinion as fact. Various commenters routinely address both the issues with your facts and your thinking, but it's pretty hard to conclusively prove something about faith one way or the other.
I am quite willing to back my views up with facts. I don't think anything I've stated anyone has actually disproven or even substantially disagreed with (at least on the main points).
Ummm… public health is not a market issue in NZ.
Gosman, the market in NZ has failed in the following areas: Affordable housing, whether to rent or to buy; full employment; affordable tertiary education; affordable primary health care; secure, well paid career paths which reward skill, etc. Market- driven neoliberalism has been a failure, except for the parasites at the top of the food chain.
In an earlier Covid related post you referred to 'people advocating for a full blown Socialist takeover of the economy' – you bet! If your market solutions had worked, there'd be no need for any change, but be assured, left wing change is coming because right wing policies represent market failure.
Umm… Most of the areas you listed are not free markets at all.
Affordable housing – Market supply heavily constrained by regulation
Full employment – Government mandated minimum wage rates
Affordable tertiary education – Attendance heavily subsidised by the State
Affordable primary health care – Subsidised by the State
Can you name me a SINGLE country that satisfies all of your criteria? I am especially interested in your last one "secure, well paid career paths which reward skill". Please tell me a country on the planet that offers that.
So by your definition it's a 100% theoretical then. No one in the world has had a completely market driven economy. There has always been some sort of regulation or external control. In your market driven world there would be no patents, no copyright, no regulation or health and safety. All that gone and somehow you think it would be successful.
Anyway you didn't really address the point – the knowledge of a potential pandemic has been around for a long time. Which businesses were prepared for this – cash reserves, PPE, systems and processes to adapt to different delivery methods – all raring and ready to go. How many had it as part of their planning processes? Nothing the government has done has stopped any business to be not taken by surprise by this. That so many weren't is not a state failure.
If noone has had a completely market driven economy why are you going on about the failure of such policies? You are stating something has failed that hasn't even been tried.
Why are you suggesting that something would work that hasn't been tried yet?
Gosman, the neo libs' favourite saying is, 'just because it doesn't work in practice, doesn't mean it won't work in theory.'
I think you are mixing neoliberalism up with communism
Ummm… the problem businesses are facing are not related to the pandemic. They are related to the governments RESPONSE to the pandemic. Businesses can't really plan effectively for the government shutting down the economy. I'm not sure if business disruption insurance even covers such an eventuality.
“Umm…” @1. "Ummm…" @8:24 pm.
"Umm…" @14.1.2. "Ummm…" @14.1.2.1.2. "Umm…" @14.1.2.2.1
It may be more complicated than that.
People use speech fillers for a variety of reasons. When we use it in the written form, where the need to manage 'cognitive load' is irrelevant, it may well be used to signal a polite pivot to an alternate view, in other words disagreement without confrontation.
Only joking – mild ribbing about Gossy's less irritating affectations
umm … fair enough.
I go back to this point.
Explain to me how the market was prepared for this pandemic – something that has been forecast to happen for a long time and has had quite a few early indicators e.g. SARS, Ebola, Swine flu and plenty of scientists warning about it.
Seems to me if the "market" was prepared the government wouldn't have been needed to step in.
Pandemic planning and the government response has been set out in writing for many years. So the information was freely available, the risk, likelihood and consequence were pretty well established. How could the market not understand and prepare for this?
The planning and been out and reviewed and updated for many years.
https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/healthy-living/emergency-management/pandemic-planning-and-response/pandemic-legislation
The market was pretty piss poor at preparing for it. The government it seems was pretty good.
The market WAS prepared for a pandemic. It would have reacted in a way that ensured goods and services were still being transacted as it did during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919-20. What it is not able to plan for is the State shutting down economic activity. Noone can effectively plan for that.
Pfffft Those exact scenarios were discussed with business leaders ten years ago. I know people who were involved including a chemist shop owner friend of mine who was concerned about the drop in income due to his ability to only sell prescriptions etc and not shampoos and those items where he made more profit.
Not known my arse.
Ostriches with heads in the sand.
Next you'll be telling me that people make rational decisions in the marketplace.
The market is not a person Gosman.
Evidence suggests otherwise.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/pedrodacosta/2020/04/03/pandemic-economics-lessons-from-the-spanish-flu-in-1918/#2506a303797a
Donald Trump’s misguided hopes of reopening the economy by Easter, since dashed by the reality of a worsening health pandemic whose global epicenter is now the United States, set off a debate about trade-offs between public health and the economy.
The assumption that health and prosperity might be in conflict defies common sense for a reason: it’s not rational, or based on fact.
In fact, the opposite is true: There can be no thriving economic life until families and individuals feel comfortable returning to their normal daily lives, including in many cases their place of work, without undue fear of death and disease.
A new paper led by two Fed economists looks at the varying policy responses to the flu pandemic of 1918 for some insights into the current policies of physical distancing and forced retrenchment.
They find that it was the pandemic itself, not the policy responses, that hurt economic growth.
“Areas that were more severely affected by the 1918 Flu Pandemic saw a sharp and persistent decline in real economic activity,” wrote Fed board economist Sergio Correa, New York Fed researcher Stephan Luck and Emil Verner of the MIT Sloan School of Management, in a blog about their findings. Their conclusion:
“Cities that implemented early and extensive non-pharmaceutical interventions (like physical distancing and forbidding large gatherings) suffered no adverse economic effects over the medium term. On the contrary, cities that intervened earlier and more aggressively experienced a relative increase in real economic activity after the pandemic subsided.
Altogether, our findings suggest that pandemics can have substantial economic costs, and non-pharmaceutical interventions can lead to both better economic outcomes and lower mortality rates.”
Gosman Taiwan has done it without shutting borders.you are joking international trade was miniscual compared to today's economy NZ was more independent.Shut downs didn't happen because returning soldiers came in large numbers in confined ships ensuring a quick widespread pandemic across the world with much higher death rates.Comparing Oranges Valencia oranges with apples.Your outlandish rewriting of history is par for your pathetic propaganda
Gosman, I was contrasting the operation of Social Democracy, (SD) in NZ, (by both Labour & National Govts) from 1936 – 1984, with the 'free market deforms,' (FMD) of the Douglas, Richardson, Shipley, Key years since 1984. I don't know how much NZ history you actually understand, but let's begin a journey of discovery:
Affordable housing- SD cured the post war housing shortage with ongoing State house building & 3% mortgages thru the State Advances Corporation, (with a capitalised family benefit as a deposit) for those who wished to buy. FMD sold off State houses, scrapped the family benefit & the 3% mortgages & gave us the leaky building disaster.
Full employment- SD established full employment as a key Reserve Bank policy. FMD scrapped this & introduced permanent unemployment to reduce wages & working conditions, which gave us 29 dead miners at Pike River.
Affordable Tertiary Education – SD made all forms of tertiary education free. As an Accounting student at Ak Polytech, all I paid was the Student Union fee. FMD scrapped this & introduced crippling student loans. When my daughter graduates at age 32 with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, she'll have to choose between buying a house or having children.
Affordable Primary Health care – SD made Doctors' visits free as from 1941. Over the years, Doctors stated charging a co-payment which had risen to c $60 under FMD. Jacinda has now reduced this to $19.50 for CSC holders.
Regarding 'secure well paid career paths which reward skill,' NZ from 1936 to 1984 was such a place. I know because I was in the work force from 1966 – 2017 & remember the contrast under SD &then FMD.
How long have you actually lived in NZ? If you've been here since 1970, then you must have spent the last 50 years with your eyes closed.
capitalism fails every 7 to 10 years but somehow its proponents always deflect the blame to some exogenous cause.
no, the free market always craps out because it’s an inherently unstable system that should be strongly regulated to prevent the inevitable crashes and irrationality
If the market has not failed, why do we have leaky, understaffed hospitals and hundreds, if not thousands homeless? You can keep your market, it is an ideological wet dream!
We don't have leaky hospitals. That is a myth perpetuated by the left.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-democracy-reporting/119656710/middlemore-hospital-denies-prime-minister-jacinda-arderns-sewage-down-walls-claim
Regardless Public Hospitals are largely funded by the State. This is not a failure of the market but of the State bureaucracy. You are essentially stating the State is not very good at meeting the demand for health services. That funnily enough is what proponents of a more market based approach also argue.
Right wing Governments running State provision down to the point of failure, to force privatisation, is one of the marks of Neo-liberal, "disaster capitalism".
There is no indication that ANY political party in NZ has advocated the privatisation of the health system. Again you are making up fact to suit your political viewpoints.
Gosman you are right the National Party has privatised by Stealth. ie Vaccine Distrubution which has been a disaster.
Continually cutting Health funding when health costs are rising at 3 to more than 10 times inflation a doubling down on deep cuts to healthcare.
We now have shortages of 1,000's of Medical specialists 10's of thousands of nurses.
Private health care costs 3 times the cost to provide compared to public healthcare.
In the US to get full healthcare it effectively means you are paying 66% tax on the average wage.
[Fixed errors in user handle]
Please check and correct your user handle before you submit a comment, thanks.
Of course they wouldn't publicly State it.
In reality, National has privitised large swaths of our healthcare system.
Umm…, you are either ignorant or trolling (or both) – either way you are unconvincing.
After the war, the medical association supported by RW politicians undermined the Labour Government's ambitions for a fully State funded primary health care service ( the forerunner of the NHS). The result – health inequities ever since.
It was a deliberate policy, first through Labour / Rogernomics and then National to introduce market forces into our public health services. It failed miserably, after the obvious was discovered – human beings are not the same as factory widgets. Incredibly, right wing politicians still believe in the commodification of health.
Economics must come 2nd to the people's decisions. Douglas's ideas determined that for me. It's the rich or the people! 10 years to nothing more to do about climate change — do you trust the short-term powerful or … us.
Yet When Douglas was finance Minister the govt debt ballooned out 16 times more debt in 6 years of his economic management than Muldoon managed in 9 years.
Gosman you are joking ,sycophants can't see the truth just keep repeating the failed mantra.
Yet he is now saying successful businesses should be subsidising failing businesses.
Who is stating that?
Time for the repeat of the old tried and true fable of Sir Brian, a cautionary tale for his mate Sir Roger:
And you can read all about what they said and other relevant satire from AA Milne here. https://preferreading.wordpress.com/category/a-a-milne/
Be careful with anything Douglas says – words are very flexible signifiers in the mind of the Roger, and the economic tools he advocates tend to have the opposite outcome from what the words appear to recommend. I'd suspect that his attack on 'privilege' is probably a desire to make the currently middle class as insecure as the poor, and usher in a fully regressive feudalism.
If ones boss was claiming the wage subsidy would the worker always be made aware of it?
Ignorance is no excuse: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/2020/covid-19/covid-19-wage-subsidy-employer-search.html
I'm pleased with the public transparency. It's getting good media and public scrutiny.
Now if only we had a similar one for South Canterbury Finance payouts which should also be a matter of public record.
Well my boss told me this week she only has two weeks of the wage subsidy money left as she's spent the rest.
With seven or eight payments to come, the first day I don't get paid the right amount, I'll be making a call to the dob in line.
Bloody hell ET, sounds like your boss used the wages subsidy to pay other bills, I would be definitely doing a dob in on that one.
Can’t believe these funds aren’t put aside to cover the commitment to employees.
Exactly what they said they'd done with the money – Paid off debt and ordered stock for the level 3 reopening. I wasn't shocked, I knew the temptation would be too much for her, I had a bet with a former employee how many weeks from applying for the subsidy until it was all gone.
That is so dodgy – they can't use wage subsidy money to pay off debt. Yep dob them in & buy her a Donald Trump T-shirt.
You mean it wasn't ring-fenced? Unbelievable.
Obtrectator you can't ring fence a Capital injection when the economy needs a blood transfusion Now.
Every company single trader has to sign a caveat that they use the money correctly and provide the correct information as they will be personally liable.
They are supposed to be asked for their permission to be included in the application.
So Sir Rog is all wanked out eh…as I recall he was not content with seriously doing over the New Zealand working class, with his wrecking ball through provincial NZ and manufacturing and public infrastructure, he also stuck his beak into the former Soviet Union as a consultant to help ensure that the peoples huge assets were handed over to oligarchs and international Finance Capital.
His comments should be taken way less seriously than Jim Bolger’s later life mild recants. I am with Sanctuary on this traitor.
Didn't he coin the phrase "trickle down". Yeah right.
Not original, like everything he did.
Nope. He never used that phrase.
I am not sure any politician has ever used the phrased "trickle down"
Exactly. Well not exactly. Left wing politicians use it all the time to try and tar right wing politicians with a political lie.
At least one has.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/trickle-down-economics-still-works-simon-bridges.html
"I think there is some trickle-down effect actually, and a lot of people say no, no no," the National Party leader told The AM Show on Monday morning."
No other meme expressed so well the aim of Roger's economics.
I am sure that he would have uttered the phrase from time to time, but whether he said it or not is entirely irrelevant.
Unfortunately for arseholes like Douglas, most people pay way more attention to what he actually did than what he claims. Yesterday's man, full of wind.
That would be called Tax Gosman which rich rarely pay
Except you are wrong.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/81429047/small-number-of-taxpayers-bear-the-brunt-of-new-zealand-tax-bill
So. The IRD was wrong when they said many of New Zealand's wealthiest people, pay tax as if their income was less than 70k. Eh?
Note: As usual, they are only quoting, income tax, in your link. Anyone that doesn’t include taxes apart from income tax, in a net tax calculation, is lying.
We already know that median to upper earning PAYE tax payers, pay the bulk of tax.
I'm just providing the actual data as opposed to uninformed opinion.
By putting up an uninformed opinion from a "journalist" who cannot add.
And you've provided what exactly? Zip or nada.
What have pants fasteners got to do with this?
Gosman cherry picked Data income tax makes up less than 1/3 of govt revenue.Poor people pay GST on just about all of their income.wealthy people only pay an average of 17% income tax even though the rate is 33%.Capital gain no tax.
If all the Well off paid their tax the tax rate would be lower for everyone.Then Google ,Twitter,Facebook the big 4 Aussie banks paid no tax in NZ. Our taxes would be lower or we would have enough for our infrastructure and not have to borrow from the big banks.Freeing up more money to go into the economy.
So how much $$ do I need to have to go from "tax paying peasant paying 33%" to "wealthy person paying only 17% average"? Im quite keen to change to the latter group, you know.
Now if you are arguing that the "average wealthy person" is dropping below the 33% rate by virtue of their Auckland/Tauranga/Queenstown mansions increasing in value, but not being taxed via CGT, then I would argue that all houses which have increased in value have served their owners well – be they the average wealthy, or the average poor.
The CGT should be on all property or on no property. Personally, I think it should be on ALL property, but it seems like a massive "blind spot" for all politicians here in New Zealand.
With the possible exception of Sir Roger…..who was (and still is) driven by his doctrines rather than by looking for votes.
Lawyers and Accountants
"small-number-of-taxpayers-bear-the-brunt-of-new-zealand-tax-bill"
"The IRD was wrong when they said many of New Zealand's wealthiest people, pay tax as if their income was less than 70k."
These two things are not in conflict with each other. If B was true then it would reduce the number of people paying high taxes and ipso facto would make A true.
Well said DoS
Every economist and their dog is going to push the commentariat one way and the other until this government in particular Minister Robertson forms a framework for people to put their collective ideas into.
This government had better get that framework gong in short order.
The reserve Bank ie Adrian Orr is the best governor we have had for some time .He is doing and saying the right things.
Thank God we don't have Dinosaur Don Brash in Charge .another blinkered ideologue.
The idea that the current iteration of the Labour party has vision to inform a framework is IMHO a forlorn hope.
The modern Labour party is a collection of special interests and technocrats, the former firmly focused on horse trading for identity quotas in the PLP (and if you turn out to be a decent politician – win, other wise you get Deborah Russell) and the latter mainly interested in managing the economy strictly within the constraints of the status quo.
A candidate to be buried face down beside muldoon
Where would you place Roger (and ACT)?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism
Deeper down where capatilists should be
[deleted]
[way too long a cut and paste, and it got caught in the spam filter – weka]
thats a pity…it was informative
IIRC, there was no source link either. I left it in Pre-Moderation hoping that you would add it during your 10-min edit time. In the end, weka got there first 😉
I would place them on a small island and let market forces save them
In all the comment above no one has mentioned "Tomorrow's Schools" – remember, when schools were supposed to adopt a business model. If ever there was a case of fixing something that " ain't broke" that was it. We had a world renowned system which was based on cooperation and expert oversight. Much as I admired David Lange, and especially his ability to "best" that other arch socialist, Sir Robert Muldoon, he will always be remembered for his promotion of that awful piece of educational reform when schools were forced to compete, at huge cost, for clientele.
Muldoon was on the way out when the fat doctors son with the glib tongue was put in the LP pulpit. He never faced serious opposition – except from his retinue – remember the lily livered "cup of tea" moment ?
And DHB's competing instead of co-operating and power companies with their fake competition and SOE's with their fake "hands off by government" bullshit – explain to me again how Solid Energy buying Pike River Mine was a government hands off commercial decision? and having to pay dividends to government e.g. poor peoples rents going into the consolidated fund instead of building new stock and maintaining homes.
So many of those changes were just smoke and mirrors and crap.
Edit
DoS To himself he is like Jesus. Jesus in the bible story took a small number of loaves and fish, and caused them to divinely replicate to enable each person to have a share. (The moral is that there should always be something for each person through sharing and caring.)
NZ's small economy could be expanded Douglas and Treasury thought, and set out to do this using money and finance, the magical riches, and then he looked for his disciples and masters and set aside most of the money for them. For the masses they got watery fish soup and bits of bread, which even if it might have gone mouldy, had to be accepted as their share.
And he learned all this from the USA and pockets of wealth-worship in the world, but mostly from the USA that god-believing, god-bothering location in the world that practices the opposite of Jesus' message. However it erects such proud buildings, religious rhetoric and imaginative outpourings of public relations, that people are entirely diverted from the truth of the simple but profound Christian beliefs.
Shove him in drag and give him a handbag and you pass him off as Maggie
what a complete load of bollocks!! Here is the original architect of economic privilege for a few and inequality for the many, trying to sound as if he cares! X@&:(;-!?
Probably too late for this but suggest that all those who have contributed to the above thread might like to visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogernomics for an excellent overview of the political career of Roger Douglas, the why and wherefore of his policies, and their legacies. It does not make pretty reading. If he bothers to read it I will be interested to read Gosman's take on it.
Especially the "immediate results" tab, unemployment and suicide, negative growth, predator financiers, good times for the one percenters.
Roger and his ACT buddies tore the labour party apart, wrecked unions, sold out NZ for their far right Randian ideology. A few dodgy scumbags went from fairly rich to obscenely wealthy. As a result, Labour has been widely hated and distrusted for the last 35 years.
Except by 21st century folk who can't read history, or are 'professionals' who view ordinary workers with disdain. Yes Labour deserted ordinary workers in 1984 but somehow covers that up with 'fairy dust'/'free' shit to retain a voter base.
They threw thousands of people who had jobs with dignity (in rail, forestry, roading, etc) onto the dole, sold off our public assets, and ignored the cries of the new underclass they had just created. A betrayal of the workers whom they were elected to serve.
Property sector cheerleader promotes Rogernomics as the answer to current woes (and keeps a straight face): https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/37877
"I am pleased that for the first time in nearly 40 years Roger Douglas is on the left of me on an issue. Welcome back to the collective comrade."
Ah no
"Douglas proposes that the employee should be furloughed and the payment made directly to them."
$585.80 (gross) per week for full-time employees will likely be much less than 80% of their full-time wage.
Why is that a problem?
That equates to working a 31-hour week at the minimum hourly rate. That is the problem and only a wholly ignorant person would ask such a question.
Douglas only venture into private enterprise pig farming he went bankrupt .Under today's animal welfare laws he would have been prosecuted for neglecting animals and most likely spent time behind bars given the number of animals that had to be destroyed.
Animal Farm is a good example of how libertarianism plays out.
Don Brash bankrupted the kiwifruit growers organisation.
John Key BT funds bankrupt,Elders financebankrupt,Merrill Lynch bankrupt.ANZ the Australian banking enquiry found out ANZ corrupt practices having to pay more than $ 1 billion in fines.
The 4 major Aussie Banks are not in as good order as they claim and will need bailing out if unemployment exceeds 13% in Australia.The big 4 have been printing to much money just like Merrill Lynch etc.Adrian Orr our reserve bank Gov was trying to make the big 4 keep double the reserve capital they have now to save us taxpayers having to bail them out.The Aussie govt have been to scared to reign in the big 4 printing of loans without reserves.
The article says that he is "worried about superannuation".
Worried means that is is worried that too many people arent working till they drop, as such the case in the USA, and that slashing the level of super to the same as the dole, as well as raising the age, will make people think twice about retirement.
The agenda, plain as day, is to reduce the living standards of the bottom 50% of the population. Wage cuts, reduction of avaliblilty of social services, etc
Of course it is /sarc
Is this treacherous rat pretending to care?
yes and its a lie
Freemarket v. socialism above is irrelevant in terms of crisis govt re covid and climate change. Love the bullshit about the freemarket in light of finite resources and climate change. War govt is required in these crises. And that is socialism if you haven't noticed. Always thought neoliberalism was cooking the books. Or, Gosman, putting off the bills to the far off for the present pleasure. Which I know well as a gray-ethic borderer. Roger will go to the heaven for the deluded. That's all that can be offered.
Gosman The free market needs bailing out every 8 to 10 years.
Large Trading Blocks protect their economies at the expense of small trading countries.
Their is no such thing as a level playing field and it will never eventuate .
You REALLY don't understand how trade works.
You probably think the point of foreign trade is to increase export receipts.
I admire your stamina with your incessant sniping against impossible odds – but you are showing signs of tiredness now with this little outburst – time for a nap?
Goosestepper who are you addressing.China has done exactly what you are saying getting as big a slice of the export dollar it can get its mits on.
Why once you destroy competition you become the price maker instead of taker.
So countries who stick with the pure fair flat playing field get screwed
Except that isn't how it has worked out. Show me a country that jacks up the price of a product AFTER they have spent billions to create an export market for it?
Consider the rot that contributed to finishing off union power was social policy like no-fault divorce and 'daddy state' benefits with a feminist movement co-opted by neo-liberalism. The aim was to weaken men both in the home and on the paid work front. What was wanted was a more compliant work force and the work place to be moved from full-time to part-time, contract and casual. The 'home front war'/disintegration of family/loss of cohesive community also meant little notice was taken of the steady increase to the export of 'our' work.
Consider that this 'left' ideology is still to the fore when globalists like Key failed to bother setting up a massive apprenticeship scheme in the wake of the 2011 Chch earthquake because neither neo-liberalism or the 'left' wants a strong potentially independent male based worker block arising again.