Sacked. No reason given

Written By: - Date published: 6:37 pm, August 16th, 2010 - 68 comments
Categories: workers' rights - Tags:

Key said put up or shut up. The CTU and some gutsy workers are putting up. Will Key have the guts to answer them?

RALLY 21 & 22 August
Auckland * Wellington * Christchurch * Dunedin

Auckland
1pm, Saturday 21st August
QE2 Square (bottom of Queen St, opposite Britomart)

Wellington
1pm, Saturday 21st August
Civic Square

Christchurch
1pm, Saturday 21st August
Cathedral Square

Dunedin
11am, Sunday 22nd August
Assemble at Dental School, Great King Street
March to rally at the Octagon

68 comments on “Sacked. No reason given ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tc 1
    16 August 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Will anyone in the MSM have the guts to put this to him ?

    • Marty G 1.1
      16 August 2010 at 8:04 pm

      they’re too busy giving him birthday cards.

    • bbfloyd 1.2
      17 August 2010 at 12:47 pm

      “brave mainstream journalist” would have to qualify as an oxymoron in this country.
      when the paymaster decides it’s in the company’s interest, then you will get “honesty”.

  2. Doug 2
    16 August 2010 at 7:17 pm

    Red Alert have had a go at this and lost.
    She is a Labour activist.

    http://grassroots.labour.org.nz/profile/FlorenceCohen?xg_source=profiles_memberList

    • IrishBill 2.1
      16 August 2010 at 7:36 pm

      You’re right. People with political views shouldn’t have any right to speak out about anything that affects them. In that spirit, you’re banned for six months.

    • loota 2.2
      16 August 2010 at 9:55 pm

      Frak this site is a laugh a minute.

  3. Doug 3
    16 August 2010 at 7:55 pm

    Taken as a Badge of Honor.

    • Pascal's bookie 3.1
      16 August 2010 at 8:03 pm

      Yeah, you’re a regular keyboard commando. Very Special Forces division.

    • Marty G 3.2
      16 August 2010 at 8:05 pm

      Taken on a glass jaw without a sense of humour, more like.

      Doug. Do you think that political activists from opposition parties should lose their jobs?

    • Fisiani 3.3
      16 August 2010 at 9:18 pm

      You cannot express an honest opinion here without a ban. Wear your badge with pride.

      [You’ve had endless opportunity to express your ‘honest opinions’ here Fisi…and yet here you are posting away as merrily as ever. But you’ve just stated that you cannot do this without being banned. What do you want Fisi… to be proven right like Doug? Or do I just accept that nothing from you is really an ‘honest opinion’ and let you harmlessly dribble on as usual?…. RL]

      • felix 3.3.1
        16 August 2010 at 10:36 pm

        A startling admission from you, Fisi.

        • Fisiani 3.3.1.1
          17 August 2010 at 12:01 pm

          I’ve served out my first ban. Only a matter of time before I am ejected again. You can get away with profanities here but not with the inconvenient truth.

          • The Voice of Reason 3.3.1.1.1
            17 August 2010 at 12:15 pm

            I haven’t seen anyone here banned for telling the truth, petal. Stupidity, on the hand …

      • bbfloyd 3.3.2
        17 August 2010 at 1:14 pm

        last time i checked, the definition for reactionary name calling has not been changed to “honest opinion”. better get on to johnny and get it changed. same goes for plagiarism.

    • bbfloyd 3.4
      17 August 2010 at 1:17 pm

      have a close look at that badge. it’s simply been rolled in glitter. stop trying to polish it.

  4. Jenny 4
    16 August 2010 at 8:11 pm

    A brave young woman my heart goes out to her.

    I hope she finds a job soon.

  5. Doug 5
    16 August 2010 at 8:11 pm

    Marty G
    Do you think an MP should be sacked on the testimony of a Labour activist?

    • Marty G 5.1
      16 August 2010 at 9:16 pm

      MPs can’t be sacked.

      Key fired Worth as a Minister. Worth resigned from Parliament himself.

      Key says the sacking was not to do with Worth’s behaviour towards that woman. And if you still think that Labour would engage in a honey-trap to get rid of someone so useless as Worth using a known Labour activist, you’re really stupid.

  6. Graham 6
    16 August 2010 at 8:41 pm

    Ummm … there’s gotta be something missing here.

    Florence claims she was not given any warnings, any reasons, any sort of explanation. From the employer’s point of view, this doesn’t make sense. Why, as an employer, go through the hassle of taking someone on, putting them on the payroll, working out all the PAYE, finding out they’re actually pretty good at their job with people coming in and asking specifically for Florence – then sack them with no reason given?

    Assuming this was a genuine job opportunity, the employer now has to go through the whole rigmarole of hiring someone again. If I was an employer, I would far rather say to someone, “Hey, you work well, but you need to smarten up your dress sense, or turn up on time, or not smoke in front of the store where customers can see you, or …”. Most employers aren’t stupid, so why go through the hassle all over again?

    Gotta be more to this.

    • Marty G 6.1
      16 August 2010 at 9:18 pm

      yeah. Must be the worker’s fault if she was fired without cause being given. After all, every employer is a good and reasonable person who never acts arbitrarily or unjustly and would never dream of trying to cover for their unfair behaviour by refusing to give a reason for a dismissal..

      Hard to see why we need any labour or business laws at all, with these rational angels in charge of the nation’s enterprises.

    • RedLogix 6.2
      16 August 2010 at 10:51 pm

      Graham,

      Listen to the video again. It’s clear that the employer held fairly strong, possibly fundamentalist, religious views of some kind. Lotsa room for not seeing eye to eye with someone who doesn’t share the same fixed and rather narrow ideas.

      • Herodotus 6.2.1
        16 August 2010 at 11:01 pm

        RL it is not clear that the owner possessed these ideas. It is clear that the young lady perceived that. Now you are doing what many here accuse others of doing. Attacking the individuals and espousing your prejudices and the use of emotive language.

        • NickS 6.2.1.1
          16 August 2010 at 11:19 pm

          Lets put it this way, Christian music blows chunks (lyrically + subject wise, music composition not so much), , more so than much of the crap that has passed for popular music. Thus someone who chooses to force others to listen to it, are morons with extraordinarily bad tastes in music.
          /evil atheist conspiracy

        • RedLogix 6.2.1.2
          16 August 2010 at 11:27 pm

          Herodotus,

          Fundamentalist ideas are almost always fixed, narrow… and rather firmly held.

          All I stated that this could easily lead to ‘not seeing eye to eye with someone’ who didn’t share the same perspective. Scarcely emotive or attacking an individual. And of course it was merely a speculative response to Graham @ 6.0 above who was speculating that there ‘gotta be more to this’.

          Defensive some?

      • NickS 6.2.2
        16 August 2010 at 11:05 pm

        …The fundie aspect may just have been part of it, but I don’t think it was the main driver. What it looks more like is a case of exploiting her to fill a gap until the employer could do without her. In which case it was highly unethical, particularly for what was someone who due to their beliefs considers themselves very “moral”.

        However, the issues Florence is now having with finding work may actually have something to do with her employers religion, since bullshit is quite easy to spread around church goers very easily.

    • mcflock 6.3
      17 August 2010 at 1:38 am

      @Graham

      …or maybe, just maybe, DISMISSAL WITHOUT CAUSE IS UNFAIR BECAUSE IT IS ONLY NEEDED BY INCOMPETENT AND UNFAIR MANAGERS WHO BY DEFINITION WANT TO BE ABLE TO FIRE PEOPLE FOR UNFAIR, BIGOTED, OR JUST PLAIN FUCK-IGNORANT REASONS.

      Which is what anyone who gives a tinker’s damn about the majority of NZers (who aren’t business owners or managers) and can get two braincells working in tandem at any one time have been saying.

      • KJT 6.3.1
        17 August 2010 at 10:30 am

        As a former business owner and now in a management position.
        I do give a damn.
        I can run my business without treating my workers like shit and I do not think I should have to compete with people who allowed to bypass treating their workers with normal human consideration.
        Fortunately it is partly self correcting. I get the pick of the best workers.

        If this attack on NZ wages is allowed to continue we all lose. Wage earners buy our products.

        • The Voice of Reason 6.3.1.1
          17 August 2010 at 12:22 pm

          Spot on KJT, and from my experiance, you mirror most employers/managers in NZ, who do strive to be fair and reasonable and don’t actually want or need these changes. The fundamental weakness of Key’s drive to lower wages is that it also lowers the overall incomes of all Kiwis, bar the richest of the rich. Mind you, the Tories wouldn’t see that as a weakness, but a strength.

        • mcflock 6.3.1.2
          17 August 2010 at 8:39 pm

          interesting – I fell into the “good for employers” meme and lumped all bosses in with the likes of “too dumb to use anything BUT fire at will”.

          My apologies.

    • prism 6.4
      17 August 2010 at 8:52 am

      Graham Because no reason has to be given, then we never get to find out the truth. Good example of why this new legislation is unsatisfactory.

    • bbfloyd 6.5
      17 August 2010 at 1:33 pm

      graham.. i would agree that most employers aren’t stupid.
      on the other hand, i have worked for companies run by “fundamentalist” christian folk, and i have seen and experienced their approach. it is actually quite common practice for them to remove people who don’t measure up to their ideas of morality. there are no other criterion required. i have seen people sacked on suspicion of loose morals according to whichever paster is calling the shots.
      to go further, i myself was put through a series of interrogations when i foolishly let slip (to a workmate)that i had seen a church member smoking a cigarette.
      untill it was proved( person confessed) i wasn’t lying, my job was gone, and i was left with no doubt that my troubles were only starting.
      i found myself a new job as fast as i could, and vowed never to work for people like that again. if florence has come across a group like that, then my heart goes out to her.

  7. comedy 7
    16 August 2010 at 8:53 pm

    I expect to be banned but …………. who the fuck is in charge of the unions PR ? Isn’t it a basic tenet of a PR campaign that you don’t provide your opponent with ammunition to shove one up you ?

    Look up Florence on google and what’s the second thing that pops up ?

    • illuminatedtiger 7.1
      16 August 2010 at 9:03 pm

      So what?

      • comedy 7.1.1
        16 August 2010 at 9:06 pm

        So you are trying to convince the general public and I would suggest most people who see this and later learn of the subjects affiliation with a political party think two things.

        1. Hack
        2. Jack up

        • Marty G 7.1.1.1
          16 August 2010 at 9:14 pm

          Just how do you think this is a ‘jack up’? and I’m not sure what you mean by ‘hack’

          labour has thousands and thousands of activists. Is it any surprise that one of these people, having been unfairly treated, would be brave enough to stand up for her rights, more so than someone who isn’t politically active?

          • Herodotus 7.1.1.1.1
            16 August 2010 at 9:23 pm

            Who stood up for Miss Senchel when she was sacked because of whom she shared a bed with, and all that commentary from Trevor Mallard. Where was the calvery charge by unions and the like in support of her case, was Miss Senchel treated fairly?
            I hope for the union and like that this is not a iceberg case that could diminish the value of what is trying to be achieved, like how the Worth case was at best averagely managed, with what was exposed after digging ….belated.
            I am also amazed at how some contributors think that a worker can be discarded, most good coy know the value of staff, not to interchange workers every 90 days. I am sure that such repeated offending would attract the attention of the union movement.

            • Marty G 7.1.1.1.1.1
              16 August 2010 at 9:29 pm

              if Setchell (note spelling) had been a PSA member, the union would have been with her. Expecting them to help out freeriders when they’re already getting by on their bare bones is a bit rich.

              “most good coy know the value of staff,”

              so, it’s pray you’re lucky enough to get a good boss or you’re screwed? We have rights to protect us from bad behaviour, the kind of thing most people don’t do.

              • Herodotus …
                16 August 2010 at 9:48 pm

                Thanks for the spelling, the reason for her firing is OK then, or is it not Ok if you are in a union but ok otherwise?
                and being extremely poorly treated by the party that espouses workers rights If you can get please get me a tui from the fridge Marty
                I thought that it was the principle of the matter?
                from my experience the majority are ok bosses with ok employees. we have reverted retro to the 70’s with The pendulum swinging from worker v employee. To fire an employee was extremely difficult even with strong due cause drink driving with coy car, of theft. Now this has swung a bit to far the other way, but that is what you get when both sides are unable to communicate. Lab listens to Unions Nat Owners, both have just cause to be agrieved by what has and is being enacted into law, hopefully all we can expect is for small swings from side to side

                • bbfloyd …
                  17 August 2010 at 2:12 pm

                  c’mon H.. you do so well stringing all those long words together into even longer sentences, surely you could go one step further and make some sense with them. i can hardly wait…

    • bbfloyd 7.2
      17 August 2010 at 1:54 pm

      comedy…when you were doing that, what was the first thing that popped up? and were you sitting down when it happened?

  8. Doug 8
    16 August 2010 at 9:18 pm

    Marty G
    Strange how most all attacks on National are led by Labour activists.

    • Marty G 8.1
      16 August 2010 at 9:21 pm

      they’re not going to be led by National ones are they? Labour is the major opposition party, they are going to push most attacks on National

      Unless you’re claiming that she must be lying because she’s an activist or that how she was treated is justified because she was an activist, I fail to see what your point is.

    • bbfloyd 8.2
      17 August 2010 at 2:07 pm

      Doug….Duh?

  9. Fisiani 9
    16 August 2010 at 9:28 pm

    Still no evidence of unfair dismissal. Evidence of dismissal is not evidence of unfairness.

  10. Fisiani 10
    16 August 2010 at 9:28 pm

    Still no evidence of unfair dismissal. Evidence of dismissal is not evidence of unfairness.

    • Jenny 10.1
      16 August 2010 at 9:39 pm

      Fisiani:

      Evidence of dismissal is not evidence of unfairness.

      This is the whole point. Fisiani, employers are not required to give evidence, fair, or unfair. So to say that there is no evidence of unfairness is not only stating the obvious. But shows you are a shallow idiot.

      capcha – leaved

      • Fisiani 10.1.1
        16 August 2010 at 9:58 pm

        So all dismissal is therefore unfair?????
        Yet another foot in mouth job by the CTU

        • Lanthanide 10.1.1.1
          16 August 2010 at 10:06 pm

          So I guess you don’t consider being sacked for no reason “unfair”. That is to say, you think it is completely 100% fair, for all parties involved, for someone to work somewhere for 85 days and then be sacked without a reason.

        • IrishBill 10.1.1.2
          16 August 2010 at 10:10 pm

          No. Being fired without being told why you’ve been fired and without any chance to either argue the point or make a change to remedy the problem is unfair.

          You righties constantly cry and whine about getting banned from here despite the fact you get warnings and are told why you’ve been banned. Hell sometime you even get to make a case and have a ban lifted.

          Losing your job is a lot worse than being banned from the standard and yet you will blithely dismiss the rights of workers to a fair process while wailing and moaning about the very fair process you get here.

          Hypocrites.

          • RedLogix 10.1.1.2.1
            16 August 2010 at 11:06 pm

            Losing your job is a lot worse than being banned from the standard and yet you will blithely dismiss the rights of workers to a fair process while wailing and moaning about the very fair process you get here.

            Really Fisi….go away and have a long hard think.

        • bbfloyd 10.1.1.3
          17 August 2010 at 1:56 pm

          you slip is showing again fis..

        • bbfloyd 10.1.1.4
          17 August 2010 at 2:21 pm

          fis.. you really have to stop doing that stuff when you are writing… that’s nasty

    • Draco T Bastard 10.2
      16 August 2010 at 10:16 pm

      The lack of a reason is evidence of unfair dismissal. Without a reason given we have to make an assumption and that’s the only one that fits. If the dismissal was fair a reason would have been given.

  11. M 11
    16 August 2010 at 9:31 pm

    Hey Doug and all you other special people who seem to think her being on Labour grassroots nullifies her concerns at being fired under the 90 day bill…what if she was fired from the bookstore for being a member of the Labour party? Maybe that is why the decided to get rid of her? Would that be ok with you?

    Who knows why she was let go. As she points out they had taken on two workers at the same time so perhaps it was a comparison she wasn’t made aware of…perhaps the other worker didn’t dare raise the offence the christian radio station gave to some customers?

    This is not a fair process, to have no idea where you went wrong and to be fired for any number of reasons that would be discriminatory if they had to be actually declared. Good on her for speaking out.
    She is a very brave person to be put up for the scrutiny and abuse of every RWNJ in order to challenge the National Govt’s appalling treatment of workers.

  12. lenore 12
    17 August 2010 at 9:50 am

    I work with a lot of young people seeking work and many have made comments about being laid off abruptly from low/semi skilled jobs. Sometimes they noticed that a few weeks prior to being fired, they were what I call being “micro managed” ie a focus on the little things they were doing wrong. This is a current management tool that many employers and managers use in all sectors of work and at all levels. Prior to the 90 day act, it might have lead to the employee getting so stressed/ anxious that they start making mistakes and eventually they leave themselves (and I have worked with a lot of people in that position). Now for those jobs where it is easy to pick up new staff with minimum training, they can dispose of them more easily after 90 days Sure for those jobs where it is expensive to hire staff etc, employers will be less likely to let someone go – but they may do it under the guise of only wanting someone for contract type work anyway.

    For those workers, they feel gutted, worthless and expendable. The young people feel distrustful of employers and it demotivates them even further to seek work.

    I thought we had legislation based upon “good faith” relationships and am saddened that there are employers out there who are what I would say “milking” the effects of the recession where people are more willing to accept “bad faith” working conditions because they have less choice.

    As for people taking a stand on what is unfair dismissal – get real. the reason some of these people are in unskilled jobs are they have literacy issues, English maybe their second language – they don’t know their rights. They also may believe that they need this employer as a referee and so keep silent. When they seek new work – the prospective employer might look at their cv and ask why they left their last job so if they can’t get a referee from someone in their former work place, it is even more difficult. So they keep silent. These people often have never heard of the employment relations act or community law centres where they can get free legal advice or what their rights are. Even if they did, they are often not confident then to exercise their rights. Standing up to anyone is very stressful particularly when there is a power imbalance and many people from many different cultures are also brought up to avoid conflict.

    • bbfloyd 12.1
      17 August 2010 at 2:41 pm

      lenore… on the issue of “micromanagement”, i couldn’t agree more. i experienced this working in australia. working as a boilermaker/welder in WA, which at the time went through slow periods according to whether any new mining infrastructure was required or not. consequently i found i had to shift jobs quite often. at least 3/4 of my new employers spent an appreciable amount of time looking over my shoulder and jumping on any real, or perceived errors or methods deemed unacceptable. far from assisting me to learn their particular systems faster, it rapidly became counterproductive. my years in the trade and my proven background in fabrication and construction was completely disregarded as i was expected to adhere to systems that only worked when applied to narrow parameters.
      a young, inexperienced person being subject to this approach, and not having my knowledge and proven ability would rapidly become disheartened to the point of becoming incapable of doing the job they are paid to do. thus we have the “self fulfilling prophecy” scenario being played out.

  13. roger nome 13
    17 August 2010 at 10:09 am

    “”milking’ the effects of the recession where people are more willing to accept “bad faith’ working conditions because they have less choice. ”

    And it was exactly the same in the 1990s. The bottom line never changes. Once you take away universal controls from the employment relationship, something as simple as actually getting paid for the work you do becomes uncertain, because National have made it a competitive bottom-line issue for employers, i.e. if you don’t pay an 18 year old for half the hours they do in the first three months, are they going to pipe-up and complain? If they do, how long will they last when 20% of all other 18 year-olds are looking for work?

    The bad employers simply gain a competitive advantage over good employers. So – this law promotes bad behaviour on a mass scale. Great work NACT.

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    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

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