There was a website for the last local body elections that analysed candidates for political orientation - the blatant National Party candidates all say that they will keep rate rises low, but that does not catch all of them. Labour has endorsed candidates...
rarely?
I am intrigued at the number of people who seem to have a bizarre view that our government (a) is somehow able to and should be tracking NZ citizens that go abroad, perhaps particularly if they are on leave from the Defence Force, and (b) are somehow ...
The real Bank for the NZ Government is the Reserve Bank - all Westpac does is link to the system for making payments to all the entities that government departments pay each day - and make sure that this is done at the lowest cost to the government.
Yes, a failure by successive governments to fund it at similar rates to the capital raising by the other trading banks. National never regarded funding the Bank as more desirable than almost anything else - but they knew they could not afford to be seen to...
The Government accounts being with Westpac is largely an accounting exercise. Think about a customer that has a current account that they keep only enough money in to cover payments out - they pay off their credit card every month so never pay penalty ...
Is there a commitment to publish the report, or to give the terms of reference?
Thank you for that. I had assumed a legal employer still would have some responsibilities, and that a "break down in the relationship'' should be able to be seen in both directions. A Good Secretary (whether in Wellington or in the electorate) should be ...
I can understand the need for 'break down in relationship' provisions - some staff will want to stay with a particular party when a government changes, others will be happy to work for another party, but that should be a two way process. New MPs presumably...
Uffindell had used some strange words about whether there was anything else he should have disclosed - something like "there is nothing else the public needs to know" - we now know of another incident. A future question may be if they choose another of the...
For more than 20 years. There have been stories of New Zealanders getting ''work from home'' contracts to work for USA companies doing IT work; some of our companies employ workers from Bangalore - as well as the huge ''outsourcing'' firms that operate ...
National/ACT appear to be moving towards the USA model of substantial political effort going through cut-out organisations such as The Taxpayers Union etc - they can espouse underlying policy that is technically deniable by the political party. How would ...
Bring back child benefit - and the ability to capitalise it to pay a deposit on a home. Bring back State Advances loans at slightly lower than market rates, but with a payment commitment of a percentage of income. There could also be rent to buy ...
Not super profits perhaps but certainly very good - an extra $5 or so per sheet over the cost of buying overseas and getting it shipped here? Perhaps not as good the Christchurch Quake work, but still fairly good. Still it seems to be coming to an end for ...
Other countries have similar approval processes, based on local use, and products normally used. Requirements for nailing Gib Board changed here due to longer term problems being identified; fire requirements led to different types of board on some walls. ...
And some of that was done, with some urgency, when samples of imported material were submitted for approval, and went through the testing and approval process. There may be more international suppliers (I gather there are at least three in Australia, and ...
Indeed they were Gosman. The first was the deliberate run down of building capacity by Government by leaving apprenticeships to building companies - and then encouraging developers to rely on sub-contractors with little job security to keep costs down; ...
It is not clear what you are trying to achieve, Blade, but it appears that you believe you have a poor memory and poor debating skills. I am sorry for your low self-esteem; a bit more thought before typing may help.
Setting up that Committee does not indicate that nothing has happened - some products from overseas have been submitted for approval and gone thro9ugh the testing process for that approval - with supplies arriving this week or last week. Also, the issue of...
The article by Audrey Young does seem reasonably fair regarding Mallard. I'm aware that she has been around as a journalist for quite a long time, but did she have personal or family connections to a political party at one time?
The statistical issues have been covered by others - but we know that perception does not always follow reality. Active disinformation is of course rife, and some believe carefully planned through convenient cut-outs like the Taxpayer Union, Counterpoint ...
Agreed. Mallard has been very firm and uncompromising in insisting that Parliaments rules be followed by both Government and Opposition MPs. There was a clip played showing Mallard getting stroppy with Lockwood Smith as Speaker; but I recall that Smith was...
There is a lot of consultation to go, and some issues may well change, but the objective of meeting water standards is unlikely to change. Consultation is desirable, and that happens more easily when it is clear the the objectives and obligations on ...
If any organisation is created to look after 3 waters, it will still be ultimately accountable to the New Zealand Government - and my understanding of 3 waters is that it is intended to be directly accountable, but that is not yet clear. You are however ...
From the "Taxpayers Union": https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/three_waters_poll2 "Do you think those that are responsible for local drinking, waste and provision of storm water services should be directly accountable to voters" Now faced with such a question, ...
Absolutely, Jenny. After all National have told us how they will fix it - more money in the pocket from tax cuts! Is that all you were looking for?
With the electricity market there are more players - they just take turns to be highest costs / lowest cost, as market prices generally continue to rise. Now that is changing however as they complicate charges so that it is difficult for anyone to ...
Where has personal responsibility gone? From the media, we see videos of these raids, and often hear that they are youth who should not have been driving, but look at how exciting it appears to a young gamer . . . Who made the vehicles available, or did ...
Thanks for that link. From the chart, we have Labour + Green at 46.6, National + ACT at 46.9, and 2.5+1.7+0.9+0.7 = 5.8 not at this time committed to either major party.. Does any media reporter really believe that the Green Party or ACT will not support ...
I agree. We have had coalition / confidence and supply governments for all MMP governments until this government; so it is not as if 50% by one party is normal. Reporting is the issue, not the poll. What would we think of a comparison on Australia of Labor...
I agree that The Standard should be seen to avoid mis-naming politicians. This is not obviously a deliberate attempt to denigrate; it may just reflect that Luxon has not been long in the job, and mistakes are made; but The Standard should I believe at ...
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