The case for higher wages

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 26th, 2017 - 31 comments
Categories: class war, economy, Unions, wages - Tags: , , , ,

In the warm afterglow of the huge wage increase for health care workers the case for addressing NZ’s creaking low-wage economy is getting some recognition:

Bosses need to ‘bite the bullet’ and lift wages

Employers will eventually need to “bite the bullet” and start paying more to their staff following the higher than expected inflation, BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander says.

Inflation in the year ended March was 2.2 per cent, according to Statistics New Zealand’s Consumer Price Index, the official measure of inflation. In the March quarter, inflation was 1 per cent. Both the annual and quarterly inflation figures were well above estimates by the Reserve Bank and economists.

Alexander said employers having to pay more to their staff might be especially so in response to the change in migration rules announced last week by Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse.

Inflation is certainly a factor, as is the insane increases in housing / rental costs that are not adequately captured in the CPI. As to immigration, it has been a factor in keeping wages down, according to Mike Yardley in The Press:

New Zealand’s immigration settings suppressing pay rates

I find myself in the not so familiar position of applauding and admiring some recent flourishes by the the union movement and collective power.

The monumental union-negotiated settlement to significantly boost pay rates for the aged care sector is a stunning victory for basic decency.

The sharper lens of an election year, and the ongoing public unease about growing inequality, would have certainly helped embolden the Government to strike this historic $2 billion settlement, which will substantially transform the pay packets of 55,000 residential care and home support workers.

With crappy pay rates soon becoming consigned to history, rest home operators will no longer have to sponge off third world labour markets by importing vast hordes of generous-hearted Filipinos to staff their facilities.

It is a classic illustration of the folly behind New Zealand’s immigration settings in recent years, which have been crudely and expeditiously cheapened to allow the country to be flooded by third world migrants, who will willingly work for miserable pay.

(I just want to note that I’m unhappy with some of the language / imagery here. I’m in favour of slowing down immigration for a while, but we need to be able to discuss the issue factually, and respectfully.)

Not only has this kept Kiwis frozen out from legitimate jobs and suppressed pay rates, but it has fuelled the downstream impact on housing prices and infrastructure strain.

The Government’s latest tweaks to our immigration settings, whereby “skilled” migrants must earn more than the median wage and “essential skills” work visa holders must leave after three years, are grossly overdue. …

Will the tweaks make a difference? Maybe not, see: Government changes will have “almost no impact” on medium term immigration: ASB. Fran O’Sullivan also explores these topics:

Forget immigration, let’s talk wages

The Government’s latest tweak to its immigration policies does nothing to alleviate the real issue: the urgent need to step up investment in house builds – particularly in Auckland; step up investment in infrastructure and take more steps to move New Zealand to a higher-wage economy where people can actually afford to live in our prime commercial city.

True that.

…But if New Zealand is to evolve as a highly skilled economy it needs to set the bar higher, and pay decent wages which will also spur employers to take initiatives to drive greater movement on the productivity front.

This requires a major reset of the NZ economy – not simply using immigration to spur economic growth, then screwing the taps down when the cost of running things too hot becomes a political negative.

Where Labour is on point is with addressing the “Future of Work”.

If this fosters debate on the skills New Zealand needs to build a strong, innovative and highly developed economy that will be a positive.

OK, so, great to see this new consensus on the need for higher wages. Better late than never I guess. And O’Sullivan is right to note Labour’s “Future of Work” as the way forward. National has nothing to offer except status quo and excuses.

31 comments on “The case for higher wages ”

  1. Antoine 1

    To be fair, ASB does say that the Woodhouse changes may have a more significant impact 3 years out.

    Also, I think pinning all our hopes on Future of Work might be a bit chancy… what in it gives you such confidence?

    A.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1

      Did someone say we should pin “all our hopes” on it? Who was that?

      The fact that Labour is considering it at all means their approach is already infinitely better than National’s. The report itself draws on a wide range of experience and expertise, and covers the issues comprehensively, making a series of practical recommendations, (pages 14 and 15 of the summary).

      You can find both the summary and the full report on Labour’s website. I won’t link to them because they’re pdf documents, which aren’t to everyone’s taste.

      Good on you for being so interested though.

  2. Keith 2

    Q, Since when did a banks chief economist ever care what the proles get paid?

    A, About the time he and his bank realised any upward movement in interest rates in low/stagnant wage economy combined housing bubble could be rather disastrous for both people maxxed out on credit and his bank!

    Anyway wait for one of National’s headless chicken responses such as a “raft of initiatives” designed to make it look like they are doing something, meanwhile doing nothing – gigs!

  3. bwaghorn 3

    ”” migrants must earn more than the median wage ”

    yeah shit wages are only good enough for kiwis,

    • Nic the NZer 3.1

      That was “skilled migrants” the point being to have the program bring in skills rather than cheap labour. Of course half of all workers must earn less than the median wage.

      • Incognito 3.1.1

        Of course half of all workers must earn less than the median wage. [my bold]

        An unfortunate choice of words IMHO.

        • Nic the NZer 3.1.1.1

          Is it? I have another one, how do you feel about,
          “Of course half of all workers must earn more than the median wage.”

  4. Incognito 4

    Good post.

    I tend to get confused when various people talk about “higher wages” as there are a number of different situations possible that all (loosely?) cover the term “higher wages”.

    Obviously, to keep up with CPI and COL existing jobs need to keep pace or people would go backwards – many are slowly sliding backwards anyway but that is a separate story. This is one reason why the minimum wage gets adjusted, for example.

    Then there is the case where people work more or longer hours or aiming for full-time instead of part-time employments. I don’t know whether technically this equals “higher wages”.

    Lastly, there are better-paid jobs that require more and/or higher skills. Such jobs come with higher wages for a number of reasons as well.

    The links between the first two categories are relatively clear for a lay-person but the third one seems to be more on its own. The extreme example is hiring a highly-paid CEO; how does this lead to “higher wages” for the workers on the factory floor or for the cleaners, for example?

    The links (e.g. trickle down, increased job security, etc.) are strenuous, at best, and are much harder to swallow by the Precariat, the people that feel left out because they are left out.

    So, when talking about wages it would help if people would be more upfront about what they mean and how much they rely on economic doctrine, ideological arguments and/or wishful thinking.

    Disclaimer: I have no formal economic background so please keep the economic arguments simple 😉

    • Nic the NZer 4.1

      Higher wages by any reasonable definition is looking at thee equivalent to the hourly wage.

      Of course its possible for this not to change but for many part time employees to get more hours and in this case their income goes up, but their wages didn’t increase. This would be nice but not the same kind of outcome at all.

      Note a related metric, productivity is basically how much a worker earns for a business per hour employed. So when productivity increases ahead of wages then businesses are getting more income but not sharing it with the employees.

  5. Ad 5

    +1000 Anthony

  6. AsleepWhileWalking 6

    Higher wages will ultimately destroy the low income earners as automation will take over quicker, some businesses will no longer be able to compete or will have to reduce the number of employees.

    The real issue is the ever spiraling house/rent prices.

  7. David Mac 7

    For a business operator the wages bill is another on a mountain of variable and fixed overheads. In an economy with inflation starting to bubble the month’s accounts start coming in with letters advising the operator of price increases. Vodafone, the guy that mows the strip of grass out the front and washes the windows, the company that services the fire extinguishers, the AIG insurance cover.

    There are some costs that the operator can keep a lid on, put off to next month. One of those is often the wages bill. I think this situation has much to do with why we have seen workers’ buying power slip away. The gap stretching in inflationary times. Workers are of course receiving letters just like the business owner, their overheads going up: Vodafone, rent, the guy that mows the lawns. For a vibrant and loving society it’s a situation that requires some intervention/action.

    I think the future includes shorter working hours for us all. With the complexity of automation vocations will become more specialised. We will cease to train motor mechanics per se and train automotive steering technicians, automotive braking specialists etc. Hourly rates will start to disappear and the value of out efforts will be more geared to the value we produce. I think many vocations will morph into quite different roles. School curriculums will make way for holograms of a life-like Hone Heke describing the events of the mid 1800’s unfolding on his desk-top. A teacher that once stood infront of the class will then be writing Hone’s script and the responses for his FAQ.

    • infused 7.1

      In my business, costs have all been pretty static, apart from the American services we have to buy overseas (IT Company).

      However, wages have soared over the last 3 years as IT people are in high demand.

      This year, all our costs have gone up. Rent, power slightly + everything else. I suspect you will see everyone lifting costs by year end.

      So I suspect inflation in 2018 to be in to the 3 point range.

  8. greywarshark 8

    The getting of higher wages and better conditions is affected by a mindset that Ganesh Nana has been thinking about.

    He recalls student protests that ended up with a question and answer thus:
    What do we want?…..!
    When do we want it? NOW!

    But that was then. Now is a debatable length of string.
    Now, of course, few of my cohort of friends and acquaintances participate in such vocal activity. But, if we were to do so, I can imagine it might now go something like:
    “What do we want? Affordable housing and no children living in material deprivation. When do we want it? Oh, in the fullness of time, depending on the state of the economic cycle and in line with appropriate prudential criteria, after accounting for revenue growth forecasts and meeting all due considerations contained in the Public Finance Act.”

    http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/has-fiscal-responsibility-become-a-false-idol

    So it’s sort of trying to drink soup with a fork. Might get a taste before the prongs hit you. But what to do? Get better equipment and service I think, and keep trying new methods. Some get their snouts in the trough, a bit undignified but if you get down and dirty behind a screen, you may come up with gold. There’s brass in muck they say.

  9. Michael 9

    I think pay rates should be linked to firm profitability and the most reliable evidence of that is the chief executive’s remuneration. If there’s enough money to pay the boss more, there’s enough to pay the workers more as well.

    • In Vino 9.1

      Yes – it should be easy to formulate a social equity formula that prevents the greedy taking more than their fair share. Participation shares for all employees, etc etc.

      • infused 9.1.1

        You’d just see companies put money off-shore. Because that idea is stupid.

        I suspect when the company has a bad year, everyone gets a pay cut too?

  10. Policy Parrot 10

    Perhaps the Minimum Wage Act itself is too simplistic.

    In fact, some entry level employees would arguably be not worth $15.75 per hour, but the fact is that the minimum wage is too often the benchmark in terms of the start/basis of employment. It is appalling that people who have worked in the same jobs for 10+ years are still within cooeee of the minimum wage (i.e. 110% or $17.33).

    Why not have a minimum wage structure that allows for smaller increases in the base rate itself, to help employers get people on, but makes sure that once an employee is skilled up (in any job realistically those who have been there 18 months or more are inevitably far more skilled than those starting out) that the employer is passing on some of that productivity increase?

    i.e. MW (first 6 months) – 15.75 p.h.
    (MW +6 months – MW+5%) – 16.54 p.h.
    (MW +18 months – MW+5%^2) – 17.36 p.h.
    (MW +30 months – MW+5%^3) – 18.23 p.h.
    (MW +42 months – MW+5%^4) – 19.14 p.h.
    (MW +56 months – MW+5%^5) – 20.10 p.h.
    This increase applies until 1.3x minimum wage ~ approx. Living Wage.

    There would need to be safeguards as well to avoid casualisation as a response, but you can generally see where I am going with this. If MW increases, all of those corresponding rates increase also.

    • Nic the NZer 10.1

      The minimum wage should be a living wage. Otherwise you are consigning people to long term deprevation in work.

      The real solution is not this kind of measure (which will likely be subverted via turnover) but to introduce a job guarantee. A job guarantee means the govt will employ you at the minimum wage rate, in every case, up to full time. Or you can try your luck in the private sector which could be attractive if that offers more. This creates ‘loose full employment’. In this situation when the private sector needs to compete on wages and conditions they will improve.

      At present we (the country) achieves non full employment as a policy to get low inflation. Its no wonder minimum conditions suffer when we guarantee there will be around 5% unemployment at all times.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1.1

        It sounds expensive until the penny drops that it removes the need for the dole, and WINZ disappears. Not to mention the value of the work itself.

        • Nic the NZer 10.1.1.1

          Actually expensive makes zero sence for a country, at least in money terms. WINZ could take on the role of organising between people and what they are doing.

    • David Mac 10.2

      The problem with raising the wages of those that struggle to pay the rent is that living costs rise to match. A new rate of $20 per hour quickly buys what $15 per hour used to. I don’t think raising our living standards so that we can all afford a week in Fiji each year is as simple as pumping up minimum wages and benefits.

      Menial minimum pay jobs are on the way out, thank goodness. Automated machines will polish the Pak n’ Save floor at 2am, we’ll push a button to order a Big Mac. I think the key to raising our living standards is through improving our usefulness.

      The way forward is through creating opportunity. The chance for each and every one of us to discover where our unique skill-set lies. I believe we all have them, things we’re better at than other people. Identifying those natural abilities, aligning them with our desires and creating opportunities for all of us to exploit our specialness. Bring measureable value to our society and be paid accordingly.

      Rather that pushing the cost of living up I think the brightest future we can work towards is creating easily assessed opportunities that allow us all to be the best we can be.

      • infused 10.2.1

        Stop speaking sense.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 10.2.2

        How do you plan to redress the effect of household income on education so that children born into poverty can be the best they can be?

        “Paid accordingly”. Are you familiar with the meritocracy paradox?

        • David Mac 10.2.2.1

          Hi OAB. The most influential force in our education are our parents and care givers. The kid that arrives for his first day of school without being read a 1000 books has been ripped off before he starts. Day 1 and behind the 8 ball already. We’ve got parenting issues that need addressing.

          Poverty has become less and less of a hurdle between the poor and fulfilling vocations. Rather than access I think wobbly attitudes and bad habits are the taller hurdles we face.

          Would enticing Mums and Dads to read a couple of Dr Seuss books before lights out each night for a few years really make a difference? I believe so. Regularly reading to a child sets their imagination free.

          Meritocracy paradox? I’m curious enough to go find out.

    • KJT 10.3

      Watch everyone get sacked and replaced with lower paid workers every 6 months. Just like youth rates never increased employment, but simply changed the ages of those employed. No adults in fast food restaurants in Australia. No career progression for the young, either as they lose there jobs at 18

  11. Draco T Bastard 11

    But if New Zealand is to evolve as a highly skilled economy it needs to set the bar higher, and pay decent wages which will also spur employers to take initiatives to drive greater movement on the productivity front.

    Which, of course, was what Penal rates, high tariffs, full employment policy and bans on foreign ownership were for. Getting rid of them achieves the exact opposite especially when the immigration flood gates are open allowing in cheap labour.

    OK, so, great to see this new consensus on the need for higher wages. Better late than never I guess.

    There’s a problem with that – our wages are too high. Well, they’re too high at the top end while being too low at the bottom.

    Thing is, we most definitely can’t afford to have everyone with wages at the present top end.

  12. RedBaronCV 12

    I spend my time wondering – as we are moving towards a more automated society – why the Right wing decided to open up immigration so that we have more bodies seeking ever fewer jobs.

    There we were in the sweet spot with the boomers on the way out, so planning for increasing automation, investing in it and ensuring the benefits are spread society wise should have been a given. Opportunity lost by the Nacts.
    And in the long run if we want to save the planet mature democracys with slightly lower than replacement birth rates are the way to go?

    • David Mac 12.1

      I think over the next 20 years the viability of machines over people will reach a tipping point in many fields. Harvesting crops, getting quadriplegics to breakfast, washing buses, clearing hillsides of Pinus Radiata.

      We’re in a bit of a transition period, it’s still only just worthwhile to fly in planeloads of labour to clip asparagus off at the ground. For how many more seasons?

      I hope this transition phase will soon pass. It generates friction between us.

      “Hey mate, you know how it’s virtually impossible to find a place to live in this city? We need you to give notice. You know how all your family and friends live within 30 kms of you? We need you to say ‘goodbye.’ Your government has some very exciting news for you. You are going to live in a Portacom for 3 months, clip asparagus in the middle of nowhere for 6 days a week, dawn to dusk and you will be paid $175 more a week than you are now.”

      “Ahhhh, not really for me bro.”

      “LAZY PARASITE!”

      It’s a ridiculous situation and the sooner stainless steel bots are clipping asparagus and we’re laying tracks for people to pursue fufilling futures the better off we’ll all be.

      • Nic the NZer 12.1.1

        Sounds like a labour camp? Is that whats coming up as the next big policy idea, labour camps?

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    4 days ago
  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    5 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    6 days ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    6 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    6 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    6 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    6 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago
  • A night out
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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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