Why unions won’t give up on Fair Pay Agreements

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, October 18th, 2019 - 40 comments
Categories: business, economy, labour, Politics, uncategorized, Unions, wages, workers' rights - Tags:

Fair Pay Agreements are in the news this week as the CTU calls for progress on this, and some media suggest that there is a developing rift between Labour and Unions.

Fair Pay Agreements as Labour Party policy have been fought for by Affiliated Labour Unions since 2014.  Originally called Industry Standard Agreements, and driven by Helen Kelly, there was comprehensive policy adopted by the Labour Policy.

Helen Kelly often made the case by comparing the situation of a Four-Square worker in Kaitaia and how difficult it was for her to join a union and become part of collective bargaining under our current (despite amendments) employment legislation.

Since then, there has been a Working Group report led by the former PM Hon Jim Bolger, who has reflected and quite bravely owned up to the impact of the policies his government introduced in the 1990’s with the Employment Contracts Act and welfare attacks.

The case was well made out in the Working Group’s report and has been repeated elsewhere, even in the OECD and IMF who have noted that New Zealand has one of the lowest levels of collective bargaining (and as a consequence, high inequality) in the OECD.

Predictably, the Business Sector has opposed the idea of improving standards in industries for those who are most likely not to have collective agreements or be able to join unions. They continue to maintain that any improvements that will increase the share of the wealth workers provide have are “1970s or 1980s.”

Yesterday a Discussion Paper was released.  It recognises that wages need to be lifted and the economic system is failing many workers and that Fair Pay Agreements will help fix this.  There are some areas of concern that have entered the dialogue, such as a market test, increases to thresholds which will create more hurdles, and non-union representation.

 

While we’re frustrated that yet another layer of delay has been added with the consultation document, unions will never give up.  My experience as a union fighter is that it sometimes takes years for unions win, but we do and we have.  Think four weeks annual leave, paid parental leave, health and safety, minimum wage etc,

Fair Pay Agreements are an essential part of a fair economy.  It’s just not good enough to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that everyone is better off.  They’re not.

Meanwhile, the CTU has launched this campaign to ensure there is feedback from working people on the Fair Pay Agreement consultation document. 

Please join this important dialogue.

 

40 comments on “Why unions won’t give up on Fair Pay Agreements ”

  1. Adrian Thornton 1

    Thanks for that piece Darien.

    I believe that if we are going to be honest, and have that much needed open and honest discussion around wages and conditions of NZ workers, we first have to acknowledge that Labour largely abandoned the working classes in the eighties beginning with Lange. How many actual working class workers turn up at any Labour event these days?, around here almost none, that by itself speaks volumes.

    I know that locally (the Hawkes Bay) the workers in the primary industries of fruit growing/maintenance/picking and packaging have been exploited for at least 20 years. Pickers haven't received a substantial increase in bin rates for over 20 years, the packers are mostly on minimum wage..all this while the orchard owners crow about the booming industry, and endlessly grizzle about the lazy local workers, and praise their fantastic imported labour from third word economies..it's obscene.

    I brought this up with Andrew Little before he was rolled by JA..do you know what he actually said in response…"we have to look at productivity" WTF!, I of course called him out and said that he of all people should know that productivity had increased right through the late eighties nineties and early 2000's, so why the fuck would or should workers offer more productivity when wages hadn't moved in two decades despite them more than fulfilling their side of the 'increase productivity trickle down bargain'?..he had no answer.

    It seems that Labour are far more interested in protecting their own class interests (ie the middle class and upper middle classes) than protecting, let alone fighting for working class interests.

    Turn Labour Left!

    • george.com 1.1

      AL is right, we do have to look at productivity, and also how the gain of productivity are shared. FB agreements are part of the jigsaw for ensuring productivity gains are shared equitably. When there is an economic benefit from productivity gains, capital AND labour claim a share of it.

  2. Alan 2

    5 hours and 1 comment?

  3. The Chairman 3

    Because this government is making a choice: who do they need more, unions or business? And it’s going to choose business. Because when business is grumpy, it’s the front page of the Herald and it comes back every month in business confidence surveys.

    But when unions are grumpy, what happens? Nothing, because unions have nowhere else to go. They’ll keep giving Labour donations every election, and campaign support every election, because for all Labour’s broken promises, it’s still better for unions than National.

    The above quote is from your first link. Does Heather have a valid point re Unions donating to and campaigning for Labour? And if so, is it time the Unions do something about it? If Labour's support of Unions is not meeting expectations, is it time for Unions to look to replace them?

    Of course, she is wrong claiming nothing happens. When unions are grumpy industrial action tends to follow.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 3.1

      "When unions are grumpy industrial action tends to follow."

      What tends to follow industrial action, i.e. what is the purpose of unions – why do they exist?

      C'mon, you can answer – you know this one.

      • The Chairman 3.1.1

        Unions are there to protect the rights and conditions of employees. And I support them. Therefore, I'm not suggesting there is no justification for them being grumpy from time to time.

  4. The Chairman 4

    Question

    Will employees still be able to self negotiate if they feel they can personally attain more using the FPA as a backstop if they don't?

  5. The Chairman 5

    When it comes to regional variations, allowing them would allow businesses doing well in a not so well performing region to escape having to pay workers as well. Therefore, if adopted, there would have to be a safeguard for this.

  6. Ad 6

    Dont see any such agreements occurring under this government.

    No muscle, no executive ability.

  7. Craig H 7

    These have been a long time coming, but I think they will happen after negotiation with NZ First to get some concessions for regional businesses.

  8. The Chairman 8

    When it comes to the right to strike, it should be strengthen in this not further diluted.

    The reduction on the ability to strike plays a pivotal role (IMO) for the downward pressure on wages.

    Will their be an exemption for allowing for strikes on the grounds of heath and safety during negotiations?

    • That's not required, TC. All workers have the legal right to withdraw their labour in unsafe situations. However, that shouldn't be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations.

      FPA's do not dilute the right to strike in any way. However, that's primarily because the workers they will assist have no practical ability to strike for better pay or conditions anyway.

      FPA's are designed to give a leg up to workers who have little or no bargaining power, and for whom, striking is really not an option.

      • The Chairman 8.1.1

        FPA's do not dilute the right to strike in any way.

        That's incorrect.

        The Government has given business assurances that industry-wide strikes will not be possible under Fair Pay Agreements.

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11939465

        So while some (not all) may not currently be in a position to strike, FPA's will remove the right regardless. Robbing unions of their leverage to possibly secure a better deal.

        • te reo putake 8.1.1.1

          I should have been clearer, TC. The workers likely to be covered by FPA's currently have no legislated right to strike for better pay, therefore there is no dilution. The situation remains exactly the same.

          The ERA allows workers covered by a collective employment agreement (CEA) to strike while in bargaining. That, in the main, is union members only. Individuals have no such right to strike and as I understand, never really have had that right in NZ. The point of FPA's is to provide for workers who are effectively powerless to negotiate better deals.

          The FPA's may also lift pay for some unionised workers, but probably only those who are near the minimum wage.

          • The Chairman 8.1.1.1.1

            Cleaners, security guards, and supermarket staff are priority for Unions for sector-wide Fair Pay Agreements. All of which have and do strike from time to time.

            Furthermore, if the point of FPA's is to provide for workers who are effectively powerless to negotiate better deals, then shouldn't the right to strike be extended to them? Empowering them, ensuring they actually get the best deal possible?

            • Descendant Of Smith 8.1.1.1.1.1

              Of course the government could give give low wage workers a boost by bringing back to 40 hour working week, time and a half on Saturdays and double time on Sundays.

              All without convoluted bargaining.

              Oh and lift the minimum wage.

              I do also support industry wide, rather than employer agreements however.

        • Darien Fenton 8.1.1.2

          The right to strike around enterprise and multi employer agreements will not change, Nor will the right to strike around health & safety. Fair Pay Agreements are based on a arbitration system, because the workers who need them most rarely have the power to strike. There's nothing stopping them going on to bargain and strike for collective agreements once a Fair Pay Agreement is settled. It simply sets a floor.

          • The Chairman 8.1.1.2.1

            Fair Pay Agreements are based on a arbitration system, because the workers who need them most rarely have the power to strike.

            Then they are unlikely to have much success achieving more after the floor has been set. Thus this is why the goal here should be to not only enable (thus empower) individuals within a sector to collectively negotiate but also enable them to collectively strike if need be.

            Obviously, we would want to see the floor set at the best possible level, thus workers require the all the arsenal they can get to achieve this.

            Therefore, if a settlement can't be reached, the ability to strike (opposed to a determination process) should be an option.

  9. gsays 9

    A big thanks to you Darien and all the other organisers and unionised workers.

    I have only recently joined E Tu and I work in hospo.

    I have been gently encouraging other younger ones to join but I feel there us a bit of a disconnect. Their eyes glaze over when I talk of award rates, time and a half, double time, uniform/travel allowances…

    They seem more beholden to the employer.

    • I was talking recently to an older person who has worked in semi–skilled jobs throughout life. On suggesting that one child who is approaching middle age and only scraping by, might like to train up and get a better paying job, I found a large negative attitude.

      No advice or suggestions must be given by the parent, to change jobs, try for one higher skilled, after investing in somehow getting better skills; trying to learn to gain upward mobility is not what that family does. It is like the efforts to help people and the country become better educated, updating skills and becoming more prosperous, have just passed this family by. Being aspirational, the mature members advising the younger and promoting tertiary education, aspiring to build competence and good resource bases and being progressive is not considered applicable. I was gobsmacked.

      • Descendant Of Smith 9.1.1

        Yet as I and several others have found upskilling can also make you less employable and more threatening to those managers who have not done so – particularly if you do well with the upskilling.

        Loss of jobs, restructuring, marginalisation, overlooked for opportunities and promotionand loss of wages can all result.

        There's quite a bit of experience to show that the managerial class don't like it when the working class do get educated. There's often not as much mobility as you might think – especially when that education brings you an in conflict with the mores of the managerial class e.g. what you instinctively thought was bull-shit actually turns out to be so.

        That aside there are things that many people don't comprehend as they have little experience of it as an alternative:

        Home ownership being for ordinary people – when all your family have rented all their lives and have little money after paying their rent then you accept that you will be renting the rest of your life. Only rich people can buy houses.

        When you go to secondary school and those schools are in a competitive modelling framework based on how many students go to university then from the third form you know if you are not academically inclined, or know you can never afford to go to university anyway, then you know the school is not interested in you and what is the point in trying.

        When you get into a relationship and you have no experience of sharing money – his is his and hers is hers – then you struggle to build a strong future together.

        Within the working class too often education sets you apart from your peers – you're perceived as being too good for them now, or you have more income, etc. You can lose friends, family and get altogether discouraged from making the effort.

        Also if you distrust the educated class (think the bankers who turn you down for loans forcing you to the loan sharks, the WINZ staff when you want a permanent job who send you to pick Kiwifruit, the city councillors who look down on your family members who are struggling and want to ban them, and so on) then why would you want to be like them.

        The religious cults, like the gangs understand to capture people to your world you need both love and hate working in tandem. The educated class often just express dislike to the working class.

        Thus it has been for many for a long time.

        Those old fashioned egalitarian values have shrunk over the years as Thatcher's notion of there is no community, economic notions of individualised rational behaviour and the American notion of anyone can make it and if you don't it is your own fault have taken hold/retrenched themselves.

        We have stopped giving people hope – hope that each generation will be better than the last.

        • greywarshark 9.1.1.1

          Very thoughtful DoS. I think those are major points. The strength of being in a group that accepts you is basic. Apparently that holds many Maori children back from doing well at school. You can't hang out with friends because you are studying, so you don't share in their activities and don't get asked in the end. If your parents have not done well at school or in life, then there is an implied criticism of your family. 'So we're not good enough for you eh'.

          I'm going off middle class mores myself. I have done some adult reading tutoring, and found some cartoon books with text that I thought would interest and help, they were quality on sale from the library. Took them along to add to the resources. Got response 'Oh no. We don't have second hand books here. These people have never had anything new and we want to show we respect them.' Or similar. So the patronising tart would not even allow the people to decide for themselves if they would enjoy this option. She knew best. Such inflexibility in thinking and concern about style and appearance has led us, i think, to our present state of dissolution of society and environment.

    • patricia bremner 9.2

      They and many like them can't remember getting help from unions, as it has been a long time since unions played a part in their lives. Union Reps need to educate better, to counteract the business spin.

      Business always cries "But but.." "Wait for better times.."

      Currently, they are generally very sour about the Government.

      We can't all be millionaires and need protections for the little guy, especially those in low paid employment for multinationals, and part time or precarious employment.

    • Darien Fenton 9.3

      Thank you for joining the fight, We have a lot of work to do. There's always been a next generation. We start with what matters to them.

  10. Bryan 10

    Fair pay for the protection of workers with safe minimum set of terms and conditions great idea fantastic to be able achieve the kind of safety net that prevails in much of the world.

    But it all becomes cant and hypocrisy doesn't it Darien when the other "fair pay" is for nurses and teachers ie those in the Labour stable.

    And this government spent $32M let me say that again $32M trying to repudiate the junior doctors contract and failed.

    • Craig H 10.1

      How are the nurses and teachers in Labour's stable? None of the relevant unions are affiliated to Labour.

  11. The Chairman 11

    This is interesting. Socialist Equality Group NZ perspective on FPAs

    The real role of the FPAs will be to establish a corporatist framework of employer-union-government wage setting, while outlawing industrial action. This process will entrench low pay across entire industries, enforced by draconian legislation. The unions, as they have done for decades, will impose the deals and suppress resistance from workers.

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1806/S00180/labour-government-to-extend-bans-on-strikes.htm

    And here is International Socialist Organisation Aotearoa perspective

    Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has broken with normal protocol to pre-empt the working group’s recommendations by announcing in advance that workers being represented in FPA negotiations will not have the right to strike. Typical bloody Labour! How, you may ask, will businesses be pressured into reaching “fair” agreements without the threat of industrial action in the background?… The right to strike is an issue that the left and trade unionist activists must take up. Pressure from below is needed to push the union leaderships into demanding our rights.

    https://iso.org.nz/2018/06/06/fair-pay-agreements-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

    • Both quotes miss the point. FPA's are a means to improve the lot of individual workers who have no bargaining power. FPA's won't be bargained, they'll be advocated.

      The process does not require force to get a result. It's actually a relatively dry academic exercise where unions and employers in an industry put forward facts about pay rates and trends in an industry in order to establish a reasonable base rates and minimum conditions that are closer to the average in that industry.

      The two quotes misunderstand the point of FPA's, which is to protect the vulnerable and powerless. In short, the right to strike is meaningless if the action has no effect on the employer. An individual worker going on strike at, say, a dairy or cafe, has effectively just said take this job and shove it. Quite empowering at the time, of course, but not so flash when next week's rent is due.

      • The Chairman 11.1.1

        FPA's won't be bargained, they'll be advocated.

        FPA's are sector‐wide collective bargaining.

        It has been proposed and recommended all workers (within the sector being covered) should be covered.

        My understanding is if a settlement can't be reached, industrial action can't be taken and it will go through a determination process. The outcome of which, will then be binding.

        An individual worker going on strike in a business that only employs one or a hand full of workers can be disruptive, thus have an impact on an employer.

        Nevertheless, the goal here should be to not only enable (thus empower) individuals within a sector to collectively negotiate but also be able to collectively strike to help bolster their position while in negotiations.

        • patricia bremner 11.1.1.1

          Oh that would mean the whipping boy of Unions would be gone and Business would have to deal with facts not spin Sounds rather painful for the powerful lol lol

  12. Darien Fenton 12

    It's a good idea to read all the documents, including the Working Group report. The case is comprehensively made ; NZ was once one of the most equal countries in the world with a high level of collective bargaining. Now it is one of the most unequal ; and has the sixth lowest level of collective bargaining in the OECD. The highest level of collective bargaining is in countries where they have a mixture of sectoral and enterprise bargaining. Our union membership is low, our collective bargaining system is broken for around 85% of the workforce. Many insecure and non standard workers have no protection. We can go on about what caused it ; I think we all know that, but I am interested in how we start to fix it. Arguments about the right to strike are irrelevant in this mission because we have a huge rebuilding job to do, We are talking here about workers who never join unions, who never have access to collective bargaining, who live day in and day out under the yoke of their boss and who can only rely on government minimums like the min wage etc.

    • Descendant Of Smith 12.1

      In the absence of unions you can legislate for things such as minimum wage increases each year for the lowest paid – say anyone earning $60,000 per annum and under. Many of the low paid workers I have dealt with are on the same wage they have been for years as apart from ask the boss there are no effective provisions for annual pay increases in their contracts. Meanwhile peoples incomes fall behind more and more.

      Within the public sector you could enforce the requirement to fill vacancies permanently as soon as they become vacant (that used to exist) and stop the bull-shit "acting" for years and years and as well stop the use of temporary contract positions. Pre-election Labour was concerned about insecure employment but the public service itself is currently full of it. Maybe you could ask each department how many staff are acting and how many are on temporary contracts and how many staff have been acting or temporary for more than a year. Family working in the public service say in their areas up to 40% of the staff are temporary.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/105107686/inland-revenue-contact-centre-workers-thought-contracts-were-a-joke

  13. Janet 13

    I think that better wages and Fair Employment issues won’t be “fixed” until we stop free trade and reduce immigration right back to the specialist skills we lack. They all go hand in hand. eg: as a small producer of fresh produce I have found that the price producers receive on average now is less than what it was twenty years ago – particularly if it is now competing with produce that free trade agreements have enable to be imported in recent time. This finally affects the wages an employer can pay in NZ. This will be the case in all areas of production in NZ.

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    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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