Workers be careful, says Aussie Unionist

Written By: Dancer - Date published: 10:13 pm, May 7th, 2008 - 158 comments
Categories: workers' rights - Tags: ACTU, labour, national, Unions, workers' rights

Sharan Burrow (President of Australian Council of Trade Unions) talked to Morning Report about the union experiences in Australia under a conservative government, and their hope for the future with Kevin Rudd. She also had some words of warning for NZ workers:

“We say to your workers here, be very careful, you don’t want to go backwards to the early 90s, it’s a world that is not good for working people. Rights at work are fundamental and I would urge all of your workers to make sure that political parties here, if they want to change the government, actually, do the right thing by workers.

Certainly when we look across the ditch….we see you with a rights base that’s been reconstructed after the era of the early 90s that does much better things with collective bargaining, much more respectful of workers. And we were so envious of that in the last eleven years. So be careful, don’t go backwards, that’s our message.”

It highlights that Labour Relations is core policy for the left. The extent to which National can make itself a small target on this one will be really interesting.

UPDATE: Radion NZ podcast here.

158 comments on “Workers be careful, says Aussie Unionist ”

Comments are now closed

vto 1

8 May 2008 at 8:04 am

An area I applaud labour on. Sticking up for the workers.

Mind you, sometimes they get carried away …
big bruv 2

8 May 2008 at 8:47 am

Great…so Labour “stick up for workers”

Is this why our wages are so far behind Aussie? Labour have had nine years to improve the lot of the working man yet the gap continues to grow.
higherstandard 3

8 May 2008 at 8:51 am

BB

You forget the Standard line on this issue it’s the employers fault that wages are lower than Australia.

[lprent: I’ve never said anything about workers rights. Tane and Irish usually do.]

IrishBill says: Wrong HS – http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=945 but given it’s employers who have failed to invest in productive capital and who have spent the last eight years making big profits while paying wage increases only a little higher than inflation I think they can probably shoulder some of the blame.
mawgxxxxvi 4

8 May 2008 at 9:12 am

Surely union officials have a vested interest in workers remaining union members irrespective of the real benefit to the workers, after all their jobs and salaries depend on worker union fees.

As far as income levels are concerned isn’t it funny how those who earn the most are not members of unions ? The highest earners are those who take responsibility for their own lives and don’t hand that off to unions (or governments ). Being a union member is not a good predictor of a high income.
IrishBill 5

8 May 2008 at 9:19 am

Maw, do you ever make a statement that is based in fact? Union members get higher wages than their non-unionised peers. The highest increases in earnings however, are senior management. Last year the average salary increase for CEO’s of large companies was 25%. Here’s a tip: CEO’s generally are not union members.

To be honest you’re continual stream of mis-information is becoming a little dull.
jafapete 6

8 May 2008 at 9:31 am

Magwxxxxvi, a truely magnificent display of ignorance! Allow me to disabuse you of some of your blind prejudice.

“Surely union officials have a vested interest in workers remaining union members irrespective of the real benefit to the workers.”

Fact: workers are free to join or leave unions in this country (where there is one available).
Fact: research here, as elsewhere shows that NZ workers have a largely instrumental approach to union belonging. There are a few who join for ideological reasons, but they are relatively very few.
Fact: research shows that not only are union members generally very positive with their unions (as one would expect, belonging being voluntary), but a substantial chunk of the non-members in unionised workplaces believe that they would be worse off without unions (call these people free-riders). These people see benefits in belonging, and are in a better position to judge this than you are, mawgie.
Fact: research also shows that in NZ, as elsewhere, a substantial number of those in non-union workplaces say that they would like to join if they could. Around 30%. Most of the rest are indifferent, as one might expect given that (the research shows) these people tend to know little about unions. Very few think that they would be worse off with a workpace union.

Then you say, “As far as income levels are concerned isn?t it funny how those who earn the most are not members of unions?”

If we look at the employed, you will be surprised to learn that levels of unionisation RISE as income rises, until well into the top tax bracket. Same with education, rises to post-graduate degree level. You are surprised because your views are rooted in mid-20th century prejudice and bear little relationship to 21st century reality. What does the modal union member look like? Forget the cloth cap and think nurse-manager. (Did I mention gender? More female unionists than male, now).

So, mawgie, now you have no excuse for your ignorance. References available on request.
Steve Pierson 7

8 May 2008 at 9:33 am

maw. it’s not true that the highest paid professions are not unionised – look at how highly unionised doctors are.

In fact, some of the high paid professions are not just unionised they effectively have guilds, which is but a stroger form of collecive organsiation than a union – the Law Society, the Chartered Accountants, the Medical Council – they police their industry, prevent people they don’t want from practising in it and, as the is the point of any workers’ collective, ensure good rates and conditions for their members.

Capitialists form ‘unions’ all the time – the Employers’ and Manufacturers’ Assocation, the Chambers of Commerce, Business NZ, the Business Roundtable, dozens of industry lobby groups. These are all forms of collective organisations intended, just like a union, to improve the conditions and rewards for their members.

Collective action makes sense,united people are much stronger than they are divided – good lobby groups get the outcomes their members want, highly unionised industries have higher pay. So it is not surprising to find that the oldest and most highly educated professions and busiensses have very strong collective control of their industry. It’s just when the working people do it that it gets opposed.
mawgxxxxvi 8

8 May 2008 at 10:05 am

IrishBill: “Last year the average salary increase for CEO’s of large companies was 25%. Here’s a tip: CEO’s generally are not union members.” Doesn’t that demonstrate my point ? You don’t get to be CEO of an organisation by letting other people take responsibility for your life or by joining a union.

What can unions offer you ? Maybe a pay increase at the rate of inflation or slightly above if you are a member of a particularly powerful one ? My concern about unions is that encourage people to hand over responsibility for their lives and facilitate “learned helplessness”.
mawgxxxxvi 9

8 May 2008 at 10:16 am

Steve: you make some goods points with your comments concerning professional societies. I am sure however that the members of these societies don’t accept limitation of their income by the societies and that they set their own fees based on what the market will allow. I’m also sure that the most highly paid medical practitioners are not on salary with the state but are in private practice even if they contract back services to the state.

IrishBill says: “limitation of their income” makes no sense. Collective agreements are minimum rate documents. All union members are free to negotiate individual terms and conditions above their collective and many do so. What employers can’t do is offer terms and conditions below the collective: it sets minimum standards. You have no idea of Employment Law, Maw and I suggest you do some research before you make further comment.
IrishBill 10

8 May 2008 at 10:17 am

“You don’t get to be CEO of an organisation by letting other people take responsibility for your life or by joining a union.”

Maw, unless your are part of a lucky sub-one-percent group you don’t get to be a CEO full-stop. Are you, for example, a CEO of a major New Zealand company? If you are not and also clearly not a union member I would like to ask you what’s holding you back?

AS for “learned helplessness” you obviously have no idea about how unions run these days. They are voluntary organisations run by their membership. That means union members decide on what they are going to ask for, union members sit at the negotiating table and union members vote on to accept the deal or to take industrial action. The only roles officials have is as expert advocates in negotiations and grievances.

If anything unions are the vehicle through which workers get together to take responsibility for their working lives.
Neilson 11

8 May 2008 at 10:20 am

Mawg

CEO’s are not in a position to join a union as they are the employer and sign collective agreements with the union and negotiate (or send a rep) the agreement and they could not be negotiating the contract or attending the meetings where discussions are held about what bottom lines the staff have in negotiating as this would give management an unfair advantage in the negotiations.

Also there is only one CEO in an organisation whose remuneration is negotiated with the board (their employer)

For these reasons they cannot join the union and so the comparison is invalid.

Regards
Alexander

Captcha
needy Incorporated – very apt
Hoolian 12

8 May 2008 at 10:28 am

I’ve heard terrible stories about the unions in Australia – like striking because the slices of ham (provided by the company) at lunch were too thin, or because their coke machines were removed.

The Aussies love Kiwi workers because we’re such hard-working, productive workers who get down to it and get the job done.

I’m totally for and in support of Worker’s rights, but I also know you can go overboard. We don’t want that here in NZ.
James Kearney 13

8 May 2008 at 10:32 am

I’ve heard terrible stories about the unions in Australia – like striking because the slices of ham (provided by the company) at lunch were too thin, or because their coke machines were removed.

I heard of an employer in Australia who fucks pigs. So what?
jafapete 14

8 May 2008 at 10:39 am

Well, it doesn’t look like Mawg’s about to let facts and logic get in the way of his/her prejudice. And Hoolian, has it never occurred to you that striking over slices of ham might just be due to numerous other causes of discontent including, quite often, poor management?

So… back to the real question. Are workers’ rights under threat come November?

I’ve concluded elsewhere that it does seem that National have cottoned on to how unpopular anti-worker laws are. Certainly, the fate of Howard and his Workchoices law provides a sobering reminder.

Since Key took over, the hysterical attacks on the ERA by Wayne Mapp have diminished, and noises have been made about no substantial changes being made to the current settings. We await the release of their policy with optimism, tempered with fear of backsliding after the election (should they win).

What do you think?

IrishBill says: The only policy National has explicitly confirmed in relation to work rights is the removal of all work rights for workers in the first 90 days of a new job. I think that’s a good indication of where they stand on IR.
IrishBill 15

8 May 2008 at 10:41 am

And I’ve heard terrible stories about employers in Australia like the behavior of Patrick Stevedoring in the late nineties:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/07/2209454.htm

Australia is a far more robust employment environment in which both sides are more aggressive than they are here.

Having said that many Australian based companies make a much higher profit to investment here because they import their aggressive behavior. This is curtailed to some extent by the current employment law (although I would argue we need strong protections) Under the liberalised employment environment the National party wants workers here would have to bow to this rapacious behaviour or start employing the much harder tactics of Australian unions. My advice to employers who back the reintroduction of ECA-type legislation is be careful what you wish for.
Billy 16

8 May 2008 at 10:44 am

But…but…but…IrishBill, I thought balking at giving money away to Australians was xenophobic.

http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=1867
randal 17

8 May 2008 at 10:46 am

well the tories wont win this year or in the forseeable future so workers look to be reasonably protected
IrishBill 18

8 May 2008 at 10:49 am

Don’t be facetious Billy.
mawgxxxxvi 19

8 May 2008 at 10:57 am

Note to self: be wary of commenting on unions on a Labour party blog.

Gentleman: you have corrected some of the misunderstandings I had about modern unions. I was a member of (and briefly a delegate for) the NLGOU way back in the 80’s. During that period I witnessed many examples of union stupidity especially by the other big union on site the EWU. Times as you say, have changed.

IrishBill says:Happy to be of service but please note this is not a Labour party blog but a labour movement blog. There is a significant difference.
vto 20

8 May 2008 at 11:05 am

Anyone here concerned about employer/business-owner rights?

While I applaud those that stick up for the workers, as I said often it goes too far. And everything this govt has done has quite simply made it harder to employ people and own and operate a business. Well done. IrishBill’s statement (copied below) is a perfect example.

How about making it easier to employ people for a change.

IrishBill said: “The only policy National has explicitly confirmed in relation to work rights is the removal of all work rights for workers in the first 90 days of a new job.”

Ever think IrishBill that the reverse is actually the case i.e. is the re-instigation of employer rights?
Dim (was dime) 21

8 May 2008 at 11:08 am

yea bruv, its the evil business owners that dont pay their stuff enough money!

it makes me sick, these people put everything on the line, they start a business.. work their asses off.. have all the stress and worries… and yet they dont share their profits with the workers!

what scumbags!
mike 22

8 May 2008 at 11:18 am

“Union members get higher wages than their non-unionised peers”

Not in my work place IB
Non union workers are generally rewarded with performance bonuses – coincidently of course…

IrishBill says: Free-loading is a problem with the current law. Having said that the performance bonuses would be a lot lower if there was no union on site (and the pay increases would be higher if union density was 100%). I’m would say that the workers at your site earn more than workers doing the same job at a comparable but un-unionised site.
vto 23

8 May 2008 at 11:19 am

Agree with your sentiment Dime.

I have a business, which at its peak last year had over 100 people employed directly and roughly the same again indirectly in supply. My wife and I and our children put EVERYTHING on the line. The stress, work, etc etc etc etc is ridiculous. And then you get slammed left right and centre by especially Cullen and his ilk.

I tell you a truth. I have the ability to keep this business going and ramp it up even. Quite a contribution to the community I would have thought. But frankly it is simply not worth it. I am pulling back. This is a truth.

I will simply sit back, put my energy into other aspects of life, and wait until the settings are improved before getting economically (and hence employingly) active again.

Usually those that employ have had experience at employment. However, it seems those that are employed have no experience at employing. Why don’t you givt it a go and see what it’s like.

IrishBill says: I assume from our previous exchanges that you have a building business. Given the current change in that industry (such as decrease in consents) I’m guessing employment law is one of the less important factors in your business decisions. Or did you expand in the 1990’s?
jafapete 24

8 May 2008 at 11:24 am

Big Bruv & Dime,

Oh, so it’s the employers who do all the work? Silly me, here I was thinking that the workers might have had a hand.

Note that not all employers have set up their own businesses in the recent past. Think Doug Myers, one of your heroes. Inherited most of his pile, and, according to the Court of Appeal [Coleman v. Myers], pinched much of the rest of it off his rellies.

Note also that clever employers have discovered that treating their employees well, including paying them well, results in better organisational performance, including higher profits for the shareholders. Your distorted view of the world has more to do with Dicken’s England than a modern corporation.
James Kearney 25

8 May 2008 at 11:27 am

Anyone here concerned about employer/business-owner rights?

In a social democracy you have to strike a balance but don’t pretend New Zealand is some kind of workers’ paradise. We have some of the most neoliberal employment law in the developed world.

Your problem is your benchmark is the Pinochet-esque employment law ushered in by the Nats in the 1990s.
IrishBill 26

8 May 2008 at 11:27 am

“And everything this govt has done has quite simply made it harder to employ people and own and operate a business”

VTO, no what they have done is transfer some accountability onto the employer. In my opinion if employers can’t deal with what is a pretty liberal and simple employment law they should probably not be employers.

Dime, you’ve got nothing but empty rhetoric. New Zealand is the second highest rated country in the world for ease of doing business. Most workers depend on their jobs to feed and house themselves and their families. What you are suggesting is that the a large part of the risk businesses take (and which businesses gain the reward from) is transfered to their workers. For instance the stress and worry of whether tomorrow would mean having a job to go to would be transfered onto workers for the first 90 days of their employment if National got their way. Of course there would be no extra reward for these workers.

I figure you probably see that as fair but I think you’ll find you’re in the minority there.
mawgxxxxvi 27

8 May 2008 at 11:29 am

IrishBill: thanks for the clarification re the blog provenance. A friend in the hospitality business in Wellington told me that the Standard was run out of the 9th floor, clearly she was wrong. I’ll put her right. Thanks
Dim (was dime) 28

8 May 2008 at 11:42 am

i lived in aussie for 5 years and having a 90 day trial was just outstanding.

irishbill – ever employed someone? ever got it wrong? its grief!!! a 90 day trial is fair. if youre a good worker – you have nothing to worry about? why are we trying to protect slackers?

I have employed people and I have never had a bad experience. If you manage people properly it’s not a problem. Getting rid of people for non-performance under the ERA is also not a problem as long as you give them an opportunity to sharpen up.

as for empty rhetoric, its just what goes through my head when i turn on the radio and i hear some unionist demanding a slice of the profits because a company has had a good year.. i dont see it going the other way when companies have a bad year.

Oh but it does. A zero percent increase when times are tough for a business is certainly not unknown in business circles (thankfully, much less so now that there has been economic growth).

i guess it just comes down to envy… we should admire business owners that are doing well, it should inspire us to better ourselves.. not just put our hand out.

Envy? That’s the stupidest thing you’ve said yet and you’ve said some pretty stupid things. Most workers are happy to see their boss do well but like to see their share of the gains they help make. A sensible employer does share because they understand that this will increase their workers’ desire to help the business grow.

VTO – theres a lot to be said for keeping a business at a certain level.. work/life balance and all that.
Matthew Pilott 29

8 May 2008 at 11:50 am

dime – when you say it was outstanding, I assume you mean from an employer’s perspective?
vto 30

8 May 2008 at 11:54 am

IrishBill, it is a tough and brutal world that is for sure. One thing – you suggest that the 90 day trial period is transferring the accountability onto the worker implying that it should actually rest with the employer.

I don’t understand that reasoning (or even what the reasoning is). The risk is that the employee is a dud – why should that risk not lie with the employee?
Daveo 31

8 May 2008 at 11:54 am

i lived in aussie for 5 years and having a 90 day trial was just outstanding.

There is no 90 day trial in Australia. Howard’s workchoices law allowed employers with fewer than 100 staff to sack workers for no reason whatsoever regardless of how long they’ve been employed. There have been some bloody horror stories.
Dim (was dime) 32

8 May 2008 at 12:01 pm

actually from both sides.

i went through a 90 trial with my first ever job. no problems.

i became management and some people didnt survive after 90 days. so yeah it was good for my department.

i then changed jobs down the track and at the end of 90 days i had a meeting with management. i basically went in to say see ya later and they said “its not quite working out is it”.. to which i replied.. nope! so it was see ya later!

the 90 day trial is just that..a trial.. looking back, if i hadnt of gone through that 90 day trial.. i probably would have stuck around an extra few months, been unhappy.. was good to have a time frame.. from there i went on to achieve greatness somewhere else 🙂

its sad that people think a 90 day probation period or whatever you want to call it, will just be used for evil.

employers dont set out to employ bad staff!! trust me, no employer wants to let someone go after 3 months! its freakin grief employing people.

its not a good look either! not good for staff morale, not good for a companies customers to see staff turnover etc.

do you really have a problem with a company having some protection in this area?
IrishBill 33

8 May 2008 at 12:09 pm

The risk is that the employee is a dud – why should that risk not lie with the employee?

Vto, Because being in business means taking risks in exchange for rewards. Every time a business invests in any way it takes a risk. Unless you are going to argue that the risks of capital investments should be underwritten by the law then I don’t see how you can argue that investments in workers should be. If you decide to expand to a bigger workshop, don’t do due diligence on the building and then find it was a poor business decision then who’s fault is that?
big bruv 34

8 May 2008 at 12:10 pm

The Poms have a law (I assume it still stands) that allows you to fire an employee for any reason at all within the first 12 months, personally I think that just invites abuse, I favour the 90 day trial period.

Dime is right, employers should and must have some protection in this area.
vto 35

8 May 2008 at 12:20 pm

IrishBill, I gotta fly, but just quickly.. your argument is a huge tub into which most anything could be tossed.

The employee presents at the interview, holds him/herself out as being appropriate for the job and capable of performing it and is taken on on that basis. When it transpires shortly after that the employee is not in fact so capable etc then the problem should rightly lie with the employee, not the employer.

There is no comparison with items of capital expenditure. You can check a building, check a machine, etc and get it pretty accurate. In fact, following your comparison – if an item of machinery is purchased and does not perform as promised then you send it back (or similar).

I understand your argument but do not accept it as appropriate in employment circumstances.
IrishBill 36

8 May 2008 at 12:22 pm

Dime, many employers would take advantage of such a situation and most of them would be employers of vulnerable low-skilled workers such as fast-food workers and cleaners. Many of these employers already show disregard for their workers under the current legislation and would happily exploit their workers further given the chance.
Dim (was dime) 37

8 May 2008 at 12:28 pm

irish bill – wtf??

so if this law came in, maccas would start hiring people and firing them after 90 days.. for fun?? it makes no sense.

as for your risk/reward thing.. just weird.

VTO answered that well enough.. so no need for my 2 cents

IrishBill says: moron. If you run renewing 90 day contracts you effectively keep your workforce without rights. That means no grievance costs and no union (if they join a union you fire them) and that means massive labour savings.
vto 38

8 May 2008 at 12:29 pm

Without a 90 day trial, or similar, employing someone is an outright gamble.

IrishBill says: when I employ people I have taken the time to check their references and to background them. I also spend a decent time interviewing them and getting to know who I’m dealing with. I haven’t had a dud yet. It’s called good management and it means I don’t need a law that would harm tens of thousands of workers just because I’m not up to scratch. If you feel you do then you should consider sharpening up your HR practices.
mondograss 39

8 May 2008 at 12:35 pm

You can do a 90 day trial period in NZ, it’s quite legal and in fact I had one at my current job when I started last year. The thing is though, you still have to follow standard dismissal procedures if you decide not to continue. An employer cannot sack you at the end of the 90 days without having good reasons, or made a decent effort to work through whatever issues have caused the arrangement to not work out. They can’t however just sack you for no reason and with no comeback, which is what National are proposing. Mapps bill is a violation of natural justice, if you hired someone in good faith, you have an obligation to make it work. If it turns out they lied about the skills or quals then you can sack them on that basis, but if they’re just lacking in a bit of training, or the attitude is a bit poor etc you have to give them a chance to make good.
Dim (was dime) 40

8 May 2008 at 1:02 pm

haha there we go again with the name calling?

i’m not sure where i spoke renewing 90 day contracts? why would anyone do that? weird. it’s only for the first 90 days of employment.

good to see you’re the perfect manager 🙂 well done for never having a problem.

also good to see you make shit up to justify your position.

just so im clear irish – you’re a moderator here? or you have something to do with the site?

IrishBill says: take some time to read up and find out. You’re banned from commenting for a week for calling me a liar.
randal 41

8 May 2008 at 1:06 pm

gosh it is really fun reading natoinal propaganda from people who obvioulsy have never owned their own business at all but any business that is not prepared to stand by its workers is no business at all…just an outlet for neanderthals to stand over people who need money to feed their families.
Dim (was dime) 42

8 May 2008 at 1:15 pm

[deleted]

[lprent: Irish banned you for a week. See above]
Dim (was dime) 43

8 May 2008 at 1:26 pm

[deleted]

[lprent: I suggest you read the Policy page at the top of the screen, and yes Irish is a moderator (otherwise he can’t leave comments on comments).]
jafapete 44

8 May 2008 at 3:04 pm

Quite ironic that dime got “sacked” from the blog for a week, no? Albeit with cause. So he won’t have any problems with that.

Mondograss is quite correct, except that employees who lie about their quals, etc, to get a job can generally be sacked at any time when this is discovered, with no comeback, not just within 3 months.

Dime probably had a 3 month “trial” in Oz rather like that in NZ which Mondgrass describes, but didn’t realise that he counldn’t be sacked at the end of it. Given his grasp of these matters I’d be surprised if that weren’t the case.

The UK experience is telling. Especially when the labour market is loose, many employers of the low-paid routinely sack these workers just before the 12 month period ended, so avoiding any legal obligations that come with permanent employment.

Incidentally, many fast food operators get around the law by hiring on a casual basis, rostering week-by-week. So, if someone talks about joining the union, say, they simply don’t find themselves rostered to work.
Billy 45

8 May 2008 at 3:11 pm

“…employees who lie about their quals, etc, to get a job can generally be sacked at any time when this is discovered, with no comeback, not just within 3 months.”

No. You still have to follow the tiresome process and if you trip up on any step you’re in the cart. If you see an employee wandering around the factory floor chopping his colleagues ears off you have to sit him down and ask him for his side of the story, consider his explanation in an open-minded fashion, allow him to bring his support person blah blah blah. And even if you do it all right, he’ll file with the employment relations tribunal and you’ll have to spend $5k on a lawyer even if you win. So it will be cheaper to give him $3k to piss off, so he can start chopping off ears at the next place.
Redeye 46

8 May 2008 at 4:20 pm

I wanted to contribute here but I’m not exactly in agreement with Irish and it seems that unless you are, your out. So I wont.

[lprent: Disagreeing with people is fine – people do it here all of the time.
Abusing them isn’t. In this case directly saying he was a liar without a shred of evidence was definitely over the top. That was just trying to start a flamewar.

This is all in the Policy document at the top of the page. Read that.

The difference isn’t hard to figure out. Just think about what you’d take as a personal attack, compared to a disagreement about ideas.]
jafapete 47

8 May 2008 at 4:30 pm

Billy, Not a bad summary of the check-list, but flawed overall.

Presumably you mean Employment Relations Authority, the Tribunal having ceased operations eight years ago.

Firstly, the law is very clear about sacking people who have demonstrably lied about themselves, so that if someone was silly enough to take a case to the Authority, you would have a great case to claim costs. In mediation the mediator would be bound to make it clear to the complainant that they would take a bath in the ERA.

Secondly, one would hope that you would go through the “tiresome process” in the real world (as opposed to your imaginary world where workers chop each others’ ears off). what do you think that the effect is on the other workers if you just go around arbitrarily sacking people, as you are proposing?

And can’t you see that when you pay out $3,000 every time someone threatens you with the ERA you are simply making that an expectation? I advised an employer who had fallen into that trap to call the workers’ bluff (they had no case) and take it to court if necessary. Know what? No more spurious actions. Everyone got the message. You don’t have to be that clever to work this out, but obviously it pays to think a little more about it than you have.
Matthew Pilott 48

8 May 2008 at 4:37 pm

Redeye, please go for it – just best not to call someone a liar on their own blog. Irish explained what some do worry could become commonplace in certain industries with a 90-day bill.

Billy – for serious misconduct your contact can generally be terminated without notice. Ear-chopping, inappropriate pig relations and lying about qualifications all would constitute serious misconduct.

If the employee feels it is unjustified the can take a complaint to teh employment relations authority, but if they lied about their qualifications, they’d probaby be tossed out on their ear!

Check out some better examples:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10507227

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=189&objectid=10493521
Billy 49

8 May 2008 at 4:39 pm

“Firstly, the law is very clear about sacking people who have demonstrably lied about themselves, so that if someone was silly enough to take a case to the Authority, you would have a great case to claim costs. In mediation the mediator would be bound to make it clear to the complainant that they would take a bath in the ERA.”

An employee lying about him or herself gives an employer a good reason to sack the employee. But, if the employer fails to follow a fair process it is the employer who will be bathing.

“What do you think that the effect is on the other workers if you just go around arbitrarily sacking people, as you are proposing?”

Do you think sacking someone for removing body parts is arbitrary?

“And can’t you see that when you pay out $3,000 every time someone threatens you with the ERA you are simply making that an expectation?”

Yes. Do employers fall into the “trap”, as you call it? Every day.
Tane 50

8 May 2008 at 4:42 pm

But, if the employer fails to follow a fair process it is the employer who will be bath

People have a right to fair process, it’s that simple. Fair process is a part of the skillset a manager needs to do their job – if they can’t get their head around basic employment practices then they should reconsider their choice of career.
Billy 51

8 May 2008 at 4:44 pm

Tane, it is almost never big companies who get caught out. It is the plumber or the owner of the retail shop employing one or two people. They can’t afford an HR department, and they usually can’t afford to get it wrong. So lots of them try not to employ anyone.
big bruv 52

8 May 2008 at 4:54 pm

Dime

You should know the rules by now, all the Labour “luvvies” can abuse us all they like, we are not allowed the right of reply, if you do then you are banned.

You should not be surprised at this, Labour are all about double standards and breaking rules.
big bruv 53

8 May 2008 at 4:54 pm

More moderation?….you guys must be feeling the pressure.
Robinsod 54

8 May 2008 at 5:32 pm

They can’t afford an HR department, and they usually can’t afford to get it wrong. So lots of them try not to employ anyone.

Do they pay an accountant? Because tax law is more complicated than the ERA. But y’know Billy, if you want to reduce the rights of all New Zealand workers just so a few small employers can save a few hundred dollars on professional advice then I guess that’s your call.
Billy 55

8 May 2008 at 5:42 pm

There I was thinking you guys were against injustice…
Rattus Norvegus 56

8 May 2008 at 8:22 pm

[lprent: I suspect we have the reincarnation of Dim here again. But I’ll let it through to see if he has learnt a more civilized behaviour. It is fairly obvious he was never taught how to argue properly. Perhaps he can learn some lessons here.]

The exploitation of Dimebag was disgusting, he never even had a 90 day trial and here he is being persecuted, first with the crude insult, then by the Chinese style control of free speech and then by expulsion.

What type of ideal is this of free speech in a free country and in a free democracy ?

I hate fascists and all they stand for by controlling what is printed in order to pursue their own Utopian fallacy.

This is a fascist regime, for fascists, run by fascists.

Power to the people !! stand up and fight.

Dime, what a martyr, for speaking the truth.
Rattus Norvegus 57

8 May 2008 at 8:29 pm

And Matthew, if you take a complaint to the ERA they will chuck it out straight away, and force you to go to mediation. Your Lawyer takes it to the ERA afterwards.
Rattus Norvegus 58

8 May 2008 at 8:39 pm

In fact, some of the high paid professions are not just unionised they effectively have guilds, which is but a stroger form of collecive organsiation than a union – the Law Society, the Chartered Accountants, the Medical Council – they police their industry, prevent people they don’t want from practising in it and, as the is the point of any workers’ collective, ensure good rates and conditions for their members.

Huh ?
Those people are free to join a Union if they wish, and how do they prevent those who they do not want in ?

I’m lost, please explain this outrageous statement
Steve Pierson 59

8 May 2008 at 9:18 pm

Rattus. I’m talking about professional associations that are controlled by the professionals and have the legal power to prevent anyone not registered with them from practicing their profession – that’s basically a guild and modern versions include the Law Society and the Medical Council (you must be registered with them to practice). I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, I’m saying that’s an example of collective action in a profession to protect and improve the position of the members of the profession, it’s what a union does but stepped up a level. It’s not a surpirse that we find these stronger forms of collective action, backed by the power of legislation in the more highly paid professions.
leftie 60

8 May 2008 at 9:20 pm

I don’t get this common argument from employers referring to employment law and employing unsuitable employees: “But, if the employer fails to follow a fair process it is the employer who will be bathing.”

If I speed and get caught I get a speeding ticket. If I steal at work (commonly known as gross misconduct) and get caught it is grounds for instant dismissal. I know and accept the rules and if I break them I have to accept the consequences. Employers are right into calling it “compliance”, what’s so hard about complying with employment law? Follow the rules (comply), no problem the employee can be fairly (and rightly) dismissed. Break the rules, accept the consequences. Is this a genuine concern or simply a whinge? Perhaps it is a situation where the employer tries pushing the boundaries and gets called on it?
Matthew Pilott 61

8 May 2008 at 9:30 pm

Rattus, thanks for the clarification about the ERA. Doesn’t make much of a difference in the end…

As for dime’s ‘martyrdom’, ah, dime called someone a liar when they were completely wrong and perhaps a tad confused. Don’t let rationality disrupt your wee rant though.

Actually I retract that, you’re clearly taking the mickey there. If you ever fill out a personal, don’t forget the GSOH! Tee hee.
Matthew Pilott 62

8 May 2008 at 9:34 pm

Hey Bruv, I’m in moderation. This is now me not having a rant about it. Feel free to take note.
Rattus Norvegus 63

8 May 2008 at 9:36 pm

Rattus. I?m talking about professional associations that are controlled by the professionals and have the legal power to prevent anyone not registered with them from practicing their profession – that?s basically a guild and modern versions include the Law Society and the Medical Council (you must be registered with them to practice). I?m not saying that?s a bad thing, I?m saying that?s an example of collective action in a profession to protect and improve the position of the members of the profession, it?s what a union does but stepped up a level. It?s not a surpirse that we find these stronger forms of collective action, backed by the power of legislation in the more highly paid professions.

They have the power to exclude those who dont meet their professional standards. Such as a qualifications authority has he power to exclude those who do not pass exams. Its is not an authority to exclude those who are not idealogically one of us, but those who do not meet entry criteria, such as a degree, a professional competency exams, practical compentencies and a code of ethics, or else anyone could join.
Its about professional standards above all, for the public good.

Its not about prevention, its about meeting standards
Rattus Norvegus 64

8 May 2008 at 9:42 pm

[lprent: I suspect we have the reincarnation of Dim here again. But I’ll let it through to see if he has learnt a more civilized behaviour. It is fairly obvious he was never taught how to argue properly. Perhaps he can learn some lessons here.]

Huh, what do you mean by civilised behaviour ?

Is that agreeing with everything the downtrodden left and the salt of the earth workers say ?
Rattus Norvegus 65

8 May 2008 at 9:47 pm

Matthew

banning someone for speaking out does convey a sense of martyrdom, in the same way Lech Whelsa, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther, Joan of Arc and Leon Trotsky were made famous for speaking out, and then persecuted.

IrishBill says: you forgot David Irving. I would have thought he’d be at the top of your list.
Rattus Norvegus 66

8 May 2008 at 10:03 pm

And come-on Matthew
I’ve read posts by this Irish Billy Chap as follows

“Maw, do you ever make a statement that is based in fact?”

“To be honest you’re continual stream of mis-information is becoming a little dull.”

“You have no idea of Employment Law, Maw and I suggest you do some research before you make further comment.”

“Don’t be facetious Billy.”

“Dime, you’ve got nothing but empty rhetoric.”

“Envy? That’s the stupidest thing you’ve said yet and you’ve said some pretty stupid things.”

“IrishBill says: moron”

In fact “Moron” came after Dime accused you of “also good to see you make shit up to justify your position.”.

Not once did Dimebag call this Irish Bobby chap anything.

I suggest this IrishBully grow some balls and learns to take back what he throws at people.

God, I’m glad I’m Scottish

[lprent: Let me make this quite clear. Around here I make the rules – you are a guest. The rules are very loose because there are limits on how much effort I’m willing to take. The simpliest solution for me is to simply kick people off and make sure they stay off. However the moderators have been encouraging me to not be such a bastard sysop.

Dim got kicked off because he walked over an edge. But Dim was on route there already because its comments appeared to not add much to the discussion apart from trying to start flamewars. I’d already had reason to warn Dim earlier – something that was obviously not read. Saying things to deliberately inflame poinless schoolyard level discussion is not tolerated by me. I have to read it.

Guess what – I’m the ONLY judge of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour here. Live with it or leave. It isn’t a topic for discussion.

Oh and I had a look at the discussion on Pandasport… Remember this is a moderated site frequented by adults – even their schoolyard antics have more intelligence than dim’s.]
lprent 67

8 May 2008 at 11:56 pm

BB: please put down the drink before reading this. I feel for your abused keyboard.

update wp_comments
set comment_author=’Dim (was dime)’
where comment_author in (‘dime’, ‘Dime’)

See here

Roughly translated this means “do not piss off a sysop”.
r0b 68

8 May 2008 at 11:59 pm

Matthew: Hey Bruv, I’m in moderation. This is now me not having a rant about it. Feel free to take note.

I end up in moderation too occasionally, maybe I share an IP with someone misbehaving. It’s nothing to fret about, comments usually clear moderation pretty fast.
r0b 69

9 May 2008 at 12:00 am

Lynn, your second link above is null.
r0b 70

9 May 2008 at 12:02 am

Hmmm – and your first link leads to a page we ordinary users can’t see (“You are not allowed to edit comments on this post”).

[lprent: picked the link off the admin pages. Should be correct now]
lprent 71

9 May 2008 at 12:05 am

Nope – it is the spam merchants that we’re fighting continuously. They try slipping the messages into old posts. The latest round are a bit more subtle. A lot are from local IP’s, and they’ve finally decided to stop selling sex and moved on to dvd’s, movies, and other things.

I’ll have another look at it after I get some other code out of the way.
Felix 72

9 May 2008 at 1:07 am

Wow, pandasport is amazing. People who use porno as avatars high-fiving each other for typing inane things at the standard.

Dim’s Motley Crue sig is particularly revealing.
vto 73

9 May 2008 at 8:47 am

Gotta say I think the levels of tolerance before banning etc on this site seem pretty low. Maybe let things slide a bit more. But its your show, you make the rules..

2c
big bruv 74

9 May 2008 at 9:09 am

Comrade Iprent

Rattus is NOT Dime.

Rattus, you should know by now that Iprnet only allows comments that praise dear leader, not surprising when you consider who pays for this site.

[Tane: Lynn pays for the site. You’re running pretty close to a banning with your repeated smears bruv – but I’ll leave that to Lynn’s judgement since it is him you are slandering.]

[lprent: I’m aware of that. I tracked back in the IP’s and links after making that statement.]
Matthew Pilott 75

9 May 2008 at 9:24 am

R0b – I know – my point was that bruv has a cry every time he is in moderation, like many on the right. They assume that it is censorship, so I wanted to pint out that it happens to us filthy Commies as well.

Rattus, Dime called Irish a liar. There’s not much more to it than that. How you can put someone who can’t follow an argument, gets confused and blames it on someone else by questioning their integrity in the same class as Mandela et al – you’re simply talking out your ass. He was not banned for speaking out, anyone with a modicum of intelligence can do so without resorting to accusing someone else of lying when they’re wrong. I doubt you have the ability to see that though, determined as you are to compare dime with…oh, you got me again! Another bloody great joke! And here I was thinking you are being serious. I need to lighten up. Comparing Dime with King… classic. We need more righties with a real sense of humour here, it’s pretty much just Billy and Phil at the moment.
Billy 76

9 May 2008 at 9:44 am

“…it happens to us filthy Commies as well.”

You told me you were a social democrat. I always suspected that was code for “filthy commie”.
Matthew Pilott 77

9 May 2008 at 9:54 am

Rumbled. Drat!

Billy, please note not all commies are filthy, many adhere to perfectly acceptable standards of personal hygiene.

vto – interesting two cents. No doubt in part due to my replying to the comments of various people on this thread, but it can turn away from a decent discussion into something not really worth it in fairly short order. In fact it only takes one or two comments for this to happen.

It’s perfectly understandable that the authors of this blog don’t want this to happen to each and every thread, so I can see quite clearly where they draw the line. Not to be rude, but if you’re happy with some of the crass comments that ruin a thread, well, your standards might be a bit low. It’s not what I come here to read, nor many other people, I suspect.
Jason 78

9 May 2008 at 10:10 am

I thought Idi Amin was dead but judging by the comments implying “I will just make up the rules as I like”, maybe he isn’t.

I am a dairy farmer. Our work situation compells our staff to live on the farm and work alongside me for up to as many as 105 hours a week. In a situation like this, you are not just trying to employ someone to aid in running the farm, you also need to be able to maintain a cordial and hopefully jovial relationship. It is very hard to determine through an interview process weather your initial feelings will be correct. At any stage in my employees contract, they can up and leave, just giving a weeks notice and go to happier fields if thats what they wish. I to, would like 1 opportunity, after 90 days, to be able to do the same thing. The business is mine, the farm likewise, yet because of an ass of a law, I can be locked into a situation whereby I work greater hours then most alongside a non combatible person and live 100 metres away from said employee for a whole 12 months.

Give me the opportunity to have 1 chance to be able to make the same decision that my employee has the right to make at any stage of the contract.

Dime made a very good point, the great majority of employers dont want a high turnover of staff, it just doesnt make good business sence.
big bruv 79

9 May 2008 at 10:16 am

Tane

What repeated smears?…I merely said “not surprising when you consider who pays for this site”

Do you have something to hide Tane?
Tane 80

9 May 2008 at 10:41 am

You’re implying that Helen Clark or Labour pays for our site, as you have in the past. They don’t, Lynn does, and he’s made this very clear. If you want to keep on this line of attack then fine, but don’t expect to get away with it here.
big bruv 81

9 May 2008 at 10:43 am

[Bruv, don’t take me for a fool. One more outburst and you’re banned for a month. For now you’re in moderation.]
Matthew Pilott 82

9 May 2008 at 10:56 am

I think bruv wants to be ‘martyred’ like his mate dime.

Jason, the law is not an ass – it is designed to encourage working relationships, not ensure that people are friends with their boss. You’re saying you want to be able to fire someone, not because they can’t do their job properly, but because you don’t find them ‘compatible’. The law is actually designed to protect employees from that very attitude!

Dime was right with his point that most employers wouldn’t be likely to do that, but those that deal with younger and more vulnerable staff might – the real ass would be enacting a law that allows for the removal of all workplace rights from a specific sector of society.

As for your comparison with a genocidal dictator – you’re an ass. Read the bloody about page if you want the rules.
Jason 83

9 May 2008 at 11:22 am

I’m sorry Matthew, clearly you have the experience of working in a situation where you are working extremely long hours, often in stressful times with someone only then to go home and live a stones throw apart from each other.

Clearly you have expereince that tells you that a compatible working relationship is irrelevant.

I’m going to make an assumption that you have not worked in such an occupation and are therefore unqualified to pass judgement on the dynamics required to make such a working relationship successful.

Note, that I didnt even begin to use examples of where staff are not capable of doing the jobs they have said they are and rather then being able to move them on and finding staff with the required knowledge or ability it is then incumbant on me to have to train them. This is regardless of weather I am actually in a situation where I can offer training.
vto 84

9 May 2008 at 11:28 am

Mr Pilott I think Jason makes a very good point..

Namely that the employee can simply up and off at a moment’s notice leaving the employer and the business completely in the lurch. Yet the employer cannot do the same, or even something remotely similar. That stands out to those out there doing business and employing people as highly unfair.

The pendulum is way out to one side.

Jason’s point re ‘friends’ cf employees is a grey area due to the nature of farming. It is very real and cannot be dismissed as you have done.
big bruv 85

9 May 2008 at 11:31 am

If the hat fits…..

[lprent: bb: I can see from earlier comments that you want to really really want the maytr halo. Are you sure you’re not some kind of fundamentalist? I think that leaving you in moderation here will be interesting. Think of it as an experiment]
Redeye 86

9 May 2008 at 11:44 am

Jason also inadvertantly highlights yet another point. How many ‘potential’ employers don’t become employers, or don’t increase the staff, simply because of the hassle in employing. The often used example of the Physiotherapist struggling with an answer machine in place of a receptionist simply because he doesn’t have the power to try before he buys.

I’m a software developer and currently have the work to employ at least 3 other coders today, but wouldn’t now consider it through previous bad experiences in this regard.

That said; I have seen how some in the hospitality industry in particular treat their employees. Those employees did need some protection.
Matthew Pilott 87

9 May 2008 at 11:49 am

Jason, and vto, if you have a proposal that could give you what you’re after without making thousands of vulnerable workers suceptable to exploitation then I promise you I’m all ears.

The 90 day bill is not that solution.

It might work for you and a few others in your situation (doubtless there are many, many individual similar situations), but the negative implications far outweigh this. Would yor really advocate a law change that could remove all working conditions for thousands of employees across the country, for your own benefit?

How do you propose to change a law that allows you to fire someone because you feel you can’t work with them? How would that not then flow on to make every new employee vulnerable to the whims of their employers? If you make an exception for situations where you give acommodation to the worker, for example, fruit pickers may be without rights as many orchards have live-in workers.

I am not dismissing the problem out of hand, as you say, I’m dismissing the solution – there is a distinction there!

Jason, if your problem is that staff are not fully trained, you make a condition of their employment that they are qualified/experienced. If they are not, then they have lied to you and you have an avenue to cease their employment. Is that a possibility?
AncientGeek 88

9 May 2008 at 11:51 am

Jason: I worked for 6 months in a town supply in my youth. I’d agree with you that it is a rather unique working experience. Especially the thermos tea at 0430. I was working with the share milker as the farm was owned by a lawyer (it was the 70’s – he was after the tax credits).

For me, that was the 18 months that I worked in a lot of places to gain real-world experience, and to decide if going to uni was worth the effort.

I don’t know what it is like now. But then the wages were pretty bad, and the hirelings like me were quite young. I’d come from doing night shift in a factory to a fifth of the income + food and board. I couldn’t imagine wanting to do it as a job for very long, not unless I had some sort of ownership state.

I was having to learn everything at a considerable rate of knots, being a city boy. I was also having to do it while sleep deprived for the first month while my sleep cycles shifted.

I’d be interested in what the wages are like now?
Matthew Pilott 89

9 May 2008 at 11:53 am

Redeye – I agree with the problem you have raised (I mean I agree it is a problem). In the end it is a tough balance to strike.

To be entirely honest with you all, I see the ‘power’ (and please don’t take ‘power’ to mean anything as randal mentioned above) as residing with the employer, so I think the balance needs to be in favour of the employee – that is, after all, why I’m a leftie!
vto 90

9 May 2008 at 11:57 am

Mr Pilott, I gotta go but I still think a trial period would be a suitable solution.

I really struggle to understand the ‘labour movts’ problem with it, especially given the very real problems the lack of a trial period makes for those doing the employing.

And you simply have to believe it when employers say ‘the last thing we want is staff turnover’. It is the truth.
jafapete 91

9 May 2008 at 12:03 pm

Matthew Pilot: “You’re saying you want to be able to fire someone, not because they can’t do their job properly, but because you don’t find them â€˜compatible’. The law is actually designed to protect employees from that very attitude!”

Point of clarification: People can be justifiably sacked for incompatibility. One such case involved an Air Nelson pilot as it happens… no relation I assume.
vto 92

9 May 2008 at 12:04 pm

One more thing Mr Pilott, I used to work as an in-house solicitor for a large NZ company. It involved a great deal of employment law work and problem solving across the company’s hundreds of staff. My experience from that is that the power does not lie completely with the employer. In different areas it lies with one or the other.

In the area of dismissal it lies very heavily with the employee, and that is exactly what is causing potential employers to simply refuse to employ where they can, as Redeye says above. That is also why the issue of a trial period keeps rearing its head.
jafapete 93

9 May 2008 at 12:14 pm

Rattus: “And Matthew, if you take a complaint to the ERA they will chuck it out straight away, and force you to go to mediation. Your Lawyer takes it to the ERA afterwards.”

And this is one of the things about the ERA that works really well. Even the most vociferous employer lobbyists (like Peter Tritt of the EMA Northern) have awarded mediation high marks. You might have noticed, Rattus, that one of the expressed aims of the ERA was to reduce the role that lawyers play in the employment relations. It was the ECA that opened up this pandora’s box, and sadly, it seems difficult to get rid of lawyers once they become involved — like an infestation of cockroaches…

Anyway, the vast majority of cases that go to mediation are resolved quickly and at minimal cost under the present regime. That is why I pointed out that the hypothetical ear-chopping or lies at interview cases probably wouldn’t get to the Authority.

Let’s hope that National are clever enough (should they win) to retain the emphasis on mediation, and continue the search to get rid of lawyers.

Rattus again: “I hate fascists and all they stand for …”

Hmm, and you’re the one who wants the right to sack people without having to demonstrate any reason whatsoever… for, say, joining a union. Very democratic that!
Brett Dale 94

9 May 2008 at 12:18 pm

Dime is 100% correct in his views and should not be banned, but thats the left for you, they can name call, and they can insult someone’s house, they can call people sleazy, but boy you guys on the left are so thinskinned, if someone says something negative about someone on the left, you banned them.

If you start up a business, it should be your right to let an employee go, if things arent working out, its “YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR MONEY”

It should have nothing to do with any Union.

Bring Back the DIME.
jafapete 95

9 May 2008 at 12:19 pm

“In the area of dismissal it lies very heavily with the employee, and that is exactly what is causing potential employers to simply refuse to employ where they can, as Redeye says above. That is also why the issue of a trial period keeps rearing its head.”

Gosh vto and Redeye, haven’t you noticed the completely unprecedented GROWTH in employment over this period when employers were supposed to be resoultely refusing to employ more staff because they have to justify ithemselves when they want to sack them? Even the drop in employment reported yesterday is disproportionately amongst those who are not in permanent employment (and hence mostly women), it is said.

Sort of gives the lie to your rhetoric doesn’t it?
jafapete 96

9 May 2008 at 12:23 pm

Brett: “If you start up a business, it should be your right to let an employee go, if things arent working out, its “YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR MONEY’

Yep, that’s called “redundancy”. Dismissal for redundancy is perfectly justified. See your lawyer for more details.
Brett Dale 97

9 May 2008 at 12:26 pm

lprent

This board is suppose to represent free speech, but it seems anyone who has a view that is not in line with Aunty Helen, gets banned.

The treatement of the poster Rattus, Dime and Big Bruv and saying they are the same person is disgusting, why not do a IP check, and then you will see they are different people.

Can anyone on the left tell me why you guys hate free speech??

[lprent: I did, as I’ve commented earlier. I did track them back to a site where they were gloating that they got banned – so I guess they got what they came for.

This is a moderated site – not a free speech site. Free speech sites are commonly full of spam and continuous flamewars, try usenet some time. Read Bruce Simpsons take on it Past its Use(net)-by date?.

The moderation isn’t for ideas – it is for behaviour. If people chose to act in a manner that doesn’t conform within the guidelines of the Policy page, then they will get moderated or banned. It doesn’t sound like you’ve read it]
Brett Dale 98

9 May 2008 at 12:28 pm

I’m not talking redundancy, im talking about firing dumb asses who don’t aren’t up to the job.
vto 99

9 May 2008 at 12:31 pm

jafapete, I said “causing potential employers to simply refuse to employ where they can,”. Note, “where they can”. What you raise introduces a whole pile of other issues into the debate to do with economic growth etc. So no your post does not give ‘lie to the rhetoric’ as you put it.
Brett Dale 100

9 May 2008 at 12:35 pm

Your going to banned Big Bruv for a month????

Your banning the best posters, who start the best debates.

This site reminds me of those nutters who supported Tami Iti when he got arrested on terrorism charges.

They were on the news chanting for people to stand up.

A man on the sidewalk, pointed out that the Police are just doing their job and one of the protesters screamed at the man “Shut up Free Speech”

To tell someone to Shut up and your reason for this is Free Speech, defines the left for me, you guys are 100% for free speech as long as the speech is what you believe in.

[lprent: see my note on your previous comment above]
jafapete 101

9 May 2008 at 12:42 pm

Brett, Thanks for the clarification. See my note above about the messages that you send the remaining staff if you sack people (or engage in other disciplinary action such as giving a warning) arbitrarily.

Unfair and inequitable treatment of any employees has a negative effect on the morale of all employees. So treating employees fairly and equitably pays off and clever employers treat the employees fairly and equitably.

If you were to look closely at the legal requirements for cause in dismissal, you would find that they are no more than a check-list for how to treat employees fairly and reasonably.

After all, employees have a common law duty to act in good faith towards their employers.

Note also that it works both ways, and *not* disciplining a slacker also has a deleterious effect on morale.
Matthew Pilott 102

9 May 2008 at 12:45 pm

jafapete – no such relation! (note the two ‘t’ surname…)

Brett, dime had some fine points. They didn’t get him banned. Don’t be disingenuous and entirely ignore the reason he was banned, you just look like an idiot! Why would you make such a pointless statement, when we know you’re not? “free speech” baselessly calling someone a liar – i’m not sure what your idea of it is Brett, but it’s a pretty peculiar interpretation.

WRT your other point, what kind of society would we live in if people could be fired at whim? How could society function if no one had any jobn security? You obviously have some strong convictions, but I can’t see much evidence you have tested them.

Most companies don’t want high turnover, true vto. Go back (when you have a few spare minutes) and read what Irishbill actually said to dime – he explains the problem of the 90 day bill, that none of you seem willing or able to see. Use your imagination – because no doubt some unscrupulous employers would, and some poor folk would potentially suffer immensely as a result.

vto – there are always excpetions, laws aren’t made for exceptions though.
jafapete 103

9 May 2008 at 12:46 pm

vto: May 9, 2008 at 12:31 pm: “jafapete, I said “causing potential employers to simply refuse to employ where they can,’. Note, “where they can’. What you raise introduces a whole pile of other issues into the debate to do with economic growth etc. So no your post does not give â€˜lie to the rhetoric’ as you put it.”

Gosh, just as well we had the current legal regime over the past decade then, otherwise we’d have been suffering much worse skill shortages than we have! Just think. We’d have had no unemployment at all! After all, those employers holding off would have mopped up the last 3.6% in a flash.

Sorry, vto, your argument doesn’t hold up.
Matthew Pilott 104

9 May 2008 at 12:53 pm

Brett, I’m going to clarify. Not becuse you need me to, because I believe you are pretending you don’t get it, or ignoring the obvious, to make a pathetic point about your interpretation of ‘the left’.

Dime got confused about the 90 day bill. He didn’t understand what Irishbill was saying and said that irish was “making s… up”. Dime was completely wrong, and got his just desserts.

Bruv implied the blog is funded by Labour. This annoyed our friendly sysop, who foots the bill. That’s why he is on moderation.

These two points weren’t hard to follow. If there was a 10 year old handy, I would like to take them through these points to illustrate how easy they are to understand, and that you are probably fully aware of what has gone on, and are simply being obnoxious when you fling around accusations of the left hating free speech.

(on a different note, I had a great moment of juvenile laughter when i saw my cap was “ball deposits”)
vto 105

9 May 2008 at 1:01 pm

jafapete, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

Unless I am missing something I do not see anything in either of your posts that goes anywhere near my points re a trial period. What you have done is spout some stats over changes in employment levels as if they illustrate something about the particular issue.

Try this from one of my posts above..

“I really struggle to understand the â€˜labour movts’ problem with (a trial period), especially given the very real problems the lack of a trial period makes for those doing the employing.”
jafapete 106

9 May 2008 at 1:11 pm

vto: “jafapete, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.”

That’s pun-ishing, I think.

vto: “I really struggle to understand the â€˜labour movts’ problem with (a trial period), especially given the very real problems the lack of a trial period makes for those doing the employing.’

You can look at my earlier post about the British experience, of workers (usually the low paid and most vulnerable workers) being sacked just before the 12 months comes up if you want an insight into the labour movement’s problems with the idea.

You might also look at the Aussie experience of “at will employment” when the so-called workchoices legislation took effect, alluded to by another commenter above. Some employers got carried away and the employer lobby groups and then government quickly had to get employers to lay off laying off until after the election. But by then the damage had been done.

Clever employers wouldn’t do anything much different than the law requires them to anyway, but it’s the others we’re worried about. And they tend to employ the most vulnerable workers.

Got it now?
big bruv 107

9 May 2008 at 1:15 pm

What many from the left hate to admit is that Labour relations in NZ are generally pretty good, 99% of workers are happy with their conditions and most do not see the need to belong to a union.

I worked in the UK for six years, at first I was shocked at the level of naked hostility between workers and management, as time went on I understood why this is the case, the workers expect the worst from Management and the Management expect the worst from the workers and their union, neither side ever seemed to disappoint each other.
vto 108

9 May 2008 at 1:25 pm

No.

Those two examples seem quite different from a short trial period.

In answer to my question you have done what most do – find some extreme examples to bolster ‘their side’ of the argument.

What you are saying is that if there is a trial period employers will simply fire people before the end of the trial period and take advantage of it. That is simply not true (except for exceptionals). What is the advantage in having a high staff turnover? Please tell me.

Look, this issue will not die because as things currently stand it is unbalanced in the employees favour. It will keep coming back and back until it finds an equilibrium. At the moment there is no equilibrium.
Matthew Pilott 109

9 May 2008 at 1:27 pm

Dearest bruv, in fact nothing thrills us more, knowing that workplace laws mean workers get a good deal (with the exception of overall pay rates, which has become an issue as of late), and we sleep the sleep of the contented knowing that Unions’ and Workers’ struggles over the decades have helped making NZ a great place to live and work in. Thanks for pointing that out though, and here I was thinking it’s all doom & gloom from you.
vto 110

9 May 2008 at 1:29 pm

Jafapete, just read your last post again. What you also say is that you are worried about the worst most nasty employers.

Well.. laws in an area like this should never be designed around the worst 1 or 2%. And that is a mistake that the left often make – generate laws around the minor minority which adversely affects the generally good majority. That is a schoolteacher trait which keeps the whole class behind because of the one kid that threw a dart. Hated that approach when I was a kid and hate it now. Cannot see how we would ever agree if that is your approach. Perhaps that is why this particular issue is not resolved yet.
Brett Dale 111

9 May 2008 at 1:31 pm

Matthew Pilott:

The banning of people isn’t consistent though.

A lot worse has been said, by those on the left, and you don’t need a ten year old to figure that out.

[lprent: Read the policy page at the top of the screen. Then you might know what you’re talking about. The key point is disruption and it is a judgement call. For instance it was apparent that Dim’s only purpose here was to disrupt. He spoke without bothering to think about anyones responses, and always went for remarks designed to inflame. In short he was a fire starter.

His comment to irish would have just been rubbished without that previous pattern of behaviour. He ignored warnings about his behaviour. Around here, the ‘left’ and ‘centrists’ usually heed behaviour warnings, so they have less bans and moderation.

This is getting tiresome. If you want to keep whinging – please do it elsewhere.]
Matthew Pilott 112

9 May 2008 at 1:32 pm

vto – do what I said and read irish’s comment, are you deliberately avoiding reading something contrary?

If you are an employer with traditionally high turnover of low-wage vulnerable workers, you hire them on endless ‘trials’ thereby voiding all of their legal workplace rights indefinitely. This solution is worse than the problem!

As I said above, the problem may be real and could do with addressing but this solution is worse than the problem. Your instances are also exceptions, as i also said, and not the rule. law generally has to cater to the rule, not exceptions. We wouldn’t have record unemployment if it was too hard to hire someone, and a majority of employers weren’t bothering!
jafapete 113

9 May 2008 at 1:34 pm

BB: “What many from the left hate to admit is that Labour relations in NZ are generally pretty good, 99% of workers are happy with their conditions and most do not see the need to belong to a union.”

I guess you qualified that so that a leftie like me couldn’t argue that yes, we do acknowledge that employment relations in NZ are generally pretty good, because many of us, in fact, do. Surveys show that NZ workers are generally more satisfied with their influence at work, etc, than are workers in the anglo-american world, with the Brits the least satisfied (as you say).

And whilst you may be strictly correct in saying that “most do not see the need to join a union”, I do hope you have not overlooked my comment yesterday at 9.31am:

Fact: research also shows that in NZ, as elsewhere, a substantial number of those in non-union workplaces say that they would like to join if they could. Around 30%. Most of the rest are indifferent, as one might expect given that (the research shows) these people tend to know little about unions. Very few think that they would be worse off with a workpace union.
Redeye 114

9 May 2008 at 1:35 pm

“AucklandPete: Sort of gives the lie to your rhetoric doesn?t it?”

I take offence at my post being called rhetoric and a lie. They are real examples given.

Which raises another point. If you are really trying induce debate how come Irish is allowed to call other posters liars but no-one is allowed to respond in kind?

[lprent: I don’t consider that to be a personal attack. If you want to prove something isn’t rhetoric, then link to something to backup your point. Whoever it was, was dissing your argument – not you.]
Matthew Pilott 115

9 May 2008 at 1:35 pm

Brett Dale, fine me an example where someone from the left said an author here was lying. Find me an example where someone from the left accused the blog of being run or funded by the Labour Party. Find me and equivalent example if you can.

Don’t you get it? It’s not saying nasty or controversial things that gets you pinged, it’s flaming and such accusations as I mentioned.
Matthew Pilott 116

9 May 2008 at 1:44 pm

vto – was just thinking about your last comment. It seems I’m at a contradiction, in that I state laws shouldn’t be made for exceptions, yet the 90 day bill isn’t alright because of the exceptions.

Bit of a conundrum, but I still stand by my views, that such a law shouldn’t be enacted if the flaws and loopholes are obvious and readily exploitable. This isn’t the case with current law – on one ‘exploits’ it, even though I readily conceed it can make things difficult in certain situations.
jafapete 117

9 May 2008 at 1:44 pm

vto,
I think we both agree that in the employment law area there needs to be some stability around an equilibrium that everybody can live with (even if they are not thrilled with every detail).

I think that we are getting closer to this point. The Nats have sworn off returning to the ECA; and the ERA, you might have noticed, is a long way from the old arbitral system that prevailed before 1991. (See the pingback link above for my views on the ERA.)

One thing that we are really arguing about is the extent of the problem of arbitrary management. You say 1-2%. Hell, the Uiversity of Auckland has been featuring in the news recently for arbitrary sackings, and there’s more I’d like to say… So I think that’s it’s a lot more than 1-2%.

Bottem line. I’d be all for a multi-party conference to see whether there is some common equlilibrium that we could all agree to. Crazy? It’s called tri-partism and it’s how they do things in Europe, for example.
vto 118

9 May 2008 at 1:44 pm

I did read Irish’s comment. Was pretty obvious, but didn;t go to the nub of the issue. But ok then, there are two problems and surely they can both be accomoodated..

Namely, problem for employer is lack of trial period.

Problem for employee is employer using endless trials to void worker rights.

I, and surely you people, can see both of the problems. I don’t deny the problem you describe.

How can the two problems be accommodated? Not quite sure, but both have to be addressed… anyone with a big brain out there? Different trial periods for different sectors perhaps?
jafapete 119

9 May 2008 at 1:51 pm

Redeye: “AucklandPete: Sort of gives the lie to your rhetoric doesn?t it?’ I take offence at my post being called rhetoric and a lie. They are real examples given.

Note the qualification “sort of”. And don’t get so worked up about an expression that doesn’t mean *precisely* what you contrue it to.

Also note that I have been called a lying filthy commie, etc, etc, numerous times on right-wing blogs, and hardly ever complained, if at all. (Can’t remember complaining, but may have.)
big bruv 120

9 May 2008 at 1:52 pm

Matthew

Once again you stretch the truth, workplace relations have improved out of sight since the end of compulsory unionism and the implementation of the employment contracts act.

Giving individual employees the right to negotiate their own contract is always going to result in happier workplace relations, those who are worth more receive it, what a pity our teachers are not allowed to do the same thing.
jafapete 121

9 May 2008 at 1:53 pm

vto: “How can the two problems be accommodated? Not quite sure, but both have to be addressed anyone with a big brain out there? Different trial periods for different sectors perhaps?”

Funnily enough, I was going to suggest soemthing along those lines. But wouldn’t claim to be a big brain.

Shame we’re not responsible for respective party policy in this area…
Matthew Pilott 122

9 May 2008 at 1:54 pm

vto:
Ensure a company could only give an employee one single trial, say within a five year period.

Specifiy a maximum number of trials to fill a role/vacancy.

Have a registration period with the trial so employers abusing or excessively using the system are noted.

Ensure specific/relevant/appropriate reasons are given for a ‘failed’ trial.

Allow for mediation in case of a failed trial.

All of these are totally against the essence of the bill National supported though, and I doubt they would get support from either side. Also note I don’t necessarily support these ideas – just thought I’d throw a few out there.
higherstandard 123

9 May 2008 at 1:56 pm

vto

How about a penalty for the employer of 4 weeks pay (payable to the employee being removed) if they sack someone after the trial period. Would be enough to put most employers off rorting the system (which very few would) conversely if the employee was cak they would also probably be happy to pay this cost to get rid off them.
Matthew Pilott 124

9 May 2008 at 1:57 pm

Note not meant to be ‘registration period’ but a ‘register system’.

Redeye, FTR I don’t think Irish called anyone a liar. he pinged someone for doing so to him…
higherstandard 125

9 May 2008 at 1:59 pm

MP

I like your first 4 points – very nice.

Have been to mediation for some staff we had to remove and agreed it is useful but very dependent on the mediator where there are very different standards in skill.
Matthew Pilott 126

9 May 2008 at 2:01 pm

bruv – Truth streching? Moi? Codswallop!

Interesting claims bruv, have you got anything to shop that the introduction of the ECA led to improved workplace relations? Would be interested in reading a study or survey that showed this.
jafapete 127

9 May 2008 at 2:04 pm

Oh, and Redeye et al., here’s an example of the sort of ordure frequently directed at lefties on the best known right-wing blog in NZ, and about which we don’t whinge. Just posted, you can see the steam rising…

I’m blowing your cover Jafaboy. The days of communists like you and the shameless bludger Phil Whoar being seen as centre left are dying, and I ask everybody out there who reads my posts to think about the need to call a commie a commie, and how it hurts them politically and personally when you do that. Don’t be intimidated by their scorn and attempts at ridicule. Truth will always (eventually) prevail, and to the commies its like a wooden stake thru the heart of a vampire. Never let them win. Remember folks- Truth is all it takes.
vto 128

9 May 2008 at 2:05 pm

ah excellent. Something along those lines…

What are we going to resolve next then?

I know.. when to knock off for the day and quench the thirst, because I aint got much done today carrying on here that’s for sure. And its almost too late to start.
Brett Dale 129

9 May 2008 at 2:06 pm

Mathew Pilott you said:

If you are an employer with traditionally high turnover of low-wage vulnerable workers, you hire them on endless â€˜trials’ thereby voiding all of their legal workplace rights indefinitely. This solution is worse than the problem!

the law will be for one trial, when a person is first hired. the will be no option for endless trials.

Who do you fly for? dimes brother is ex air nelson and currently air New zealand.
jafapete 130

9 May 2008 at 2:08 pm

vto, agreed. Galbraiths at 5pm anyone?
Matthew Pilott 131

9 May 2008 at 2:09 pm

HS, thanks, I can only imagine that is true with the mediator.

There’s always the ‘stick’ approach, but I don’t like it. Have a fee – or maybe a bond is a better term – for a trial (amount of which is dependant on the size of the organisation) that is returned if the trial is successful.

This would encourage employers to only use a trial when necessary, and would mean a decision to employ or not would have to be carefully weighted, but it is unfair in that it penalises employers for getting a dud. Can’t think of a workaround off the top of my head.

Not sure where the bond money would go either – clearly not to the worker, or it would encourage people to fail!
big bruv 132

9 May 2008 at 2:12 pm

Jafa

“vto, agreed. Galbraiths at 5pm anyone?”

Only if you promise that Robinsod will be there
higherstandard 133

9 May 2008 at 2:14 pm

MP

Agreed.

There’s a solution in there somewhere – although I’d like to believe that the majority of employers and employees won’t/don’t have these issues to face.
Matthew Pilott 134

9 May 2008 at 2:14 pm

Brett – wasn’t aware that was in the law – I didn’t think there was a mechanism to prevent it. I.e. you have one trial and it ‘fails’, so you get the same person back for another one. Exploitation of the vulnerable does occur…

I’m no pilot – I almost crashed a place once actually (it was on the ground).

vto – how about whether we keep public control over certain assets…but maybe save it for another day…
Billy 135

9 May 2008 at 2:18 pm

I think Brett’s right, Matthew Pilott. You could not employ the same worker on more thatn one trial.

The potential for abuse is that an employer could employ a series of employees on such trials. But I am just not sure why you’d do that if the employee worked out.
Matthew Pilott 136

9 May 2008 at 2:24 pm

Billy – if it’s for an unskilled job (where it would be hard for it to not work out) you could save a lot in terms of workplace rights – paid leave and so on, that don’t apply in a trial. There is potantial for anti-union and bad-faith activity as well that can’t be discounted. The effects of these need to be fully investigated before going in with the law.
jafapete 137

9 May 2008 at 2:26 pm

Billy, In the UK employers have been known to re-employ the people that they terminate just before the 12 months are up, after a short break. As noted above, the primary reason for doing this is to avoid legal obligations.

They tend to do this because they are running businesses based on price competition, employing low paid, low skill workers whose cooperation is not needed beyond a minimal level of compliance, and because they (the employers) are callous bastards. Think cleaning contractors for a concrete example.

Implicit in what vto suggested earlier is the fact that the problems tend to be concentrated in certain areas. Mass services is the primary area, but there are others such as freight forwarding and universities with [self-censored].
Jason 138

9 May 2008 at 2:42 pm

Getting back to the topic, a trial period is exactly what is needed in at least my profession, farming.

The people against this can not actually put forward any evidence to back up claims that this bill would be abused and that the net effect would be drastically poor on employees.

I am now not employing because of this. Within a 10km radius of me I know of at least 3 other farms who are also not employing as it is not worth the risk to have to spend a whole year with someone who may not prove sutible.

Give us a trial and there would be at least 4 people employed on June 1. As it is, we just arent employing, we will do the extra work ourselves.
Redeye 139

9 May 2008 at 2:50 pm

Mathew can I refer you back to the 4th post of this thread where the Irish bloke says;

“Maw, do you ever make a statement that is based in fact?” If that’s not calling him a liar then you ought to open both eyes.

Never the less, I find it amusing to now be lumped in with the right because I disgagree on this issue. Most other sites I post on lump me in with the lefties.

Politics is not Rugby. You are allowed to look at the issues individually and see the rights and WRONGS of both sides without being some sort of traitor.
big bruv 140

9 May 2008 at 2:53 pm

Billy,

Jafa is right, I worked for a company in the UK that was well known for hiring sales staff for the summer months and giving them the flick as winter set in (I refused to comply with this instruction)

It is simplistic and quite simply wrong to lay the blame for this mentality entirely at the feet of the employers, as I said both sides do not often disappoint each other.

Most of the animosity between workers and management in the UK is the result of union agitation, the staff are brainwashed into believing that all managers are callous bastards and the management are of the opinion that all workers are unionist stirrers.

I well remember telling the owner of the company that I worked for that I was going to shout a few beers and fire up the BBQ every Friday for the staff, the first question he asked me was “how much that was going to cost” the second was “why would you do that?”
Anyway, for the first month I sat there on my own every Friday night, it took about seven months until we had a total buy in from the staff and they began to realise that I was not out to screw them, they also found out that they had a boss that genuinely cared about them.

The end result was that productivity improved out of sight and workplace relations at our branch were the best in the company, we did not lay anybody off come winter and the practice of drinks and a BBQ on Friday still continues to this day.

In many ways that is what happened in NZ with the end of compulsory unionism, workers and staff found out that they were not each others natural enemy and by working together they could both achieve their goals, as one of the chaps who worked with me in the UK said one day he found it much more fun coming to work when he knew that the place was no longer a hot bed of animosity.
Matthew Pilott 141

9 May 2008 at 2:53 pm

Jason, there are a fair few examples on this thread as to how the law could be abused, and jafapete gave a definite example just above.

As I said previously, you’re happy to see a law that could easily lead to exploitation of vulnerable workers enacted for your own benefit? And all this to help you with work that you actually can do yourself? And you are not able to have fixed term contacts (why not make it a three month contract, and then offer them a permanent job if you get along with them??) or any other method of employment at all, given that you’re absorbing the work of four people?
Billy 142

9 May 2008 at 2:56 pm

Matthew, you can’t have a fixed term contract and use it as a trial. The law doesn’t allow you to.
lprent 143

9 May 2008 at 2:57 pm

Jason: “Getting back to the topic”

Topics tend to veer and weave a lot around here. You get used to it eventually. Especially, when they get as many comments as this post has. I should start thinking about a threading system at the client side.

Looking at the comment streams, there does actually appear to almost be an agreement about ideas on this topic emerging. It’d make a first…
Matthew Pilott 144

9 May 2008 at 3:00 pm

redeye – he looks to have been talking about opinion, as opposed to fact. It’s a far cry from accusing someone of making things up to justify a position.

I haven’t ‘lumped you in with the right’, and didn’t think anyone else had either but I may have missed something.

“You are allowed to look at the issues individually and see the rights and WRONGS of both sides without being some sort of traitor”

As you may notice, much of the latter part of this thread has been doing exactly that.
jafapete 145

9 May 2008 at 3:09 pm

Redeye: “Maw, do you ever make a statement that is based in fact?’ If that’s not calling him a liar then you ought to open both eyes.

Based on speculation? Based on sincerely held but misguided prejudice?

I think I know who needs to open his/her eyes, and at least one of them is red.
Jason 146

9 May 2008 at 3:12 pm

I’m not allowed to offer a fixed term contract, tell the employee to leave then re-employ someone new to do the same job. That is illegial.

As for the comment about being able to do the job myself, its not possible, there are trade-offs. The farm doesnt run as smoothly as it should, most days I will barely see my children, come spring I will do about 12-14 weeks nonstop, working on average 13 hours per day. That has an effect on my health and the general happiness of my family.

As for the comment regarding vunerable workers needing protection. Well, I have worked bloody hard for a very long time, took on the risk of starting my own business, put my balls on the line with a big mortgage, it would be nice if there was a law that could give me some scope to be sure I can employ the best people for the job.

Certainly, I have earned that right.

However, we, like many other farmers, have decided we are better off to do this then to put up with the risk of employing someone who is not sutible and then having to be stuck with them for the entire contract, then having to try and find someone else to fill a new job role as we were not able to finish a fixed term contract and employ someone new.

Go and ask a real estate agent why most dairy farmers end up selling thier farms. Staffing issues.
jafapete 147

9 May 2008 at 3:24 pm

BB, I thought you were doing really well until you got to the bit about the ECA. Sorry to be so didactic, but…

1. Unions had a very limited presence in most NZ workplaces prior to the ECA, because that was the nature of the old system (i.e., centralised, bureaucratic). In particular, they had very little presence in smaller workplaces, and that is where deunionisation was greatest after the introduction of the ECA.

2. The ECA was enabling legislation; it did nothing positive to improve workplace relations. Ypour argument is based on a belief that union membership was a barrier to better workplace relations.

3. However, almost all of the drop in union membership over the first 18 months of the ECA was in the mass private sector services, which, you may have noticed from the discussion above, is where the problems have been, continue to be, and probably always will be. Think little shops, restaurants, cafes, service stations, cleaning contractors, rest homes…

4. There is no evidence that workplace relations improved in these mass services workplaces. In fact, we do know that the workers in these workplaces tend to be the ones who would like to join a union but can’t. This suggests that where unionism declined fastest, and to the greatest extent, bad workplace relations persist. There goes your argument!

You need a more nuanced argument, distinguishing between the types of employemnt relations that pertain in different industries, for example. Also, you need to recognise that the unions of today bear little resemblance in most cases to those of twenty years ago.

Now, I don’t want ever again to read about the wonderful ECA promoting good workplace relations.
Matthew Pilott 148

9 May 2008 at 3:26 pm

Billy, Jason – I understood that people did this – hire people on fixed term contracts, but if they like the employee they choose to hire them on a permanent basis, or at least substantially extend their contract. If not, they try with another worker, on a fixed-term basis. I might be wrong about this or confusing it with the use of Temp workers though.

Jason – are workers that bad in the farming sector? It sounds as if there is such a slim chance of getting a decent worker you don’t bother.

At the end of the day, you’re still advocating a law that will have far wider consequences than in the agricultural sector, and seem to be dismissing this out of hand. While it may be a good thing in your area, it won’t just apply to farming.
mondograss 149

9 May 2008 at 3:31 pm

I think it needs to be observed that it’s still a contract based system, therefore what you put in the contract, as long as it’s not completely arbitrary, is enforceable. The farmer guy who complained about staff leaving with 1 weeks notice, could change the contract to have 4 weeks notice. Other skill specific stuff such as ability to build a fence to blah specification, or having a professional demeanour can also be inserted. You just have to make sure that you go through the contract carefully with the prospective employee at the hiring stage.

Then of course you can still have a 90 day trial and if they’ve not met the conditions of the contract and it can be reasonably said that they’re not able to, the relationship can be terminated. But BOTH sides have to make an effort to resolve any issues that come up and good, fair process must still be followed.

Not much you can do if you simply don’t like the person, but heck I’ve hated bosses plenty in the past, been pretty sure they felt the same way about me, and still been able to work with them. Of course I didn’t have to live with them though.
Billy 150

9 May 2008 at 3:36 pm

Matthew Pilott, you used to be able to do it under the ECA, but the ERA contains specific provisions to stop you doing this. You have to have a genuine reason for the fixed term (and, I want to see if you are a good employee doesn’t count) and, once it has expired, you still have to go through the process as if you were sacking them. Very deliberately, this means that there is no benefit to the employer in having the fixed term at all. If you could, no-one would be asking for the 90 day trial thing.
Matthew Pilott 151

9 May 2008 at 3:41 pm

Billy – maybe I’m thinking of a situation involving temps then – because I’m sure this does happen, but having a temping agency in the middle may muddy the waters enough to allow for some form of this to happen. No use in this case, of course.
jafapete 152

9 May 2008 at 3:44 pm

Billy, Yeah, but these provisions are more honoured in the breach…

Not that I am condoning this behaviour, mind.
mondograss 153

9 May 2008 at 3:46 pm

Could use a labour hire company I guess, might be some out there that do agricultural workers and would be amenable to having someone hired permanently off their books. IT contracting can work like that, you hire a contractor through an agency, if they’re good you offer them a permanent role, and a portion of their salary goes to the agency for a fixed period. If they’re no good, you send them back to the agency and ask for someone else.
big bruv 154

9 May 2008 at 3:48 pm

Jafa

You may not want to read about the good things that came out of the ECA but that would be tantamount to sticking your head in the sand.

The ECA means that I could always negotiate my own deal with any prospective employer, I am not bound by some silly union agreed contract that dictates what or how much I can earn, it also means that any workplace can negotiate directly with their employer, if employees are not happy with the deal they have then they always have the right to walk out and find a more generous employer.

[lprent: Huh? I don’t usually note on content errors, but… You can do the same thing under ERA. Don’t join a union and make your own contract with the employer.]

All I and others are arguing is that the employer should have the right to make the same choice within a 90 day period
jafapete 155

9 May 2008 at 4:12 pm

BB: “The ECA means that I could always negotiate my own deal with any prospective employer, I am not bound by some silly union agreed contract that dictates what or how much I can earn, it also means that any workplace can negotiate directly with their employer, if employees are not happy with the deal they have then they always have the right to walk out and find a more generous employer.”

1. Under the old award system, “awards” were minimum terms contracts, and it was usually possible for workers to negotiate better terms and conditions, and very large numbers of them did.

2. You can still do this under the ERA.

3. Very few “workpaces” negotiated directly with their employers, or used bargaining agents other than unions. Unions still did the vast majority of collective bargaining, even after 9 years of the ECA. Why do you think that was, if the alternatives were freely available?

4. A survey that was done a few years ago showed that it is still very much the case that “if employees are not happy with the deal they have then they always have the right to walk out and find a more generous employer” and do. A little known fact is that turnover was very high in NZ historically, and continues to be today, largely because this is a preferred means of dealing with an unsatisfactory employment situation in this country.

As always, references available on request. Also, enough for one day. I will be off to Galbraiths in an hour or so, and have no idea at all where robinsod is, so cannot hope to produce him, for whatever reason.
jafapete 156

9 May 2008 at 4:17 pm

Postscript, you will have noted from earlier posts that my main problem with the ECA is that the most vulnerable workers suffered the most, even before it came into effect in May 1991 (some employers couldn’t wait). You could add a few other things, such as the long-term macro-economic results of embarking on a low pay, low productivity path.

I don’t think the benefits that the ECA might have brought were worth the pain and I do think that there were much better ways to go about providing more flexibility in our labour market. finis
leftie 157

9 May 2008 at 9:37 pm

Whoa…155 posts. It seems that Employment Relations is a hot topic this close to the election. I cant be the only worker who has bad memories of last time National was government.

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A timely warning about workers’ rights « Jafapete’s Weblog: posted on 8 May 2008 at 10:21 am

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11 hours ago

Pure class warfare
National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
11 hours ago

Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
14 hours ago

Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
18 hours ago

Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
19 hours ago

Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
19 hours ago

The Greater Of Two Evils.
Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
Bowalley Road
20 hours ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
Skeptical Science
1 day ago

Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day ago

MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes – Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
2 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
2 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 ...
Skeptical Science
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
3 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
3 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 ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
3 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
3 days ago

Old habits
Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
Real ClimateBy rasmus
3 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
3 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
3 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
3 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 ...
Skeptical Science
3 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 ...
Open ParachuteBy Ken
3 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
3 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
3 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
3 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
3 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
4 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
4 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
4 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 ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
4 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
4 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. ...
Skeptical Science
4 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 ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
4 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
4 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
4 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
4 days ago

A night out
Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 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
4 days 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
4 days 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
5 days ago

Letter To Luxon.
Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
Lindsay Mitchell writes – While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Brian Easton writes – Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

CRL Progress – Sep-23
It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
5 days ago

Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
5 days ago

Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
6 days ago

MIKE GRIMSHAW: It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
Skeptical Science
6 days ago

The End Of The World.
Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
7 days ago

Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

Has There Been External Structural Change?
A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
1 week ago

Another Labour bully
Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
JERRY COYNE writes – If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
1 week ago

Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession. This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
1 week ago

The Scafetta Saga
It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
Real ClimateBy Gavin
1 week ago

Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
1 week ago

CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
1 week ago

The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
PunditBy Tim Watkin
1 week ago

A Womance, and a Nomance.
After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
1 week ago

Release: National’s plan means more cuts, more kids in poverty
National’s fiscal plan has failed to fill the massive fiscal hole in its dodgy tax scheme, it will mean more cuts to public services, more children being put into poverty and an end to action on climate change. ...
Labour Blog
11 hours ago

Release: Labour will continue to back Kiwis when the going gets tough
Labour’s Social Development Plan will build on the social welfare safety net, rather than strip it back. ...
Labour Blog
16 hours ago

Policy Announcements: Law & Order and Justice, Courts & Corrections
New Zealand First Policy Announcement: Law and Order New Zealand First believes that keeping society safe should be the priority of law-and-order policies. Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe, secure, and have their person and property respected. That is why New Zealand First continues to fix the flaws in ...
NZ First Press Release
1 day ago

Labour's Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media Help
In last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...
NZ First Press Release
1 day ago

Labour's Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media Help
In last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...
NZ First News
1 day ago

Chris Hipkins: Speech Progressing Together
Today, Chris Hipkins delivered a speech about Labour’s relationship with and ongoing commitment to Māori. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Release: National out of ideas on law and order, copies Labour’s policies and costings
After years of criticising the Government on law and order, National have embarrassed themselves by conceding they have no new ideas and instead copied Labour’s Police policy announced three weeks ago, Labour Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen says. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: Labour releases balanced, costed and credible fiscal plan
Labour’s fiscal plan will continue its focus on carefully managing the books while protecting critical public services like health and education and investing to deliver high wage jobs and a low carbon economy. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Policy Announcement: Capped Time-Period For Job Seeker Beneficiaries
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...
NZ First Press Release
3 days ago

Policy Announcement: Capped Time-Period For Job Seeker Beneficiaries
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...
NZ First News
3 days ago

Release: National’s traffic light system has child poverty reduction stalling
National’s cuts to funding for beneficiaries will once again leave children and their parents with less, Spokesperson for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Green Party will end child poverty
The Green Party will double the Best Start payment and make it available for every child under three years of age - and it will be paid for with a fair tax system. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Release: Labour pledges billion-dollar medicines boost
Labour will fund more medicines for more New Zealanders by investing over $1 billion of new funding into Pharmac if re-elected, Chris Hipkins announced today. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

National's welfare policy is cruel
The National Party’s job seeker policy announced today is heartless. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Labour's PHARMAC Policy A Placebo
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...
NZ First Press Release
4 days ago

Labour's PHARMAC Policy A Placebo
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...
NZ First News
4 days ago

Re: The Call For Corporate Manslaughter Legislation
This matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...
NZ First Press Release
4 days ago

Re: The Call For Corporate Manslaughter Legislation
This matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...
NZ First News
4 days ago

Release: Labour releases New Zealand’s first climate manifesto
New Zealand faces a stark choice this election – vote for Labour to continue to confront the climate emergency with eyes wide open or bury your head in the sand alongside Christopher Luxon. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Green voice crucial for climate action
The Green Party is today welcoming Labour’s climate manifesto, but is clear that much more will need to be done to tackle the climate crisis. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Speech: Chris Hipkins – Wellington Rally, 24 September
...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

People need a government that will build many more homes
Labour’s plan to build more homes is a welcome step forward, but it lacks ambition. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Release: Supercharging public housing
Labour is supercharging its plan to solve the public housing shortfall created by National, promising another 6,000 homes on top of what has already been committed says Labour Housing spokesperson Dr Megan Woods. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Release: New Super Visa for migrants’ parents and rights for Dawn Raid victims
Labour will back migrant working families by introducing a 10-year multiple-entry parents’ and grandparents’ Super Visa, and make good on the Dawn Raids apology by providing a one-off visa for overstayers who have been in the country ten years or more, Labour’s Immigration Spokesperson Andrew Little says. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Only the Greens will deliver a fair amnesty for overstayers
The Green Party is today welcoming Labour coming to the table to ensure an amnesty for overstayers, but only the Greens will ensure immigration settings actually reflect the reality of people who have been failed by our immigration system. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Climate future of communities on the line this election
Green Party co leader James Shaw attended a South Dunedin Future street meeting today to discuss local responses to climate change. ...
Greens
7 days ago

Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forest
The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and replant the native forest it cleared, and protect all the remaining trees on Ngahere Road in Pukekohe after a significant number of native trees were cut ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: Ram Raids drop to two-year low
Latest Police data shows monthly ram raids have hit a two-year low, laying waste to Christopher Luxon’s false claim that there are two ram raids a day says Labour’s Police Spokesperson Ginny Andersen. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Every party needs to step up on school lunches
Labour has finally said it would continue free school lunches - and the Green Party is calling on every party to step up. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: School lunches on the line this election
Free and healthy school lunches will be here to stay if Labour is re-elected, guaranteeing food for our kids who need it most and significant cost saving for parents. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Labour commits to a new hospital for the people of Hawke’s Bay
The next Labour Government will build a new hospital in Hawke’s Bay, Labour leader Chris Hipkins and Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall announced. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Govt changes fall short of what’s needed for migrant protection
The Green Party will keep up the fight to support exploited migrant workers, including pushing to end single employer visas, after the government picked up Green recommendations to improve immigration settings. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Clean Power Payment the smartest way forward to reduce emissions and bills
Green Party co leader James Shaw visited a home in Auckland today that has been upgraded with a wide range of energy improvements, similar to those that would be supported through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Foreign Minister's Action – A Contempt For “Caretaker Government” Convention
The Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s presence in New York today at the United Nations General Assembly is a contempt of New Zealand’s “caretaker government” convention. Despite the long-standing caretaker convention, Minister Mahuta is today at the UN to sign a highly contentious “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement”, delivering a ...
NZ First Press Release
1 week ago

Back To Black Responsibly
The Pre-Election Fiscal Update Changes Everything Within an hour of this speech there is going to be a debate between the political parties that the media, under MMP, still think are the only parties that matter in this campaign. Both of those parties are riddled with inexperience, as evidenced by ...
NZ First Press Release
1 week ago

Stop the cuts before they start – Labour launches new TV ad
National and ACT's tax plans don't add up, and that means deep cuts to the public services New Zealanders rely on, says Labour Campaign Chair Megan Woods. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Free school lunches paid for with a wealth tax
The Green Party will expand free school lunches and pay for it with a fair tax system. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

The Pacific Reset & the Blue Continent
Thank you for your invitation to speak with you this afternoon about New Zealand Foreign Policy. After offering one or two general thoughts about the nature of foreign policy, the focus today will be the Pacific Reset and why its goals remain even more important today as when they were ...
NZ First Press Release
2 weeks ago

Release: Huge hole in National’s climate budget
National’s plan to cut policies that are reducing New Zealand’s climate emissions will result in a huge gap in the country’s emissions budgets and could see Kiwis paying significantly more at the petrol pump as a result of Christopher Luxon hiking the ETS price. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Greens would push Labour much further on solar power
Labour’s plan to support rooftop solar is a step in the right direction, but falls short of what could be achieved through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. ...
Greens
2 weeks 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
2 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
2 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
3 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
4 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
6 days 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
7 days 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 weeks ago

PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
$12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...
Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

Media targeting public for a war with China, warns Declassified Australia
Pacific Media Watch Barely a day passes without a story in the British or Australian media that ramps up fear about the rulers in Beijing, reports the investigative website Declassified Australia. According to an analysis by co-editors Antony Loewenstein and Peter Cronau, the Australian and British media are ramping up ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 hours ago

Indonesian police raid church office, home in Nduga – arrest six, torture 12
Asia Pacific Report Members of Indonesia’s Nduga District Police and the Damai Cartenz Police Task Force have raided a residential house and the local head office of the Papuan Tabernacle Church (Kingmi Papua) in the town of Kenyam, Nduga Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, reports Human Rights Monitor. Before raiding the ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
4 hours ago

Candidate's home broken into, vandalised, threat left behind
The home of Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana Maipi-Clarke was broken into, vandalised, and a threatening letter left behind this week. ...
Radio NZ – political
5 hours ago

‘Politically motivated attack’: Te Pāti Māori candidate’s home vandalised, ‘threatening le...
Te Pāti Māori’s candidate for Hauraki-Waikato says her home was “invaded, vandalised, and left with a threatening letter” in what the party is calling a “politically motivated attack”. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clark said the “premeditated and targeted attack” was the latest of three incidents to take place at her home just ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
5 hours ago

Ghoulish smoke and mirrors: Reaction to National's fiscal plan
The National Party's fiscal plan is ghoulish smoke and mirrors that will put more children into poverty, if you listen to Labour and the Green Party. ACT is critical, too. ...
Radio NZ – political
5 hours ago

Taking The Politics Out Of The Covid-19 Royal Commission
“ACT will take the politics out of the Royal Commission into the Government’s Covid-19 response by allowing all New Zealanders to have their say on what should be investigated through a new crowdsourced terms of reference”, says ACT Leader ...
Scoop politics
5 hours ago

Te Pāti Māori Candidate Hana Maipi-Clark’s Home Invaded In Politically Motivated Attack
Te Pāti Māori are not strangers to hate speech and online threats. Today however, a line was crossed. Our Hauraki-Waikato candidate, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clark’s home was invaded, vandalised, and left with a threatening letter. This premeditated and ...
Scoop politics
5 hours ago

The disability royal commission recommendations could fix some of the worst living conditions – bu...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University The bite mark on Ashlee’s cheek, her broken teeth and other photos of injuries from assaults in disability housing are some of the haunting images emerging from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
7 hours ago

The Week in Politics: Luxon likely to get what he doesn't want
Analysis - Christopher Luxon's announcement that he'll work with Winston Peters after the election if he has to boosts NZ First's chances of getting back into Parliament, writes Peter Wilson. ...
Radio NZ – political
8 hours ago

National's big guns come out in Tāmaki
National has wheeled out its stars into the blue, blue seat of Tāmaki which is under friendly fire attack from Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden First Bill English, then Christopher Luxon fronted within two days of each other for Simon O'Connor in the previously safe National heartland of the east ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

Concern at candidate's assault: 'He shook me, slapped my cheeks'
Chris Hipkins has condemned the increased risk of campaign trail violence as police investigate an assault on Labour’s Angela Roberts Labour’s candidate for Taranaki-King Country has confirmed she was assaulted following an election debate at the Inglewood Rotary Club earlier this week. Angela Roberts explained in a Facebook post after ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

National's fiscal plan doesn't answer tax cut questions
National may have hoped its detailed fiscal plan would put to bed the lingering questions about how it will pay for its tax cuts, but there are no satisfactory answers in sight, Marc Daalder writes Analysis: Grant Robertson says National's new fiscal plan has a $537 million hole in it and ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

Beneficiary Bashing Continues This Election With National, ACT & NZ First Policies
“People who experience poverty as sanctioned by a capitalist system shouldn’t be punished for the predicament they’re in” says Brooke Pao Stanley, AAAP Coordinator. These parties use fear based politics to gain popularity and continue to push a narrative ...
Scoop politics
10 hours ago

Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign – voters deserve answers to these bi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
10 hours ago

Labour candidate slapped following debate in Taranaki
Labour candidate Angela Roberts, a list MP campaigning in Taranaki-King Country, was shaken and slapped by a member of the public following a debate on Tuesday this week. She described the incident on Facebook. While talking about education policy with an attendee after an event at Inglewood Rotary Club, the ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
10 hours ago

Forest Owners Welcome National's Forest Policy But Hold Reservations On Planting Restrictions
The Forest Owners Association generally welcomes the National Party forestry policy announcement that National wants to give certainty and support to the forestry and wood processing industry clearly recognising its economic and environmental advantages. ...
Scoop politics
11 hours ago

Funding The Basics Brilliantly Would Be A Start
Both major parties needed to have prioritised ongoing new investment in children and education in their allowances for new spending, NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter said today. “The two fiscal plans released this week made pre-commitments ...
Scoop politics
11 hours ago

National’s Fiscal Plan Continues Attack On Low Income Households
National has finally released its fiscal plan after much delay and it reveals a plan to cut the incomes and essential public services the poorest New Zealanders rely on, just so they can pay for tax cuts for landlords and the well-off, says NZCTU ...
Scoop politics
11 hours ago

Governor-General’s Official Visit To Malaysia
The Governor-General of New Zealand, Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, and Dr Richard Davies will depart for an official visit to Malaysia on Sunday 1 October 2023. Their Excellencies are travelling to Malaysia at the invitation of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong ...
Scoop politics
11 hours ago

‘Forcing more children into poverty’: Labour responds to National’s fiscal plan
Labour says National’s plan to index benefits to inflation rather than wages will result in more children living in poverty. Speaking in Lower Hutt today, party leader Chris Hipkins said National was proposing “$2 billion in benefit cuts”. “In the middle of a cost of living crisis, they’re cutting benefits ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
12 hours ago

Review Of Wellbeing Strategy Needed As Police Recruitment Declines; Suicides Continue
Hatikvah Blue Hope Foundation is gravely concerned following the suicide of another serving police officer in the past month, and we extend our deepest sympathy to the grieving family. This tragedy comes as NZ Police is seeing a staggering 48.5% decline ...
Scoop politics
12 hours ago

Here’s how to fix Australia’s approach to soil carbon credits so they really count towards our c...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Simmons, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, University of New England William Edge, Shutterstock Australia’s plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 relies heavily on carbon credits. These credits are awarded to projects that avoid the release ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Tough Times Ahead For Children In Hardship Under Next Government, CPAG Warns
The Child Poverty Action Group is asking the National Party to make good on its commitment to children in poverty, but says the party’s fiscal plan reveals it has no desire or intention to help those living in the greatest poverty in Aotearoa. ...
Scoop politics
12 hours ago

Review: Patricia Highsmith play never quite reaches its subject’s brilliance
Sam Brooks reviews Auckland Theatre Company’s Switzerland, which can’t quite meet its subject straight in the eye. What is it? The last show in Auckland Theatre Company’s programme is somewhat of a pivot from the rest of its programme this year. It’s a psychological thriller by an Australian playwright (Joanna ...
The SpinoffBy Sam Brooks
12 hours ago

The Friday Poem: ‘farm to table’ by kī anthony
A new poem by kī anthony. farm to table there is a story in my body that you want to hear. pull me apart like supermarket pizzabread and tell me who i am. narrative unspools my broken cassette; pick up your fork. wind me up. present me on masterchef and ...
The SpinoffBy kī anthony
12 hours ago

'Completely unacceptable': Labour candidate Angela Roberts 'slapped' following p...
The candidate for Taranaki-King Country says she was going to let it go, but realised it was important to take a stand against aggressive and unacceptable behaviour. ...
Radio NZ – political
12 hours ago

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 29
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage, $26) Gamer Queen of the list! ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
12 hours ago

Taxpayers’ Union Slams National’s Alternative Fiscal Plan
The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the plan released by the National Party today saying it barely touches the sides in terms of cutting waste, and realigning the sector to live within the country’s means. Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Jordan ...
Scoop politics
13 hours ago

Nicola Willis confirms plan for pre-Christmas mini-budget
A National-led government would deliver “a mini-budget before Christmas”, Nicola Willis has confirmed, with the intention of “setting out some of the savings and reprioritisations we believe are necessary to get New Zealand back on track”. Speaking as National unveiled its revised, post-Prefu fiscal plan, she said heads of government ...
The SpinoffBy Toby Manhire
13 hours ago

National sets aside funding for predicted rise in prison population
National’s “tough-on-crime” approach will result in a higher prison population, and $700 million has been set aside to deal with this, Nicola Willis has confirmed. “We do expect the prison population to rise as a result of our sentencing policy,” National’s finance spokesperson said at the announcement of the party’s ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
13 hours ago

National promises bigger surplus by 2027
National is promising a bigger surplus and lower debt than Labour in its fiscal plan, which has just been released by leader Christopher Luxon and finance spokesperson Nicola Willis in Auckland. National’s plan says a surplus of $2.9 billion will be reached in 2027 – the same year as Labour. ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
14 hours ago

Election 2023: National Party fiscal plan promises lower taxes, disciplined government spending
The National Party has released its fiscal plan, saying it will lower taxes and reduce net debt. Watch a live stream with leader Christopher Luxon and finance spokesperson Nicola Willis here. ...
Radio NZ – political
14 hours ago

Meet the Gen Z politics nerd who’s made a game out of the election
Can learning about politicians and policies be fun? A 23-year-old Ōtautahi illustrator thinks so, if you turn it all into a card game. A pencil drawn Chris Hipkins, with freckles and a big wide smile, looks like a little school boy. Underneath the portrait, he is briefly and somewhat ruthlessly ...
The SpinoffBy Gabi Lardies
14 hours ago

Parties use Facebook less – and don’t always share accurate information
Smaller parties contending the 2023 election use social media most, shows a new study. Conducted by Victora University’s Internet, Social Media and Politics Research Lab, researchers analysed 681 posts made by political parties and party leaders on Facebook. Act posted almost twice as much as any other party. “Most of ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
14 hours ago

Election Study Tracks Facts And Fiction In Political Parties’ Social Media Campaigns
In the lead-up to the general election on 14 October, ACT is pipping other parliamentary parties for the number of Facebook posts. However, some of its posts contain “half-truths”, said Dr Mona Krewel, director of the Internet, Social Media and Politics Research ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Ngāi Tahu Marks 25 Years Since Crown Settlement
Ngāi Tahu is celebrating the anniversary of its Crown Settlement by holding a tribal climate change symposium with whānau today. In 1998, Ngāi Tahu received an apology from the Crown, cultural and tribal redress, and $170 million compensation. It was ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Election 2023: ACT Party would call for public submissions on Covid-19 inquiry terms of reference
It is "wrong" that the government gets to set the terms of reference of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into its Covid-19 response, the ACT Party says. ...
Radio NZ – political
15 hours ago

National to release its fiscal plan today
It’s Friday, September 29. Welcome to The Spinoff’s election live updates. Learn more about the political parties at Policy.nz The agenda Coming up today: National is releasing its fiscal plan in Auckland at midday, after which leader Christopher Luxon is doing a walkabout in St Heliers and attending ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
16 hours ago

Māori leaders pen open letter condemning racism from political candidates
Māori leaders, including Dame Naida Glavish, Tā Mark Solomon and Tukoroirangi Morgan, have released an open letter to politicians this morning calling on them to “call out racism and race-baiting and publicly condemn it”. The letter appears to reference a line from National leader Christopher Luxon’s speech at Waitangi this ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
16 hours ago

A taste of democracy: What political leaders eat (or don’t eat) on the campaign trail
With just over two weeks till election day, we asked party leaders about the kai that fuels them along the campaign trail. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. One of the great (or only) joys of election campaign season is the abundance of footage and ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
16 hours ago

Save The Children Calls For Children To Be Back On The Agenda In Election 23
Save the Children is asking politicians and voters to put children’s needs at the top of the agenda ahead of Election 23, with five vital asks for tamariki. The child rights organisation, that has been gathering children and youth voices in recent ...
Scoop politics
16 hours ago

Election 2023: The foreign affairs, trade and defence policies in two minutes
New Zealand makes lots of money from foreign trade, and spends lots of money on the defence force. What role do the parties want the country to play overseas? Policy.nz has the full version, but we can tell you the basics in two minutes. One of the roles of a ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
16 hours ago

Election 2023: ACT Party would amend Inquiries Act to allow public submissions on Covid-19 inquiry
It is "wrong" that the government gets to set the term of reference of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into its Covid-19 response, the ACT Party says. It is "wrong" ...
Radio NZ – political
16 hours ago

Election 2023: Māori leaders call on politicians to condemn racism
In an open letter, Māori and community leaders are calling for an end to a "divisive style of politics", and asking National leader Christopher Luxon to condemn race-baiting by NZ First and ACT. ...
Radio NZ – political
16 hours ago

The Bulletin: Willis scores big with CEOs in Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom
National leader Chris Luxon beats his Labour rival – though not overwhelmingly so – in the NZ Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom survey out this morning. The regular pre-election survey of 100 business leaders asks them to rank government ministers and opposition MPs on their handling of economic issues and overall political ...
The SpinoffBy Catherine McGregor
17 hours ago

Media And Police Attribute Success Of Operation Dickinson To The Firearms Registry
The Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand (SSANZ) is concerned about the political neutrality of New Zealand Police in the leadup to the 2023 General Election. We also have concerns about the media’s understanding of the Firearms Registry ...
Scoop politics
17 hours ago

A search for links between two of the universe’s most spectacular phenomena has come up empty – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Howell, OzGrav Associate Investigator; Adjunct Research Fellow in Astrophysics, The University of Western Australia Carl Knox / OzGrav, CC BY Every so often, astronomers glimpse an intense flash of radio waves from space – a flash that lasts only ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

Lions to roar or Magpies to soar? It’s a remarkable revival story either way on grand final day
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Saturday’s premiership tussle between Collingwood and Brisbane features the two top-ranked teams from 2023. Hopefully, unlike last year’s final, it will be a gripping match. The 2023 finals series has so ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

Handkerchief or tissue? Which one’s better for our health and the planet?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Shutterstock Maybe you have hay fever, COVID, a cold or the flu, and are reaching for a tissue or handkerchief. But which one’s better ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

‘You’re constantly worrying’: pregnant women, bushfire smoke and the impossibility of safety
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Lou Rasmussen, Professor, School of Sociology, Australian National University Smoke covered large swathes of Australia during the catastrophic summer fires of 2019-2020. You could see the plumes from space. Over 20% of Australia’s forests went up in smoke and flame. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

Michael Woodhouse is prepared to lose in Dunedin one last time
The former cabinet minister withdrew from National’s list after implying the party had valued his experience below the need for diversity. Shanti Mathias speaks to him in Dunedin as he contemplates what comes after 15 years in politics. Michael Woodhouse is always repping – both Otago and the National Party. ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
17 hours ago

Michael Woodhouse is prepared to lose in Dunedin one last time
The former cabinet minister withdrew from National’s list after implying the party had valued his experience below the need for diversity. Shanti Mathias speaks to him in Dunedin as he contemplates what comes after 15 years in politics. Michael Woodhouse is always repping – both Otago and the National Party. ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
17 hours ago

Boos and strong language mark forum on housing
Political candidates have heard the plight of renters at a forum in Wellington, with all promising to continue funding tenant services. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

ACT climate policy could see NZ Paris Agreement pledge walked back
The ACT Party has raised the possibility it would renege on New Zealand's international climate pledge under the Paris Agreement. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

Public sector headcount rises in last pre-election recruitment drive
The public administration and safety sector takes on 2,300 new workers in a month ...
Newsroom
18 hours ago

Weet-bix case shows size of mountain supermarket challengers need to climb
It’s just one product, in one chain of stores. But few stories symbolise the ongoing power of the supermarket duopoly as well as The Warehouse’s Weet-bix situation, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The SpinoffBy Catherine McGregor
19 hours ago

Election 2023: All the latest developments on 29 September
The National Party is set to reveal its fiscal plan today after much controversy over how viable its foreign buyer's tax is and Labour's release of their fiscal plan on Wednesday. ...
Radio NZ – political
19 hours ago

Try queen almost quit her Black Ferns dream
A prolific try-scorer in any team she makes, Martha Mataele is looking to cross the try line for the Black Ferns, as she's named in the squad for the first time. Martha Mataele almost gave up on her Black Ferns dream before her call-up came this month. When the Black ...
Newsroom
20 hours ago

Short story of a NZ Loyal Party candidate
"They're using cloud seeding to alter the atmosphere!": a NZ Loyal candidate is sadly imagined by Jack Remiel Cottrell, in our series of short stories set in the election campaign "Andy, what you're saying is unhinged." Despite Ethan being one of the sheeple, Andy does appreciate that he visits. ...
Newsroom
20 hours ago

Hipkins commits to calling out racism and defending Te Tiriti
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is continuing to target his political opponents over their rhetoric around Māori, saying it's race-baiting, while those accusing say he's "desperate". ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

It’s happening: There’s finally construction on Wellington’s Golden Mile
The revitalisation of the city centre that Wellington has been debating for years is finally actually happening. Joel MacManus explains what that means. There’s a handful of road cones and some tradies hanging around Grey Street this morning, and it’s possibly the best thing to happen in Wellington since Elijah ...
The SpinoffBy Joel MacManus
21 hours ago

It’s happening: There’s finally construction on Wellington’s Golden Mile
The revitalisation of the city centre that Wellington has been debating for years is finally actually happening. Joel MacManus explains what that means. There’s a handful of road cones and some tradies hanging around Grey Street this morning, and it’s possibly the best thing to happen in Wellington since Elijah ...
The SpinoffBy Joel MacManus
21 hours ago

There’s always another Winston
Christopher Luxon looks like he will have to call Winston Peters on October 15 to form a government. But which Winston will answer the phone? Winston Peters has been booted from parliament on three separate occasions since he first entered in 1979. Every time it has changed him. In 1981 ...
The SpinoffBy Henry Cooke
21 hours ago

There’s always another Winston
Christopher Luxon looks like he will have to call Winston Peters on October 15 to form a government. But which Winston will answer the phone? Winston Peters has been booted from parliament on three separate occasions since he first entered in 1979. Every time it has changed him. In 1981 ...
The SpinoffBy Henry Cooke
21 hours ago

Winston reaches deep in his kete of scaremongering soundbites
Baseless fear and loathing regarding Māori political issues is nothing new, but claims that the sky is falling could decide this election ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Raw Politics: Act and NZ First grab steering wheel
This week on the Raw Politics podcast: We look at what common wins might await New Zealand First and Act if National needs them both post-election; Plus How good are the Greens in the polls, and do overseas votes count for much? Much of the focus of the political ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

This week's bestselling books
The latest Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list, described by Steve Braunias FICTION 1 The Bone Tree by Airana Ngarewa (Hachette, $37.99) Number one for the seventh straight week. A free copy was up for grabs in last week's book giveaway; readers were asked to comment about another example ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Daily crossword, Friday 29 September
...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

NZ cancels final 21.5m Kyoto-era carbon credits
Climate Minister scraps 21m carbon credits left over from the international Kyoto Protocol markets ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Road safety loses funding fight as more Waka Kotahi plans off track
Resources have been focused on maintenance because of severe weather ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Torn apart by war, kept apart by bureaucrats
‘Let these young people have a life’ is the plea from a lawyer for an Afghan teenager living without her parents in New Zealand. She's one of a dozen children who fled here when the Taliban took over who are now forcibly separated from their families. It's not difficult ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 September
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Former Papuan governor Enembe’s corruption trial ends – verdict soon
SPECIAL REPORT: By Yamin Kogoya Former Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe has presented his case for the defence, denying the corruption and bribery charges against him, with the end of the controversial and lengthy trial at the Tipikor Court of Jakarta Central District Court this week. The verdict is due on ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

What causes lithium-ion battery fires? Why are they so intense? And how should they be fought? An ex...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Picture this: you’re cruising down the Great Ocean Road in your brand new electric vehicle (EV), the ocean to your left and the wind in your hair. But what if I told ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

Australian universities have dropped in the latest round of global rankings – should we be worried...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judith Ireland, Education Editor, The Conversation, Australia Every year, Times Higher Education – a global higher education publication – ranks universities around the world. This one of three prominent international ranking systems for universities. Its 2024 list has just been released ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

Workers be careful, says Aussie Unionist

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