National: it’s not worth the pay cut

Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, October 19th, 2007 - 58 comments
Categories: economy, workers' rights - Tags: ,

The National Party are clearly worried. They’ve done pretty well so far with the populist rallying cry of tax cuts, but they always knew their record on wages would come up at some point.

Because as National themselves are fully aware, while tax cuts might on the face of it put more money into workers’ pockets, their industrial relations policies are so heavily geared towards keeping wages down that for most working people the promised tax cuts simply aren’t worth the pay cut that would follow.

With the Council of Trade Unions this week announcing its intention to run a strong campaign based on protecting work rights and lifting wages, National clearly saw the game was up and entered into full inoculation mode.

Their first salvo was fired yesterday by the party’s resident blogger and former researcher David Farrar. By calculating the average wage over National’s last term and comparing it to Labour’s, then adjusting for tax rates and inflation, Farrar argued workers gained an extra $83.59 in take-home pay under National and just $33.90 under Labour. That worked out, he said, to a 15.2% increase under National and just 5.1% under Labour.

So the next time someone drones on about how bad the 1990s were for the average worker, Farrar gloated, just remember they were three times better than the last eight years.

Of course, Farrar’s statistics were self-serving crap. Anyone who knows the first thing about stats understands that it’s pointless to use the mean to discuss the wages of the typical worker, especially if you’re looking at the period of the last National government when inequality increased as rapidly as it did.

The median is a better measure by far: 50% of people earn more than it and 50% earn less, while most people earn somewhere thereabouts. As a pollster by trade, Farrar should know this. The man deals in statistics every day. He knows which ones are meaningful, which ones are misleading, and how to spin them either way to say whatever you like. That he chose to use the mean rather than the median shows just how disingenuous his little exercise really was.

Because when you use the median instead, the difference becomes clear immediately. Here’s a graph on median wage increases between 1991 and 2006. Note the difference in wage rises between the red and the blue:

nominal-small-revised.jpg
[click graph for full size version]

Median wage

1991 $272
1999 $328
2006 $485

That’s a 21% nominal wage increase under National, compared to a 48% increase under Labour.

But of course, as Farrar points out, you have to adjust for inflation. On that we’re agreed. He also argues that we should adjust for tax rates so that we’re measuring take-home pay rather than wages.

The fundamental problem with this approach is that if I get a $20 a week tax cut but corresponding cuts to public services mean I’m paying an extra $40 a week in user charges, I’m not actually any better off even if my tax bill says so. But we’ll factor it in to keep David happy.

We’ll also exclude Working for Families, a major tax credit for working families that means many low-income workers effectively pay no tax at all. And to make things even harder for the red team, we’ll also exclude government tax credits for KiwiSaver which, as No Right Turn has pointed out, are more generous than National’s 2005 tax cut plan.

So even given all these concessions, how does the typical worker’s take-home pay compare between National and Labour?

take-home-pay-small.jpg
[click graph for full size version]

Take-home pay

1991 $284
1999 $325
2006 $394

Yep, even under David’s handicap workers have had an increase of 21% ($69) in their take-home pay in the seven years of Labour government between 1999-2006, compared with just 14% ($41) under eight years of National from 1991-1999. And that’s without having to borrow, sell assets or increase user charges.

So David, next time you drone on about how bad Labour’s been for the average worker, just remember they’re three times better off than they were under National in the 90s.

Because when you add it all up, National’s tax cuts just aren’t worth the pay cut. And sooner or later, the voters are going to figure it out.

[UPDATE: Fixed the median wages graph to include the year 2000.]

58 comments on “National: it’s not worth the pay cut ”

  1. ak 2

    Yes, excellent Tane. You’ve bent over backwards and still managed to shove it up Farrar convincingly.
    As a reward you can go and play with burt – though after you big boys picked on him last time I don’t think mrs Farrar’s letting him come over any more….

  2. Indeed! I also think the narrow focus is misleading – any discussion about productivity necessarily requires consideration of the factors limiting competitiveness and productivity improvements. DPF’s focus is like a crooked throw the the lineout, it shifts the momentum in the wrong direction.

  3. Wodger 4

    There’s a different take over here: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2007/10/median_incomes_over_time.html

    There will probably more vigorous discussion at KB as well.

    Crank up the random number generator – I’ll stick with Mark Twain.

  4. Sam Dixon 5

    honesty is the best basis for policy.

    our mate DPF still needs to learn that,

  5. have you fwd this to any media outlets? it might help them with their ‘toys and candy’ twitch

  6. Tane 7

    Hi bean, I figure they’ll probably read it here. But if someone else wants to pick it up and run with it then they’re more than welcome.

  7. pete 8

    Your graph seems to be suffering from the Y2K bug…

  8. Sam Dixon 9

    So, at the end of every week, the typical kiwi has more in his back pocket under Labour,

    and the amount extra is growing faster under Labour

    and Melissa Median gets Working For Families tax credits for her kids, she gets 20 hours free childcare if she has a 3-4 year old, she gets $1040 a year on Kiwisaver, she might get a Welcome Home Loan, she gets cheaper doctor visits and perscriptions, she has more Police on our streets, lower crime, lower pupil to teacher ratio in her kids’ school or maybe interst-free student loans, more elective surgery, better roads, higher life expectancy… anything I’ve missed?

    So, does she want to give up all that and faster wage growth for a 410 a week tax cut? National hopes so.

  9. Wodger 10

    Sam Dixon – do you know Mike Smith? – perhaps you could introduce hime to the concept

    “honesty is the best basis for policy”

  10. Tane 11

    Oops – thanks Pete, I’ll fix that now.

  11. robinsod 12

    Wodger – Yawn. I’m sure you could ask Mike Smith yourself. I just looked up the phone book and Wellington Labour HQ is 04 384 7649. Why don’t you fuck off and ask him yourself. Once you’ve got an answer come back here with it. Now be a good boy and run along…

  12. ak 13

    Yep Sam, as well as all that if she gets crook or falls on hard times she won’t be stigmatised and will get far better service from Work and Income who are now commited to ensuring everyone gets their full legal entitlements, and the voluntary welfare groups who might be able to help her are now better funded and supported by govt. Oh and she’ll be treated by one of the best health systems in the world: check this out – second best health system behind Germany and miles ahead of the US system which comes last at three times the cost per head.
    http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/1027_Davis_mirror_mirror_international_update_final.pdf?section=4039

  13. Sam Dixon 14

    “…for a 410 a week tax cut?” should be $10 a week of course

  14. Leftie 15

    Great work….My co-workers would be interested to see these graphs as well.

  15. Wodger 16

    Good to see you are up to date on the Labour Party Talking Points Sam, but you better check on your honesty policy…

    20 hours “free” childcare – I see the architect of that snafu is departing the scene

    lower crime – I guess you missed the headlines “iolent crime rise ‘national disgrace'”
    Violent crime up from 105/1000 pop in 98/99 to 127.1/10000 in 06/07

    elective surgery – every worked that out on a per-capita basis Sam?

    Do you actually know anyone in that situation Sam? Maybe you should ask them how they cope with the rates bill, the power bill, vehicle running costs and so on.

    Next you’ll be claiming that Labour is improving Melissa’s chances in the bedroom!

  16. robinsod 17

    Wodge – I thought you weren’t coming back until you rang Smith? Oh and I’m no economist but I’m pretty sure rates, power and vehicle costs are included in inflation. But of course you could be making a non-tradeables argument (in which case are you saying the govt should be subsidising them?). Somehow I suspect you’re not that sophisticated though.

  17. Sam Dixon 18

    Wodger – go to the stats site there in the table builder you can see the stats for every type of recorded offence going back to 1998 you’ll notice a significant decline across the board.

    Where there has been an increase is in domestic violence – the experts attribute that to higher reporting, a good thing.

    Maybe The Standard boys could post use a nice wee graph from the Stats figures.

    And, obviously, the figures Tane has provided have inflation taken into account: that is, they are adjusted for nominal increases in rates and other non-tradables (checkou the CPI stats to see how everyhitng is included and weighted).

    Also, as men are less likely to commit suicide, be injured at work, be killed on the road or by someone, and as she and her partner are likely to have generally better health, and are less likely to feel lonely or depressed now than in the 1990s (its all in the Social Report), I would say, yes, Melissa’s chances in the bedroom have improved under Labour.

    (anyone want to track down old durex surveys and make sure?)

  18. Wodger 19

    Sam

    I was suggesting that you forget about waving statistics around (have you checked Mark Twain yet) and talk to something else than your keyboard. You might just find that Melissa isn’t a Labour voter, or that her de-facto likes to give her the bash

    Keep up the party line though – if crime decreases, thats good, if it increases, thats just an increase in reporting, and thats good too – I’m sure it sounds good in Labour party meetings, even if most of New Zealand knows what it really means.

  19. Sam Dixon 20

    Wodger – the stats unit of the Police are the ones who explain the crime data, I’m just relaying to lazy buggers. Are you saying they produce Labour party lines now? How’s the tinfoil hat fitting?

    Seriously though, its desperation stuff to say ‘stuff the stats, I knows what I knows’ anyone can say anything, no one story can give an overall picture of society, that’s why stats not stories are the foundation of policy.

  20. robinsod 21

    Wodge – ohh Mark Twain and “the party line”. Between your unsubstantiated claims and your abstract and off-topic references to Twain, Wodge you’re making it really hard for me to say this: but fuck off until you come back with a real argument instead of the smug and self-deluded shit you’re peddling at the mo’.

  21. Lady Leftie 22

    Thanks team for the graphs – it is always good to stick stats up the arse of that National Party blogger David Farrar.

    I was wondering if you had the time for a Lorenz Curve to show the change in income distribution? It might not be the prettiest picture, but relativity is always an important measure to consider too.

  22. This is, frankly, the problem with focusing on a reasonably narrow indicator as a measure of the performance of a government. Wages are at might be a reasonably direct measure of economic activity/performance, but they’re only an indirect measure of government performance. Why not broaden the lens to include capital deepening, exports, R&D etc?

    Labour’s stewardship of the economy has been at least as good as Naitonal’s but lets all be honest and accept that the NZ economy is not performing as well as we’d like. Once we’ve made this leap, the discussion is sensibly on what to do – Labour’s clearly got some ideas and initiatives e.g. increasing workforce skills, improving R&D incentives, investing in infrastructure and promoting personal savings and increase access to domestic capital. What’s Nationals? Cut taxes?

  23. Sam Dixon 24

    mardypants – liked your guys bit on that actually – we mustn’t attribute too much of the economy’s performance to the government – there are other very strong drivers at play. that said, government policy (especially such different policies as 1990-99 and 1999-2007) do have quite an impact on wages – i’ve looked at the median numbers myself and its a flat line from 1991 to 1996, thats the result of the ECA crippling low income earners.

  24. ak 25

    Oh and four weeks holiday, paid parental leave, ever-rising minimum wage, the list is just too long, how about someone doing a “before and after” for Melissa?

  25. Sam Dixon 26

    ak – good idea, its hard with WfF because you have to make assumptions about her family type, what would be the fair way of doing it,assuming she has two kids (the most common family unit apart from couple only). I’ll see what I can do and see if our hosts here wat to put it up.

    thanks for catching 4 weeks leave and parental leave – knew i’d missed stuff 🙂

  26. Sam, points well made. IR is critical to the way the labour market functions and I’ve also seen numbers on the impact of the ECA. I think this discussions is helpful but my concerns are a little broader – setting the rules by which the labour market operates affects access to employment and distribution of benefits (along with tax laws) but there’s so much more to what governments do and Farrar ignored this because he thinks there’s an indicator that advances his political agenda.

  27. PaulL 28

    Damn this site is slow 🙂

    I was taught at school that graphs should start at zero unless you have a really good reason. Not the end of the world, but anyway…

    I’m a bit lost Tane on how you are 3 times better off under Labour, when your statistics seem to say about 33% better ($21 v’s $14).

    You are using median income. Of course, this needs to be corrected for hours worked, which median full-time income wouldn’t. Any comment on movement in the number of hours worked by part-time workers in the relevant periods? Otherwise I’m not sure how we get such a discrepancy between median income here and median full-time income per DPF.

    Can you separate the tax correction from the inflation correction? I’d be interested to see the intermediate result so I can understand how such a big difference in gross translates into such a small difference in net.

    After all this (and if we had the graphs starting at zero) I think we could probably agree that there was little difference between the two in real terms, to the median worker. If you were a median full-time worker a little better off under National, if a median part-time worker, a little better off under Labour.

    We might also ask the question as to why Australia seems to have streaked ahead in this time – the discrepancy between them and us has grown considerably under both these governments. Should we be concerned, or is this just NZ’s lot – we cannot do any better (poor us, too dumb compared to our neighbours?)

  28. Robinsod 29

    Paul, I’d guess that the reason oz has “streaked ahead” is that they haven’t had the ECA (and a barely better version of it) to deal with but don’t worry. I read Costello a year or so ago claiming they needed to make their wages more competitive with ours. Looks like work choices is getting them there.

    Bu they if you want to go back to the pre-workchoices Aussie IR system I’m more than happy to follow…

  29. Murray M 30

    Good to see you lefties having a fine chat amongst yourselves. Nobody with an IQ registering above the Richter scale wants to engage with you.

  30. Robinsod 31

    Well that explains why you’ve dropped in muz.

  31. Murray M 32

    I have not taken part in this discussion, therefore I have not engaged. Don’t call me muz, only my friends are allowed to call me that.

  32. Robinsod 33

    Jeez – you’ve engaged now though, how about “muzza”?

  33. Murray M 34

    Okay I will troll. I’m assuming the Robin”sod” means you where the badge of being sodomised as a source of pride.

  34. Robinsod 35

    Okay, I’ll give away one of the minor secrets of the Kiwi blogosphere – it means I don’t give a sod for you or your arguments and I’ll bend you over when ever I feel like it (it’s not homophobic – it’s about power) Oh and you mean “wear” but seeing as your such a “I’m taking my brilliant arse to aussie – fuck you” kind of a guy I’m sure you made that (really basic) mistake on purpose. Eh Muz?

  35. Murray M 36

    Yes I did, and for the last time don’t call me Muz

  36. “Jeez – you’ve engaged now though, how about “muzza”?”

    I think “mad muzza” is his common tag.

  37. Robinsod 38

    Ok Muz – see what I mean? I hope you like Aussie, where exactly are you heading?

  38. burt 39

    The argument here is that the mid point on a line proves National will cut pay?

    What would be interesting to see would be this graph alongside the median cost of living, median house price and median mortgage size over the same period. That would tell you a story.

    This is pretty line that could produced from the state owned power generators profits or the ministry of ed budget. A graph for school teachers would of course be a lot flatter.

  39. JamesK 40

    Burt, it’s adjusted for inflation.

  40. burt 41

    JamesK

    And as such it’s a pretty good representation of inflation. Which is what I was saying, perhaps poorly.

    I think power prices would track a similar graph (as would state owned power company profits). I also suspect the price of a liter of milk or petrol would track a similar picture. This is the effect of CPI increases on wages, no more no less.

    It represents no standard of living increase, just a shift from CPI running at 1.5%-2.5% to 2.5%-4%.

    Labour have hiked inflation compared to National – Bravo.

  41. pete 42

    I was taught at school that graphs should start at zero unless you have a really good reason.

    Time series graphs tend not to start at zero, because we’re more interested in the changes than in the actual value. The big bold blue and red colouring in is probably borderline misleading, but it sure does look pretty.

    Otherwise I’m not sure how we get such a discrepancy between median income here and median full-time income per DPF.

    The low-income end of the distribution has less bargaining power and so were more likely to be casualised under the ECA. Chop off the left hand tail and the median jumps to the right (1990-1999). Add the tail back in and the median jumps back to the left (1999-2007). DPF’s figures are dominated by this effect; Tane’s figures capture the actual movements in the income distribution.

  42. Sam Dixon 43

    burt you moron –
    inflation adjusted means that changes in cost of living including house prices is already taken into account. the figures you see say that in 1991 the median income after tax would buy good and serices that cost $284 in 2006, whereas in 2006 the median income after tax would buy goods and services that cost $394 in 2006..

    your economic iliteracy is actually embarassing – that is, i feel bad for you for making such a fool of yourself over a basic economic point.

  43. Sam Dixon 44

    PaulL – DPF’s graph only measures full time wages, Tane’s meaures incomes – why is Tane’s better?

    first a premise: the object is to find out how much the typical person has in their back pocket and how that changed under naional and labour.

    The after tax, inflationed adjusted median income does this better than the after tax inflation adjusted median wage becuase it measures all income rather than just full time wages – so changes in the balance of sources of income distrort Farrar’s figures but not Tane’s. For instance, since 2000 many high income people have shifted earnings that were previously wages into dividends or trusts, that makes am average wage measurement lower but median income is not affected and continues to show the true picture.

    Also,just measuring fulltime wages does not tell you anything about if most people have more money in their pockets becuase there is more work around, the median income does.

    Basically, Tane’s figures are the full picture, Farrar’s are a portion of Tane’s figures that have selectd for the parttern they seem to show.

    (DPF’s previous one only measured ordinary time wages even wose, becuase it missed out changes around penal rates, and it was a mean so subjec outler effect from a few wealthy people getting much mroe wealthy than others, thus giving a false picture of the ordinary person’s income)

  44. burt 45

    Sam

    burt you moron

    So where is the statement that the first graph (which looks very much like an inflation graph) is adjusted for inflation… It is not.

    The second one is adjusted for something, spin perhaps. Perhaps you could publish the percentage used for inflation each year and then I’ll happily debate how you got $284 (as a 1991 median wage adjusted by 15 years of inflation).

    Until then I’m happy being a moron for being able to see the unadjusted graph for what it is, a representation of inflation.

  45. burt 46

    Sam

    $272 adjusted by 15 years of inflation to get $284 shows a total of 4% inflation over 15 years.

    Not according to this: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/keygraphs/Fig1.html

    Inflation has been hovering around 2%-4% every year since 2000. Not 4% over 15 years.

    Busted. The inflation adjusted graph is sham.

  46. burt 47

    Sam

    If inflation has been hovering around 2% for 15 years the total effect of that 2% over time is circa 35%.

    $272 adjusted for inflation over 15 years (35%) is actually $418. Your graph should be point down, which I believe is what DPF has been trying to tell you.

    So who is the moron?

  47. burt 48

    Sam

    I was being nice to you guys with the above numbers, from the Reserve Bank link. “Since 1990 CPI inflation has averaged around 2.5%”, which over 15 years gives a gross increase of circa 46%. (not the friendly 2% I first used)

    So $272 grossed up by 46% = $503 which is more than the unadjusted 2006 figure of $485. We really are going backwards compared to inflation.

  48. Sam Dixon 49

    no burt, i’m afriad the problem is still you’re an idiot.

    This time you’ve forgotten to take tax into account. you’ve got to take that off before applying the CPI.

    fish in a barrel mate.

  49. pete 50

    burt:

    Since 1990 CPI inflation has averaged around 2.5%

    Economists do some odd things with growth rates based on the approximation exp(x)-1 ~ x for small x.

    So if prices rise 37.5% in 15 years they’ll call that a 2.5% “average” (i.e. 37.5%/15 = 2.5%)

    Using the Reserve Bank’s inflation calculator I get:

    272.00 $3q1991 = 370.71 $3q2006

    So $272 grossed up by 46% = $503

    A 46% increase on $272.00 should give you $397.12. Might want to take that calculator in for a service.

  50. Sam Dixon 51

    here’s how to calcualte it:

    a) get the gross median nominal income for the year (1991 $272)

    b) take off tax (23.5% in 1991 leaving $208.08 net median nominal income)

    c) use the RBNZ’s calcuator to adjust to 2006 dollars (rather than, you know, guess) – CPI in 1991 735,in 2006 1000. $284 net median real income in 2006 dollars.

    d) repeat, graph, laugh at Farrar.

  51. I think Muzza’s getting pissed at you, Robinsod! Muzza, chill out.

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    This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The PM promises tax relief in the Budget – but will it be enough to satisfy the Taxpayers’ Union...
    Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when  the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Fucking useless
    Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Setting things straight.
    Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago
  • Far too light a sentence
    David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Unwinding Labour’s Agenda
    Muriel Newman writes –  Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Sequel to “Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour”
    Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • The Govt’s Fast-Track is being demolished by submissions to Parliament
    Bryce Edwards writes –  The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • A generation is leaving at a rate of one A320-load per day
    An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • NZUP RORS back to life
    The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
    2 days ago
  • School Is Out.
    School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • How Are You Doing?
    Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • The Rings of Power: Season Two Teaser Trailer
    I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
    2 days ago
  • At a glance – What ended the Little ice Age?
    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 ...
    2 days ago
  • Talking Reo with the PM
    “The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Waitangi Tribunal’s authority in Chhour case is upheld – but bill’s introduction to Parliament...
    Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour.  The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Australia jails another whistleblower
    In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Some “scrutiny”!
    Back in February I blogged about another secret OIA "consultation" by the Ministry of Justice. This one was on Aotearoa's commitment in its Open Government Partnership Action Plan to "strengthen scrutiny of Official Information Act exemption clauses in legislation" (AKA secrecy clauses). Their consultation paper on the issue focused on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • TVNZ is loss-making, serves no public service due to bias, and should be liquidated
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • The conflicted Covid Chair
    David Farrar writes –  Kata MacNamara reports:    Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Attacking the smartest and most resilient people in the room is never a good idea
    Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A fortune-telling failure, surely, if the tarot cards can’t see a bulldozer coming
    RNZ reports –  It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • The climate battleground heats up
    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Tuesday, May 14
    The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on why anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitic
    To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
    3 days ago
  • Climate change is making hurricanes more destructive
    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
    3 days ago
  • Wayne Brown’s PT Plan
    Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
    3 days ago
  • Potaka's Private Universe.
    And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Our slow regional councils
    The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law after all
    Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • NZTA takes the wheel after govt gives it the road map for regional roads (and puts a speed governor ...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Change in Catalonia?
    or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Having an enrolment date is not depriving anyone of a vote
    David Farrar writes –  Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Perhaps house prices don’t always go up
    Don Brash writes –  There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for loss”. The first line of text noted that “New data shows one in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Can’t read, can’t write, can’t comprehend – and won’t think…?
    Mike Grimshaw writes –  At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange – or even fool-hardy – to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Time for some perspective
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Will NZ Herald’s ‘poor journalism’ cost lives?
    Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
    4 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 19 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Webworm Popup Photos!
    Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
    4 days ago
  • The Gods Must Be Woke.
    Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • More road
    We have been on the road in England, squeezing down narrow lanes, flying up the M6, loving hedgerows and villages and cathedrals, liking the 21st century less.There have been moments when it’s felt like a movie trope. The pub in Exford, lovely seventeenth century bar, almost more dogs than people, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Seeing the Aurora Australis
    There’s a solar-storm on at the moment, and since the South Island is having a day and night with clear skies, that means Aurorae. I have just got back from a midnight visit to Tunnel Beach – southwards-looking over the Sea, and without the light pollution. Quite a few others ...
    5 days ago
  • Welcome to the current welfare mess
    Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • A shovel-ready autopsy
    Oliver Hartwich writes –  Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Why we almost blacked out and how to fix it
    TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • What Is Instagram Trying To Sell Us?
    Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Precious Little Excitement: Warner Brothers, Peter Jackson, and Gollum
    Back in February 2023, I made the cardinal mistake of getting my hopes up. Warner Brothers declared that fresh Middle-earth movies were in the works: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/it-never-rains-but-it-pours-warner-brothers-and-impending-tolkien-adaptations/ My assumption, based on which rights were available, and what had already been done, was that this was a stab at either the Angmar ...
    6 days ago
  • Do We Need a Population Census?
    ‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • No, the govt will not be cutting back on every budget – and the Defence vote is among those to be ...
    Buzz from the Beehive Reporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • The Treasury and productivity
    Late last week The Treasury released a new 40 page report on “The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections” (productivity forecasts and projections that is, rather than any possible fiscal implications – the latter will, I guess, be articulated in the Budget documents). In short, if (as it has) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • The Controller and Auditor-General’s role
    Peter Dunne writes –  I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • More harm than good
    How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos   Chris Trotter writes –  TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour
    And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction?   Gary Judd writes –  Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • New Zealand and Tuvalu reaffirm close relationship
    New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says.  “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019.  “It is my pleasure ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • New Zealand calls for calm, constructive dialogue in New Caledonia
    New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.  “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • New Zealand welcomes Samoa Head of State
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Island Direct eligible for SuperGold Card funding
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Further sanctions against Russia
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • One year on from Loafers Lodge
    A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Pre-Budget speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand and Vanuatu to deepen collaboration
    New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says.    “This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Penk travels to Peru for trade meetings
    Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Minister attends global education conferences
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Education Minister thanks outgoing NZQA Chair
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Joint statement of Christopher Luxon and Emmanuel Macron: Launch of the Christchurch Call Foundation
    New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.   This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Panel announced for review into disability services
    Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Minister welcomes Police gang unit
    Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand expresses regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners.  “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Chief of Defence Force appointed
    Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government puts children first by repealing 7AA
    Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Defence Minister to meet counterparts in UK, Italy
    Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charter schools to lift educational outcomes
    The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 Inquiry terms of reference consultation results received
    “The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • The Pacific family of nations – the changing security outlook
    Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests  Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues  Ladies and Gentlemen,  Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru    It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ and Papua New Guinea to work more closely together
    Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Driving ahead with Roads of Regional Significance
    The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand congratulates new Solomon Islands government
    A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office.    “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand supports UN Palestine resolution
    New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium
    Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • $571 million for Defence pay and projects
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Climate change – mitigating the risks and costs
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