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Auckland’s housing crisis is just like Christchurch’s except …

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, May 29th, 2016 - 38 comments

Steven Joyce has claimed that Auckland’s housing crisis is like Christchurch’s.  Has Auckland recently had two disastrous earthquakes?

John Key used to be ambitious about dealing with poverty in New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, May 27th, 2016 - 23 comments

  1. A read of John Key’s state of the nation speech from 2007 suggests that he was really ambitious to do something for the poor in New Zealand.  And something weird is happening to his speeches on his website.  They are disappearing.

The Government thinks that poverty is the fault of the poor, and some budget advisers

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, May 25th, 2016 - 121 comments

The Government is planning to change funding for budgeting services and to require providers to become “financial mentors” rather than “budgeting advisers” as if this will improve things.

Bennett admits she was wrong

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, May 25th, 2016 - 18 comments

Paula Bennett has basically apologised to Parliament for claiming that National would create 3,000 new social housing beds when all that it was doing is funding existing beds to make sure they did not disappear.

Apparently the housing crisis surge is a figment of our imagination

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, May 24th, 2016 - 51 comments

Nick Smith thinks that the recently developing housing crisis is a figment of our imagination.

William Gibson on Donald Trump

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 24th, 2016 - 30 comments

William Gibson of Neuromancer fame thinks that Donald Trump may be the real American fascist deal.

Latest Roy Morgan Poll

Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, May 23rd, 2016 - 105 comments

The Latest Roy Morgan poll result has been released with both National and Labour recording a significant improvement in support.  But Winston is still the king maker …

In the middle of a housing crisis Housing Corp is selling state houses

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 20th, 2016 - 49 comments

John Campbell is covering the homeless crisis with stories that highlight the personal tragedies that are occurring and the complete indifference of the Government to their plight.

Government’s plan for housing crisis: tread water

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, May 18th, 2016 - 54 comments

The Government’s promised funding for 3,000 new beds for the homeless will not create any but will make sure that existing beds are kept available.

We have to have poverty so we can have a tax cut

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, May 16th, 2016 - 163 comments

Despite record Crown debt and a crisis in the social sector National is getting ready to campaign in 2017 promising a tax cut.

Matthew Hooton and the Radio New Zealand post

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, May 15th, 2016 - 192 comments

Radio New Zealand recently published a piece penned by well known supporter of the right Matthew Hooton.  What has happened to the concept of balance?

It must have been on Planet Key

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 pm, May 12th, 2016 - 59 comments

John Key thinks that he was thrown out of Parliament straight after Helen Clark a few years ago.  The only problem is that Hansard thinks it was Don Brash.

John Key’s dead cat strategy

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, May 12th, 2016 - 52 comments

National is hoping to avoid a proper debate about issues raised by the Panama Papers by raising a series of idiotic diversions.

Daily Review 11/05/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, May 11th, 2016 - 25 comments

Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

John Key chickens out of #panamapapers interview

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, May 9th, 2016 - 37 comments

This morning John Key refused to be interviewed on Radio New Zealand after learning that they intended to ask him questions about the Panama Papers.  And some elements of the media are for some strange reason trying to say there is nothing to see because he personally has not been implicated.

If we tax the multinational corporations will they leave?

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, May 8th, 2016 - 151 comments

Rodney Hide thinks that making multinational corporations pay their fair share of tax will make them leave.

A week is a long time in politics

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, May 5th, 2016 - 17 comments

Over the past week the Government has gone from “there is no problem with the Overseas Investment Office” to announcing an urgent review and a staffing boost to make sure that approvals of foreign purchases of land are being properly processed.

The unfortunate case of the Overseas Investment Office handling of the purchase of a Taranaki Farm

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 4th, 2016 - 39 comments

They say in politics that a news story is good for the opposition/bad for the Government if it hits the media cycle two days in a row.  If it appears for a third or a fourth day then it is a crisis and urgent action is required.  Louise Upston’s handling of the OIO is clearly a crisis.

Compass serves up very little tax

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, May 3rd, 2016 - 66 comments

Radio New Zealand has reported that Compass, supplier of our substandard hospital food, appears to be taking steps to minimise the tax it pays locally.

Labour’s strong week – National and land sales to foreigners

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 30th, 2016 - 63 comments

Labour had a strong week this week with the disclosure of individuals behind a Mossack Fonseca related entity had criminal convictions for environmental damage forcing the OIO to review its original decision.   Grant Robertson has correctly called for a full inquiry into the circumstances relating to the Government stopping a review of the Foreign Trust regime.  And Phil Twyford has persuaded the OAG to rule that Housing New Zealand’s handling of parts of the housing sale process were sub standard.

Mossack Fonseca bites National on the arse

Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, April 29th, 2016 - 348 comments

John Key is facing some problems describing how a Mossack Fonseca company ended up owning a New Zealand farm and how after his lawyer asked the Government not to change the rules surrounding foreign trusts the Government moved to make sure that no rule change would occur.

Herald editorial nails Government over climate change inaction

Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, April 28th, 2016 - 31 comments

The Herald castigated the Government over its inaction over climate change in an editorial released this morning.

Key prepares to backflip on Auckland housing

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, April 26th, 2016 - 126 comments

John Key is preparing the ground for a reversal on National’s refusal to do anything about Auckland’s housing crisis.

Memo from Crosby Textor: Murray McCully and the Hagaman donation

Written By: - Date published: 2:01 pm, April 24th, 2016 - 35 comments

The Standard has obtained a copy of a Crosby Textor memo concerning risks posed by Murray McCully’s handling of issues surrounding the awarding of the contract for the Niue resort.

Who is behind the New Zealand Initiative?

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, April 22nd, 2016 - 201 comments

The New Zealand Initiative has produced a research paper attacking the proposal for a sugar tax.  But who is it and who is it speaking on behalf of?

Oravida and the water that no one owns

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, April 21st, 2016 - 86 comments

Oravida is in the news again.  It is exporting hundreds of millions of dollars of fresh water and the cost to the authorities of $500 per year.

McCully, the National Party donation and the Niue resort

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, April 18th, 2016 - 57 comments

Murray McCully has assured New Zealand that there is no link between the granting of valuable rights to manage a luxury resort in Niue and the making of large donations to the National Party.

Towards a new economic order

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, April 17th, 2016 - 222 comments

George Monbiot in the Guardian gives a precise and accurate description of neoliberalism and asks the question why has the left not come up with a modern alternative?

Trickledown has failed

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 15th, 2016 - 120 comments

Two recent articles in the Guardian highlight the staggering amount of money being sent to overseas tax havens by the wealthy and how with the disappearance of work a universal basic income will become a necessity.

Can we trust John Key?

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, April 13th, 2016 - 334 comments

John Key’s relationship with Antipodes Trust Group Limited will need some explaining.

Return of the living dead

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, April 12th, 2016 - 37 comments

Don Brash has been resuscitated and is complaining about privilege and preferential treatment.  Not of rich old white people like himself but because Maori rights to Taonga may be recognised.