Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Today, electronic numbers in electronic bank accounts are the most important things to the people who lead NZ. That’s going to have to seriously change. The country’s capacity and resources in terms of food, energy, water and cultural/social resiliency is what actually counts.
An excellent piece by Matt Nippert, Caleb Tutty, Olivia Carville in The Herald is generating a lot of discussion this morning. Are you unknowingly investing in tobacco and munitions?
A right wing “think-tank” wants to load students up with even more debt.
Once again this country under National is rightly shamed in the international media.
Meanwhile, down in Christchurch the plan is to put water back in the centre of our physical, cultural and spiritual lives.
“The sad reality is that while the change in measurement might elicit a lower number or percentage it will not mean one fewer person is unemployed.”
July 2016 was the hottest month ever in recorded modernity.
Fuck the whole “Brighter Future” New Zealand.
The inaugural CTU organisers’ conference is being held in Auckland this week, bringing together organisers from across the CTU affiliated unions to discuss […]
Our wages are too low generally, and this is one of the main economic challenges that we face. A few more employers committing to paying a living wage would be a good place to start.
Rheumatic fever is on the rise again. It is likely that other diseases of poverty are also or will also increase as the housing crisis drags on under National.
My apologies to Mohammad Jamal, the man in the photo, for using his largely unknown story to make a point about free-trade and Western privilege.
An elegant graph explains why free trade is a good thing, but why it is causing a backlash in rich “Western” countries.
Tourists are coming for our “clean green” image (however undeserved), no reason why they shouldn’t be happy to help contributing to maintaining / strengthening it.
Plenty of folk today pronouncing the death of the TPP. This is a victory for activism.
Is it time for a referendum on marijuana? There is strong support for the use of medicinal marijuana. Should we just admit that Kiwis like smoking dope and simply legalise it?
Reprinted with permission, by Deborah Russell from Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn? And why we need to understand these figures.
Until we sort out our housing and unemployment problems it is surely time to reign in NZ’s currently record levels of immigration.
The Reserve Bank just cut the OCR to a historic low of 2%. And no it’s not good (economic) news.
Eight years after the Global Financial Crisis the major western economies are stagnant. Is this the new norm?
“Revealed: Labour’s plan to wipe student debt”. Nope. Saved you a click.
Lefties have been saying it since forever, but it’s nice to have Hillary Clinton on record.
The Nats would have you believe that the economy is in good shape, in which case there is no excuse for the ongoing stagnation of wages. Of course it’s not as simple as that.
The latest Reid Research poll is grim reading for the Nats. Labour and the Greens are closing fast.
Financial capital is way over powered in our current political economic system. Every aspect of our lives has been financialised and securitised, from our homes to our educations. From our drinking water to our power supply.
Globalisation is facing a popular revolt. Economist Joseph Stiglitz explains why.
The Waikato Chief’s mad Monday shows that Rugby’s attitude to women are still mired in the past and a threat to New Zealand’s interests, as well as an affront to all women.
Al Jazeera: Once a pioneer of the social welfare state, New Zealand now has over 40,000 people who are homeless, forced to live in their cars and in garages as a result of rapid house price and rent rises and a shortage of social housing. Al Jazeera … charts the country’s fall from and egalitarian society to one with deep divisions of wealth
In a sign of just how stressed our economy is: “Inland Revenue is chasing employers for unpaid KiwiSaver contributions worth tens of millions of dollars.”
Part IV of IV
Part III of IV – a focus on road transport.
The New Silk Road is a massive economic transport system being built at rapid speed with Chinese money, Chinese politicking, Chinese engineering, and yes, Chinese steel.
The Waikato Chiefs rugby franchise have admitted two incidents of abuse at a drunken post season celebration. Their response to claims of sexual abuse? Blame the victim.
EDIT: The CEO accepts he got it wrong and has made a modern ‘if offence was taken’ style apology on Radio Sport. No direct apology to the woman concerned, however.
The Nats are in a difficult spot here, no doubt about it. The weak steel is a serious issue and it should be investigated. But their usual tactics of deny and lie have been caught out yet again.
Housing NZ has admitted that it is evicting tenants when only tiny trace amounts of meth are found on the property. It further admits that the testing regime is not fit for purpose. But, hey, they have the power to make people homeless and they’re not going to let fairness or common sense get in the way of their moral panic.
When did the War on Drugs become the War on the Poor?
The European Union is considering sanctions against New Zealand for operating as a tax haven and the proposed reforms by John Sherwin may not be enough.
