The Standard

Economy

Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour

Categories under Economy

Interest free student loans – still safe for now?

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, August 18th, 2016 - 58 comments

A right wing “think-tank” wants to load students up with even more debt.

UNICEF call for action on NZ poverty

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, August 18th, 2016 - 165 comments

Once again this country under National is rightly shamed in the international media.

The Christchurch Commons

Written By: - Date published: 1:50 pm, August 17th, 2016 - 18 comments

Meanwhile, down in Christchurch the plan is to put water back in the centre of our physical, cultural and spiritual lives.

 

Grant Robertson on the adjusted unemployment figure

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 17th, 2016 - 206 comments

“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 single month recorded since 1880

Written By: - Date published: 6:32 pm, August 16th, 2016 - 104 comments

July 2016 was the hottest month ever in recorded modernity.

New Zealand’s most shameful secret: ‘We have normalised child poverty’

Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, August 16th, 2016 - 175 comments

Fuck the whole “Brighter Future” New Zealand.

Richard Wagstaff: “Things need to change”

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, August 16th, 2016 - 20 comments

The inaugural CTU organisers’ conference is being held in Auckland this week, bringing together organisers from across the CTU affiliated unions to discuss the future of the movement. CTU President Richard Wagstaff opened the conference this morning. E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou koutoa. Welcome […]

Spark – kudos

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, August 15th, 2016 - 30 comments

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.

The housing crisis and the diseases of poverty

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, August 15th, 2016 - 122 comments

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.

This is the face of the failure of globalisation

Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, August 14th, 2016 - 272 comments

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.

Globalisation and global incomes (the “elephant graph”)

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, August 14th, 2016 - 55 comments

An elegant graph explains why free trade is a good thing, but why it is causing a backlash in rich “Western” countries.

Taonga tax

Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, August 13th, 2016 - 77 comments

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.

TPP – with a whimper

Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, August 12th, 2016 - 166 comments

Plenty of folk today pronouncing the death of the TPP. This is a victory for activism.

Legalize It

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, August 12th, 2016 - 95 comments

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?

Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn?

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 12th, 2016 - 91 comments

Reprinted with permission, by Deborah Russell from Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn? And why we need to understand these figures.

Immigration jobs and housing

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, August 11th, 2016 - 88 comments

Until we sort out our housing and unemployment problems it is surely time to reign in NZ’s currently record levels of immigration.

Reserve bank cuts OCR to record low

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, August 11th, 2016 - 28 comments

The Reserve Bank just cut the OCR to a historic low of 2%. And no it’s not good (economic) news.

The great slowdown

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 11th, 2016 - 69 comments

Eight years after the Global Financial Crisis the major western economies are stagnant.  Is this the new norm?

Labour on student debt – beware of clickbait headlines

Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, August 10th, 2016 - 125 comments

“Revealed: Labour’s plan to wipe student debt”. Nope. Saved you a click.

Clinton on “trickle down” economics

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, August 9th, 2016 - 37 comments

Lefties have been saying it since forever, but it’s nice to have Hillary Clinton on record.

Why are wages flat?

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 9th, 2016 - 179 comments

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.

Newshub Poll: Key Stuffed

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 pm, August 8th, 2016 - 113 comments

The latest Reid Research poll is grim reading for the Nats. Labour and the Greens are closing fast.

Financial capital is crazy OP. Time to strip it back to basics.

Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, August 8th, 2016 - 72 comments

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.

Stiglitz on the globalisation revolt

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, August 8th, 2016 - 69 comments

Globalisation is facing a popular revolt. Economist Joseph Stiglitz explains why.

Foreskin’s lament

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, August 7th, 2016 - 49 comments

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 on NZ homeless – watch it and weep

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 6th, 2016 - 291 comments

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

Employers failing Kiwsaver obligations

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, August 5th, 2016 - 35 comments

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.”

Free Petrol Pt IV

Written By: - Date published: 6:25 am, August 5th, 2016 - 92 comments

Part IV of IV

Free Petrol Pt III

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, August 4th, 2016 - 25 comments

Part III of IV – a focus on road transport.

The New Silk Road

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, August 4th, 2016 - 45 comments

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.

Pack Mentality

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 4th, 2016 - 55 comments

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.