The Standard

Economy

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

Categories under Economy

Another day at Te Puea Marae

Written By: - Date published: 12:54 pm, June 20th, 2016 - 7 comments

An update on Te Puea Marae, a homeless teen cancer sufferer, and how to help.

The politics of dumb anger

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 20th, 2016 - 113 comments

There are some pretty depressing political trends going on.

90 day trial – no lie too outrageous for National

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, June 18th, 2016 - 52 comments

For eight long years National have been telling us that the 90 day trial (fire at will) law was all about creating jobs. Yesterday a new Treasury report showed that it had failed to do so. RNZ: “The government now says its 90-day trial period was never about increasing the number of jobs in New Zealand”. Of course.

Fire at will (90 days) law a great success!

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, June 17th, 2016 - 104 comments

Or not. More National ideology burned to the ground by facts.

Good morning to the “Park up for homes” folks

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 am, June 17th, 2016 - 18 comments

A very sincere good morning to the “Park up for homes” folks who have just spent the night in their cars, protesting in support of the homeless.

This is what sustainable fishing looks like

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, June 15th, 2016 - 119 comments

It turns out there will be no jobs on a dead planet.” 

While New Zealand is struggling to maintain integrity around fishing and resource management, an ocean farmer in the US is leading the way in economic and ecologic sustainability. This is how we can do things differently.

Orlando; Owen Jones On Homophobia.

Written By: - Date published: 7:42 pm, June 14th, 2016 - 70 comments

Guardian journalist Owen Jones nails the failure of many to call the Orlando killings what they are; homophobic  terrorism. It’s not an excuse for anti-muslim hysteria, as Trump, Seymour and Peters would have it, it’s the worst single attack on LGBT people since the holocaust.

Why American Foreign Policy still matters

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, June 14th, 2016 - 17 comments

So what should the next President of the United States focus on?  Military power or economic domination or international institutions?

Official climate change fraud

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, June 14th, 2016 - 136 comments

Scientists and experts have been knowingly understating the unfolding climate change catastrophe to governments and decision makers. Why? For the sake of what is “politically palatable”.

Migration

Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, June 14th, 2016 - 32 comments

The refugee rise didn’t go far enough… but we need to stop importing cafe managers and retail supervisors and fuelling Auckland’s housing and transport problems.

The ghost house epidemic and the invisible hand

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, June 13th, 2016 - 54 comments

Last year there were officially 22,000 unoccupied properties in Auckland. This year 33,000 are officially classified as empty. “Auckland’s 6.6 per cent vacancy rate is higher than either Sydney (5.2 per cent) or Melbourne (4.8 per cent), where there has been an uproar over “ghost houses” deliberately left empty by speculators trading on a soaring market”. This is madness.

Essential reading – Hickey on immigration

Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, June 12th, 2016 - 133 comments

Hickey: “Helping employers to bring in low-skilled migrants instead of investing in new technology and becoming more productive so they can pay local workers more is essentially stunting our productivity and real GDP per capita.”

Scottish Parliament votes to ban fracking. 

Written By: - Date published: 3:14 pm, June 11th, 2016 - 60 comments

Imagine a country where the political divide is over whether to ban fracking outright or to be opposed to fracking but have a moratorium first in order to gather more evidence.

Funding priorities

Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, June 8th, 2016 - 68 comments

Why are we spending so much money on “defense” when there are so many real and urgent needs? It is hard to imagine that our “enemies” could possibly do us more damage than we are inflicting on ourselves.

The Sky City ghost jobs

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, June 8th, 2016 - 63 comments

Radio New Zealand has reported that the promised jobs relating to the construction of the Convention Centre are appearing. But in Thailand, not New Zealand.  Updated with comment on the terms of the supplemental agreement.

What the Swiss voted on (UBI proposal)

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, June 7th, 2016 - 13 comments

Some context for the debate.

Taihoa on Immigration?

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, June 7th, 2016 - 213 comments

Winston Peters has called for a slashing of migrant worker numbers and for screening of would be workers based on things like their attitude to women. Is it time for a taihoa on immigration or is Winston just doing a Trump?

Switzerland votes against UBI

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, June 7th, 2016 - 35 comments

Seems the path towards acceptance of the UBI is not going to be smooth.

The election campaign, the $6,000 toaster and the media beat up

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, June 5th, 2016 - 24 comments

In Australia in the midst of the election campaign an ordinary Australian, Duncan Storrar, talked publicly about how difficult it was to live and support his children on the minimum wage.  The response of the right through News Corp was to attack and humiliate him.

Let them eat cake

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, June 4th, 2016 - 50 comments

key homeless don't want help

UBI gathers momentum in Europe

Written By: - Date published: 10:28 am, June 3rd, 2016 - 51 comments

Practical trials of an Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) are taking place or are under consideration across Europe. Given the increasing automation of work it’s difficult to see a practical alternative to a UBI in the medium to long term.

Vaccines DO Cause Autism Shock!

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 pm, June 2nd, 2016 - 266 comments

A young Mexican scientist has compiled compelling evidence about the link between vaccines and autism. Not only does 12 year old Marco Arturo provide a comprehensive overview of the dangers, he also brilliantly channels Barack Obama. The best two minutes on the net today.

Is the petro world in decline?

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, June 2nd, 2016 - 13 comments

There are various suggestions that the metro industry’s domination of the world may be in decline.

Stick a Fork in Him, He’s Dunne

Written By: - Date published: 6:57 pm, June 1st, 2016 - 140 comments

The Labour/Greens electoral pact spells the end of the line for Parliament’s most self serving MP, Peter Dunne. National have a choice to make; stand down in Ohariu or stab him in the back. And then there’s the equally supine Maori party.  Te Ururoa Flavell’s hold on his seat is also shaky. No Flavell, no Maori Party.

No Mates National. The Brighter Future just arrived!

Waking up to the realities of neoliberalism and austerity

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, June 1st, 2016 - 159 comments

Even the IMF now acknowledges that neoliberal economics and government austerity policies have failed. Look around at New Zealand – you can see the effects.

Family or Shopping?

Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, May 31st, 2016 - 50 comments

The union movement is petitioning Peter Dunne and Te Ururoa Flavell to put families ahead of shopping and vote to protect Easter Sunday. You can click here to join them.

A scene from the National War Cabinet in September 2014

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 31st, 2016 - 38 comments

News broke this morning about a major mistake discovered in September 2014 during the height of an election campaign.  But it was hidden from view until now.  It makes you wonder how the news could have been hidden for so long.

More Panama papers and other dirty money

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 am, May 30th, 2016 - 143 comments

Both One News and The Herald have pieces this morning highlighting different cases of dirty money being “filtered” through NZ. Panama papers, National donors, SkyCity and more…

Indigenous Perspectives

Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, May 29th, 2016 - 30 comments

“It is possible to live in a society with a world view that does not include empire”

– Winona LaDuke

Time to wake up to the Electricity Authority

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, May 29th, 2016 - 46 comments

The Electricity Authority is planning hearings on proposals that will mean that Rio Tinto will save money on electricity charges but people living in Auckland and Northland will pay more.  Time to make your voices heard.

Labour should front-foot tax

Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, May 28th, 2016 - 167 comments

Good advice for Labour from Standard author Simon Louisson, writing on The Spinoff. Labour should front-foot tax!