The Standard

poverty

Categories under poverty

  • No categories

A letter to Chris Hipkins

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, July 30th, 2023 - 31 comments

My 2c on what I think Chris Hipkins needs to do to win this year’s election.

Why a change of Government would be a bad thing – school lunches

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, July 14th, 2023 - 63 comments

Act has declared its class prejudice by advocating for the cancellation of the free lunch in schools programme even though the benefits are clear and recognised and the programme helps poor kids’ nutrition and education.

Greens announce income guarantee and wealth tax policy

Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, June 11th, 2023 - 65 comments

The Green Party has today announced an income guarantee and a wealth tax.

The real coalition of chaos

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 23rd, 2023 - 22 comments

National has hatched on its attack line which we will hear about a lot over the next few months. But it may have a problem. Because the phrase “coalition of chaos” clearly applies to its leadership team. 

Go well Jacinda

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, April 5th, 2023 - 91 comments

Today is Jacinda’s official last day on the job as a member of Parliament.

Your Mindset and Your Money

Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, January 18th, 2023 - 48 comments

Mega property owning entrepreneur Graeme Fowler thinks we can all be rich if we just changed our attitude.

New Zealand is in a terrible state *

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, January 6th, 2023 - 116 comments

* or is it?

Be afraid, be very afraid …

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, December 22nd, 2022 - 165 comments

David Seymour is feeling his oats and has claimed that past National Governments never changes anything.  A brief review of history would suggest otherwise.

Celebrating 50th Anniversary of PRC recognition

Written By: - Date published: 10:12 pm, December 21st, 2022 - 15 comments

“When Joe met Chou, we have opened the door and said hello” captions the photo of the Beijing meeting between  Joe Walding and Chou EnLai in March 1973. It followed New Zealand’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China on December 22, 1972, an anniversary definitely worth celebrating.

Sustainability Sunday

Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, December 4th, 2022 - 6 comments

So many good initiatives that demonstrate that sustainability and community resiliency are intertwined. The sheer numbers of people involved now is heartening at a time when we are inundated with what is going wrong.

We’ve never had so much choice in what we can do to effect good change. We know the problems, now is the time to put our attention to the solutions, what is already working. and then get on with it.

What Is Labour’s Purpose This Term?

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, November 28th, 2022 - 35 comments

It is time to set out succinctly and without recourse to abstract nouns exactly what this Labour government has intended, is doing, and how it seeks to alter the country.

Overblown rhetoric and Laura Norder

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, November 27th, 2022 - 69 comments

This week has seen some extreme rhetoric from various quarters about who to blame for a recent senseless killing.  But news that the person arrested had recently been extradited from Australia has shown the rhetoric to be entirely misplaced.

Diplomatic Values

Written By: - Date published: 5:39 pm, November 21st, 2022 - 4 comments

Trudeau got a 10-minute stand-up with Xi followed by a public shirt-fronting, Albanese a 32-minute sit-down, and Jacinda Ardern a 50-minute formal bilateral. In the carefully calibrated world of the diplomatic dance-card, that says something. New Zealand would be foolish not to take advantage of what is on offer from China.

National’s Boot Camps announcement is deeply cynical policy recycling

Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, November 21st, 2022 - 28 comments

There should be a law against the cynical recycling of dog whistle policies that everyone knows will not work. Last week’s announcement by National of a boot camp policy is as good an example as you can imagine.

Kelvin Davis – if not now then when?

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, November 7th, 2022 - 32 comments

The text of an excellent speech given by Kelvin Davis to the Labour Party conference on climate change.

Labour poised to resolve housing supply crisis

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, August 25th, 2022 - 89 comments

It is possible that within the next year New Zealand’s housing supply crisis will be resolved.

Poverty is a political choice, why are Labour choosing it?

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, August 1st, 2022 - 54 comments

Labour announced earlier in the year that it would give a $350 cash transfer to all New Zealanders earning less than $70,000.

Except beneficiaries.

The battle lines for the next election

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, April 18th, 2022 - 79 comments

Despite Labour seeing the country through the biggest public health threat seen in the last century and despite improving numbers of houses and a reduction in child poverty some on the left are buying into National’s despair lines.  And the issues on which the next election will be fought are becoming clearer.

Luxon thinks helping poor people is Bottom Feeding

Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, March 22nd, 2022 - 81 comments

Chris Luxon has admitted in National media that provision of assistance to the poor is “bottom feeding”.

The difference between Labour and National

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, March 17th, 2022 - 141 comments

There has been the occasional criticism of Labour for not achieving enough progressive change by people who then propose supporting National.  What are they thinking?

National’s advice to the poor – you are on your own

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, March 13th, 2022 - 125 comments

To help the poorest amongst us during the current times of International hyper inflation National has come up with a list of tips to help them.  But no money.

“Labour… stop playing by this tired, neoliberal playbook”

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, March 11th, 2022 - 98 comments

Chloe Swarbrick, the cost of living crisis, and what the economy is for.

Can this government get re-elected?

Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, February 13th, 2022 - 34 comments

Where will the votes come from to get Labour a third term? 

And what have they done anyway?

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, February 2nd, 2022 - 107 comments

With Ardern getting a good-old media beat-down, remember here’s how to change a country for good like no one else but Labour can.

In Tax we trust

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, January 24th, 2022 - 86 comments

In a welcome change Millionaires and billionaires worldwide are calling for governments to tax them more.

The 2022 We Are Heading Towards

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 13th, 2021 - 34 comments

Most of us have been diminished by COVID in 2020-21 so it’s time for everyone to prepare 2022 as an honest accounting of damage to our whole society.

The Freedumb Protesters give protesting a bad name

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, November 10th, 2021 - 58 comments

As a principle the right to protest is important.  But the freedumb protesters making outlandish claims and at the same time plagarizing the language of progressive protest movements deserves to be called out.

Why Can’t We Do More?

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 16th, 2021 - 35 comments

The Government’s dramatic action taken over the past 18 months to respond to Covid and the population’s overwhelming support suggests that it should be taking similar drastic action to address poverty and climate change.

David Seymour is all class

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, October 12th, 2021 - 71 comments

David Seymour suggested that suburbs where the vaccination rate hit 90% should be allowed extra freedom.  But an analysis suggests that the wealthiest parts of Auckland, including Remuera and Epsom would qualify, whereas the poorer parts of Auckland would struggle to qualify.

Have we just thrown the fight, before the war has ended?

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, October 6th, 2021 - 53 comments

With all the unfortunate rhetoric around “giving up on the elimination strategy”.

Small businesspeople around me, who have quietly carried on with the program, and have been supportive of the Government strategy of elimination, even though, in many cases, it has been personally costly, are telling me,, “why did we bother”!

It doesn’t matter if it is the actual Government intention, or the media interpretation, the damage has now been done.

COVID, We Need To Talk About Class

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, September 14th, 2021 - 27 comments

We’ve never seen a nationwide disease illustrate class and deprivation like the future of the country depended on it. Not like this. This should change us.