The empire strikes back
Labour’s announcement of a temporary reduction in fuel excise duties and a halving of public transport fares ups the ante on the debate on how to alleviate hardship caused by overseas induced inflation.
Economy
economy
Prime Minister Ardern on Climate Change and the economy
The full text is worth perusing across multiple areas, but Prime Minister Ardern’s speech in Parliament yesterday gave useful hints about how the economy and climate change are being integrated into a single economic strategy.
Revisiting Riverton: the Longwood Loop food resiliency project
Key here is the resilience politics of greenies, DIYers and anarchists, where we just don’t wait for the government to act, we get on with and build the new ways ourselves.
See what happens when you put a woman in charge?
Remarkably low Covid death and infection rates, good and improving vaccination rates, low unemployment and debt to GDP …
Pandora papers and NZ
While we have mainly been occupied with containing the current Covid-19 outbreak, world news has been looking at documents revealing probable dirty capital and tax dodging by the affluent. NZ has a delayed local problem with this. Warning was given. We should just terminate the supporting legislation and replace it with transparency. (Updated)
Have we just thrown the fight, before the war has ended?
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.
Ardern Needs to do More Than Manage Crisis
For a country that has sought to form advantage for itself with strong and hard COVID-19 lockdowns, we’re not gaining any more advantage than yet another binge-purge cycle of supply tension and shortages, rapid economic downturn softened by tens of billions of subsidy, followed by unsustainable booms, over and over again.
RIP Michael Cullen
Former Labour Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen has died.
We are stuck
New Zealand has one of the most concentrated and oligopolistic economies in the world, and also one of the least commercially protected societies. […]
What if all New Zealanders had enough to live on?
Rather than economics, can we talk about the values that underlie how we manage the country?
Minister Robertson’s Economic Development Strategy
Minister Roberston’s recent speech to the Trans Tasman Business Circle sets out both how this government is using the pandemic to reset whole sectors of the economy, and also how it is getting its head around economic and social challenges. The points made were unsurprising, but his intended direction was unclear.
Riverton rocks: support the pilot for social and economic rejuvenation and resilience in rural NZ
The South Coast Environment Centre is creating a local food network that connects growers and customers directly, creates food resiliency, and keeps money in the local economy. Today is the last day of their Pledgeme, and they need a bit more support to push them over the top.
What local food can look like (and why)
The South Coast Environment Centre is creating a local food network that connects growers and customers directly, creates food resiliency, and keeps money in the local economy. This is an exemplar of climate, economic and community sustainability.
Branko Marcetic: Labour’s public sector pay freeze isn’t just a betrayal of frontline workers – it’s a rejection of mainstream economic thinking
Consistent with how they’ve governed so far, Ardern and Robertson are happy to demand workers sacrifice for the greater good — but asking the rich to do the same is a red line they simply won’t cross.
Regenerative agriculture and climate solutions
Research is now showing the advantages of regenerative agriculture. Are we wise enough to make best use of them?
Too much too far?
As we lead up to Budget 2021, there’s much more shape to the whole direction of this government.
About Grant Robertson’s bright line tax statement
Media has been abuzz with comment about how last election Grant Robertson has backtracked on a promise on not extending the bright line test. Should politicians stick to their pronouncements no matter what? Or should they change their minds if circumstances demand a change in course?
So! You want a “plan”?
Expecting a bit much aren’t you? We haven’t had that since Muldoon. At least he had them. The kind of people now asking for a plan were those who complained about governments that “interfered with the sacred ‘free market’” and screamed about “central planning”, “picking winners”, “protectionism” etc. They prefer just getting cheap labour to give the illusion of economic growth. And build a cycleway!
Reasons to abandon NZ’s Five-Eyed Folly
Wayne Brown’s recent suggestion “Is it time to sell our seat on FiveEyes?” is from someone well placed by experience to form an educated opinion. “Trade sanctions of the type Australia is facing are a weapon used by both USA and China. So let’s have a debate on whether we need Five Eyes, or whether it’s time for us to trade on independently.”
Is New Zealand’s The Best Little Economy In The World?
New Zealand is the best-managed country in the world. And currently has one of the best economies.
Comrade David signals radical rewrite of Act’s living wage policy
Comrade David Seymour has signalled that Act may argue for a minimum wage of $50 per hour.
Regenerative economies: $100,000 growing permaculture kale
A Thames couple are showing how to make a living from small scale market gardening, and leading the way in regenerative horticulture.
The PREFU is much better than National wanted
The Prefu is out! And it is not as scary as National would have wanted.
“Reds under the Bed”.
Everyone has recently had an education on “Socialism” working in practice.
And a graphic illustration of the shortcomings, of under regulated “Free market” Capitalism, Globalism, tax cuts for the rich, and the mania for monetising everything in sight, and “running it like a business”.
The top seven things Covid has changed
Covid has fundamentally changed society for the better in surprising ways.
Why you should vote Labour this election
Four very good reasons why you should vote Labour in this election.
The return of John Key
In a sign of desperation National has trotted out John Key to campaign that the country’s success in containing Covid should be put to risk because of a misguided perception that it would be good for the economy.
National’s policy platform
For a party that promised to be a policy factory National’s policy offerings are severely deficient.
Falling into a coma
Why have we fallen into the most boring and predictable election we’ve had since Bolger’s second term?
Unthinkable Things
With the government clearly watching the unravelling of Australia’s Covid-19 response and putting in place $14 billion in preparation for a second infection wave, we are clearly now in a history-in-making territory of the highest instability outside a world war.
Tourism: Death and Revival
New Zealand’s tourism economy has essentially collapsed, and it is part of a global tourism industry collapse that is so big that it may be permanently smaller. But does it have to be?
Things that will die
For three decades tourism has been the great tidal surge that has made many otherwise spiralling towns stablise, and in some cases expand. Post Covid we are going to see some of these towns die.
What the Greens did
A round up of the Green Party’s achievements in the 2020 Budget: funding for nature, the commitment to ending violence, and public housing and insulation. And a look at the pragmatics of what the Greens can currently accomplish.
Budget 2020: biggest and best from PM Ardern
Text of a pre budget speech given yesterday by Jacinda Ardern.
Rebuild better post COVID
A Guest blog from E tū Assistant National Secretary, Annie Newman. “Democracy creates a space for the market, civil society and the government but it doesn’t guarantee a balance between these spheres. That is government’s role. Right now, there is an opportunity for our government to do more than protect the future of business; it can address the imbalance in our democracy where the market dominates the agenda.”
The class politics of the Covid-19 pandemic response
National economics spokesperson Paul Goldsmith has advanced a plan to address the Covid 19 pandemic which includes union bashing and privatisation.