Fiscal Choices: Scandinavia or America?
Brian Easton says we cannot attain a sustainable Scandinavian-type quality of life while keeping the existing tax system in place
Social issues
child welfare
The mother of the mother of all budgets is unrepentant
Ruth Richardson remains totally convinced that her “mother of all budgets” was appropriate and claims that it was responsible for slaying inflation and promoting a high-growth high-wage high-employment economy.
Writing in the time of Genocide
I want to share a writer’s journey – of living and writing through the Genocide. Because my country provides support to Israel and the US, I feel compelled to support Palestine by doing the one thing I know best: writing.
Dear Mum and Dad
I had a great week at school!
Better Late than Never?
Davey Seymour’s Disgusting School Dinners, and the faster you go, the bigger the mess, but does Chris Bishop look bothered?
David Seymour Chooses School Lunches Provider With Questionable Record: Listeria, Horse Meat & Poor Quality
David Seymour said the new school lunches are the best food he’s ever eaten – but how true is it? And what has he chosen for our tamariki in the school lunch program?
Mountain Tui: Beneficiary sanctions & targets don’t add up
The jobseeker beneficiary sanctions and targets are not adding up. It also inflicts a lack of dignity and shame on recipients at a time when austerity is actively increasing unemployment.
National sneakily reduces child poverty targets
It has emerged that National has sneakily reduced child poverty targets.
Court of Appeal rules against Chhour
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the summons issued to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour was valid but decline to enforce it as the date has passed. And the Government has hastily introduced the bill to stop any further action being taken by the Tribunal.
The Waitangi Tribunal v Karen Chhour
The Waitangi Tribunal has released a scathing interim decision relating to the Government’s intention to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
The Treaty of Waitangi and Oranga Tamariki
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has resisted attempts by the Waitangi Tribunal to get her to explain how removing requirements to improve outcomes for Māori children is not a breach of the Treaty.
The Cass Review reader: investigations into the treatment of gender dysphoric children and youth
The final report is a carefully worded document designed particularly for the systems of power in charge of child health, wellbeing and safeguarding: health systems and their managers, medical practitioners and their professional bodies, MPs and government departments, and NGOs.
It’s also a damning indictment of the poorly evidence medical experiment that has been done on gender non-conforming children in the past decade. It’s likely to be the biggest medical scandal many of us will see.
What really matters this election – poverty
National has shown its real priorities with proposals to cut benefits that will pay for increased tax concessions for landlords and increasing prison resources in anticipation of the crime wave the increased poverty will cause.
National’s childcare announcement
National’s proposed child care subsidy policy is essentially an increase to existing grants that will fuel inflation and costs increases in the child care sector.
The Conversion Practice Prohibition Act: what does it mean for counsellors, parents and teachers?
Will the Act catch counsellors or parents who don’t offer automatic affirmation for a young person who declares a gender identity?
Notes from the CATA Conference: keynote address by Stella O’Malley
The Child and Adolescent Therapists Association hosted a conference recently on children, adolescents and gender identity.
Should therapists and counsellors speak about the medicalisation of gender non-conforming children?
Is there a connection between the closure of the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service in the UK, and a conference being held 12,000 miles away in Nelson, Aotearoa?
Why Sweden is changing its gender transition policy for children and young people
In the last couple of weeks, Sweden has joined a small, but growing number of countries that have changed their policies regarding medical gender transition for children.
Sepuloni: Labour to increase Jobseeker benefit
Some good news from over the weekend. Labour is planning to significantly increase the level of Jobseeker benefit.
Sugar is evil
With the recent High Court trial brought by three academics highlighting the undeserved attacks on their reputations by entities associated with the food industry now having concluded it is time for the Government to think about banning sugary drinks from schools. And a sugar tax.
The unlucky New Zealand
The first New Zealand study to look at the effects of food hardship on pre-schoolers’ nutrition has found that nearly half of families struggle to access healthy food in their child’s first year of life.
Black lives matter Aotearoa version
The Black Lives Matter movement is causing many countries to reflect on their history and practices. And the decision of the police to discontinue the Armed Response Teams Trial and the Childrens Commissioner’s scathing report on Oranga Tamariki’s practices in the uplifting of young children, mostly Maori, from their mothers are examples of the change that is happening.
Should Parents and Teachers Defy the Government?
School’s back on Monday, but the medical community is still struggling to understand covid 19
Having us squabble over the welfare pie
When we hear a supposedly progressive economist talking about elderly people as decrepit, or rendering the elderly poor invisible, it’s time to revisit our moral compass.
TWP – sorted?
A guest post from Chrissy Thomas on Te Whare Pounamu, Dunedin Women’s Refuge.
National’s plans to torment poor people leaked
National’s plans to torment poor people for political gain have been leaked.
Te Whare Pounamu #3
Survivor Backs Refuge.
Te Whare Pounamu – Are Children Really Safe?
How seriously do Women’s Refuge, the Ministry of Social Development and Te Whare Pounamu management take child abuse concerns? This requires greater scrutiny.
Te Whare Pounamu #1
When an organisation that exists to help abused people, itself abuses people, I suspect many people will have a lot to say. Here’s my initial take.
The sociopathology of sanctions
Autonomous sanctions imposed on Iran and Venezuela by the US are expressly designed to drive whole populations into poverty to bring about regime change. They are sociopathic. Based on its values, The National Party wants to make such sanctions New Zealand’s policy. Extraodinary!
Jacindamania
Despite the babies and the engagements, maybe it’s time to ditch the default Jacindamania.
Bene bashing
National has engaged in the most crass form of beneficiary bashing in opposing Government changes to the benefit system announced in the budget and passed under urgency.
@Melulater on Teachers’ Strike
Reprinted with permission from the blogsite How Melulater sees it, an important backgrounder to the impending teachers’ strike.
New Child Poverty statistics will provide a sound baseline for reduction targets
Child Poverty Action Goup has provided comments about new child poverty measurements.
Young people and climate change
School students are planning national protests against climate change on March 15, 2019. The response of some politicians to this news is less than optimal.
Spare a thought for our poor impoverished landlords
Spare a thought for poor landlords who are aghast at the thought that they should have to share capital gains on properties they have purchased with no intent of making a capital gain.