A lost generation – industry training is failing

Written By: Helen Kelly
Date published: - 51 comments

If your child wants to be a teacher, a lawyer, a nurse, an artist, an actor, a writer, an engineer, an architect or a historian to give some examples, you go to University or Polytech and get the full training you need to at least be qualified.  However if they want to be a builder, a plumber, an electrician, an arborist, a plasterer, a mechanic, an upholsterer, a bus driver, a train driver, a bicycle mechanic or a welder then you have to hope like hell they fall into the training one way or another.

Obama acts – at last

Written By: Anthony R0bins
Date published: - 96 comments

The Tea Party / Republican Party in Congress are a bunch of anti-science crazies who will never agree to any action to tackle climate change. But Obama doesn’t need them. And it looks like he has finally decided to act.

Huge Nat u-turn on City Rail Link

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 64 comments

It’s a massive win for the Greens, for Labour, and Auckland. National has caved to the pressure from local government, from business, and from its political opponents. With the polls so close National couldn’t afford to go into 2014 opposing the CRL when Aucklanders want it and the opposition is mobilising it as an issue, including the Greens’ ‘re:connect’ campaign.

Polls and the search for meaning

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 80 comments

Imagine if, five times in 18 months, I stuck my head out the window on a random day, made a guess of the temperature that was 95% likely to be 3 degrees or less too high or too low and, then, extrapolated climate change data from my results. You would laugh at me: too much chance and margin of error, not enough data points. Still, that doesn’t stop the Herald.

Unspeakable

Written By: IrishBill
Date published: - 4 comments

Just in case you don’t know, Danyl’s book, Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley, is now available for pre-order.

Personally I’m in awe of anyone that can manage to write a whole goddamn novel, especially a good one. And I reckon this will be a good one. I’ve got mine ordered – you should too.

Someone to blame…

Written By: Bunji
Date published: - 11 comments

“If an information technology project costing more than $10 million goes off the rails, the buck will now stop with Government chief information officer (GCIO) and Internal Affairs boss Colin MacDonald.”

For Solar

Written By: Ben Clark
Date published: - 48 comments

There’s an issue for solar power about to hit: Standards NZ’s new proposed standard requires the use of a particular, untested, inverter which is not expected to even exist until July 2014.  The current 2005 standard on solar power production allows electricity lines companies to enforce their own set of standards onto independent solar power installers.

Who’s Tourism Minister again?

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 45 comments

Back in 2008, a bright new thing called John Key said that, if he became Prime Minister, he would take the Tourism portfolio. He said “it’s an industry that’s particularly important in maintaining and boosting this country’s employment levels and growth prospects” and “we can do an awful lot better”. International tourism revenue has fallen 20% since 2008.

GCSB Bill – for shame

Written By: Anthony R0bins
Date published: - 34 comments

The Law Society is not exactly a hotbed of leftie activism. So the supporters of this appallingly arrogant government should sit up and take notice when they speak out as clearly as this against the GCSB spying bill. Two faced Key is simultaneously claiming that the current law is both unclear and “very clear”. He needs to be called out on it.

Lying Bridges caught out

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 67 comments

Labour Minister Sim0n Bridges has been trying to justify the latest round of attacks on workers’ rights by saying the law currently requires workers to be union members for the first 30 days on a new job and that people ought to have choice. That’s a lie. The law Bridges wants to throw out says new workers can’t be paid less than union rates, not that you have to join the union.

Caregivers in equal pay spotlight

Written By: John Ryall
Date published: - 22 comments

John Ryall writes on the case of long-term caregiver Kristine Bartlett who took a landmark case to the Employment court this morning. It is on the application of the Equal Pay Act 1972 into gender segmented work. Hopefully this will help reduce the lack of progress on closing our male-female wage gap.

An unjust government

Written By: Ben Clark
Date published: - 18 comments

So the Ministry of Health has relented to some caregivers and is paying them something… but not others. Margaret Spencer has given up […]

Christchurch East maneuvering

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 33 comments

So it looks like Labour’s Christchurch East candidate when Lianne Dalziel steps down will be either Clayton Cosgrove or James Caygill. The first question you ask is ‘why wouldn’t Clayton just stand in Waimakiriri again?’. He’s won it 4 of 5 attempts and Wilkinson only has a 600 majority. A slight swing will win it for him again, why give that up? The answer is troubling.

Foreign land buyers: its non-residents, not immigrants

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 38 comments

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse was on Q+A yesterday, talking about immigrant labour exploitation and about foreigners pushing up prices for houses and land. Woodhouse, purposely, conflated immigrants buying houses when they are coming here with non-residents buying houses that are purely rental investments/speculations on the NZ housing market.

Anemic recovery

Written By: Anthony R0bins
Date published: - 113 comments

Despite the heroic efforts of National’s spinsters the economic “recovery” remains anemic. We’re still behind 2007, and what recovery there is seems to be largely driven by another property bubble, and captured by a few. All National have managed is to hold us back for four years.

Flooding

Written By: Anthony R0bins
Date published: - 86 comments

Noticed a lot of flooding in the world headlines recently? Me too. What’s up with that?

Workrights on the Nation

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 121 comments

An interesting couple of interviews. Jamie-Lee Ross admits he took advice on strikebreaking from the Ports of Auckland Ltd, and Darien Fenton makes it clear what National are up to, and (note to Labour’s press team) shows why she should be fronting serious media more often.

Sunday Reading

Written By: Bunji
Date published: - 5 comments

My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere.  This week: mastery of the internet means mastery of us by the NSA, feminist statistics, some interesting people and popularity lists.

Volunteers wanted!

Written By: Ben Clark
Date published: - 6 comments

As National Volunteer Week draws to a close, let us continue to celebrate the 1/3 of New Zealanders who regularly do volunteer work in our communities.

No traffic jam on the high road

Written By: Helen Kelly
Date published: - 34 comments

I am reading a very interesting book on the role of Collective Bargaining in the Global Economy (Edited by Susan Hayter). It confirms for me the importance of getting political support to change the labour laws in New Zealand to support industry level/sector wide bargaining…

Should a country be run like a business?

Written By: KJT
Date published: - 102 comments

Many business people say that a country should be run like a business. Maybe they are right. It should be run like a SUCCESSFUL business. It is appropriate for Government to take lessons from business success, and the reverse. But when it comes down to details, right wing Neo-Liberal business do not want Government and country they govern to become too successful or democratic…

Poverty Watch 36

Written By: Anthony R0bins
Date published: - 7 comments

Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week, a debrief on The Vote: “Our kids – The problem’s not poverty, it’s parenting”. The results are encouraging!