Archive for April, 2011

  • Kennedy Graham

    Courts and Criminal Matters - by Kennedy Graham



    The aim of the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill is to enhance the courts’ powers and processes for the collection of fines and other monetary penalties, and civil debt. There is more and more evidence that we are an increasingly unequal society and that inequality negatively affects everyone. We support a fair and robust system [...] read more
    April 7, 2011 10:06 am - 2 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    China comes down hard on high profile dissident - by Keith Locke



    While the world’s attention has been focussed on the efforts of the pro-democracy movement in the Middle-East, China has been cracking down hard on dissidents. read more
    April 6, 2011 4:13 pm - 6 Comments
  • frog

    General debate, April 6, 2011 - by frog



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    April 6, 2011 9:35 am - 22 Comments
  • frog

    National is failing the people of Christchurch, and everyone else for that matter - by frog



    This is really sad.  I would have thought that the National Party would care about rebuilding Christchurch following the devastation of their earthquakes.  And I would have thought that a compassionate, albeit conservative, major Government party would have agreed that a temporary levy on higher earning taxpayers living outside Christchurch is a good idea.  After [...] read more
    April 5, 2011 7:57 pm - 26 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Roger Awards - by Catherine Delahunty



    Last night Green MP Keith Locke and myself attended the Roger Awards, an annual event which “celebrates” the worst multinationals affecting Aotearoa/New Zealand. Chief Judge of the 2010 awards Christine Dann  and her team of supporting judges awarded first place to the utterly deserving Warners Bros for their interference in both the political system and [...] read more
    April 5, 2011 3:42 pm - 4 Comments
  • frog

    Welfare reforms failing in the UK – for all but the corporate providers - by frog



    Part of the grand plan to emerge from the Welfare Working Group is to have greater private sector involvement in job placement.   I guess the rationale is that the private sector does things “more efficiently”. So I decided to have a look at how the welfare reforms in the United Kingdom, which much of the [...] read more
    April 5, 2011 1:26 pm - 5 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Tunnel or bridge? Either must prioritise rail - by Gareth Hughes



    New research just out shows the majority of Aucklanders want the new link to the North Shore to include rail. The UMR research found 79% favour the inclusion of rail. Like Jarbury, I’m not sure that another road link will be needed at all, given that oil prices are going to stay high, and traffic [...] read more
    April 4, 2011 5:45 pm - 6 Comments
  • frog

    List ranking under way - by frog



    List ranking is under way in the Green Party. Ballot papers, candidate biographies and an Initial List have just gone out to members. The Initial List was formed by the votes of branch delegates and the candidates themselves, following the Green Party conference in Auckland in early February. At the conference Green candidates presented themselves to delegates [...] read more
    April 4, 2011 4:53 pm - 20 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Protecting the ocean – the flotilla leaves Whitianga - by Catherine Delahunty



    On Thursday I drove up to Whitianga to farewell the yachts heading down to East Coast to challenge Petrobras. The four yachts were tied up among the fishing boast and the ferry preparing for the big seas off Cape Runaway. Everyone was quietly determined that deep sea oil drilling would not happen unnoticed. One of [...] read more
    April 4, 2011 1:58 pm - 13 Comments
  • frog

    Green members considering political positioning - by frog



    Green Party members are thinking about the Party’s political positioning ahead of the November election. A draft remit is making its way out to branches for feedback and potential revision. Ultimately, the remit will go to the Party’s June AGM for a vote where it may be confirmed, rejected or amended. The draft remit – [...] read more
    April 4, 2011 12:05 pm - 169 Comments
  • frog

    Podcast: How to pay for Christchurch - by frog



    The Green Party have a plan to pay for Christchurch — a temporary levy on income — one that avoids adding more debt to the Government’s books. I talked to Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman about the details of that plan. Click the arrow thing to listen… Click to play If you’re having problems [...] read more
    April 4, 2011 11:43 am - 2 Comments
  • frog

    General debate, April 3, 2011 - by frog



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    April 3, 2011 8:13 am - 91 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    Criticism of judge-only trial in Urewera case - by Keith Locke



    The Court of Appeal decision to uphold a judge-only trial in the “Urewera 18” case was slammed by Fran O’Sullivan in today’s Weekend Herald column. She rightly can’t see why the defendants should not “have their case heard by a jury of their peers.” The Crimes Act was amended in 2008 to allow a trial [...] read more
    April 2, 2011 8:44 pm - 15 Comments
  • Kevin Hague

    Back to the future with ACC experience rating - by Kevin Hague



    There are quite a number of nasty legislative and regulatory provisions coming into force today.  Among them are Nick Smith’s Experience Rating Regulations for ACC. Experience rating will result in an individual employer’s ACC levies being adjusted up or down on the basis of their work injury record.  The idea is supposedly that individual employers [...] read more
    April 1, 2011 2:01 pm - 4 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    More ‘heroic’ ways to pay for the rebuild - by Gareth Hughes



    Earlier this week Sir Paul Callaghan, 2010 New Zealander of the year and Victoria University professor of physical sciences, launched his ‘HEKE’ campaign – asking overseas graduates to be heroic and pay back their loans to help with the cost of rebuilding Christchurch. Sir Paul Callaghan is obviously well-intentioned in his call, but it’s not [...] read more
    April 1, 2011 1:35 pm - 52 Comments
  • David Clendon

    Productivity gains or party politics? - by David Clendon



    This week the Productivity Commission has been given its first task.  The Commission came into being late one Saturday night last December, with the house under urgency, and the Greens the only party in opposition to it. In the first reading speech I said of the proposed Commission : “It could reinforce outmoded, destructive, and [...] read more
    April 1, 2011 12:27 pm - 15 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    Join the campaign for fairness at work - by Keith Locke



    Now that the frivolity of the morning is over, I want to take the opportunity to remind Frogblog readers that today the Government’s new industrial relations laws (PDF) come into effect.  These include extending the fire at will provisions for the first 90 days of employment in a new job to all workplaces, restricting union [...] read more
    April 1, 2011 12:06 pm - 13 Comments
  • frog

    Green’s welcome Commerce Commission investigation into Govt’s green claims - by frog



    The Green Party welcomes the Commerce Commission’s decision to investigate the environmental claims made by the National Government this term, Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman said today. “We value keeping politics honest. When it comes to the environmental claims made by the National Government, people expect these claims to be truthful and not misleading,” [...] read more
    April 1, 2011 10:45 am - 2 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Greens announce hip hop tour of universities - by Gareth Hughes



    The Green Party today announced that it will be carrying out a hip hop tour of universities to help raise students’ awareness of environmental and social justice issues. “We are always keen to find new ways to reach out to people not involved in politics and we think a hip hop tour is a great [...] read more
    April 1, 2011 9:01 am - 9 Comments
  • frog

    Found on floor outside Rodney Hide’s office - by frog



    It’s amazing the things that turn up when I’m hopping around Parliament.  Look what I found a few hours ago on a rare visit to the Act Party offices: read more
    April 1, 2011 12:01 am - 12 Comments
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