Posts by Metiria Turei

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  Make history tomorrow: vote Green - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  It is election day eve and the Green Party has been polling at record highs over the past few weeks. We need your help to turn those polls into seats in Parliament. You can make history tomorrow and get more Green MPs than ever before. A vote for the Greens is a vote for a [...] read more
  November 25, 2011 6:00 pm - 11 Comments
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  Kaimoana, Motiti, and the oil - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Yesterday I was on Motiti Island, where the hapu have borne the brunt of the oil and debris from the grounded Rena. You can clearly see the Rena really from the coast. The hapu are extremely well organised with clean-up crews. They have all the protective gear and they are sending teams out every day. [...] read more
  October 19, 2011 1:31 pm - 14 Comments
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  Childcare changes typical of Govt’s anti-child approach - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has realised that if you’re going to work-test sole parents and force them into low-paid jobs when their children are six (or younger), someone’s going to have to look after the kids. read more
  October 3, 2011 4:39 pm - 6 Comments
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  Make Working for Families work for all families - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  In 2005, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) was granted access to the Human Rights Review Tribunal for a case in which they claimed the In Work Tax Credit (IWTC) component of Working for Families (WFF) family assistance package unjustifiably discriminated on the grounds of employment status in providing significantly less assistance to families on [...] read more
  September 9, 2011 7:23 am - 65 Comments
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  An afternoon at the $8.95 Welfare Forum - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Yesterday, I went along to the $8.95 Welfare Forum organised by the Alternative Welfare Working Group.  I was pleased to see around 100 people turn out – twice the number I’ve been told were at the $895 Welfare Conference opened by Paula Bennett yesterday. Minister Bennett was, as I expected, a no-show at the $8.95 [...] read more
  June 21, 2011 2:20 pm - 15 Comments
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  Hunger is hurting our kids and killing some - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Hunger is hurting our kids before they even had a chance. And its killing some. The idea that we could have “sponsored” children in New Zealand is unpalatable to many of us, but that is essentially what KidsCan are promoting with their new ‘In Our Own Backyard’ campaign. While I applaud the work KidsCan and others are doing, we should never have let things get this bad. But we can choose to fix it. read more
  June 13, 2011 11:18 am - 165 Comments
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  Statistics, hyperbole, and hypocrisy on the minimum wage - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Prime Minister John Key claims the Greens’ policy, now also supported by Labour, of increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour will “put 6000 people out of work.” Key maintains Department of Labour advice supports his claim.  So I had a look at the advice, contained in the Department’s 2010 Minimum Wage Review (PDF, [...] read more
  May 24, 2011 12:00 pm - 60 Comments
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  Dunedin bus services: the community needs to be involved - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Like most Dunedin residents I too am shocked to see that the DCC is in the final stages of selling Citibus. Is it really that urgent that we the ratepayers of Dunedin find out on Thursday that a sale is mooted, and are informed now that there is a conditional deal? That the council is [...] read more
  April 21, 2011 3:24 pm - 1 Comment
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  Family Court review must keep kids in mind - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  I’m pretty concerned at the announcement of a major review of the Family Court. While I acknowledge that the court is not perfect, I’m sceptical that this review will be about identifying areas where it can be improved. It seems to be much more about identifying areas from which to cut. Any review of the [...] read more
  April 20, 2011 11:57 am - 8 Comments
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  More signs of Green change from Germany - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The Green Party’s election victory in the Baden-Wurttemberg state parliament highlights the emergence of the Green movement as a major political force. For the first time in Germany the Greens will lead a coalition government with the traditional left party, the Social Democrats, taking the minor party role. The road to political success for the [...] read more
  March 29, 2011 1:29 pm - 9 Comments
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  The Welfare Working Group and its distinctly unambitious target - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  At page 60 of its report the Welfare Working Group suggests: “From the modelling reported in Chapter 10, we are of the view that the evidence from welfare reform in New Zealand and overseas indicates that a reduction of around 100,000 people [in receipt of working age benefits] is very ambitious but feasible.” Let’s put that into context [...] read more
  March 25, 2011 2:04 pm - 43 Comments
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  The Welfare Working Group and the back to the future work-for-dole fallacy - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Here’s some more information to support my argument that the Welfare Working Group’s recommendations (PDF) are driven by far right ideology rather by evidence. At page 23 of its report, the Welfare Working Group recommends: …a credible work for welfare scheme be established, in order to test the willingness of a small group of recipients [...] read more
  March 18, 2011 8:54 am - 63 Comments
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  The Welfare Working Group and benefit cuts by stealth - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The Welfare Working Group wants to force beneficiaries to work, but proposes to pay them less if they do so. At page 107 of the Welfare Working Group’s report (PDF) the Group proposes changes to benefit abatement – i.e. the way benefits are reduced in response to income earned by the beneficiary. Currently there are [...] read more
  March 12, 2011 7:45 am - 30 Comments
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  The Welfare Working Group and faith-based job creation - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Buried at page 53 of the Welfare Working Group’s report is this extraordinary statement: “…the total number of jobs will expand to equal the number of people who are available and actively seeking work.” read more
  March 10, 2011 11:05 am - 134 Comments
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  The Welfare Working Group and the injection - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  As reported on Morning Report yesterday, the Welfare Working Group report makes a startling – indeed deeply frightening – recommendation to link contraception to sole parent benefit receipt. The report says on page 15: We have heard a concern among some people that setting a work expectation for parents when their youngest child reaches three [...] read more
  March 8, 2011 9:23 am - 29 Comments
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  Minimum wage rise not enough - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The Government has announced that the minimum wage will go up by 25c an hour, to $13 an hour, on 1 April. This is not enough. A sole parent working 40 hours a week on $13 an hour will earn just $520 per week before tax – not much to pay rent, feed kids, and [...] read more
  February 7, 2011 6:12 pm - 288 Comments
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  What we’re wishing for this Christmas - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Today, we’re launching a ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ campaign urging New Zealanders to guarantee the essentials for every kiwi kid this Christmas. read more
  December 6, 2010 1:55 pm - 17 Comments
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  John Key chooses weak option for expenses - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  John Key has apparently written to the Speaker asking that the international travel perk be scrapped. That is all well and fine until the next problem arises with some other part of the expenses and allowances system. The Greens have lead this issue from the start, with other MPs only coming to the party when [...] read more
  November 15, 2010 5:34 pm - 10 Comments
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  Ugly, inaccurate and incomprehensible - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  This unidentified billboard has appeared in Cable Street: ugly, inaccurate and incomprehensible.  Perhaps that’s why no one was prepared to put their name to it.  I can only guess that it is has been paid for by the First-Past-the-Post lobby that is pushing to get rid of proportional electoral systems. It seems to lament the [...] read more
  October 19, 2010 3:35 pm - 28 Comments
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  Will Labour really take action on child poverty? - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Annette King’s speech to the Labour Party conference over the weekend was all about how Labour’s policy will focus on children and “put our children first”. It all sounds quite familiar, but, all cynicism aside, it is really good to hear Labour talking like this. The more political parties put children at the heart of [...] read more
  October 18, 2010 10:32 pm - 138 Comments