THE ISSUES Archive

  • Kennedy Graham

    Syria – and the ‘Responsibility to Protect’: …whom, how, when? - by Kennedy Graham



    In the first question time of the 50th Parliament I challenged the Foreign Minister about the NZG policy on the Syrian crisis.  He delivered the ‘bipartisan’ foreign mantra that the Government condemned the killings in Homs, regretted the Security Council veto, and supported a transition to a democratic regime. This is standard ‘finger in the [...] read more
    February 10, 2012 4:43 pm - No Comments
  • Eugenie Sage

    Christchurch’s assets could be next on Govt chopping block - by Eugenie Sage



    Two patsy questions by National MPs of Local Government Minister Nick Smith in Parliament this week (on increases in council debt and rates since the Local Government Act 2002) combined with Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee’s recent overwrought criticism of Mayor Parker and Christchurch City Council suggest that Ministers are softening up the public for [...] read more
    February 10, 2012 3:28 pm - 8 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Can’t or won’t? - by Gareth Hughes



    On Tuesday, Steven Joyce, Minister of Economic Development and Science and innovation, wrote about the ‘you cant’s’ of our country, in an opinion piece in the NZ Herald. Feeling that perhaps I am one of those people he criticises as ‘people who in the one breath chant “more jobs, more jobs” and then in the next breath say “but don’t do that, or that, or that”, I thought I would ask Mr Joyce a few questions about why he and... read more
    February 10, 2012 2:11 pm - 12 Comments
  • frog

    General debate, February 10, 2012 - by frog



    read more
    February 10, 2012 7:29 am - 14 Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Unemployment: one step forward, two steps back - by Denise Roche



    Hot on the heels of yesterday’s minimum wage increase announcement – of a paltry 50c an hour – comes the December 2011 Household Labour Force Survey quarterly report . On the face of it, the statistics indicate a steady decrease in unemployment – and no doubt John Key’s government will be pitching it in this [...] read more
    February 9, 2012 6:01 pm - 12 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Government cherry-picks research to justify school class size increases - by Catherine Delahunty



    Yesterday, I asked a question in Parliament to Education Minister Hekia Parata: CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) to the Minister of Education: Will she rule out implementing Treasury’s advice to increase class sizes in schools? I was expecting a similar rejection to those we have grown used to from John Key in response to some of the [...] read more
    February 9, 2012 12:55 pm - 16 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Waitangi Wisdom - by Catherine Delahunty



    The Act Party’s sole MP John Banks was moaning in the House this week about the “terrible” protests at Waitangi. The last time he visited Waitangi on Waitangi Day was in 1990 when someone dared to throw a T-shirt at the Queen. Apparently, that makes him an expert.  I have been going to Waitangi every [...] read more
    February 9, 2012 9:22 am - 12 Comments
  • Kennedy Graham

    The NZ Government on Syria: “not helpful to go into detail; rather wider than I would care to go…” - by Kennedy Graham



    Syria is approaching the climax point. The armed forces continue to attack Homs in the name of suppressing the Free Syria Army but, in reality, killing citizens through widespread collateral, if not targeted, damage.  The UN Security Council is rendered ineffectual, again, through use of the veto.  The Arab League’s plan for a controlled and [...] read more
    February 9, 2012 8:27 am - 8 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Super Fund invests in Chinese property bubble? - by Russel Norman



    The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has, on our behalf, decided to take a $23 million bet on a property development company with significant exposure to China — a country where some reports say that there are 64 million vacant apartments. The Fund’s stake in Hong Kong-based property development company Sun Hung Kai is the tenth [...] read more
    February 9, 2012 8:05 am - 2 Comments
  • Jan Logie

    Waitangi Day Speech to Kapiti - by Jan Logie



    Sorry it’s a few days late, but as promised here is my speech from Waitangi Day: Tēnā koutou katoa, Toi te kupu. Toi te mana. Toi te whēnua. Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Raukawa, mē –tē hapū o Ngāti Haū-mia. Kiā ora koūtoū.  E ngā iwi,- e ngā mana, – e ngā whānau [...] read more
    February 8, 2012 9:57 pm - 1 Comment
  • Denise Roche

    A stingy and evidence-averse decision on the minimum wage - by Denise Roche



    As I predicted in my blog post last week, John Key’s Government has announced today what amounts to a nil increase in the minimum wage – a paltry increase of 50c an hour. The nominal increase is 3.8% – but at the same time the Consumer Price Index increased 4.6% in the year to September 2011 [...] read more
    February 8, 2012 5:33 pm - 15 Comments
  • frog

    Member’s Bills drawn - by frog



    Today, there was a ballot at Parliament for two Member’s Bills – they get drawn by a Lotto-style “numbers in a bucket” system as there are always many more MPs outside the Cabinet wanting to progress legislation than there is time in Parliament to deal with their Bills. I had high hopes for a Green [...] read more
    February 7, 2012 8:54 pm - 6 Comments
  • Holly Walker

    A nation divided? - by Holly Walker



    The Herald has launched a six part series highlighting inequality and poverty in New Zealand, showing why we need action on the root causes, not the consequences. read more
    February 7, 2012 1:37 pm - 38 Comments
  • frog

    General debate, February 4, 2012 - by frog



    read more
    February 4, 2012 7:42 am - 46 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Public education under attack - by Catherine Delahunty



    This has been a week of disturbing announcements by the National Government although the leader of the pack was actually John Banks – the lone ACT MP. Before final sign off and maybe as a way to keep the pressure on, John announced that Catherine Isaac (number 3 on the ACT list and rumoured to [...] read more
    February 3, 2012 5:42 pm - 17 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    The best way to oil independence is to provide alternatives and use less - by Gareth Hughes



    The Ministry of Economic Development’s Briefing to the incoming Energy Minister predicts New Zealand could become a net exporter of petroleum by 2030 if new oil fields are developed. It’s a laudable goal to reduce our expensive dependence on foreign oil but it would be a lot smarter to invest in alternatives like better public transport, renewable electricity and sustainable alternative fuels. read more
    February 3, 2012 10:14 am - 30 Comments
  • Jan Logie

    Another reason to care about equal pay - by Jan Logie



    Aside from the obvious ‘minor’ issues of justice, equality, child poverty, women’s ability to participate in society on an equal footing with men, ethnic/gender disparities and poverty, Australia has just given us another reason to care about Equal Pay. Fair Work Australia workplace tribunal has just made an historic equal pay decision for aged care [...] read more
    February 3, 2012 10:07 am - 4 Comments
  • frog

    Doing a stretch in the safety net - by frog



    United States Republican Presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney is getting a pasting for his comment: …I’m not concerned about the very poor; we have a safety net there. Over on Denise Roche’s minimum wage thread here at frogblog, commenter dbuckley recalls for us just what that “safety net” actually is: Yeah… but… you have that wonderful [...] read more
    February 3, 2012 9:17 am - 9 Comments
  • Kennedy Graham

    Syria: The Litmus Test for Palestine - by Kennedy Graham



    This week the UN Security Council is meeting to discuss the situation in Syria. The Council has the opportunity, along with the obligation, to lead in the international community’s call for respect for human rights and political freedoms in this latest country to enjoy the warmth of the Arab Spring. Manoeuvring delicately within the grey [...] read more
    February 2, 2012 5:09 pm - 3 Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Government stuck in the ‘80s on the minimum wage - by Denise Roche



    Sometime around now, Cabinet will be undertaking its annual review of the minimum wage, which currently stands at a lowly $13 an hour. My bet is that we will see another effective nil increase, with the minimum wage being adjusted upwards no more than the level of inflation over the past year. That would be [...] read more
    January 31, 2012 1:19 pm - 59 Comments
Older entries »