inequality Archive

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  Government dodges on disease of poverty - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  Sometimes the House is frustrating. I succeeded in my bid for a question today, but when we have two primary questions in a day we don’t get any more supplementary questions added to us. My boss had question 2 and mine was 11 and, since the Gallery journalists start drifting off after about 5 questions, [...] read more
  July 29, 2010 9:40 am - 50 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: inequality and social mobility - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  You can’t move from rags to riches when there’s a yawning gap between rich and poor. Much of the post-Budget debate has been focused on whether John Key and Bill English’s prescription for the country’s finances will increase or decrease the gap between rich and poor. Despite assuring us that he cares about inequality, Mr [...] read more
  June 2, 2010 5:09 pm - 91 Comments
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  Podcast: Mind the Gap! - by frog

  
  
  
  On Monday, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei launched Mind the Gap, the Green Party’s eight-point Budget strategy to combat growing inequality in New Zealand. In this podcast, Metiria talks us through Mind the Gap – what’s behind it, what’s in it, and why it’s needed. read more
  May 20, 2010 9:25 am - 3 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: Mind the Gap! - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  As you know, I’ve been writing a series of blog posts about Inequality in Aotearoa during April and May. I’ve also been working on ideas for solutions to the growing gap between rich and poor in New Zealand, and this morning I’ve launched a major package of eight practical ideas to reduce inequality. Here I [...] read more
  May 17, 2010 3:43 pm - 139 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: an idea whose time has come - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  A major feature of the UK election campaign whose results we’ve all been hanging off (and by the way why would we even contemplate a return to FPP given the grossly disproportionate result it’s produced over there?) was the importance of inequality. One of the Liberal Democrats’ key campaign planks was a tax-free threshold of [...] read more
  May 12, 2010 4:24 pm - 48 Comments
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  Paula, Peter and Peter: a perplexing predicament - by frog

  
  
  
  Today in the House, Catherine Delahunty posed a perplexing problem to Paula Bennett. Which Peter was she talking about? Last week, Catherine hit Paula up about the Welfare Working Group and the obvious bias of the people she had appointed. When asked about Peter Saunders’ statement that there is a link between “low average intelligence [...] read more
  May 5, 2010 5:56 pm - 34 Comments
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  Why cuts to Early Childhood Education are a dumb idea - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  This morning I was dismayed to hear Bill English signalling – to all intents and purposes – that there will be funding cuts for Early Childhood Education in the upcoming Budget. As the NZEI have pointed out today, spending on ECE is an investment, not a cheap way to balance the books. In fact, it [...] read more
  April 28, 2010 3:46 pm - 24 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: Education - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  It is often assumed that the desire to raise national standards of performance in fields such as education is quite separate from the desire to reduce educational inequalities within a society. But the truth may be almost the opposite of this. It looks as if the achievement of higher national standards of educational performance may [...] read more
  April 27, 2010 4:50 pm - 237 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: Life expectancy - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  In the pursuit of happiness there is one essential thing you need: good health. There are many contributing factors to good health and there are also many indicators to measure if you are healthy. Over the next few posts I’ll explore a few of these indicators. This post is focussed on life expectancy. Terminal problem [...] read more
  April 12, 2010 4:55 pm - 33 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: a brief history of inequality - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  “For over 90 per cent of our existence as human beings we lived, almost exclusively, in highly egalitarian societies.” – from The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett In the case of New Zealand, it has only been quite recently — the 1990s in particular — where inequality has emerged as a defining [...] read more
  April 6, 2010 12:50 pm - 179 Comments
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  Inequality in Aotearoa: why inequality is bad for us all - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Today I’m launching a series of blogs about the issue of inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand. Throughout April and May, I’ll be blogging twice a week about this important issue. Covering a wide range of issues from community life to obesity, violence to educational achievement, teenage pregnancy to life expectancy, I want to highlight how [...] read more
  March 30, 2010 9:00 am - 71 Comments
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  Podcast: Gareth’s challenge to Parliament - by frog

  
  
  
  The Greens’ newest and youngest MP, Gareth Hughes, has taken his seat in Parliament and delivered his maiden speech, laying down a challenge to Parliament to take climate change seriously and to listen to the voices of the new generation he represents. This week we present some highlights from his maiden address. Click to play [...] read more
  March 3, 2010 9:33 am - 3 Comments
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  Podcast: Picnic for the Planet Highlights - by frog

  
  
  
  Green Party Co-leader, Metiria Turei, delivered this year’s Picnic for the Planet speech in Wellington. This year’s Picnic marked a departure from the past. Firstly, it was held in Wellington away from the still sunny weather of the far North. Secondly, Metiria chose to talk predominately about social equity rather than turn the usual environmental [...] read more
  February 2, 2010 8:17 am - 12 Comments
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  Donate or Else - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  As the school year kicks in many parents are looking at lists of required items and “donations” wondering how on earth to pay. The once free public education system has morphed into a quasi privatised business model and is gradually increasing the pressure on the pockets of the poor. One of the saddest examples is [...] read more
  January 29, 2009 2:34 pm - 20 Comments