. While the Left has been fiddling about with much gnashing of teeth and tears of concern over the right of two Canadian neo-fascists to speak at an Auckland City council venue – National’s focus has been laser-like at regaining power in 2020. Like rust, the Right doesn’t sleep. Their failure to install a fourth-term National government came about only because of a fatal mis-step by (most likely) someone in the National Party/Government in a clumsy, ham-fisted ploy to undermine Winston Peters and cripple NZ First in last year’s general election. Whoever released Peters’ superannuatio ..read more

  . This weekend (26/27 May), two disparate voices called for a more egalitarian society in our country. The voices of Children’s Commissioner, Judge Andrew Becroft, and Chief Executive of the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern), Kim Campbell, both made statements on  TV3’s The Nation and TVNZ’s Q+A (respectively), that only a few years ago would have been heresy to neo-liberal orthodoxy. The neo-liberal economic model demands minimal state intervention in the economy and reliance on private enterprise to provide services and desired outcomes. After thirtyfour yea ..read more

  . Deputy PM, Racing Minister, and de facto godfather, Winston Peters  announced on Sunday (28 January) that the New Zealand racing industry was due for tax-cuts for horse breeders and a taxpayer-funded all-weather horse racing track; . . He’s promising the racing industry a multi-million dollar track that can be used even when its pouring with rain. Mr Peters says it is expected to cost around $10 million to construct. It comes as several races throughout the country had to be abandoned. The track could be in Waikato to boost the region and be closer to some of the ..read more

. One of the most oft-used, parroted cliches in the right-wing lexicon… Bill English said it; “ The hard bit of that is reorganising Government – the way the Government works with our most complex families – because frankly, Government doesn’t do that good a job with people who have really serious needs. So you shouldn’t expect waves of cash – that’s what everyone else is promising. We can tell you from years of looking at it hard, throwing money at intractable social problems won’t have an impact.” And again he said it; “ I suspect it will be a matter for public debate, because New Zeal ..read more

. From a blogpost I wrote on 31 December 2013; Tracey Martin – one of Parliament’s best kept “secrets”. One to watch out for as her career in politics is on the rise. Recently elevated to Deputy Leader of NZ First, she has the potential to increase her Party’s public approval . NZ First’s Tracey Martin, Minister for Children . Nearly four years later, and my prediction has become reality. On 25 October, incoming Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that NZ First’s talented Tracey Martin would be appointed to the new Labour-NZF-Green cabinet as a full-ranking Minister; Tracey Martin ..read more

. Ask David: When is a Bribe not a Bribe? . National has added to it’s list of expensive election year bribes. Not content with offering $10.5  billion on new roads (which is additional to an  estimated $12 billion  to be spent on seven roads in National’s “Roads of National Significance” plan) – the Nats have promised  to increase their  HomeStart grant by $10,000. First home buyers would get $20,000 to buy an existing house or $30,000 for a newly constructed property. The election year bribe has been condemned by both Left and Right. Political commentator, Chris T ..read more

. Context . On 25 January, as Radio NZ returned to it’s normal broadcasting schedule (and putting away it’s dumbed-down “summer programming” until next December/January), John Campbell had his first interview with John Key’s replacement, Bill English. Campbell raised several issues with English; the US withdrawal from the TPPA; the Pike River mine disaster; and the housing crisis. At this point, English made this staggering claim; @ 5.58 “We’ve got a government actually with a good record on addressing, in fact, some of the toughest social issues. There may be disagreement over means by wh ..read more

Auckland is a two speed city  ‘Real Housewives of Auckland’ at one end and desperately poor families living in cars in the middle of winter at the other.  The affluent of Auckland are immune to the price system- it just doesn’t matter what things cost. At the other end, lives are spent economising on miserable and insufficient disposable incomes where every last 10 cents and every price rise matters. Child Poverty Action Group, for the last 17 years has run post-budget breakfasts up and down NZ and each year the news is a little bit worse.  We keep an eye on indicators such as t ..read more

More must be done to improve services for children in order to fulfil Government’s stated commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC), and to ensure a safety net that provides for New Zealand’s most vulnerable children, says the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). CPAG’s submission on the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Advocacy, Workforce, and Age Settings) Amendment Bill says that changes to the CYPF Act are necessary to ensure that social services are more closely aligned with agreed UNCROC articles. The Amendment Bill includes one welcome an ..read more

. In the last few years,  my writing has involved a wide range of topics affecting the social/economic/political aspects of our nation. The one common factor in my writing has been the ability to  research facts and figures and put them into some usable context, either for evidential, or high-lighting purposes. Offering an opinion that the government is hollowing-out Child,Youth, and Family is one thing. Carrying out research; finding information through the ‘net; asking specific questions using the Official Information Act are the means by which hard facts can be mined; refined ..read more