Five AA Australia: Selwyn Manning and Peter Godfrey deliver their weekly programme Across the Ditch.
[caption id="attachment_1205" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Peter Godfrey and Selwyn Manning.[/caption]
This week they discuss the New Zealand Government intensifying its plan to off-load state housies across the country. Also discussed is how the government’s signals spies have warned how NZ companies are vulnerable to cyber extortion! – Captured Live on Ustream at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/evening-report-nz
ITEM ONE:
(Ref. https://eveningreport.nz/2015/05/06/national-led-government-offloads-more-state-houses-to-private-community-housing-providers/)
The pace of the National-led Government’s push to sell off state houses is fast gaining a momentum.
On Wednesday the Finance a minister Bill English confirmed between 1000 to 2000 state owned houses in the cities of Tauranga and Invercargill will be off-loaded to the private community housing provider (CHP) sector.
It appears the National-led Government is determined to divorce itself from state housing assistance and provision.
It is an ideological response to the Government’s unwillingness to commit budget to long overdue maintenance of state owned housing stock. The Nationals have a three decades old tradition of removing government from any responsibility for the delivery of social service and provision to communities.
Yesterday, the Finance Minister said he believed people were better served by organisations located within their own communities.
He believes Community Housing Provider companies, owned by both private interests and non government organisations were better placed to purchase and maintain housing stock and manage tenancies than were government departments.
The structure of the plan resembles in some ways what the previous National government did in the 1990s, where it set up commercial entities to deliver health services throughout the country. Public hospitals were then transformed into Crown Health Enterprises, their publicly elected governing boards were dissolved and government business appointees and CEOs were inserted. Patients became clients, and both out patients and inpatients were forced into capped user pays obligations. If you didn’t pay, the debt collectors were called in.
Since April last year, Government-registered CHPs have been eligible to receive the Income Related Rent Subsidy (IRRS), previously only available for people living in HNZ houses.
But the Government fails to convince that it possesses an enduring commitment to income related rents. The Community Housing Provider companies face considerable renovation and maintenance costs to bring much of the housing stock up to a liveable standard. Clearly these businesses will need to recover their costs and are lively to do so through lifting the cost of rents to market rates.
And as we all know, market rates for housing in New Zealand’s main cities is among the highest among the OECD countries.
ITEM TWO:
New Zealand companies are becoming victims of extortion, according to the Government’s communications spy agency the GCSB.
According to specialist cyber spies attached to the National Cyber Security Centre, a division of the Government’s GCSB state “unnamed organisations” had been told via email that if they didn’t pay up they would experience a “sustained denial-of-service attack” that would knock them offline.
Through a Fairfax report, the spies said the blackmailers had followed up their threats with “short duration” attacks, lasting up to an hour. This apparently was a demonstration by the cyber crooks that they meant business.
Denial of service attacks do occur reasonably frequently. At times sustained and powerfully coordinated attacks can take sites and business offline for considerable periods of time. Only last week, TheDailyBlog website fell victim to such a brute force attack which brought the site down for just short of one day.
This attack occurred only days after it broke the story of how the Prime Minister, John Key, had harassed a young woman working in a cafe by repeatedly pulling her ponytail during visits over a seven month period.
I can confirm however, no threat or extortion note had been delivered to TheDailyBlog editor or owners! A cynic would suggest motivations for forcing the site offline were more political than criminal…
Across the Ditch broadcasts live weekly on FiveAA Australia and webcasts on EveningReport.nz, LiveNews.co.nz, ForeignAffairs.co.nz.
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Radio: Across The Ditch on NZ Govt off-loading state houses + Spies warn of cyber extortion
National-led Govt offloads more state houses to private community housing providers
Report by Selwyn Manning.
The National-led Government has announced state owned houses in Tauranga and Invercargill will be off-loaded to the private community housing provider (CHP) sector.
[caption id="attachment_3138" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Bill English.[/caption]
Finance and Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English said today the Government is committed to transfer between 1000-2000 state houses into privately owned CHPs.
“Existing tenants will continue to be housed for the duration of their need and their rights will not be affected if their landlord changes,” Bill English said.
He added: “Houses will not be transferred unless tenants get better services and taxpayers get fair and reasonable value.”
Paula Bennett, who is the Social Housing Minister said: “Tauranga and Invercargill have been chosen because they have stable demand for social housing, and active community housing providers keen to consider the next steps. Providers in other regions are also interested.”
[caption id="attachment_3025" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Phil Twyford.[/caption]
But the Labour Party’s housing spokesperson, Phil Twyford said the “first tranche of the Government’s state house sell-off” will do nothing to fix the housing crisis or better the lives of vulnerable families.
Phil Twyford said: “Changing the ownership of these homes won’t provide the extra houses or improve the quality of cold, damp rental properties which are making our kids sick.
“This policy is driven by Bill English’s mad quest to get state houses off the Government’s books. The Housing NZ Minister is desperate to off load these homes to anyone that will take them after our most respectful social agency Salvation Army declared the policy it would not improve the lives of tenants and walked away,” Phyl Twyford said.
Since April last year, Government-registered CHPs have been eligible to receive the Income Related Rent Subsidy (IRRS), previously only available for people living in HNZ houses.
But this in itself does not prevent CHPs from charging market rents, and with a significant proportion of the state housing stock requiring costly maintenance, CHPs will be looking to recoup renovation and refurbishment costs from tenants.
Bill English said: “Houses will not be transferred unless tenants get better services and taxpayers get fair and reasonable value.”
But in response, Labour’s Phil Twyford said: “The Government has no evidence to support their claim that social housing providers can do a better job of managing state houses than Housing NZ.”
–]]>
NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for May 06, 2015
This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 6 media release snippets and 4 links of the day from Wednesday 6th May.
Top stories in the news cycle today include the Government defending the amount of funding Whānau Ora uses for administration after criticism from the Auditor-General, international dairy prices fall for the fourth consecutive time, and the unemployment rate stays unchanged at 5.8% due to the size of the labour force reaching a record high.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
$98 Million For Surgery: An extra $98 million will be invested in Budget 2015 to provide more New Zealanders with timely elective surgery, and to improve the prevention and treatment of orthopaedic conditions, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says. “The number of patients receiving elective surgery has increased from 118,000 in 2007/08 to 162,000 in 2013/14. That’s 44,000 more operations – a 37 per cent increase,” Dr Coleman says.
Social Housing Reform Regions: Tauranga and Invercargill have been selected as the first regions for the proposed transfer of Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) houses to registered Community Housing Providers (CHPs), Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett say. “This is another important step to creating a more effective and efficient social housing sector with more housing providers supporting tenants and their needs,” Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English says. As announced by the Prime Minister in January, the Government’s Social Housing Reform Programme includes plans to transfer 1000 – 2000 HNZC houses to registered CHPs over the next year.
Strong Growth In Labour Market: The latest Household Labour Force Survey shows ongoing job growth in the New Zealand economy, while a record labour market participation rate kept the unemployment level steady at 5.8% in the March quarter Today’s HLFS shows the number of people employed grew 16,000 in the March quarter and 74,000 over the year. The participation rate was the highest ever recorded for New Zealand, at 69.6%.
Green Party: Auckland Homes Earning More Than Working Person: With wages rising just 0.3 percent in the three months to March 2015 but average Auckland house prices rising 6.1 percent in the same timeframe, urgent action is needed to ensure working New Zealanders can achieve home ownership, the Green Party said today. “Young New Zealanders see the growing gap between their wages and house prices and despair that the National Government is ignoring their hopes to one day own their own home,” said Green Party housing spokesperson Kevin Hague.“The simple fact is that a house in Auckland earns more than a working person does.”
Labour Party: Spotless Must End Zero-Hour Contracts: New Zealand’s largest contractor of food, cleaning and hospital staff, Spotless, must now take action to end all zero-hour contracts, Opposition leader Andrew Little says. “Yesterday Labour asked questions of Parliamentary Service and the Speaker after we revealed nine parliamentary workers contracted by Spotless were on zero-hours contracts. “Following our questions the company, which employs 33,000 workers across Australia and New Zealand, agreed to end the practise in parliament, ensuring their employment agreements include guaranteed hours. This was the right and fair thing to do,” Little says.
NZ Dollar Falls Below AUSD: The New Zealand dollar fell to an eight-week low against the Aussie as traders bet the Reserve Bank of Australia is finished its easing cycle after it reduced the country’s benchmark interest rate to a record low 2 percent yesterday. The kiwi touched 94.90 Australian cents, and was trading at 95.09 cents at 8am in Wellington, from 95.45 cents at 5pm yesterday and 96.05 cents immediately before the RBA’s 4:30pm statement. The local currency edged up to 75.54 US cents from 75.45 cents yesterday after a report showed the US trade deficit widened.
LINKS OF THE DAY
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE UNCHANGED: The unemployment rate remained at 5.8 percent in the March 2015 quarter (from a revised 5.8 percent in the December 2014 quarter), while the labour force participation rate reached an all-time high of 69.6 percent, Statistics New Zealand said today. Over the year to the latest quarter, the number of people employed increased 74,000 (3.2 percent) while the number of people unemployed fell 1,000 (0.6 percent), as measured by the Household Labour Force Survey. For more information about these statistics: http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/employment_and_unemployment/LabourMarketStatistics_HOTPMar15qtr.aspx
SUPERGOLD CARD DISCOUNTS: Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry says the latest SuperGold business recruitment campaign has achieved its aim of signing up more health professionals and lawyers. The campaign ran over March and April and resulted in more than 650 new businesses offering discounts. Around 70% of these new businesses have come from outside of the main centres. A comprehensive list of the businesses offering SuperGold Card discounts in each region can be found at: www.msd.govt.nz
RED CROSS PUBLISHES RECOVERY MANUAL: New Zealand Red Cross has launched Leading in Disaster Recovery: Companion through the Chaos, a book for leaders working in disaster recovery. Download the Companion for free here: www.preparecenter.org/resources/leading-in-disaster-recovery
MINISTER CONGRATULATES TOP SCHOLARS: Education Minister Hekia Parata has congratulated Joshua Hansen on being awarded this year’s Prime Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence. The former Westlake Boys’ High School student was presented the award by Prime Minister John Key at the NZQA Top Scholar Award ceremony held at Parliament today. More information is available on the NZQA website: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/news/2014-nz-scholarship-results-now-available/
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Wednesday 6th May 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>Women leaders passionately revitalising UK left wing politics
Analysis by Carolyn Skelton. FOR THE FIRST TIME in many years, during this year’s UK election campaign, a female party leader has achieved a level of prominence and significance. She is one of 3 women party leaders who are forging a renewed, and often passionate, commitment to strong left wing politics that are both anti-austerity and pro-gender equality. Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Natalie Bennett (Green Party UK), and Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru) lead parties that provide policies aiming to improve the lot of women, and the precariat, while challenging the current powerful elites. Politics and gender inequality The September 2014 Sex and Power in the UK report showed that, while there is a slight majority of women in the population, they make up only 23% of MPs and ministers and 33% of local councillors. Mothers, working class women, and BME [Black and Minority Ethnic] women tend to be highly marginalised in Westminster politics. In Scotland the SNP government has only 1 female MP to every 4 male ones. Men have dominated this year’s election coverage politicians and commentators. This was also as reported by Jane Martinson in The Guardian in April 2015. Female leaders; and the new left wing conviction politics The SNP is seen as being in the tradition of Scandinavian social democracies. Men made up the majority of SNP voters in previous elections. Furthermore, there has been a recent decline in the proportion of Scottish women MPs in Westminster. However, this looks set to rise significantly in this week’s election. It is possible that this election will deliver women as holding 30% of the Scottish seats at Westminster, compared with 22% in 2010. Leanne Wood is the most out there of the 3 leaders, being highly critical of the Labour Party and expressing a desire for a new kind of party of the people. Her party explicit embraces “decentralist socialism.” According to a BBC report, the Green Party usually gains a slightly higher proportion of female voters, while a substantial majority of males vote for the SNP, BNP and UKIP. Furthermore women tend to express less interest in politics than men. Anecdotal evidence suggests the masculine style of combative, game playing in politics, and failure to engage with the realities of women’s lives is partly responsible for this. The Washington Post reported on a poll conducted by the Guardian/ICM Unlimited, comparing the male and female support for participants in a televised leaders’ debate. This included 4 male leaders and the 3 female ones (Sturgeon, Bennett and Wood.)
Thus compared with women, men favored the performance of two male leaders: Nigel Farange (by a substantial 9 points) and Nick Clegg (by 4 points). Greater support among men for UKIP was consistent with broader gender gaps in support for radical right-wing parties found throughout previous British and European research. By contrast, women favored the performance of the three women leaders: Wood (by a substantial 11 points, the largest gender gap recorded in the survey), Bennett (by 9 points) and Sturgeon (by 5 points). For the two major leaders – Ed Miliband and David Cameron – there was no significant gender gap in judgments about their performance.Leanne Wood was a stand out in gaining strong support from women. This probably reflects her assertive and passionate style. In the debate she got a lot of praise for the way she gave UKIP leader Nigel Farage a “dressing down” for “his comments about so-called “health tourists” with HIV, ” as reported by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in last month’s Guardian. [caption id="attachment_3888" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Leanne Wood: Plaid Cymru Party of Wales[/caption]
Wood grew up in a working class Welsh community where she witnessed and experienced deprivation during the miners’ strike. This spurred her to become politically active in her youth, but she was not impressed by the “right wing reactionary” and “generally old-fashioned dinosaur politics” she saw in the Labour Party.
Wood says she doesn’t engage with Labour, but does have “regular contact with Nicola Sturgeon and Natalie Bennett.” Cosslett puts this down to Plaid Cymru’s strong anti-austerity priorities. Under her leadership, the party aims to rebalance power and wealth, and end the Conservative government as well as to be more focused on countering power imbalances and inequality than on cultural nationalism.
Leanne Wood has called for political parties to work towards gender balance. (See also Wikipedia, and “what is the Plaid Cymru?“)
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Nicola Sturgeon UK Independent Feb 2015[/caption]
In her article of December 2014 in the Financial Times, Murie Dickie reported that Sturgeon, was motivated by her anger at “the social cost of Thatcherism” in Scotland. Like Wood, Sturgeon came from a working class background and saw a lot of poverty in the area where she lived. It angered and motivated her. In the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 she achieved prominence as an extremely able debater, with “a down-to-earth manner and steely determination” that came across well on television. She also engaged extremely well with small groups of voters on the campaign trail and on social media.
Now Sturgeon is focusing somewhat away from the more narrow focus of Scottish nationalism and highlighting the importance of gaining power through independence, while still embracing an “inclusive sense of Scottishness”.
While the mainstream media tends to characterise her as being dangerous, she is the most featured woman in very male dominated election campaign.
After becoming first minister to Scotland Sturgeon made working towards gender equality one of her top priorities. Sturgeon appointed equal numbers of men and women to her cabinet, wanted to push Scottish companies to have more gender-balance on their boards, to see better childcare provisions, and to support women to be better able to balance work and family life.
Last month Sturgeon launched her parties pledge on gender equality. This includes targeting areas where current austerity policies have hit women particularly hard. Consequently, the SNP aims to increase free childcare, end zero hour contracts and raise the minimum wage. The pledge also commits the party to end the gender pay gap, call for equal representation on company boards, continue free education, increase the number of apprenticeships and counter the “glass ceiling” that thwarts women’s ambitions.
[caption id="attachment_3887" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Natalie Bennett UK Telegraph March 2015[/caption]
The UK Green Party also has a strong policy for gender equality and women’s rights. This includes focus on equal pay, maternity and paternity leave, reproductive rights, the extra disadvantages experienced by women as part time workers, and retired pensioners, the necessary but unpaid caring work done predominantly by women, domestic violence, the under-reporting and low conviction rate for rape and sexual violence.
These three very capable women leaders, while not getting the media coverage of male leaders, do suggest that there is a desire in significant parts of the electorate for a return to strong, passionate left wing conviction politics: politics that are culturally inclusive and engage with the lives of women, while being anti-austerity, pro-community and pro gender equality.]]>
Rainbow Warrior reflections – new Eyes of Fire on way
MIL OSI Analysis – Source: Dr David Robie – Café Pacific – Rainbow Warrior reflections – new Eyes of Fire on way CAFÉ PACIFIC offers a bit of nostalgia. In just over a couple of months, New Zealand and the Pacific will be marking the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in an outrageous case of state terrorism by French secret agents in Auckland Harbour on 10 July 1985. Dutch photojournalist Fernando Pereira was killed as part of the double-bomb plot. An unwarranted attack on a peaceful environmental ship. The word is that there will soon be a fresh new (fifth) edition of David Robie’s book Eyes of Fire. Out of a dozen books or so to surface out of the l’Affaire Greenpeace, David’s was the only one written by somebody actually on board. There will be new content and new pictures. The publishers, Little Island Press, also have a surprise package planned. More about that later. Word is that skipper Peter Willcox, the only person to captain all three Rainbow Warriors, also has a book on the way. Due out next year, it will tell the story of the dramatic Arctic 30 protest against a oil drilling platform in the Bering Sea and their arrest by the Russians, and other adventures including the Auckland bombing. Back in August 2006, a year after the launch of edition four of EOF (there were also editions in Britain and the US), David was in Vanuatu to run a media course and took the opportunity of presenting a copy to then Prime Minister Ham Lini, brother of founding PM Father Walter Lini. Walter wrote the forward to Eyes of Fire and this what his daughter Lora filed for the Vanuatu Daily Post at the time (since then she has had a falling out with her uncle Ham because she is a strong advocate for the West Papuan cause, just like her father): DAVID ROBIE PRESENTS EYES OF FIRE TO PM LINI
– – ]]>NEW ZEALAND award-winning journalist and author has presented a copy of the latest edition of his book Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior to the [then] Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Ham Lini.The book’s foreword was kindly written by Prime Minister Lini’s brother and former Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the late Walter Lini. “In 1985 the late Father Walter Lini … was another who welcomed those of us on the Rainbow Warrior as kindred spirits in the struggle for a Nuclear-Free Pacific,” wrote Bunny McDiarmid in the preface of the memorial edition. “Lini in the 1980s was an inspirational leader and wanted to see an independent and nuclear-free Tahiti,” continued McDiarmid. Walter Lini wrote in the foreword: “David Robie was the only journalist on board the Rainbow Warrior when she left Port Vila for Auckland where she was put out of action by the DGSE agents. “He was on board for 11 weeks, covering the evacuation of the fallout-ravaged people of Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. “Thus he is well placed to provide us with this vivid account of the Rainbow Warrior’s last voyage and the connection of Rongelap and Moruroa with colonialism in the Pacific.” Dr Robie also took the opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of some of his former students to the Vanuatu media industry.
Budget 2015: $98m for more elective surgery
Statistics NZ reports unemployment rate unchanged as more people enter the labour force
The unemployment rate remained at 5.8 percent in the March 2015 quarter (from a revised 5.8 percent in the December 2014 quarter), while the labour force participation rate reached an all-time high of 69.6 percent, Statistics New Zealand said today. “This is the greatest share of New Zealanders we have ever seen in the labour force. The largest increase came from 20 to 34-year-olds, who accounted for nearly half this year’s increase,” labour market and households statistics manager Diane Ramsay said. Over the year to the latest quarter, the number of people employed increased 74,000 (3.2 percent) while the number of people unemployed fell 1,000 (0.6 percent), as measured by the Household Labour Force Survey. “We saw strong employment growth over the year, with Auckland and Canterbury making the most significant contributions,” Ms Ramsay said. The employment rate was unchanged, at 65.5 percent. However, the rate for men reached its highest level since the December 2008 quarter. The female employment rate was down slightly from last quarter’s record high. Annual wage inflation, as measured by the labour cost index, was steady, at 1.7 percent, while consumer price inflation remained low. Average hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey, increased 2.1 percent for the year, the lowest increase since the year to the June 2013 quarter.
Governments own statistics show no leadership on jobs – CTU
enough work. Over 100,000 people are underemployed and are actively seeking more hours of work, these workers are facing the harsh reality of casual work and zero hours.” “In the last few months the average wage hasn’t increased at all! And over 40% of workers haven’t had a pay rise, the Government has to be joking if they think this is what a rockstar economy looks like.” “The Government has an absolute role in lifting wages. Those employed by the Government in the public sector have had unacceptable wage increases and are due a catch up. Lifting the minimum wage, fixing migration so that it’s not used to hold wages down, and not putting more and more barriers in the way of collective bargaining are all things that will help lift wages in the private sector,” Huggard said. – – ]]>
Treasury forecasts a deficit for next year too – Labour
MIL OSI – Source: New Zealand Labour Party – Treasury forecasts a deficit for next year too National has tried to get the bad deficit news out of the way before this year’s Budget but Treasury’s warned next year’s books could also be in the red despite Bill English’s panicked spending cuts late last year, Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says. “Papers released by Treasury under the Official Information Act show last December’s provisional forecasts for the half yearly update (HYEFU) predicted a $1 billion deficit for this year and a $100 million deficit for next year as well. “Bill English realised National’s economic credibility would be in tatters if those figures were published in the HYEFU so he slashed his spending allowance by $500 million a year to get the 2015/16 books in the black. “However, the Treasury report states that even with the cuts, the books will only return to the black ‘assuming dairy prices rebound as currently forecast’. “But with dairy prices continuing to fall today – leaving a $7 billion hole in the economy – the Government’s surplus strategy of constantly pushing out spending until tomorrow won’t be enough. “The Government cannot rely on fiddling with spending and hoping that milk prices stop falling to get back into surplus. It needs to generate revenue. “It’s time National came up with a better plan for boosting business and creating jobs to generate the revenue the country needs to get back in the black,” Grant Robertson says. – -]]>
Tonga’s PM Akilisi Pohiva meets Fiji’s PM Voreqe Bainimarama during state visit
MIL OSI – Source: Tonga Government – PM’s State visit to Fiji included meeting with Tongan students 06th May 2015 English | Tongan The Tongan Community in Suva hosted the Honourable Prime Minister Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva at a Sunday service at ‘Api Tonga that coincided with the annual Children’s May celebration, Fakame, on 2 May. The Prime Minister is on a state visit to Fiji to meet Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, as well as give the keynote address at the Regional Pacific Islands Green Growth Coalition meeting hosted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Accompanying the Prime Minister are Hon ‘Etuate Lavulavu, Minister of Infrastructure, and also Hon. Poasi Tei, Minister of Public Enterprises. The two ministers are engaged in a number of meetings in Fiji including a meeting with Fiji Airways officials and Civil Aviation. Hon. Tei will also be representing Tonga at the opening of a Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) meeting in Suva, while another officer will represent Tonga at the remaining two days of the meeting. Hon. Pohiva and those accompanying him also met with selected key business leaders in Suva to discuss investment opportunities in Tonga. At a special meeting with Tongan students at University of the South Pacific (USP), on Monday evening, Prime Minister Pohiva urged the students not only to aim at finishing their education and obtaining the necessary qualifications, but also to have a vision on their return to Tonga, not just to seek employment and have a job, but to actively participate in development and moving the country forward. The Honorable Prime Minister and his team left for Nadi on Tuesday 5th May 2015 for his meeting with Hon. Bainimarama, as well as participate in the Green Growth Coalition meeting. – ]]>
iPredict predicts John Key will quit before the next election
JOHN KEY TO QUIT BEFORE NEXT ELECTION
New Zealand will have a female National Party prime minister before the next general election, according to the combined wisdom of the 8000+ registered traders on New Zealand’s predictions market, iPredict. John Key is expected to quit as the party’s leader in 2017 before the start of the election campaign. Paula Bennett is the favourite to be replace him, with 37% probability, followed by Judith Collins on 19%. NZ First has a 66% probability of holding the balance of power after the next election and is expected to back National, which now has a 60% probability of leading the next government. The average Auckland house price is expected to reach $814,319 in May with the Official Cash Rate picked to be cut on or before 10 September. CPI forecasts are up marginally but inflation is still expected to remain below the Reserve Bank’s 2% midpoint target until the end of the June 2016 quarter. There is now almost no chance New Zealand will sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2015. David Cameron is narrowly expected to remain UK prime minister after this week’s election. TV3’s Campbell Live is expected to survive 2015.
New Zealand Politics:
· John Key is expected to remain National leader until the end of 2016 (78% probability, down from 90% last week) but has just a 31% probability of being National leader on Nomination Day before the next General Election (down from 73% last week). Mr Key has just a 17% probability of remaining National leader until the end of 2017 (down from 35% last week).
· Paula Bennett remains the favourite to become National Party leader if a vacancy arises (37%, down from 44% last week), followed by Judith Collins on 19% (up from 5% last week).
· Andrew Little is expected to remain Labour leader until at least the end of 2016 (85% probability, up from 83% last week) and has an 85% probability of being Labour leader on Nomination Day before the next General Election (up from 73% last week). Mr Little has a 68% probability of remaining Labour leader until the end of 2017 (up from 64% last week).
· Stocks on who is favoured to become Labour Party leader if a vacancy arises will be launched in the near future
· Kevin Hague remains expected to be the next co-leader of the Green Party (60% probability, down from 78% last week), but James Shaw is catching up (40% probability, up from 21% last week).
· Judith Collins has a 55% probability of being appointed to Cabinet this year and a 67% probability of being appointed before the next election.
· Tim Groser is expected to be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States (96% probability, steady compared with last week) and Maureen Pugh is expected to become eligible to be a list MP before the next election (95% probability, steady)
· Phil Goff is expected to stand for the Auckland mayoralty (93% probability, down from 94% last week)
· Next election expected in 2017 (92% probability, up from 91% last week) with a turnout of 75% (steady)
· Forecast party vote shares at next election:
o National 43.8% (steady compared with last week)
o Labour 32.8% (down from 33.1%)
o Greens 10.8% (steady)
o NZ First 7.5% (steady)
o Others 5.1% (up from 4.8%)
· NZ First has a 66% probability of holding the balance of power after the next election (down from 68% last week). If NZ First does hold the balance of power, there is a 54% probability it will back National on confidence and supply (up from 52% last week), a 30% probability it will back Labour on confidence and supply (down from 32%) and a 16% probability it would sit on the crossbenches (steady)
· National prime minister expected after 2017 General Election (60% probability, up from 58% last week)
· David Carter is expected to be New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (79% probability, steady compared with last week) and Gerry Brownlee has an 83% probability of being the next New Zealand Speaker (up from 62%)
· Almost no chance Wellington councils will be amalgamated by end of 2015 (only 5% probability they will be, steady compared with last week)
New Zealand Business & Economics:
· Fruit-fly outbreak expected to be contained with fewer than 20 Queensland fruit-flies expected to be found in New Zealand as part of current outbreak (94% probability, up from 92% last week)
· New Zealand dollar not expected to reach parity with Australian dollar by the end of 2015 (only 35% probability it will achieve parity, down from 82% last week)
· Average Auckland house price expected to be $814,319 in May 2015 (new stocks) up from $809,200 in April
· Quarterly GDP growth expected to be:
o 0.69% in the March quarter (down from 0.76% last week)
o 0.70% in the June quarter (up from 0.65%)
o 0.86% in the September quarter (steady)
o 0.89% in the December quarter (up from 0.85%)
· Annual growth expected to be 3.17% in the 2015 calendar year (up from 3.15% last week)
· Unemployment expected to be:
o 5.39% in the June quarter (up from 5.29% last week)
o 5.30% in the September quarter (up from 5.25%)
o 5.37% in the December quarter (steady)
· New Zealand pay gaps in 2014/15 expected to be:
o Gender 9.95% (steady compared with last week)
o Maori 12.28% (steady)
o Pacific 23.12% (steady)
o Asian 20.43% (steady)
· Current account deficit expected to be:
o 3.61% of GDP in the March quarter (steady compared with last week)
o 3.57% in the June quarter (up from 3.56% last week)
o 3.39% in the September quarter (steady)
o 3.49% in the December quarter (new stocks)
· Annual inflation expected to be:
o 0.38% to end of June 2015 quarter (up from 0.33% last week)
o 0.54% to end of September 2015 quarter (up from 0.52%)
o 0.80% to end of December 2015 quarter (down from 0.83%)
o 1.43% to end of March 2016 quarter (new stocks)
o 1.45% to end of June 2016 quarter (new stocks)
· Official Cash Rate priced to be:
o 3.455% on 11 June (down from 3.482% last week)
o 3.410% on 23 July (down from 3.457%)
o 3.362% on 10 September (down from 3.409%)
o 3.343% on 29 October (down from 3.391%)
o 3.300% on 10 December (down from 3.370%)
o 3.290% on 28 January 2016 (down from 3.360%)
o 3.269% on 10 March 2016 (down from 3.357%)
o 3.259% on 28 April 2016 (down from 3.347%)
o 3.247% on 9 June 2016 (down from 3.335%)
· This implies the OCR is more likely than not to be cut on 10 September 2015 to 3.25% (compared with 10 December 2015 last week) and to remain at that rate until at least 9 June 2016 (steady)
· Stocks on Australian interest rates are now available for trading
· 3% probability of a fiscal surplus in 2014/15 (down from 7% last week)
· Fiscal balance expected to be:
o -0.32% of GDP in 2014/15 (down from -0.29% last week)
o 0.53% of GDP in 2015/16 (down from 0.68%)
o 1.51% of GDP in 2016/17 (down from 1.79%)
o 1.80% of GDP in 2017/18 (down from 2.15%)
· Fonterra’s final payout (before retentions) expected to be:
o $4.64 in 2014/15 (down from $4.67 last week)
o $5.34 in 2015/16 (down from $5.35)
o $6.10 in 2016/17 (steady)
· Campbell Live not expected to be cancelled this year (only 25% probability it will be, down from 73% probability last week)
· Stocks on tourism arrivals are now available for trading
Foreign Affairs/Constitution:
· Next UK Parliament expected to consist of:
o Conservatives 43.0% of seats in the House of Commons (up from 42.6% last week)
o Labour 39.6% of seats (steady)
o Nationalist parties 7.8% of seats (down from 8.0%)
o Liberal Democrats 3.9% of seats (down from 4.0%)
o UKIP and similar 3.7% of seats (down from 3.8%)
o Unionist parties 1.1% of seats (up from 0.0%)
o Green and similar 1.0% of seats (steady)
o Independents and Speaker 0.0% of seats (down from 1.0%)
o All others 0.0% of seats (steady)
· David Cameron narrowly expected to be prime minister after next UK election (55% probability, up from 53% last week)
· Boris Johnson expected to be elected to UK House of Commons this year (99% probability, steady compared with last week) and has a 35% probability of being prime minister before 2020 (up from 30% last week)
· Socialist Workers’ Party expected to defeat People’s Party in next Spanish election (67% probability, steady compared with last week)
· All Eurozone countries, including Greece, expected to remain in Euro in 2015 (22% probability of an announcement of a departure this year, up from 20% last week)
· Tony Abbott expected to remain leader of the Australian Liberal Party until 1 July 2015 (only 5% probability of departing before then, up from 2% last week) and favourite to be leader of the Australian Liberal Party on nomination day (42% probability, down from 53% last week)
· Bill Shorten expected to be Labor leader at next Australian Federal election (87% probability, down from 89% last week)
· Liberals marginally ahead of Labor for next Australian Federal election in 2016 (53% probability of Liberal win, steady compared with last week)
· Hillary Clinton is favoured to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for US president in 2016 and to be elected to that office (52% probability, down from from 54% last week). Jeb Bush has a 39% probability of being the Republican nominee (down from 40% last week) followed by Scott Walker (23% probability) and Marco Rubio (19% probability)
· There is only an 8% probability New Zealand will sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year (down from 21% last week), and the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not expected to be ratified by the US Congress before 1 July 2017 (only 38% probability it will be, steady)
· Helen Clark’s prospects of being the next UN Secretary General are 29% (down from 35% last week)
· There is a 10% probability New Zealand will become a republic by 2020 (steady compared with last week)
Notes:
· iPredict Ltd is owned by Victoria University of Wellington. Details on the company and its stocks can be found at www.ipredict.co.nz.
· The weekly economic and political update is prepared by Exceltium Ltd on a pro bono basis and is based on a snapshot taken at a random time each week. This week’s was taken at 11.00 am today.
]]>Foreign Policy School golden jubilee focusing on NZ’s place in the world
“New Zealand and the World: Past, Present and Future” will be the theme of the 50th Otago Foreign Policy School, the annual weekend gathering regarded as the marquee event in the country’s international affairs calendar.
The School, which runs next month, features an impressive line-up of 30 national and overseas speakers who will discuss and debate pressing issues in New Zealand’s international affairs. Among those presenting are prominent figures such as security analyst Dr Paul Buchanan, former senior New Zealand diplomats Colin Keating and Terence O’Brien, University of Auckland Professors Jane Kelsey and Ranginui Walker, and investigative journalist Jon Stephenson. The Otago Foreign Policy School allows academics, students, policymakers, diplomats and members of the public to gather and engage in formal and informal dialogues on selected issues. This year’s School is held from the evening of Friday 26 June until Sunday 28 June at St Margaret’s College on the University’s Dunedin campus. The 50th School’s co-directors are Professor Robert Patman and Dr Iati Iati of the University’s Department of Politics. Professor Patman says the School’s 50th anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on the substantial readjustment our foreign policy has undergone during the past half century, and to debate how it is continuing, or should continue, to evolve. “One of the most important challenges facing New Zealand foreign policy today is reconciling and balancing its growing involvement in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region with traditional links to the English-speaking world,” Professor Patman says. In many ways, New Zealand’s improved ties with both China and the US highlight this trend, he says. “Wellington will have to navigate carefully between the superpowers and avoid actions that seem to suggest that it is siding with one against the other. This could complicate New Zealand’s desire for close economic ties with China and close security ties with the US-led intelligence sharing arrangement known as ‘Five Eyes’.” Professor Patman says the 50th School is expected to consider how, over time, factors such as security, economics and trade, multilateralism, globalisation and morality have shaped New Zealand’s foreign policy decision-making, and what international possibilities and challenges now face our country in the unfolding 21st century. The advent of globalisation coincided with profound changes in New Zealand’s national identity and its role in the world, he says. “These include the adoption of a non-nuclear security policy, liberalisation of the national economy, recognition of the special constitutional and cultural position of Māori people and new trade and diplomatic links with the Asia-Pacific region.” Professor Patman paid tribute to former Department of University Extension lecturer, Arnold Entwisle, who played a key role in establishing the School in 1966. “Arnold anticipated that a more independent New Zealand would need a dedicated forum where academics, policy-makers and the general public could come together to share and exchange ideas relevant to this country’s foreign policy.” By focusing on both contemporary and emerging international developments, the Foreign Policy School has long fulfilled Mr Entwisle’s hope that it would contribute to the enlightenment of this nation, Professor Patman says. The School begins on Friday evening at 5pm with a cocktail function and opening address, and finishes on Sunday around 4.40pm. Visit the Otago Foreign Policy School website for more information about the School, past conferences, registration and fees, or email School Co-ordinator Jan Brosnahan at jan.brosnahan@otago.ac.nzList of speakers and topics:
- Dr Austin Gee, Dr Chris Rudd and Prof Robert Patman (Otago) – ‘Debating New Zealand’s Foreign Relations: The Role and Impact of the University of Otago Foreign Policy School, 1966 -76’
- Dr Ken Ross, Research Associate (International Institute of Strategic Studies, London) – ‘David Lange’s Presentation to the 1985 School – A Pivotal Moment for Labour’s Foreign Policy!’
- Dr Andrew Butcher, Director of Research (Asia Foundation) –‘What does New Zealand’s Changing Demography Mean for its Place in the World?’
- Associate Professor Robert Scollay (University of Auckland) – ‘New Zealand’s Evolving Response to Changing Asia-Pacific Trade and Economic Currents Since 1990’
- Professor Jane Kelsey (University of Auckland) – ‘New Zealand and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations: Strategy, Content and Lessons’
- Professor Patrick Koellner (German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg) – ‘EU Perceptions of New Zealand’
- Mr Ong Keng Yong, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia – ‘New Zealand and ASEAN’
- Dr Andreas Reitzig, Director (Lingua Language School) – ‘The Contours of New Zealand Foreign Policy’
- Mr Colin Keating – ‘New Zealand’s election to the UN Security Council in October 2014: How was it accomplished and what does it mean?’
- Professor Jacqui True (Monash University) – ‘The Globalisation of the Human Security Norm: New Zealand Leadership and Followership in the World’
- Ms Lucy Duncan, Group Manager, Strategy and Governance Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Wellington – ‘The Role of the New Zealand Diplomat: Past, Present and Future’.
- Dr Beth Greener (Massey University) – ‘A Balancing Act: New Zealand and International Security’
- Professor Hugh White (ANU) – ‘Old Friends in a new Asia: Australia, New Zealand and the Rise of China’
- Dr Joe Burton (Victoria University of Wellington) – ‘New Zealand-US Relations and the Obama Administration’s Pivot to Asia’
- Dr Anna Powles, Massey University – ‘New Zealand’s Foreign and Defence Policy in the Pacific: Shifting Regional Geopolitics and the Risk of Diminishing Relevance’
- Prof Kevin Clements (Otago) – ‘What happened to The NZ Peace Movement -Anti Nuclear Politics- and a more Independent Foreign Policy?’ (via video-link from London)
- Dr Adrian Macey, Senior Associate (Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington) – ‘The Environment and Foreign Policy: New Zealand’s Climate Change Diplomacy’
- Professor David MacDonald (Guelph) – ‘Exporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s Biculturalism: Lessons for Aboriginal-Settler Relations in Canada’
- Professor Ranginui Walker (University of Auckland) – ‘Kawanatanga, tino rangatiratanga and the constitution’
- Mr Jon Stephenson Pacific Media Centre Research Associate (AUT University) – ‘The Price of the Club: How New Zealand’s participation in the “war on terror” has compromised our reputation as a good international citizen’
- Mr Terence O’Brien, (Victoria University of Wellington) – ‘National Identity and New Zealand Foreign Policy’
- Ian McGibbon, Managing Editor (New Zealand International Review) – ‘New Zealand and Turkey 1915–2015: from battlefield foes to firm friends’
- Dr James Rolfe (Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington) ‘Intelligence, Accountability and New Zealand’s National Security’
- Dr Paul Buchanan, Director (36th Parallel Consultancy) – ‘Foreign Policy Realignment and Institutional Lag: the case of the New Zealand intelligence community’
- Dr Anthony Smith, Assessments Manager (National Assessments Bureau, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet)
- Dr Nigel Parsons (Massey University) – ‘New Zealand, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the United Nations: 2012 and 1974 compared’
- Dr Peter Greener (Victoria University of Wellington) – ‘Continuity and Change in New Zealand Defence Policy’
- Mr Peter Cozens, Former Director (Centre of Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington) – ‘A New Atlantis’
Electronic addresses (including email accounts, instant messaging services, or telephone accounts) published on this page are for the sole purpose of contact with the individuals concerned, in their capacity as officers, employees or students of the University of Otago, or their respective organisation. Publication of any such electronic address is not to be taken as consent to receive unsolicited commercial electronic messages by the address holder.
— ]]>Tony Alexander on Housing – Economic Analysis – Sporadic 7 – May 5 2015
By Tony Alexander – Bank of New Zealand Economist – Economic Analysis:
Headline: Sporadic 7 – May 5 2015
[caption id="attachment_3709" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Tony Alexander, BNZ economist.[/caption]
Auckland has a housing shortage, and as illustrated last week, you can generate a large estimate of it very easily. In this issue of Sporadic we calculate the under-building of houses in Auckland since 1996, show how you can produce your own estimate of the shortage, graph the correlation between annual under-building and house price changes, and also graph the continuing rise in that under-building since 2002. The price implications of this simple analysis are clear. We also look at the two recent periods when Auckland house prices fell and postulate what it is that will cause the next period of decline.
Auckland Housing Shortage Again Sporadic 7 Well that was interesting. A refresher course in reading comprehension appears necessary for a number of journalists based upon some comments made in response to Sporadic 6. In that document last week I raised the issue of what is meant by the term “shortage” in the Auckland housing market, and introduced one definition of the number of houses needed to give the same household occupancy rate in Auckland as the rest of the country. One group responsible for forecasting a 40% collapse in NZ house prices in 2008 claimed it meant that was my estimate of what is needed to beat the current “crisis”. It wasn’t. What I aimed to show was that in any discussion of Auckland’s shortage there has to be agreement on what shortage means – and there is not. In fact lets undertake this little exercise. One common way of calculating the shortage is to pick a year, estimate Auckland population growth since then, calculate the number of houses needed to give an unchanging occupancy rate, then compare that with the numbers actually built and the difference is the shortage. The important assumption people make when running this exercise is that the starting year was when things were normal and enough construction is needed to get back to that year. There is little chance that your personal pick for that nirvana year of the good old days is the same as the person standing next to you, thus you will have different estimates of what the shortage is. So to calculate the shortage people must first of all agree on what year they want to take Auckland back to. As an aside, if someone has backcalculated the current Auckland region population and occupancy rates before 1996 could you send me the data please. I’d like to see when Auckland’s occupancy rate started deviating from the rest of New Zealand. In the table on the following page (see: full analysis document alongside each year we show the change in Auckland population from a year earlier, then the number of consents issued that year, adjusted downward 20% to allow for consents not taken up, consents for holiday homes, and demolition of existing houses. To help explain that adjustment here is a quote from a Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet report on housing. “Building consent data is used to estimate the rate of construction of new houses, with an assumption that only 80% of new building consents translate into net additions to the country’s occupied housing stock. The remaining 20% is accounted for by consents not acted on, holiday homes and by activity that is replacing deletions from the housing stock” (Ref. DPMC) If you go to the source link you’ll find a piece of analysis akin to what we did in Sporadic 6. Here is a link specifically on the NZ demolition rate from BRANZ. (Ref. see pdf.) (Download full analysis document here ( –]]>NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for May 05, 2015
This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 6 media release snippets and 4 links of the day from Tuesday 5th May.
Top stories in the news cycle today include the Labour Party calling for the Speaker to intervene over the use of zero-hour contracts in Parliament, the Government warning the Auckland Council that it may take over the consents process for Special Housing Areas, and the Prime Minister refuses to apologise to Parliament for repeatedly pulling a waitress’s ponytail.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
Parliament Workers On Zero Hour Contracts: The Government must take urgent action and insist the contractor who employs workers at Parliament on zero-hour contracts end these unfair work arrangements, Labour Leader Andrew Little says. “Speaker David Carter has confirmed in his reply to questions from Labour that nine staff are employed in the Parliamentary Precinct on zero-hour contracts. “Labour understands the contractor is the Australian cleaning and catering giant Spotless,” says Little.
Bill To Give Human Rights More Powers: A bill to give the Human Rights Commission greater flexibility in dealing with emerging human rights issues passed its second reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Amy Adams says the Human Rights Amendment Bill changes the composition, governance arrangements, functions and powers of the Commission.
World Military Experts Meet In Auckland: Best practice in peacekeeping is the aim of more than 28 military experts and eight observers from 23 countries gathering in Auckland this week. Hosted by the New Zealand Defence Force, the visiting delegates of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centres (AAPTC) were welcomed by Chief of Army Major General Dave Gawn. The theme for AAPTC 2015 is “Promoting Best Practices for Peace Operations Training”, with a focus on discussing respective training packages for use of force, rules of engagement and patrolling.
Leaders Appointed To Fight Cancer: Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says two new sector-based cancer leadership roles will ensure patients receive even better support and care. Clare Greensmith has been appointed National Lead for the cancer psychological and social support workforce initiative, and Heidi Watson takes up the role of Clinical Leader, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Network Aotearoa.
Labour: Auckland Ratepayers Pick Up Govt’s Bill: The Government’s failure to invest in infrastructure to service its Special Housing Areas is dumping massive costs on Auckland ratepayers, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says. Auckland Council has declined to approve three new Special Housing Areas on the city fringes, citing lack of investment in infrastructure to support the developments.
ANZ Strong Performance: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) 2015 half year results were released today, showing a strong performance for ANZ New Zealand with cash profit of NZ$841 million. Statutory profit was NZ$877 million, up 3% on the corresponding half in FY14. The result reflected market share growth in lending and deposits, confidence in the economy and continued productivity gains driven by the company’s simplification programme.
LINKS OF THE DAY
PROPERTY REPORT: Coordination between agencies has seen the Crown continue to reduce its property footprint and pay less for office space, State Services Minister Paula Bennett says. The Property Management Centre of Expertise (PMCoE) today released the fourth Crown Office Estate Report showing the Government is making good progress creating more effective, flexible and agile workplaces. The Crown Estate Report to 30 June 2014 can be found at:www.pmcoe.govt.nz
E-CIGARETTES GET WORLD STANDARDS: New world standards for electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and e-liquid published by AFNOR, the French standardisation and certification programme, add safety and accountability to the still unregulated market. While FDA regulated e-liquid ingredients from the US meet and exceed the new world standards, products sourced from China – where the majority of e-juice products in New Zealand come from – have no regulation or safety standards. Read more:
DEFENCE WHITE PAPER PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS: Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee welcomes the beginning of the public consultation process for the 2015 Defence White Paper, calling for New Zealanders to seize this opportunity to influence defence policy. The White Paper, which is intended to be published before the end of the year, will be the blueprint for how the Government plans to address the security threats, challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand over the next 25 years.Further information on the submission process and the public meeting schedule can be found at:
MARRIAGE PREFERED BY SAME SEX COUPLES OVER CIVIL UNION: The number of same-sex couples entering into civil unions dropped significantly in 2014, with couples opting to join in marriage instead, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the first full year of same-sex marriage registrations since the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 came into effect in August 2013. For more information click here:
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Tuesday 5th May 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>AUDIO & Text: PMW’s Alistar Kata talks media freedom in West Papua
MIL OSI Analysis – Pacific Media Centre/Pacific Media Watch
Alistar Kata speaking to 95bFM’s Nick Bond on the state of freedom of the press in West Papua. Image: PMCMonday, May 4, 2015
Item: 9256
AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Watch): The topic of discussion today on 95bFM’s Southern Cross programme was on the state of media freedom in West Papua. Coinciding with World Press Freedom Day on Sunday, there has recently been an international call for a much greater freedom of the press in West Papua. Pacific Media Watch’s Alistar Kata said there is “no access at all” for international journalists to report in the region and only some reporters were gaining entrance through tourist visas. But there has been an influx of support against the human rights’ abuses of Indonesian authorities on social media sites, which Kata said leaders and politicians around the region were “noticing”. “They feel obliged to speak up about it, so we are seeing the tides changing to where there is support from neighbouring countries,” she said. The most recent support for the Indonesian territory has come from Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) prime minister Peter O’Neill encouraging other Melanesian countries to speak out about the “oppression” of the Papuan people. Listen to Alistar Kata on Southern Cross – May 3
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. ]]>
INDONESIA: Press freedom deteriorates in the region, says RSF report
MIL OSI Analysis – Pacific Media Centre/Pacific Media Watch
Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat were imprisoned for breaching immigration regulations in West Papua last year. Image: Antara.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Item: 9257
JAKARTA (Jakarta Globe/ Reporters Without Borders/ Pacific Media Watch): Indonesia has dropped to 138th place in the latest World Press Freedom Index, as journalists declare police an enemy of free speech and activists call for an end to restrictions on news coverage in Papua. International non-profit group Reporters Without Border released in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day on Sunday a report that downgraded Indonesia from its previous position of 132nd place, out of 180 countries surveyed. Reporters Without Border, which promotes freedom of the press and information, considered the 2015 index an alarming reflection of the “worldwide deterioration” of both in 2014. “There was a drastic decline in freedom of information in 2014,” the Paris-based NGO said. “Two-thirds of the 180 countries surveyed for the 2015 World Press Freedom Index performed less well than in the previous year”. “Beset by wars, the growing threat from non-state operatives, violence during demonstrations and the economic crisis, media freedom is in retreat on all five continents,” they said. Police ‘enemy of press’ The Malang, East Java, chapter of Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) again declared the Indonesian police an enemy of the press, citing several cases of criminalisation against journalists, including the arrest of two French reporters in Papua and the naming of Jakarta Post editor-in-chief Meidyatama Suryodiningrat a criminal suspect over the publication of a caricature deemed offensive by some Muslim groups. “This is the fourth time the police have been labeled an enemy to the press since 2007,” said Eko Widianto, head of the Malang AJI chapter. “President Joko Widodo must conduct major reforms to change the police force.” Citing data from the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Eko pointed out 80 cases of criminalisation against Indonesian netizens for expressing their opinions via the Internet, with those targeted ranging from students and homemakers to activists and lawyers. Eko blamed Indonesia’s electronic information and transaction law, which was passed in 2008 and has since been deemed a threat to freedom of information. “(The law) has caused fear among people, preventing them from speaking up,” he said. The AJI called for an investigation into the unsolved murder cases of eight journalists, with the oldest, the murder of Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin dating back to 1997, and the latest, the death of Alfred Mirulewan, taking place in 2010. Media access to West Papua Eko also urged Indonesian officials to grant the media access to Papua and West Papua provinces, where local journalists are allegedly pushed by security forces to only write reports based on military and police directives. Foreign journalists are barred from both provinces, while those who are permitted to enter are closely watched by security personnel. The restrictions have even garnered scrutiny from international rights group Human Rights Watch. “The broad restrictions on reporting from Papua encourage security force abuses and profoundly undermine the public’s right to know what’s happening there,” said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director of HRW. “International Press Freedom Day is a golden opportunity for the Indonesian government to finally end its chokehold on foreign media access to Papua. “[The president] should deliver on his promise to end the severe restrictions on media access to Papua and allow both foreign and domestic media to operate there without interference. Nobody is going to believe the government has ‘nothing to hide’ in Papua until media can freely report from there.” Ranking of other countries Finland tops the list for five consecutive years, with three other Scandinavian countries — Norway, Denmark and Sweden — also dominating the top five positions, ranking second, third and fifth, respectively. The Netherlands is the only non-Scandinavian country in the top five. At the bottom of the list is Eritrea (180th), North Korea (179th), Turkmenistan (178th), Syria (177th) and China (176th). Meanwhile, North Africa and the Middle East have once again gained the status of “information black holes,” dominating bottom places in the rankings. Only Brunei and Thailand rank better than Indonesia among Southeast Asian countries, standing in 121st and 134th places respectively. Timor-Leste outranks the three nations in 103rd place. Cambodia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos and Vietnam all scored lower than Indonesia, while France is ranked 38th, the United States 49th, Japan 61st, Russia 152nd and Iran 173rd. Full Reports Without Border’s 2015 report
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. ]]>
Too many Kiwis waiting on waiting lists – Labour
MIL OSI – Source: Labour Party – Press Release/Statement Headline: Too many Kiwis waiting on waiting lists Waiting lists to get on waiting lists are the new norm for thousands of New Zealanders living with chronic health problems, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says. “The Government’s underfunding of the health sector is forcing district health boards to create all manner of loopholes to keep people off waiting lists for first specialist assessments and surgery. “Hawke’s Bay uses a 14-step process to assess the needs of orthopaedic patients there, with four ‘pathways’ to manage people back to their GPs. “In Taranaki some 884 patients with hip or knee problems were refused a first specialist assessment last year, up 142 per cent on 2012. “Thresholds for surgery also differ drastically, meaning different waiting times for patients with equal needs depending on where they live. “These are real people being left in limbo, not numbers on a spreadsheet. They have real issues that need resolving. “Keeping them in a holding pattern ensures they count for nothing. If current Health Minister Jonathan Coleman is going to do any better than his predecessor then he should look into what’s going on with our DHBs and their ‘waiting’ waiting lists. “I am calling on the Minister to ask the Auditor-General to do exactly that,” Annette King says. –]]>
Property Council reports: What’s happening in Australia?
MIL OSI – Source: Property Council New Zealand – What’s happening in Australia? With Australia’s east coast states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria all having recently gone to elections, the inevitable slowing of the policy process as new and returning Governments and Ministers find their feet has resulted in federal issues dominating the Shopping Centre Council of Australia’s (SCCA) attention for the first half of 2015. A swathe of reviews, inquiries and reports has reached critical points in recent months, many of which have the potential to significantly impact – both positively and negatively – the Australian shopping centre sector. Competition Policy Review With the groundwork of consultation having been laid throughout 2014, the Government’s Competition Policy Review Panel – tasked with undertaking a ‘root and branch’ review of Australia’s competition laws and policy – delivered its final report to the Government in March. The Panel has nominated a number of ‘priority areas for reform’, including shop trading hours liberalisation, planning and zoning laws, and pharmacy location and ownership rules. The Panel has also recommended significant changes to Australia’s competition laws, including on the misuse of market power, price signalling, third line forcing and exemptions for joint ventures. There could be considerable upside for the shopping centre sector if the Government accepted the Review Panel’s recommendations and worked with the states to drive reform. This is particularly true of the potential to liberalise retail trading hours across the country. The Minister for Small Business, Bruce Billson, has signalled that the Government will consult on the recommendations prior to responding and outlining a reform agenda. Senate Committee Inquiry In February, the SCCA appeared as a witness at a Senate inquiry into the need for a national approach to retail leasing (an interesting proposition considering that retail leasing across Australia is currently regulated through state and territory legislation). With a Terms of Reference which contained various anti-landlord propositions, including first rights of lease renewal for tenants, the report tabled by the Committee ended up being very balanced. The Committee made three broad recommendations: (1) The Australian Government should give due recognition to, and support, the work of Small Business Commissioners across the country, and encourage their establishment in remaining jurisdictions, (2) The National Retail Tenancy Working Group be re-established to develop a national disclosure statement, and (3) The Commonwealth should take a leadership role through Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to encourage the states and territories to move toward a harmonised approach to retail leasing. The Government has a number of months to consider and provide its response to the Committee report. The SCCA does not oppose these recommendations but does not consider them ‘game-changers’ either. Tax reform A major headline in Australia at the moment deals with tax reform, fuelled by the release of a Tax Discussion Paper by the Australian Treasurer, Joe Hockey in March. This is the first step towards to the preparation of a Green Paper, due later this year, and, ultimately, a White Paper which will form the basis of the Government’s tax policy leading into the next Federal election (anticipated in 2016). The Government is not ‘ruling anything in or out’ (except, apparently, changes to negative gearing arrangements on investments) and is welcoming feedback on all aspects of the tax system and ideas for change. Of particular interest to the shopping centre sector is the potential reform to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) (with New Zealand’s approach often referenced as a case study) and the future of state and territory-based conveyance duties and land taxes. We are also interested in seeing this process close the Low Value Threshold (LVT) GST exemption on imported goods under $1,000, which is well above New Zealand’s. The tax review process will be long and laborious, but it is a discussion worth having and the SCCA anticipates ensuring our sector’s view is heard. What next? While reform debates at the national level will keep the SCCA occupied over the coming months, policy momentum will inevitably begin to gather across the states and territories. Already the South Australian Government is progressing a comprehensive tax review process (independent of the Federal Review) and a review of its retail lease legislation, while Queensland has a planning reform agenda which needs to be revived by the recently elected Labor Government. The returned Liberals/Nationals Government in NSW is being urged by a number of stakeholders, including the SCCA, to progress a Retail Investment Policy and, in Victoria, attention will continue to be focussed on a review established by the new Labor Government into the former Government’s decision to provide exemptions for licensing requirements for real estate agents which are involved in the management or sale of large commercial property portfolios, including shopping centres. –]]>
MPI reports Northland farmer fined over cattle deaths
MIL OSI – Source: Ministry for Primary Industries – Northland farmer fined over cattle deaths
Govt dumps infrastructure costs on Auckland ratepayers – Twyford
MIL OSI – Source: Labour Party – Govt dumps infrastructure costs on Auckland ratepayers The Government’s failure to invest in infrastructure to service its Special Housing Areas is dumping massive costs on Auckland ratepayers, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says. Auckland Council has declined to approve three new Special Housing Areas on the city fringes, citing lack of investment in infrastructure to support the developments. “If the Government does not pay its fair share, that burden either falls on the ratepayer or developments get built without the infrastructure they need. “Two hundred thousand extra people, 80,000 new dwellings and 60,000 extra jobs are planned for Auckland’s North West, but the Government hasn’t thought about how these people are going to get to work. “They are splattering Special Housing Areas around the city, 84 in Auckland so far, without thinking about what it means for transport infrastructure. “Auckland’s North West Motorway already looks like a giant parking lot at peak hours. With such big planned population increases in the North West, SH16 will jam up altogether. “The Government should be investing in a dedicated busway on SH16 like the successful one on the North Shore which currently carries the equivalent of three lanes of traffic into the city every morning. “But having blown the national transport budget on wasteful projects, the Government has no money left to service the regions or Auckland’s growth. “Although developers are responsible for laying roads, power and water pipes inside their new developments – and Councils can levy them for a share of wider infrastructure costs –big new developments on the city fringes still impose a heavy cost on local government to connect these utilities. “The Government has blindly been pursuing its Special Housing Areas without thinking through the cost to the ratepayer,” Phil Twyford says. –]]>
Parliament workers on zero-hour contracts – Labour
MIL OSI – Source: Labour Party – Parliament workers on zero-hour contracts The Government must take urgent action and insist the contractor who employs workers at Parliament on zero-hour contracts end these unfair work arrangements, Labour Leader Andrew Little says. “Speaker David Carter has confirmed in his reply to questions from Labour that nine staff are employed in the Parliamentary Precinct on zero-hour contracts. “Labour understands the contractor is the Australian cleaning and catering giant Spotless. “Workplace Relations Minister Michael Woodhouse has said he will outlaw these nasty employment practises. Yet they are going on right under his nose – literally – the workers that prepare and serve him his meals. “There are now 18,000 fast food workers who are no longer subject to zero-hour contracts following public outrage. If these massive companies can quickly adapt, then there is no reason Parliament can’t. “I am today writing the Speaker to express my utmost concern about the vulnerable work conditions of these nine workers and will discuss it with him at a meeting tonight,” Andrew Little says. –]]>
Surgeons report Dog bite injuries an increasing burden for New Zealand
MIL OSI – Dog bite injuries an increasing burden for New Zealand Injuries caused by dog bites are an escalating problem for New Zealand, delegates to the 84th Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons have been told. A study conducted by Dr Olivia Hill, a former plastics registrar at Wellington Hospital, has shown that the prevalence of dog bite injuries at the Wellington Regional Plastics Unit is steadily growing, a problem which is reflected right across New Zealand. “In 2004, Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) data identified dog bite injuries as a major cost to both ACC and the taxpayer. “Our research has shown that in the ten years since this study, the number of cases per year has continued to rise and this is placing a considerable resource strain on our hospitals,” Dr Hill said. According to Dr Hill’s research, half of all dog bite wounds were inflicted to the face, although the site of injury was closely associated with the age of the patient. “Over a third of presentations are children under the age of ten, a trend that we are seeing nation-wide. Unfortunately, as these children are lower to the ground, they are much more likely to be bitten on the head and neck region. “It is much more common for adults to sustain bites to the limbs, usually on the arm, and usually as a result of trying to break up a dog fight. More education needs to be directed at children and safety in handling dog fights,” Dr Hill said. Dr Hill presented her research at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Annual Scientific Congress, which is being held between 4 – 8 May in Perth. Over a thousand surgeons from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) as well as international surgeons from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh are gathering at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre this week for a series of workshops, discussions, Plenaries and masterclasses across a broad range of surgical issues. The conference brings together the top surgical and medical minds from across New Zealand, Australia and the rest of the world and also pays tribute to the centenary of Gallipoli by analysing ethics and developments in surgery over the past 100 years, in war and peace time, as well as exploring what the future may hold in surgical progress. About the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) RACS is the leading advocate for surgical standards, professionalism and surgical education in Australia and New Zealand. The College is a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 7000 surgeons and 1300 surgical trainees and International Medical Graduates. RACS also supports healthcare and surgical education in the Asia-Pacific region and is a substantial funder of surgical research. There are nine surgical specialties in Australasia being: Cardiothoracic surgery, General surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic surgery, Otolaryngology Head-and-Neck surgery, Paediatric surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, Urology and Vascular surgery. www.surgeons.org ]]>
Stats NZ reports Same-sex couples opt for marriage over civil union
MIL OSI – Source: Statistics New Zealand – Same-sex couples opt for marriage over civil union The number of same-sex couples entering into civil unions dropped significantly in 2014, with couples opting to join in marriage instead, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the first full year of same-sex marriage registrations since the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 came into effect in August 2013. “New Zealanders registered 486 same-sex marriages in 2014, up from 209 in 2013,” population statistics manager Vina Cullum said. “Only 19 same-sex civil unions were registered to New Zealanders in 2014, down from 121 in 2013”. There were also 19,639 opposite-sex marriages registered to New Zealand residents in 2014, up from 19,028 in 2013. A further 2,507 opposite-sex marriages, and 391 same-sex marriages were registered to overseas residents. In 2014, 8,171 married and 63 civil union couples divorced. Just over one-third (35 percent) of couples who married in 1989 had divorced before their silver wedding anniversary (25 years). In New Zealand, an application for divorce can be made by either partner on the grounds that the marriage or civil union has broken down irreconcilably, provided a two-year separation requirement is satisfied. However, couples may be separated for longer than two years before divorcing or may separate and never formally divorce. Therefore, no same-sex marriages have yet been dissolved. See Marriages, Civil Unions and Divorces: Year ended December 2014 for more information. –]]>
Seeking nominations for Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards 2015
Nominations for the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards 2015 are now open. The awards celebrate excellence and innovation in Pacific arts in New Zealand. Nominations can be made by members of the public, and artists can also nominate themselves in the relevant category. The annual awards were established in 1996 and offer the public a chance to acknowledge artists who best characterise the richness and diversity of high-quality Pacific art in this country. Artists can be emerging or established, and practice either heritage or contemporary artforms. The categories for the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards 2015 are:
- Senior Pacific Artist Award ($10,000) – recognises the contribution of a senior established Pacific artist in maintaining or developing their artform in New Zealand.
- Pacific Contemporary Artist Award ($5,000) – recognises an artist who has demonstrated innovation within their artform. Artists must have a track record and have achieved in their chosen field. Recognition will be given to those who work in a unique artform, or those who continually push the boundaries of their practice.
- Pacific Heritage Arts Award ($5,000) – recognises an artist or cultural group who has made a major contribution to maintaining, reviving or promoting a Pacific heritage artform in New Zealand. This may include language, dance, traditional music, weaving or tatau.
- Iosefa Enari Memorial Award ($4,000) – recognises the contribution of the late Iosefa Enari to the arts, in particular his pioneering role in Pacific opera. This award supports the career development of an individual Pacific singer, musician or composer across all classical genres and career stages.
- Emerging Pacific Artist Award ($4,000) – recognises an emerging artist showing promise and potential in their chosen art form. The purpose of this award is to recognise achievement at this developmental stage ensuring that the artist will develop their career in their chosen field.
- Special Recognition Award ($5,000) – recognises the recipient’s special contribution to the standing, and standard, of Pacific Arts in New Zealand and/or internationally. This award recognises an individual whose work, influence and commitment have raised the standards, expectations and reputation of Pacific art and artists. It may be awarded for artistry across any art form or for arts management, and could be for a one-off or ongoing contribution to a local or international success story.
Pacific Parliamentarians focus on ending family violence
MIL OSI – Source: New Zealand Parliament – Pacific Parliamentarians focus on ending family violence Three New Zealand members of Parliament (MPs) joined members from across the Pacific and Australian Parliaments for the third Pacific Women’s Parliamentary Partnerships Forum in Suva, Fiji. The forum held last week had a particular focus on the role of legislators in ending family violence. The New Zealand MPs who participated were the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) New Zealand Co-Chair, Louisa Wall, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association New Zealand Chair, Jacqui Dean, and the newly elected Chairperson of the CWP Pacific Region Steering Committee, Poto Williams. Ms Dean contributed to a panel about legislative measures to prevent family violence. Ms Wall spoke on holding Governments to account on actions to end family violence, and the role of lawmakers was the topic of Ms Williams’ contribution. Both men and women parliamentarians discussed the devastating impact of violence, giving practical examples of solutions drawn from Australia, Pacific States and New Zealand. Members were motivated to continue to make positive change, but agreed that legislation on its own would not be successful in ending violence. It would also require funding sufficient to implement policy and legislative change, along with working effectively with families and communities, and non-governmental organisations. The annual forum is part of a wider programme called Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development. It supports the professional development of MPs and parliamentary staff, and helps women of the region to work together. It also supports research into gender equality and ways to make parliaments more gender sensitive. –]]>
Sharp quake north-west of Wanaka – Geonet
MIL OSI – Source: GeoNet Quake & Volcanic Alerts – Sharp quake north-west of Wanaka
Details
- At the shallow depth of 5km, this classes the earthquake as severe. Due to the distance from populated centres, it is not expected to be greatly damaging.
- The magnitude was reviewed from 6.0 to 5.8 upon reception and analysis of data from more remote stations throughout New Zealand.
Felt reports
It has been felt all over the bottom half of the South Island. Reports of strong shaking have come in from Queenstown, Dunedin, Cromwell, Invercargill, and of course Wanaka.Geological setting
There are no active faults in this part of New Zealand. It is unlikely to have ruptured the surface.Aftershock behaviour
The most likely prognosis is that there will be a number of smaller aftershocks less than magnitude 5.0, continuiing to decrease in size and frequency over the coming days. Last update 3:30pm on 4 May 2015Ministers must act on 111 failure – Labour
MIL OSI – Source: Labour Party – Ministers must act on 111 failure Lives are being put at risk if the company contracted to manage emergency 111 calls can’t cope with increased numbers, Labour’s ICT spokesperson Clare Curran says. “Saturday’s situation where people calling the emergency services were unable to get through and were instead cut off shows there’s something wrong with the system. “Imagine if there was a serious incident affecting a lot of people such as an earthquake, terrorism event or other disaster resulting in hundreds of calls to emergency services at once. “The ICT and Emergency Service Ministers should demand an explanation from Spark as to whether they are delivering on their service obligations. “If the fault lies with the contracted arrangements then it’s the government who should explain what went wrong and what they will do about it. “Emergency calls are not easy calls. The operator needs to stay with the person until they are dealt with. “We cannot compromise on our emergency services to keep costs down. If there isn’t enough capacity to manage the service under stress, we deserve to know. “The 111 calls cannot be another example of essential public services being compromised,” says Clare Curran. –]]>
Fruit fly high-risk zone reduced as operation heads into winter
MIL OSI – Source: Ministry for Primary Industries – Fruit fly high-risk zone reduced as operation heads into winter
Queensland Fruit fly. Image: MPI.[/caption]
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it is today relaxing the fruit and vegetable movement controls for some households in the centre of Auckland’s fruit fly zone.
Acting Chief Operations Officer Steve Gilbert says MPI is very confident about the exact location of the small population of the fruit fly in Grey Lynn.
“Because we are so certain about the location of the infestation, we can now safely reduce the size of the higher risk A Zone. This means some properties are far enough away from the population that they no longer need to adhere to the toughest fruit and vegetable controls.
“It’s important to note, though, that the restrictions on fruit and vegetable movements do still remain in force.”
All residents in the former A Zone will receive a letter notifying them of the change and the controls that will apply to them over the winter period. They will be able to check out where their home is on an interactive map on MPI’s website.
www.mpi.govt.nz
Mr Gilbert says it has now been almost two months since any sign of the Queensland fruit fly has been found in Auckland.
“This is good news, but it doesn’t mean the job is done. Fruit flies are not active in cooler weather, so while we expect that our controls have been successful, we won’t know for sure until spring when any flies still present would become active again.”
MPI’s field operations will reduce over winter, but they won’t stop.
“Residents may notice some changes in activity such as fewer backyard visits, although some visits will still need to take place to minimise any risk of fruit flies breeding in the area,” Mr Gilbert says.
The baiting programme, where MPI applied insecticide bait to all fruiting trees in the Controlled Area, will cease at the end of May. However, it may need to restart in spring, depending on trapping results.
Wheelie bins for fruit and vegetable waste disposal will be emptied less frequently, although this will still be at least weekly.
“Our surveillance traps will remain out as there may be some days over winter which are warm enough for fruit flies to fly. The traps will be checked less frequently, but any flies caught in the traps will be found,” Mr Gilbert assures.
“MPI would like to sincerely thank all residents of the Controlled Area for their help in this important response. We know it’s been inconvenient for many people and the community support is very much appreciated by both the Ministry and New Zealand’s horticultural industry.”
Man dies after being knocked off his kayak at Muriwai Beach
MIL OSI – Source: New Zealand Police – Man dies after being knocked off his kayak at Muriwai Beach At around 2pm yesterday afternoon, a man was kayaking approximately 100 metres off shore at Muriwai Beach on a sit-on-top Kayak.
NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for May 04, 2015
This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 6 media release snippets and 3 links of the day from Monday 4th May.
Top stories in the news cycle today include the Prime Minister set to face further questions about pulling a waitresses ponytail as he returns to Parliament this week, New Zealand commodity prices take their biggest dive in over six years, and Privacy Week starts today.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
Labour: Law Changes Needed For Privacy: The Government must speed up promised law changes to reassure the public their private information is in safe hands as the country marks Privacy Week, Labour’s associate Justice spokesperson Clare Curran said today “The previous Justice Minister Judith Collins announced much needed sweeping changes to the Privacy Act a year ago this month. They would give the Privacy Commissioner more powers to compel public and private sector organisations to report privacy breaches and new offences and fines for those who didn’t. We are yet to see any legislation appear “Instead, in Privacy Week we have the current Justice Minister Amy Adams urging people to protect their own privacy.
Commodity Prices Takes A Dive: New Zealand commodity prices had their biggest decline since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008, led by falling dairy product prices. The ANZ Commodity Price Index fell 7.4 percent in April, the biggest decline since October 2008, when it fell by the same amount. The latest decline has reversed most of the gains seen since the start of the year, with prices 15 percent lower than a year ago. Dairy product prices led declines, down 15 percent to be a third lower than a year ago, on weaker milk powder and butter prices. Fonterra Cooperative Group, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, last week cut its forecast payout to farmers for the current season to $4.50 per kilogram of milk solids from $4.70/kgMS, blaming volatile global commodity prices and an over-supply in international markets.
Oil Company Should Be Taken To Task: Mobil should be prosecuted for the recent oil spill in Tauranga Harbour, says New Zealand First Conservation Spokesperson Clayton Mitchell. “New Zealand First believes Mobil has grossly understated the amount of oil leaked into the harbour,” says Mr Mitchell, who lives in Tauranga. “We are concerned the company’s estimates are being accepted without independent verification.
Labour: Emergency Service Needs Fixing: Lives are being put at risk if the company contracted to manage emergency 111 calls can’t cope with increased numbers, Labour’s ICT spokesperson Clare Curran says. “Saturday’s situation where people calling the emergency services were unable to get through and were instead cut off shows there’s something wrong with the system. “Imagine if there was a serious incident affecting a lot of people such as an earthquake, terrorism event or other disaster resulting in hundreds of calls to emergency services at once. “The ICT and Emergency Service Ministers should demand an explanation from Spark as to whether they are delivering on their service obligations.
Fruit Fly Zone Decreased: The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it is today relaxing the fruit and vegetable movement controls for some households in the centre of Auckland’s fruit fly zone. Acting Chief Operations Officer Steve Gilbert says MPI is very confident about the exact location of the small population of the fruit fly in Grey Lynn. “Because we are so certain about the location of the infestation, we can now safely reduce the size of the higher risk A Zone. This means some properties are far enough away from the population that they no longer need to adhere to the toughest fruit and vegetable controls.
Green Party: Include Child Poverty In Budget: The Green Party is challenging the Government to make good on its promise to tackle child poverty in this month’s Budget, as its other promises fall by the wayside to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. “The Government has promised two key things from Budget 2015: a surplus, and action on child poverty. It’s already failed on its surplus goal and will be judged harshly if it fails to improve the lives of the quarter of New Zealand kids living in poverty,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.
LINKS OF THE DAY
CHANGE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE DISABLED: Disabled people still experience serious barriers that prevent them from fully participating in society and feeling accepted, according to two new reports. Based on interviews with disabled people, the reports share examples where people feel their human rights have not been respected. As well as sharing their experiences, the disabled people interviewed called for a change in attitudes to disability, greater awareness throughout society and a more accessible New Zealand for all. The reports are available online athttp://www.dpa.org.nz/page/130/NewZealandConventionCoalitionMonitoringGroup.html
WEST COAST LINK WORK UNDERWAY: Work is being done to improve a section of road vital for linking the South Island’s West Coast with Christchurch, says Transport Minister Simon Bridges. Construction starts today on the State highway 73 Mingha Bluff realignment near Arthur’s Pass. “This $22 million project will significantly improve the safety of locals and visitors travelling between Christchurch and Greymouth, and will also improve efficiency for business and freight,” Mr Bridges says. More information about the Accelerated Regional Roading Programme can be found here: http://www.transport.govt.nz/land/accelerated-regional-roading-package/
FRUIT FLY RISK AREA REDUCED: The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it is today relaxing the fruit and vegetable movement controls for some households in the centre of Auckland’s fruit fly zone. All residents in the former A Zone will receive a letter notifying them of the change and the controls that will apply to them over the winter period. They will be able to check out where their home is on an interactive map on MPI’s website: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/queensland-fruit-fly
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Monday 4th May 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>World Press Freedom Day: Fiji’s media still struggling to regain ‘free and fair’
Analysis by David Robie, Pacific Media Centre.
[caption id="attachment_3763" align="aligncenter" width="550"] A soldier votes in last year’s election restoring civilian rule in Fiji, where the media are still struggling to achieve freedom of the press. Image: Mads Anneberg/Pacific Media Centre, CC BY-ND.[/caption]
Media freedom has made great strides in Fiji. But the harsh Media Decree is still a spectre that needs removing, writes David Robie.
ANALYSIS: Almost eight months after the much-heralded election to usher Fiji back into democracy mode, the country will mark World Press Freedom Day today facing serious questions about its claims to have a free and fair media.
The harsh 2010 Media Industry Development Decree is still a spectre. Although Fiji has produced marked improvements over the past year, recognised by global freedom organisations, many challenges lie ahead.
The Multinational Observer Group’s final report on the September 17 election found the poll “credible” – as foreshadowed by its preliminary report in spite of critics’ cries of “fraud”. However, last month’s report also offers a raft of recommendations for improvement, including the news media.
Among these recommendations is a call for an independent watchdog for the Fiji Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA). The authority was spawned by the 2010 decree and played a mixed role during the general election.
Five months after the vote, Fiji was ranked 107th out of 179 countries listed in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index. The index is drawn up by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.
Fiji rose 10 places from the previous ranking in 2013. Major reasons for this improvement were the adoption of a new constitution on September 6 2013, widely criticised as it had been over many months, and the “free and fair” elections promised by the end of September 2014.
News media and civil society groups hoped that the election would open the door to a free media climate, which had been lacking since Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama’s military coup in December 2006.
Expanding the bounds of public debate Public debate has improved markedly over the past few months. News media have been relatively more robust in terms of published political comment and debate, particularly in news columns and in letters to the editor.
But civilian Prime Minister Bainimarama, who retired as rear-admiral last year, retains an autocratic streak. This was on show in a recent tirade against The Fiji Times for “irresponsible journalism” over the reporting of race-based education comments by Opposition Leader Ro Teimumu Kepa.
The Fiji Times strongly defended its editorial freedom.
A major problem previously has been a “divided media” and a professional leadership void left by the now-defunct Fiji Media Council. The council had been accused of “failing to handle ethical lapses and controversies satisfactorily or fast enough”.
Ricardo Morris, editor of Repúblika and president of the revived Fijian Media Association, spoke at the recent 20th anniversary conference of Pacific Journalism Review in Auckland about problems facing the media after the election. According to Morris:
It can be argued that such division was one reason it was easy for the military government to bring into force the Media Industry Development Decree in 2010. The government justified its actions with reference to some of the unscrupulous journalist practices that should rightly be condemned.
Morris also pointed out that the Fiji Media Council’s legacy continued in the form of a code of ethics for media workers embedded in the decree.
We realised a bit too late that we were all in this together despite our personal political views or those of the companies that we worked for. United we stand, divided we fall.
Constitution leaves media exposed In a joint submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s second universal periodic review, the Auckland-based Pacific Media Centre (PMC) and Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) argued that the constitution, described by the Fiji government as “coup proof”, still restricted freedom of the press in four particular areas.
The first criticism was that too much executive power had been placed with the offices of the prime minister and the attorney-general. They controlled nearly all appointments to the judiciary and independent commissions.
Secondly, the chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal would effectively be political appointments. This created a risk of abuse of power.
Thirdly, the Bill of Rights is weakened by “severe limitations on many rights”. In what is known as the “claw-back clause”, governments would simply need to show that a limitation is “reasonable”.
Previously, the state had clamped down on independent journalists, bloggers and netizens. This so-called claw-back clause makes them vulnerable to selective government pressure in the future.
Fourthly, the constitution provides few avenues for citizens to participate and ensure “good and transparent government”.
Signs of self-censorship but also hope While online commentaries and letters to the editor have featured more vibrant debate in recent months – both in the lead-up to the election and since – a climate of self-censorship continues.
The recent tragic killing of a leading Fiji journalist and gender issues advocate, Losana McGowan, allegedly by her partner, was greeted by surprisingly muted media responses about Pacific-wide domestic violence. Some commentators saw this as reflecting self-censorship. However, some statements on this issue surfaced this week and Bainimarama himself gave a strong speech on the topic when opening the Pacific Women Parliamentary Partnership Forum on Wednesday.
But there are hopeful signs on the horizon. These include the recent buy-out of the regional Islands Business news magazine by a group of feisty local journalists, including former Fiji Times editor-in-chief Netani Rika and current editor Samisoni Pareti.
This should strengthen what is arguably the most influential Pacific publication based in Fiji.
—
Professor David Robie is director of the Pacific Media Centre. This article was first written for The Conversation. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
About the authors:
PMC Director – Professor David Robie is an author, journalist and media educator specialising in Asia-Pacific affairs.
Pacific Media Centre PMC newsdesk – The Pacific Media Centre – TE AMOKURA – at AUT University has a strategic focus on Māori, Pasifika and ethnic diversity media and community development.
—
]]>NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for May 01, 2015
Last day of the week , 1st day of the 5 month of the year and here’s our Digest:
This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 8 media release snippets and 7 links of the day from Friday 1st May.
Top stories in the news cycle today include McDonald’s agreeing to scrap zero-hour contracts, the latest figures from QV for April showing Auckland’s average home value is now more than $800,000, and Parliament passes legislation increasing penalties for employers who exploit migrant workers.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
Labour: Unite Union and McDonalds Reach Solution: Unite Union and McDonald’s have given New Zealand a perfect way to celebrate May Day by reaching a settlement that strikes another blow against zero-hour contracts, Labour spokesperson for Labour Issues Iain Lees-Galloway says. “Earlier this week it looked like Unite and McDonald’s had reached an impasse in negotiations. “But rather than walking away, both parties remained in talks and worked together to reach a solution. That’s the exact opposite of what the Government has allowed to happen by removing the duty to conclude collective bargaining from New Zealand’s employment law.”
High Priced Auckland Homes: New figures put the cost of an average Auckland home at $800,000 and show large parts of the country facing stagnant or falling property values, Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says. “The QV data released today shows residential property values in Auckland have almost doubled, rising 48.1 per cent, since 2007. But house values are falling in 11 regions. “That equates to house prices in Auckland increasing at a rate of 14.6 per cent a year and a whopping 4.3 per cent in the past three months alone.
Challenge To Achieve Budget Surplus: Finance Minister Bill English is warning that achieving a budget surplus next year is becoming more difficult, with the Treasury forecasting tax revenue will be $4.5 billion lower over the next four years than was expected a year ago. In his traditional pre-budget speech to the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, English said the May 21 budget would show how very low inflation would eat into the tax take because the dollar value of all economic activity rises more slowly than when inflation is higher, meaning less total available taxable revenues. “The Treasury now expects nominal GDP (gross domestic product, a measure of economic activity) over the next four years through to 2019 to be around 1.5 percent lower than forecast in Budget 2014, mainly because of lower inflation,” English said. “That is about $15 billion less and, to put that in context, that is more than half the impact of the global financial crisis.
RBNZ Completes Licensing Non-Bank Deposit Takers: The Reserve Bank has completed the licensing of Non-bank Deposit Takers (NBDTs), with licences issued to 31 entities. Toby Fiennes, Reserve Bank Head of Prudential Supervision, said: “Completion of licensing puts in place another measure to help maintain the stability of New Zealand’s financial system.” The Reserve Bank has powers to monitor NBDTs and intervene should an NBDT become distressed or fail. You will find more information on this in the “Links” section of our Digest.
$298m For Public Private Partnership Schools: Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye say the signing of a $298 million contract for four more public private partnership (PPP) schools will see significant benefits for schools and taxpayers alike. “The contract for the schools, which will be located in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown, was signed this week with building consortium Future Schools Partners,” says Ms Parata. Under a PPP, the private partner is responsible for designing, financing, building and maintaining the school property.
MPI Fee Update: On 1 July 2015, updated fees and changes to the way the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) recovers costs for its services from businesses and industries will come into effect. Changes and updated fees are a result of a recent review of cost recovery, which MPI consulted on in February this year. Throughout consultation, MPI held 21 consultation meetings around the country and received a total of 247 submissions.
Take Precautions When Making Donations: Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew is warning New Zealanders to be alert for unscrupulous people who exploit the public’s generosity following the earthquake disaster in Nepal. “New Zealanders’ swift response to the appeals set up to provide assistance to victims of the Nepalese earthquakes has been incredible. It is a real tribute to New Zealand’s generosity and sympathy for those facing a terrible disaster,” Mrs Goodhew says. “However experience shows that although the vast majority of fundraising is genuine, the public should be mindful of people fundraising fraudulently “I encourage New Zealanders to donate to well-established registered charities that have the experience and infrastructure needed to provide disaster-relief assistance.”
New Body Armour For Corrections Officers: All frontline Corrections officers are to get new lightweight stab-resistant body armour, Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has announced. As part of the Corrections Staff Safety Programme, 3,500 stab-resistant vests are to be rolled out to all frontline custodial staff from next month. “While stabbing incidents involving frontline staff are low, it is a priority for our government to keep our Corrections officers safe,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.
LINKS OF THE DAY
31 LICENSES ISSUED BY RBNZ: The Reserve Bank has completed the licensing of Non-bank Deposit Takers (NBDTs), with licences issued to 31 entities. The following links have more information:
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/regulation_and_supervision/non-bank_deposit_takers/register/index.html
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/regulation_and_supervision/non-bank_deposit_takers/3857993.html
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/regulation_and_supervision/non-bank_deposit_takers/licensing/
NEW FEES FOR MPI: On 1 July 2015, updated fees and changes to the way the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) recovers costs for its services from businesses and industries will come into effect. More details here: http://mpigovtnz.cwp.govt.nz/law-and-policy/legal-overviews/updated-fees-charges/
PETROL PRICE JUMP: Rising commodity prices mean the price of 91 octane petrol has risen over $2 per litre for the first time since early December, says AA PetrolWatch. The price of petrol rose 10 cents during April, to end the month on $2.03 per litre at most outlets. Diesel rose 9 cents to $1.29 per litre in the main centres, not including those locations discounting prices. For more information, go to: www.aa.co.nz/petrolwatch
RBNZ HIGHLIGHTS CAPITAL MARKETS: The Reserve Bank today published an article in the Reserve Bank Bulletin that describes New Zealand’s capital markets, and the role they play in the functioning of financial markets and the real economy. More information: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research_and_publications/reserve_bank_bulletin/2015/
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Friday 1st May 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>Keith Rankin – UK: First-Past-the-Post will be the Winner on the Day
By Keith Rankin. Also published on TheDailyBlog.co.nz.
On Friday (our time) we will be witness to 650 simultaneous Northland-style first-past-the-post (FPP) elections. FPP will be the winner of the United Kingdom general election. The outcome of the overall election will be a lottery, determined largely by the distribution of votes for losing candidates in constituencies where the winning candidate does not secure a majority of the votes.
More than half of these 650 constituency elections will be a foregone conclusion, which means that votes there will be a voluntary opinion poll. These are no-contest elections; what Northland would have been, had Winston Peters not run. Most of the rest could be proper contests between two candidates, at least if people vote – as they did in Northland – as if it was a two-candidate contest. Some of the remaining constituencies will be genuine three-candidate contests.
In this FPP system the typical result is one party gaining an overall majority of seats while gaining about 37% of the overall national vote. (In 2005 Labour gained a comfortable overall majority with 35% of the vote, and about 21% of the eligible franchise.) So don’t be surprised if the Tories get returned with an overall majority of MPs this time; they are polling 36%. They surprised before in 1970 and 1992.
Interestingly, the UK has had a few episodes in its post-war history of minority government despite the single-party bias of FPP. In 1964 Labour formed a minority government, eventually calling another election in 1966. These three years were glory years for Britain, at least if its music is anything to go by.
On my OE I arrived, aged 20, at Southampton in May 1974. That February there had been an election in which Labour got four more MPs than the Tories, and formed what was effectively a caretaker government. In the ensuing October election, Labour gained a majority of 3 seats, and a margin of 42 over the Tory Conservatives. In 1977 that majority was whittled away through by-elections, resulting in the Lib-Lab pact, a governing arrangement between Labour and the Liberals that presaged modern governing arrangements in New Zealand.
That 1977 Lib-Lab government was one of the best in the UK’s post-war history, sullied however by Dennis Healey’s foray into monetarism. Further, in 1979 Labour’s real achievements in getting through the serious economic and financial crises that it inherited were not recognised. For the incumbent pragmatist government, the 1979 election in the UK was much like the 1984 election in New Zealand.
Since 1979, the United Kingdom has featured a long sequence of right-wing governments, with only Gordon Brown’s 2007-10 administration breaking that mould. In 2015 I am not sure whether a Miliband-Balls Labour government would qualify as left of centre. My feeling is that such a government could be too much like the unlovely French ‘Socialist’ Hollande-Valls regime. Further, Ed Miliband does remind me of David Cunliffe, who did not really have the common touch required of a leader of the left. Actually I think the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon looks more Prime Ministerial.
The saving grace of a Labour-led government next weekend would be the almost certain necessity of a substantial SNP (Scottish National Party) contribution. They – and the Greens who may lose their one MP – seem to be the only parties offering left-wing fiscal policies. This puts Labour in a difficult position, given that the SNP look likely to displace most of Scotland’s remaining Labour MPs. Miliband continues to deny that he will need the support of SNP to form a government.
What will happen if Labour, SNP and the surviving Lib-Dems gain just enough seats to build a three-way coalition? If so, it is likely that the Tories could also form a less squabblesome government with either of these. The Tories could then make some interesting concessions possibly forming a fiscally left administration not unlike that of Shinzō Abe in Japan. Alex Salmond possibly is the Winston Peters of the UK; might he become Chancellor of the Exchequer as Peters became Treasurer (and a good one) in 1996?
It’s an intriguing time in British politics; in the land whose flag we fly as part of our own but whose electoral system we have largely disowned. Yet we are strangely uninterested in the politics of the land of (most of) our ancestors and of our identity.
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]]>Radio: NZ Report to Australia – New Zealand Government Moves To Privatise Thousands of State Owned Homes
Selwyn Manning delivers this week’s NZ Report on FiveAA Australia’s breakfast show with Dave Penberthy, Mark Aiston, and Jane Reilly. In this bulletin: NZ Government moves to privatise thousands of state houses + Lorde causes controversy after holding Taylor Swift’s foot… Recorded live on 1/05/15 on EveningReport.nz and FiveAA Australia. ITEM ONE: (ref. LiveNews.co.nz ) – The National-led Government has sent its strongest message yet that it intends to privatise thousands of state owned houses in the greater Auckland region. Previous governments have viewed state housing as the backbone of New Zealand’s rental housing market. Millions of New Zealanders, including the current prime minister, grew up in state owned homes, where affordable rents helped their families to get ahead. But yesterday (Thursday) New Zealand’s finance minister Bill English announced the Nationals will sell off around 3000 state homes to a new company, which it owns jointly with Auckland Council. It is the first wave of disinvestment planned for the next ten years. Last week the Government approved a $200 million loan to the new company for it to purchase the homes off the Government. Under the current law, state house tenants pay only a percentage of the household income in rent. By shifting the state’s housing stock across to business ownership, it can demand, should it wish, market rents from tenants. The Government currently owns 1 in 16 homes in Auckland. Bill English said yesterday the new social housing company will turn 2800 state homes into 7500 new homes – two thirds of those will be sold to private homeowners and landlords, the remaining third will remain with the new social housing company. When the Nationals were last in Government in the 1990s it had commercialised the state housing corporation and operated a policy called ‘market rents for state house tenants’. The policy was tossed out in 2000 by Labour after the policy led to overcrowding, illness, and general poverty. But yesterday, the Finance Minister said: “… we need to do a better job with them for the sake of tenants and aspiring homeowners, as well as for the neighbourhoods they live in and the wider city.” ITEM TWO: (ref. NZHerald ) – New Zealand’s international singing sensation Lorde has created quite a mystery after a photo was released of her holding onto US performer Taylor Swift’s foot! The photo went viral on social media this week. The photo shows Lorde resting on the ground, holding onto Taylor Swift’s foot, while the latter sat on a tandem tricycle surrounded by friends. Personally, I can’t see what the big deal was, but millions around the world seemed to think it was a signal that Swift and Lorde were more than just friends. But then, as a Kiwi reporter said yesterday, perhaps Swift couldn’t balance on the trike for the photo so Lorde was just helping her out. New Zealand Report broadcasts live on FiveAA Australia and webcasts on EveningReport.nz, LiveNewws.co.nz, and ForeignAffairs.co.nz. –]]>
NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for April 30, 2015
This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 4 media release snippets and 5 links of the day from Thursday 30th April.
Top stories in the news cycle today include Fonterra’s decision to cut its forecast payout to dairy farmers by 20 cents to $4.50 per kilogram of milk solids, a rise in the uptake of HomeStart and the transfer of 2800 Housing New Zealand properties to the Tamaki Redevelopment Company, and international responses to the execution of 8 convicted drug smugglers in Indonesia – two of whom were Australian citizens.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
OCR Kept At 3.5%: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept the official cash rate at 3.5 percent and said it may have to lower the rate should demand and inflationary pressures track lower than would be consistent with its inflation target. Governor Graeme Wheeler changed his language compared to the March 12 monetary policy statement, dropping any reference to the possibility of rate hikes, repeating that the kiwi dollar is unjustifiably and unsustainably high and painting a weaker picture of trading partner growth. “The timing of future adjustments to the OCR will depend on how inflationary pressures evolve in both the non-traded and traded sectors,” Wheeler said. “It would be appropriate to lower the OCR if demand weakens, and wage and price-setting outcomes settle at levels lower than is consistent with the inflation target.”
Government Shows Way Forward For Tamaki: Ownership and management of approximately 2800 Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) properties at Tamaki will be transferred to the Tamaki Redevelopment Company (TRC) to encourage regeneration of the area, Finance Minister Bill English and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith say. On the other hand Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. transfer of 2800 state houses to the Tamaki Redevelopment Company shows its desperation to off-load state houses and show some kind of action against Auckland’s out of control housing crisis
Air NZ Celebrates 75yrs: Air New Zealand is celebrating 75 years of flying today with birthday festivities including a mid-air game show, a chance for customers to win back their fare, and a themed flight across the Tasman.
Benefits Of Sharing Information: Social Development Minister Anne Tolley and Revenue Minister Todd McClay say that taxpayers will soon be saving millions of dollars each year as a result of more efficient use of data from information sharing. Improved automation of Ministry of Social Development systems from late 2015, away from a manual service, will allow it to identify overpayments of benefits much more quickly, so that they can be corrected sooner. It is estimated that this more effective way of working will lead to Crown savings of around $100 million a year by 2018.
LINKS OF THE DAY
ONLINE FORUM FOR 2018 CENSUS : For the first time, New Zealanders are being encouraged to go online to say what they think should be asked in the next census, with a new online discussion forum on www.stats.govt.nz. The six-week discussion forum has been set up as part of wider consultation on the content of the 2018 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings. Census General Manager Denise McGregor says it is the first time Statistics NZ has engaged online about the census with the public. For more information go to: http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2018-census/prelim-content.aspx
HIGH NUMBER OF DWELLINGS IN MARCH: The number of new dwellings consented was 14 percent higher in March 2015 than in March 2014, Statistics New Zealand said today. This was the highest number of new dwellings consented in a March month since 2006. “Townhouses, units, and retirement villages have driven the increase in new dwelling consents over the past year,” business indicators manager Neil Kelly said. For more information about these statistics:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/Construction/BuildingConsentsIssued_HOTPMar15.aspx
TRACKING YOUR PROPERTY ONLINE: HomeOversite, a free online tool launched today makes it easier for homeowners to keep track of anything to do with their home and other properties. Lauren McKay, HomeOversite Managing Director, says the tool will fill a gap in the market by providing an online property file and service tool – a place to record anything relating to your property. “The tool will help homeowners to record anything from what paint colours they used to the contact details of the chimney sweep they used last year. There’s an easy set and forget maintenance schedule so homeowners don’t have to worry what they should be doing and when. The online tool will also remind users when any maintenance or insurances are due or when any warranties are about to expire.” To find out more visit: www.homeoversite.co.nz
25 YEAR FARMING RECORD BROKEN: Timaru-based farmers, Warren and Joy Darling have entered the renowned book of Guinness World Records, after producing the world’s largest crop of barley – breaking a 25 year record. The couple produced a staggering 13.8 tonnes of barley per hectare – smashing the previous record of 12.2 tonnes, which has been held by a Scottish grower, Gordon Rennie of Stockton Park Ltd, since 1989. Read more at:http://www.cropscience.bayer.co.nz/Articles/Bayer%20innovation%20helps%20secure%20world%20record%20barley%20harvest.aspx
OMBUDSMAN SUPPORTS INSURANCE LAW ADJUSTMENT: Insurance & Savings Ombudsman, Karen Stevens, supports a law change to help consumers who accidentally leave out information when applying for insurance. About 10% of complaints to the Insurance & Savings Ombudsman Scheme involve people who have insurance claims declined, or their entire policy “avoided” (i.e. treated like it never existed), because they left out information on the insurance application. “The two most common things people fail to disclose are their pre-existing medical conditions (39%) and any criminal convictions (29%),” says Karen. “Some cases are clear, where people deliberately leave out information they were asked to provide, knowing that it will go against them. However, in other cases, people accidentally leave out information because they have forgotten, or do not realise it is important”. Download more from this information sheet: http://iombudsman.org.nz/assets/Uploads/what-you-need-to-tell-your-insurer.pdf
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Thursday 30th April 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>Keith Rankin on Meaningful Opportunities for Young Men
By Keith Rankin – This article was also published on Scoop.co.nz.
[caption id="attachment_3716" align="alignleft" width="300"] Provider, creator, adventurer, and warrior.[/caption]
ON APRIL 28 (New Zealand population dynamics before and after WW1) I noted the special demographic circumstances of the years immediately prior to World War 1. Here I would like to extend the argument that young men in particular need constructive or otherwise meaningful roles inside or outside of their societies, and that quite serious social problems can occur when such opportunities are absent. The cohort of young men born between 1887 and 1897 – the WW1 cohort – were such a demographically superfluous group for whom that war created some sort of role that gave meaning to their lives.
While the words ‘testosterone’ and ‘competition’ cover much of what I will say, we should note that men evolved with testosterone-fuelled ambitions for reasons, and that societies’ that fail to create appropriate opportunities for the young stand to face consequences that we tend to dismiss as unknowable unknowns.
I posit that there are four essential forms of young male self-expression, that almost all young men (let’s say aged 15 to 30) require at least one of these forms of self-expression in order to make their existence meaningful, and that different men require different roles within these categories. The roles I have identified are: provider, creator, adventurer, and warrior.
The provider role can be classed as the economic imperative; making money to support a present or future family through a career or a business. Here being ‘competitive’ means being able to secure such a role.
We may think of the economy as a game of musical chairs, where sometimes there are sufficient chairs for all young men, though usually there is an insufficiency that expands and contracts through the economic cycle. If five young men live on a farm that can only productively employ two, then there are three men whose inherent make-up requires that they find other opportunities. As in the countryside, casual work in cities is tantamount to no meaningful work. Zero-hour contracts and the like may enable young men to exist in their parents’ homes, but they are may not living in ways that their biology requires them to live.
The second ‘creator’ imperative does not necessarily require creation within a market context. It covers both the ‘builder’ concept (making things) and the more artistic, literary or scientific concept of creativity. This role tells us that there can be opportunities for publicly-oriented creativity, and it is in this area that a modern post-industrial (and increasingly post-market) society must look to as a way of creating roles for young men. Creation is by its nature competitive, in that only some creations will be widely valued. But the process of creative occupation can be satisfying even for those who do not gain public recognition. It’s a ‘striving for excellence’ process that can facilitate a good and valuable life for a man whether or not that excellence is achieved or acknowledged.
The adventurer imperative is that of individual risk-taking, and can be fulfilled through a journey (or journeys) in distant places. Or it can be fulfilled through thrill-seeking activities such as mountain climbing or parachuting or motorcycling or running with bulls in Spain. Here the competition may be with nature, or through encounters with different people and different cultures. This role also includes the martial arts, boxing and other individualist sports; essentially competitive individual activities through which ‘manhood’ might be demonstrated.
The warrior imperative is that of finding a role within a ‘team’ of people whose purpose is to fight. In this role, a young man is happy to play a subservient role as ‘just one of the team’, is willing to take hits for his mates (even dying for their cause), and is prepared to hit (indeed kill) as part of forging his identity within that team context. (This is what Buffy Sainte-Marie meant by the ‘Universal Soldier’.) Competition here takes the form of group rivalry. This imperative is for the most part satisfied in modern societies through organised team sport; in both playing and supporting roles. It may also be satisfied through violent activities such as hunting deer or wild pigs with mates.
If these biological imperatives are denied to young men in constructive capacities, then they will emerge is destructive ways. Young men may be itching to go to war, not really caring who they are fighting or why. Bright young men may turn to crime, even (or perhaps especially) violent crime. Adventurous crime represents necessary risk-taking activities, including the known risk of facing capital punishment in a foreign country. Crime of course may also satisfy frustrated economic motives, and may involve a considerable amount of creativity. Suicide is another consequence of societies’ inabilities to create meaningful opportunities for young men.
What are the circumstances in which there are unusually large numbers of young men unable to satisfy their biological imperatives in socially constructive or acceptable ways? Certainly demographic imbalances represent one such circumstance where societies must find constructive post-education roles for their young.
Another important circumstance of excess unfulfilled youth is that of an austere economic environment. Austerity can be understood as an extremely competitive game of musical chairs in which many chairs are withdrawn; opportunities to fulfil especially the provider imperative are severely constrained. This happens under conditions of both private and public austerity, and is especially problematic when private households, businesses and governments are all trying to be austere in their spending habits at the same time. (Business austerity tends to be a consequence of households saving too much and governments spending too little, but can occur autonomously.)
In this context we can see the austerity economics of Europe’s Eurozone as creating a dangerous undercurrent of hopelessness among too many of Europe’s young men. One result is the re-emergence of extremist politics and of ethnically-based gangs, as too many young men need something or someone to fight against. And we see it in the riots that too easily develop in American cities; tinder-boxes of young men with nothing fulfilling to do and nowhere to go.
We also see the enigma of increased risky economic migration from Africa to the very Europe that is itself in deep trouble with its young men. The phenomenon of the African boat-people – disproportionately young men – is not a simple consequence of poverty in Africa. African countries have had the fastest growing economies in the world in recent years. They have also had among the highest rates of population growth over the last few decades. Economic growth destroys as well as creates opportunities; hence the high levels of economic migration from the British Isles and Europe in the nineteenth century. A high population of young men unable to satisfy their provider and creator needs turn to adventure; depressed but wealthy Europe is their ‘new world’, and they knowingly risk death to experience something other than meaningless poverty in their homelands.
Finally here, the biggest geopolitical event this decade is the rise of the Islamic State. It’s too easy to see this as essentially a war of religion. But it may be better understood as a war of the young; young people attracted to something romantic of their own creation; young people with Islamic backgrounds creating places for themselves in a world that otherwise seems to have no place for them.
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]]>Milk cow blues: dirty dairy costs NZ dear, but methane cuts might work
MIL OSI Analysis – Source: Hot Topic – By Gareth Renowden – Analysis published with permission of Hot-Topic.co.nz Headline: Milk cow blues: dirty dairy costs NZ dear, but methane cuts might work THERE’S GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS for New Zealand’s dairy industry this week. On the one hand, research has found a number of compounds that can cut methane emissions from ruminants (cows and sheep) by up to 90% by reducing populations of the bacteria that produce the gas. On the other hand, research into the external costs of dairying — the costs not currently born by dairy companies — suggest that dairying’s value to the NZ economy may amount to a “zero sum” game. At the very least the national income generated by dairy sales is significantly offset by the costs of remediating the environmental impacts caused by that farming — costs that are born by the general tax payer, not agribusiness — according to a team from Massey University. The good news on methane was announced this week at the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Conference 2015. Agresearch Principal Scientist Dr Peter Janssen told Radio NZ:
It’s a very exciting result but there’s still a lot of checking to be done before you actually get something that a farmer can use safely.Interviewed by the NZ Herald, Dr Rick Pridmore, chairman of the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, was upbeat:
The results are significant for two reasons. First, because they work on livestock consuming a grass-based diet and, second because the short-term trials showed such dramatic results,” he said.However, it might take up to 5 years for these treatments to reach farmers, as the compounds are tested for the possibility of residues in meat and milk. Cutting methane emissions might reduce diary farmers’ liability under an emissions trading scheme that included agriculture — they are at present excluded — but would have no impact on the other external costs calculated in a new paper, New Zealand Dairy Farming: Milking Our Environment for All Its Worth, which suggests that the costs of repairing the environmental damage done by intensive dairying approaches the value generated by the activity. One of the authors, Dr Mike Joy told Stuff:
A strong message from the study is that avoiding pollution is far cheaper for everyone than trying to clean it up afterwards and there is now ample evidence that farmers can make more profit and pollute less when not myopically chasing increased production.Unsurprisingly, the costs calculated in the paper are vigorously contested by farming organisations and some academics, but will chime with New Zealanders concerned that the rapid expansion of industrial dairying is significantly degrading important rural environments and chipping away at what’s left of NZ’s so-called clean green image. [The Kinks] ]]>
New laws to better protect New Zealand’s business reputation – Government
Israelis & Palestinians hold grassroots negotiatations in Tel Aviv
Of course, neither the Israeli nor the Palestinian participants are in any way authorized or accredited to negotiate and sign a binding agreement. Still, the fact of grassroots Israelis and Palestinians being able to sit down, negotiate all the serious and contentious issues and reach agreement – also, and especially, in the present situation – should serve as a model and stimulant to decision-makers on both sides to hold officially-authorized negotiations, reach an agreement – and implement it on the ground. The congress is co-chaired by Dr. Sapir Handelman – an Israeli who received the Peter Becker Award in Peace & Conflict Studies; and Mr. Wisam Seder – a well-known Palestinian athlete and educator. This event is an important step towards the establishment of a major Israeli-Palestinian Grassroots Negotiating Congress with political power. The congress is designed to involve the people in the peacemaking efforts and motivate the leaderships to conclude agreements. The Minds of Peace Organization has successfully led 26 small-scale Israeli-Palestinian public negotiating congresses around the US and Canada, in the Middle-East, and in open public places in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. In nearly all of the congresses, the delegations succeeded in reaching peace agreements. This is an highly significant result, considering that the various delegations included people with widely different political views and from all walks of life. To view the agreements and videos visit: www.mindsofpeace.org and facebook: ‘minds of peace’ – – ]]>
