Category: imported_weekly

In today’s extremely competitive business environment, unions, which all too often prevent businesses from meeting the challenges of the global marketplace, no longer have a place. To survive, firms need to be increasingly flexible, competitive, and innovative – all things that are virtually impossible in a highly unionised workplace.

It’s been a difficult few weeks for the government. Two developments have been causing headaches. The first, the leaking of documents that raised concerns that New Zealand might be being used as a tax haven. The second was the news that high profile Maori leaders were joining the fight against the Kermadec Islands Ocean Sanctuary.

In this politically correct world, our right to free speech is increasingly being eroded by the apparent rights of others who disagree. State broadcaster Television New Zealand came under attack last month, when they were accused of including a ‘racist’ question in their new Kiwimeter survey.

The water debate is heating up, with orchestrated attacks on water bottling companies. Maori leaders want a price on water. With the resource estimated to be worth $35 billion a year, once they gain control from National, they will claim royalty payments for future use and compensation for lost revenue.

Quite how Dr Smith can reconcile his extraordinary reassurance at the meeting that the Government’s proposals “won’t give iwi any decision-making role”, with the clear recommendations in his consultation paper and speech that they iwi will, is hard to fathom. But it does demonstrate his single-minded determination to ensure the Maori sovereignty movement’s goal of tribal control of fresh water becomes law.

But do the 12,000 people who signed the petition represent the views of all New Zealanders? We have set up a petition to give voice to those who are opposed to a new commemoration day to mark the land wars.

Parents have always gone to great lengths to impress on their children that education is the key to the future. According to this age old wisdom, those who are well educated can look forward to good jobs and higher wages.

The National Government has prioritised social reform. While addressing persistent social failure is a long-term process, their approach has been to use technological advancements to develop accountability measures and to provide open access to leading-edge information in an attempt to find genuine and long-lasting solutions.

Love him or hate him, John Key is one of New Zealand’s most successful Prime Ministers. Whether he becomes New Zealand’s longest serving PM remains to be seen. But his poll ratings have remained high, and to date, he has managed the high-wire act of governing in an MMP environment adeptly.

Last Saturday, National launched their controversial water discussion document at a Party conference at Lake Tekapo. By announcing the major reform of the country’s system of freshwater management at a remote location on a weekend, National will have ensured that that most New Zealanders are unaware that a public consultation and submission process is now underway.