Category: imported_weekly
Submissions on the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill close next week on Thursday July 26th. All New Zealanders should be asking whether they are happy with the performance of their local council – if not, here is an opportunity to have a say. Submissions can be made on-line here >>>
In spite of the dedication and hard work of tens of thousands of New Zealanders - and the support of hundreds of thousands - sadly, we have been unable to gather enough signatures to trigger a nation-wide referendum on restoring Crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed.
Next week the Waitangi Tribunal will be hearing the Maori Council’s claim for the ownership of New Zealand’s freshwater. To most people, water, like air, is part of a natural cycle and is regarded as a ‘common good’ –managed by the Crown on behalf of us all, through Regional Councils.
There is a strange irony about New Zealanders. While some are extremely vocal in opposing foreign ownership of land or assets, many turn a blind eye when a foreign group like the United Nations effectively takes over aspects of our governance and institutional arrangements.
There is no doubt that reform of local government is long overdue. Ratepayers up and down the country have long expressed their anger over the management of local government. From excessive rate rises and excessive debt, to attacks on private property rights, unwarranted costs and restrictions, the imposition of race-based representation… the list of concerns is endless.
National’s back down last week over school staffing cuts was a significant victory for the union movement. Two of the country’s most powerful unions - the New Zealand Educational Institute and the Post Primary Teachers Association - flexed their muscles and the government caved in. This is bad news for not only for children and parents but for the long term future of the country, since improving workforce skills is crucial for faster economic growth and rising living standards
The reality is that a group of radical Maori sovereignty activists had come together with extreme environmentalists and so-called peace campaigners in the Ureweras, to support the Tuhoe “cause”. Combined they created a potent mix of anti-establishment fanatics and career protestors with a potential for revolutionary action.
An annual budget is the main statement of the government’s overall economic and social programme. In his budget speech the Minister of Finance Bill English explained that the National-led government has three main priorities: to build a more productive and competitive economy, to deliver better public services, and to continue the rebuilding of Christchurch.
This year’s budget is to be released on Thursday. It will be delivered against a backdrop of increasing global economic uncertainty, particularly in the Eurozone. Greece is unable to form a government and a withdrawal from the Euro is looking increasingly likely - maybe even from the European Union itself. Youth unemployment has hit 50 percent in both Greece and Spain, while the number of people out of work in the Eurozone as a whole is at a 15-year high of over 17 million. There are concerns over Spain’s banking system, Portugal is sinking deeper into recession, Italy is still not out of the woods, and France has just elected a socialist President who believes that he can spend his way out of his country’s economic woes.
Poverty advocates are crying foul over the fact that the government is even raising the idea of linking the immunisation of children to benefit receipt, even though it is an established practice that works well in many other countries. This is a discussion that is taking place in the wider context of the government’s initiative to better protect vulnerable children. Requiring beneficiaries to immunise their children – unless they are opposed for conscience reasons - is surely part of their obligation as parents. Those who fail to do so are putting their children at risk.
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