NZ Pay rates.

Stuff: Aussies launch jobs raid on NZ

Most interesting to note from this article. "Of those new positions, about 3000 will be in the Australian capital Canberra where statistics reveal average pay rates are more than 50 per cent higher than in Wellington."

One of the things I find hardest to swallow in NZ, particularly now under Labour, is the assertion that because we have low pay rates we need to administer welfare. Surely the whole principal of WFF only serves to show that people are not paid enough in this country. How can a Govt defend paying a teacher, police person or a nurse so little that it is insufficient to raise a family. Which by administering WFF to these same people it is surely trying to do.

Now Canberra is a Govt town. Its bars and cafes wax and wane to the beat of the Govt pay cycle. If pay rates are 50% higher in Canberra then its a reasonable assumption that Govt pay rates are about 50% higher in the same jobs in Canberra compared to Wellington.

Sad to see you go Plunket

From stuff: Minister defends $52-a-call helpline

Check this one in a few years time, chances are that the funding will be through the roof, the call answer rate will be on the floor and Labour will be calling it a success.

The pot calling the kettle black.

From stuff: Clark critical of leak ethics

Only in NZ, would a Govt who has had such a shocking round of embarrassments get away with a statement like that. "With respect to Mr Garty's actions I think the issue will be whether they are criminal or just deeply unethical."

What - buying an election is OK, but this is just shocking !

Cycle commuting

Back on the bike today for the first time in almost a week. I've just changed jobs (been a bit quiet here on the blog to !) and things have taken a few days to settle down. New place is great, bike rack in a secure garage, well fitted out showers etc. Distance is marginally more.

Todays ride home: 11.49 K's, 25:55, Avg: 27.16, Max: 37.6. Odo: 1,534.

The super fund

Stuff: Tax cuts ruled out despite record surplus

$10billion of tax payers money in a general bucket. This is the best Labour could come up with. How it works in a nut shell. You pay more into it if you earn more, less if you earn less, none if you don't pay tax. We are all entitled to it (Kiwi's that is) when we get old. Probably about 66% of the minimum wage. Fantastic, more welfare to look forward to.

They just don't get it do they. I mean how hard would it be to implement a personal account system.

Not even a lefty tax cut from Cullen

Labour's predictable budget.

The thing I can't understand is Dr. Cullen's ideological approach to tax cuts. There is no denial that tax cuts can benefit all when you take a simple look at the low end tax free zone as deployed in tax rates in Australia. If NZ declared the first $10K of earnings as tax free there would be a saving to each tax payer $1,950/yr (or $37.50 ) a week. Anyone earning below $10K is now tax free and anyone earning more than $10K gets the same amount back. Every body gets the same, isn't that nice.

But more importantly there is the incentive to work aspects. Having a tax free income to marginally higher than the single persons unemployment benefit will encourage work. And I guess it's that possibility that will show the folly of the ideology.

Noah and the Government

In the year 2006, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in Auckland, New Zealand, and said, "Once again, the earth has become Wicked and over-populated and I see the end of all flesh before me. Build another Ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans." He gave Noah the blueprints, saying, "You have six months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights".

Noah was dubious about the project, because unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights is normal in New Zealand, but he knew he must bow to the will of the Lord.

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his section but no Ark. "Noah", he roared "I'm about to start the rain where is the Ark"

"Forgive me, Lord", begged Noah. "But things have changed. I needed a building consent I've been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I've violated the zoning laws by building the Ark on my property and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to Arbitration for a decision.

Then the electricity companies demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I argued that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.

Getting the wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local timber in order to save the Kiwi. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the birds. But no go!

"When I started gathering the animals, I got sued by an animal rights group. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. As well, they argued the accommodation was too restrictive and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.

The Maori have forbidden the project to continue unless taniwha are permitted on the Ark and indigenous tribes own half the Ark afterI have designed and built it. I also have to agree to pay $150 Billion for depriving Maori of traditional lands by means of inundation which they allege is dimply a case of "holy colonisation". I am bogged down in further negotiations on multimillion payments for rights to sail the Ark on the seas of Aotearoa. Other Maori tribes have sued me because they allege the Ark is a Pakeha version of the Maori canoe and they have appealed to the Waitangi Tribunal to declare it tapu.

Then the Environmental Court ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many Maori I'm supposed to hire for my building crew and the requirement for separate female toilets in case I hire a woman. Also, the trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark building experience.

OSH has decreed each employee must be equipped with a life jacket and a personal life raft even though we are building on the mountain. When I pointed this out, they made me provide ice axes and climbing boots for each employee and their families.

To make matters worse, the Inland Revenue seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

At first the Labour Government was in favour of my project because it created building jobs on our mountain. Then they were shocked by an opinion poll which revealed that 99% of all New Zealanders opposed a devastating flood, and after an emergency cabinet meeting Helen Clark announced that Labour had never favoured floods as a means of solving problems and was totally opposed to the project (unless future opinion polls revealed popular support for the Ark , in which case she had always supported it ). She said "God should sit down and talk sensibly about the issues".

So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least ten years for me to finish this Ark “. Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked,"You mean You're not going to destroy the world?" ."Nah," said the Lord. "The New Zealand government are gonna beat me to it."

Night riding

I ride in a Tuesday night mountain bike riding group. It's a bunch of guys, most 40+ who like to take to the Wellington hills on bikes together once a week. The overall group is about 20 odd riders with about 6-8 turning up each week. Mountain biking at night is awesome, if you ride a mountain bike, get some lights and go crazy. I highly recommend NightLightning for lights.
I run one of these on my helmet, cranking out 35W, and I run a modified one of these with a 2W LED in it on my bar.

Tonights ride in perfect conditions was from Owhiro Bay car park, up the tip track to the radar station, down through Long Gully and down to the coast and back to the cars.
(Permission from the private land owner was obtained through Long Gully).

All up the ride was 17.81K's, 1:39:30 ride time, Avg: 13.36 Max: 41.9.

The Dept of Dodgy Statistics

From stuff: Fewer people on benefits in year to March - minister

This is classic, "That had resulted in a 20 per cent drop or 56,000 less children living in benefit dependant households." HELLO - Mr Tennis Ball man.... are you awake... WWF now extends to 75% of all families, so there are hundreds of thousands of children which are living in benefit dependant households that were not last March. And if you think they are not dependant, then why the hell are they receiving the money - Vote buying perhaps ?

You can spin it how you like Govt, but the only measure that has any meaning now is the welfare spend as a percentage of GDP. Dare you to publish that statistic on an annual basis from 1999 till now.

The highest Court in the land

From stuff PM clears her office over leak to Telecom

Well, what else would we expect from Dear Leader.

Time will tell I guess, perhaps she knows who it is and can therefore make this assertion, but given the way the PM has made other claims recently that have .... just happened to be true, even if they do make many Lawyers shake their heads, I'm inclined to read this as 'it's not my office - it can't be - and it won't be'.

I look forward to how it will be managed. Prima Facie case with no prosecution is my pick.

A day in the life of public health.

Every day we kick the snot out of the health system. Here is an every day scenario being played out, just we don't normally hear about low level cases like this. (Medically speaking of course)

We still need to congratulate the guys-n-girls for taking care of Tim, even if it was a pretty mundane afternoon for them.

This didn't take long did it.

Stuff: Working for Families discriminatory - child poverty group

This is an interesting one. The Govt appear to be trying very hard to shut this down. As I guess the would - if it sets a precedent that any targeted assistance could be called discriminatory to the groups outside of it's target zone.

Best of luck CPAG.

Telecom - Govt - Wow.

I have stuff all to say on this that hasn't been said elsewhere. It's been done to death but it's a very significant thing that has happened so I'm bookmarking it.

Rodney Hide's take on it.
DPF's take on it.
Stuff
The Govt's - I guess