Green cynicism

More idiotic inferences drawn by the Green Party. 

Maori beneficiaries have more debt to MSD and so have, on average, higher repayments.

The figures were obtained by Green MP Ricardo Menendez March, who said it reeks of systemic discrimination.

But wait. If Maori had fewer and smaller benefit advances you can imagine the same outcry.

'Maori are being denied access to loans. That's racism.'

Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says:

"It's just scary, it is really, really frightening. The Minister ... we demand she take charge of this and explains to those and the rest of Aotearoa, what this government is going to do to take this burden off these whānau, off these wāhine and their tamariki." 

What a bind the Left has gotten itself into with their intractable refusal to blame individuals for problems of their own making.

The result is they are now pointing fingers at each other with the Greens and beneficiary advocates blaming the Minister for refusing to instigate a debt amnesty. It's her fault!

The other aspect of this business is very cynical. Politicians are using Maori to push their own barrows. Ricardo Menendez March is a non-Maori socialist but it suits his purposes to yell 'discrimination' at every opportunity. Accusations of racism not only shut detractors down but demand some sort of redress and recompense.

No matter that the redress is wrongful given no actual case of racism has occurred.

That's just how New Zealand rolls right now.

Maori demand for state housing surpasses every other ethnicity by a long shot

 New numbers released today show the inexorable growth in demand for state housing continues:

Someone clever enough might depict Dame Whina Cooper climbing the tops of the columns with her walking stick  given more than half on the list are Maori:

From a left-wing perspective Labour is failing Maori miserably.

Brand new episode in 'Govt War on Family Violence' launches today

The elimination of family and sexual violence. Expect a big announcement today about how government is going to achieve its elimination within a generation!

That's amazing.

In 1985 - forty six years ago - the Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Committe was created. More funding for services, far more inter-agency action required. Problem persists.

Move on another eleven years to 1996.  The next holy grail is a brand new Government Statement of Policy on Family Violence. Greater early intervention and support to the at-risk.

Still no joy.

In 2005 a Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families was established which carried the 'it's not OK' message.

It's still not OK but it still proliferates.

So today government will roll out another grand plan. A  " 'whole of government plan' for a $2 billion-a-year sector."

Launch to be held at Te Papa this morning. How exciting. I wonder if there's a red carpet?

Expect the next in the series of  'Govt War on Family Violence' to be ready around 2030.

Luxon is a "big fan" of state control

That's what he said.

He's a big fan of increasing the minimum wage so long as the economy is growing.

Most of the time the economy is growing. So most of the time he's a big fan of the minimum wage.

I'm not. Why?

I go for a part-time job after being out of the work force for 30 years so am happy to accept less than the minimum wage.  Or I go for a job as a sole parent with no work experience whatsoever happy to accept below the minimum wage. Either way I probably won't get the chance/advantage to show my value because the employer must pay what the GOVERNMENT has decided my labour is worth with no UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE of the situation.

It's one thing for a large company like Air New Zealand to absorb minimum wage increases, but this is a country of small to medium enterprises. People trying to get businesses off the ground need to be able to offer work based on remuneration that reflects early-days risk.

I've heard leftists say, if employers can't pay the minimum wage they shouldn't be in business. Come to think of it, that might be their argument for paying the living wage! Everyone in business is 'rich'. Everyone who just started a doggy daycare centre or nail salon.

What New Zealand badly needs from Luxon and National is a freeing-up of laws around employment.

Not an endorsement of state control of the labour market.