Should the Reserve Bank target unemployment as well as inflation? Will the new government abolish the dual mandate?
Back in 1989 – near the end of the fourth Labour government – the inflation-busting Reserve Bank Act was passed. Labour has shifted well away from the Rogernomics of that decade, and in 2021 Grant Robertson added maximum sustainable employment to the bank’s mandate - with the support of coalition partner NZ First.
The next three years – the job ahead for Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori
The Fabians had a session on Nov 14th reflecting on the elections. Our panel of Simon Wilson, Senior Writer at NZ Herald, Bridie Witton, Stuff Press Gallery Reporter and Ollie Neas, freelance writer used the election results as a springboard to target some of the key issues for Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori as they head into opposition.
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Pae Ora health reforms with you.
Since I was sacked by the Health Minister I have taken time to reflect on the experience and to make a considered assessment of what I learned in the process. My intention tonight is to share that with you, making the assumption that we share common ground in wanting to have an effective, efficient, excellent and equitable public health service.
If anyone does not want that, I don’t really have anything useful to share with you.
Interview transcript: Ambassador Wang Xiaolong with NZ Fabian Society
Hello, my name is Mike Smith, from the New Zealand Fabian Society. It's my great pleasure today to interview Ambassador Wang Xiaolong from the People's Republic of China to talk with us about China's values. I heard Ambassador Wang speak at a meeting convened by the Institute of International Relations(NZIIA) last year and in the course of that meeting, he addressed the question of China's values and said, "China's choice for values, social system and path to modernity is made by our own people, based on our own history, culture and realities. All these choices have proven to be suitable and effective to solve China's problems and meet the needs of the Chinese people".
The shape of our cities and our transport systems matter for building a successful low carbon society. Work by the New Climate Economy, the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, affirms that compact urban development with strong public transport connections makes for lower carbon cities that are also “more productive, socially inclusive, resilient, cleaner, quieter and safer”.
Here in New Zealand, there is growing evidence of a generational shift in housing and transport preferences, aided by the emergence of new technologies and disruptive business models. Is there a new ‘Kiwi Dream’ emerging? In this talk members of Generation Zero will explore the topic and offer their perspective on what this means for New Zealand, with a focus on Auckland.
Leroy Beckett is a media and campaign advisor for Generation Zero, with interests in politics, the media, media theory, public transport, cycling, and the environment.
Generation Zero is a youth-led organisation, and was founded with the central purpose of providing solutions for New Zealand to cut carbon pollution through smarter transport, liveable cities & independence from fossil fuels. They believe we can build more liveable cities with greater housing and transport choices to attract the best and brightest to New Zealand. The solutions will not come from one minority, one political party, or one ideology but will come from real New Zealanders from all backgrounds joining together under a central vision.
The Destination will be an extended session intended for those who wish to see a change of government in 2017 to one with a more progressive social democratic policy agenda and ethos.
The 2015 seminar, to be held in Auckland on April 18 and Wellington on May 10, will pose the critical questions that need to be addressed and answered if the outcome of a change of government is to be realised.
Further sessions are planned for 2016 and 2017.
Basic assumptions are that:
overall political performance will need to be significantly improved
fiscal and economic policy will need to be agreed
credible party political co-operation will be a sine qua non
political communication will need to gain voter support
political organisation will need to be based on voter issues
CPAG and Holy Trinity Cathedral are holding an event to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Social Security Act 1938 on September 16th. Championed by Michael Joseph Savage, the 1938 Social Security Act was based on the principle that every New Zealand citizen had a right to a reasonable standard of living.
Dean Jo Kelly-Moore will open the evening followed by great speakers - Paul Dalziel, Mamari Stephens and Susan St John. If you'd like to stay on, we'll finish the evening with a cuppa and some classic kiwi biscuits.
On Sunday March 3th, the journey continues and you are invited onboard.
Previously on our voyage, our our speakers used the analogy of New Zealand as the Titanic to share how they viewed the state of the New Zealand economy; headed towards disaster, but with the distinct advantage of time and knowledge to prepare for impact or avoid the economic and social icebergs altogether.
They shared their wisdom built up through years of collecting data, distilling information and acquiring knowledge with the audiences of hundreds at the Q Theatre in Auckland and Downstage in Wellington, suggesting changes that could take place to steer the course of the ship through the path of least resistance.
On the 3rd of March 2013 we are bringing the seminar to Christchurch. Our previous speakers, Rick Boven, Bernard Hickey, John Walley and Selwyn Pellett will be joined by Bronwyn Hayward, Senior Lecturer at University of Canterbury. They will evolve the message from one grounded in illustrating the extent of the damage to one grounded in presenting ideas and solutions for better, fairer and more opportune future for this country.
Join us at the Court Theatre on Sunday March the 3rd. Doors open at 1.00pm for a 1.30pm sharp start. The wonderful Michele A'Court is going to push the boat out and set us off on our voyage and media commentator David Slack will steer the ship. You are invited to join the speakers afterward for refreshments and discussion.
Dr David Tripe from Massey University School of Banking Studies and Dr Bill Rosenberg of the NZCTU spoke on this topic on Monday 7th November in Wellington.
David explained the role of the rating agencies in relation to corporate and sovereign debt, showed that New Zealand's risk profile lay more with private debt owed through the banks than with government debt, warned against the risks underlying the persistent current account deficit, and concluded that while further downgrades were possible the main risk lay in a sudden drop in ratings which was dependent on the banks' own ratings. A copy of his presentation can be found here.
Bill Rosenberg looked at the philosophy underlying the criteria used by the agencies in evaluating sovereign debt, showing that they looked not only at the levels of debt but also made a political assessment of governments' willingness to pay, in other words their willingness to place debt repayment above other political and social policies. His conclusion was that the development of good social and economic policy should downgrade the significance of the role played by the agencies. Bill's presentation can be found here and a detailed paper here.