46 Comments
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Clare Sheehan's avatar

Oh yes this is so worthwhile to be shared and shared widely. How shameful that ms Willis’ daughters will grow up and read their mothers forked tongue comments

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Keith Simes's avatar

A brilliant summary, thank you Bernard. This should be shared across the motu

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Alex Clarkson's avatar

Happy Mothers’ Day, working women of Aotearoa! Your government really respects and appreciates your invaluable contribution to our nation.

What is wrong with these people?..

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Cristina's avatar

To expand on Bernard's "Netball Mums" idea, my hypothesis is Rugby Mums who are typically(but not always) lower income Mums, are predominantly the careers of the ageing parents of those Netball Mums. There will also be a lot of overlap between the two demographics as I'm sure most Kiwis will understand.

Though I recognize this is an over simplification, but as someone who played rugby for my school in South Auckland in the early 2000s, I have a rough idea of the income demographic of Rugby Mums. They are predominantly the ones who will be affected the most by this Pay Equity amendment bill.

What Bernard is conveying(I think) is how this issue transcends income/class, culture & education. And! Most importantly it is a bill that has messed with the wrong group of people.

Our government has "effed around" & soon they will find out, DONT MESS WITH MUMS!

Happy Mothers day Whanau

xoxo

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Plague Craig's avatar

How about the spiralling out of control infrastructure debt

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Garry Moore's avatar

When will people stop buying into this incorrect myth?

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DavidM's avatar

... probably an infrastructure "deficit" is a better expression. When you don't spend money on new schools and hospitals there is no associated debt.

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Karen Griffin's avatar

What I find so sinister about this - supposedly - rushed legislation, is that it really wasn't. The surprise party has been planned for months!

The only reason for urgency is so the public, unions and lawyers wouldn't get a chance to mess with their grubby little plan.

How can any of us ever trust these people again?

Let's be totally honest here. MPs have no concerns about pay equity so this legislation doesn't really rate.

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Merav Benaia's avatar

They said the reason it was kept secret was so ongoing claims will not decide to speed things up and settle.

Yes, they said that out loud.

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DavidM's avatar

Comment of the day !

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Anita Taylor's avatar

Please share. An important commentary.

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Andrew Riddell's avatar

Luxon and Willis - a pair of very disingenuous and cynical people. Unless they actually believe what they are saying in which case they are in the running for being the most economically illiterate people in the universe.

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R G's avatar

So we in answer to Peter's question "What is a woman?". We are the NZers who get paid less than a man (or nothing at all) for working as hard or harder than men for the benefit of other NZers. Mothers, carers, nurses, teachers ....

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Annie's avatar

good, i hope they have finally met their defining moment (it should have been TPB), I don't want them back in.

I hope the world recognises that Luxon has bad judgement, and, terrible negotiating skills. I hope he struggles to find a role post prime ministership - he doesn't deserve one.

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Caroline West's avatar

He'll be the Liz Truss of NZ right wing politics....fannying around overseas tontine groups of people who think he might have something to say. I hope he takes Willis with him to write his speeches.

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Caroline West's avatar

That should have read "talking to tiny groups of people" (but was typing on my phone without glasses on) because of course, without a coalition behind him, there will only ever be small groups of people interested in his time in NZ politics. I just don't want him around long enough for anyone to make him a Sir. I have always said that's the only reason he's in politics for.

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Shelley Mercer's avatar

Perish the thought! Save us from having Luxon 'the great statesman' inflicted on us for the next few decades. John 'Donald Trump is best for the economy' Key is bad enough...

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Dean Reynolds's avatar

He could go back to selling toothpaste & deodorant

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Caroline West's avatar

He'll consider it beneath him. And anyway he's "sorted".

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Liz Francis's avatar

Yes, after all he did say he was "sorted". Did he think being pm would be a cruisy number, adding to his prestige as he entered retirement? He has stood by and let others do some dastardly things to us, say some objectionable stuff about opposition mp's, and us, and allowed those two mini parties free reign. National should now be seen as ACT undercover!

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Annie's avatar

oh my, we want people to use both of those products!

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Jim Bennett's avatar

He, remember, who started the process of Air New Zealand ceasing to be a national (domestic) airline. A continuing process.

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Annie's avatar

Sir you are correct, he absolutely decimated Air NZ. A world class airline to a barely average one at best - which is exactly what he's doing to our country. World leading/class with many things, e.g. smoke free, evironmental laws, race relations. I hope one day he see's the light and feels the shame.

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Merav Benaia's avatar

Also worth to remember that though National doesn't enjoy high % of women's votes, they still do, and one of the claims that was just scrapped and IIRC will not meet the new threshold requirements is that of secondary teachers.

I would take a wild guess that amongst those 64% of secondary teachers who are women there us some overlap with voting National and the Netball mums.

Luxon isn't smart enough and not politically savvy enough to think about this and Willis had to feed the dead rat to herself because she is financially illiterate and dug herself into a hole.

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Just Another Loser's avatar

Not just the 64% who are women, but the 36% who are men are also affected. It’s not just the women in female-dominated industries who are affected, but the men as well.

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Dave  Cameron's avatar

That seems to me to be an outstanding exposition and set of graphs to exposes Government hypocrisy, economic illiteracy and cynical protection of vested interests.

Thanks BH

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Dave  Cameron's avatar

Print it, frame it, put it in pooolroom!

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Neil's avatar

If they think they're going to be re-elected, tell 'em they're dreaming.

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Neil's avatar

Thanks, as always, for explaining the macro-economic stuff so clearly.

If the situation was really as dire as it is being presented, why does our govt offer relief to landlords and tobacco companies? Why does it sit on its hands as the supermarket duopoly continues with its record profits? (the Commerce Commission estimates supermarkets make $1mill in excess profits every single day)

Shame on our dishonest, inept politicians. They are a disgrace.

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Dean Reynolds's avatar

If the situation really is as dire as they claim, why did Willis give away $13 B of government tax revenue with her 2024 tax cuts, financed by her borrowing an extra $18 B?

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Just Another Loser's avatar

And why did they give themselves pay rises?!

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Waikato Matt's avatar

But we don't set the pay rates, that's independent (insert sarcasm emoji)

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Just Another Loser's avatar

That might need to be looked into under urgency and all pay rises in the pipeline canceled.

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Robert L Taylor's avatar

politicians enacted the legislation that controls the setting of their incomes

and politicians should have before now amended that legislation because it is giving them incomes that are far in excess of reasonable.

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phillip murray's avatar

Ko te mihi tua tahi, Te Rā Ngā o Māmā! To all our amazing, incredible Māmā throughout the motu ngā mihi nui aroha ki a koutou katoa. Me thinketh that the 3 headed monster might well be getting a substantial back-hander from the mining industry, the health care sector and the education sector in Australia as they continue to force our work-force across the Tasman with their incredibly short sighted brutal decisions and sever lack of leadership. National dragged to their doom wailing and flailing by their cohorts. Always fun seeing the tail wag the dog.

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