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Beware! Personal Data Grab for Funding is Based on Dreadful Policy Design

Jess Berentson-ShawApril 10, 2017Tax and Welfare

The Privacy Commissioner is not mincing words on the issue of requiring social service providers to give citizens personal data to MSD in exchange for funding contracts. Words like “insufficient consideration to unintended consequences”, “Insufficient consideration of alternative means”, “Real … Read More

A Simple Two-Step Plan to Ensure the Oranga Tamariki Works for Children & Families

Jess Berentson-ShawApril 3, 2017Tax and Welfare

Last week was the official reinvention of Children, Young Person and their Families Service (CYFS). With the creation of Oranga Tamariki (also poorly named the Ministry for Vulnerable Children) the Prime Minster has said the Government is ” strongly committed … Read More

Is New Zealand’s growth model stuffed?

Paul YoungMarch 28, 2017Economics, Environment, Uncategorized

The international organisation that reports on the economic wellbeing of developed countries delivered us a stark message last week: “New Zealand’s growth model is approaching its environmental limits. Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing. Pollution of freshwater is increasing across a … Read More

Report shows paths to zero emissions in NZ

Paul YoungMarch 21, 2017Economics, Environment, Uncategorized

Today sees the release of a groundbreaking report on how New Zealand can tackle climate change. Net Zero in New Zealand, by London-based consultants Vivid Economics, explores New Zealand’s potential to become a net zero emissions nation. (Wondering what the … Read More

Don’t Whack Them Mate. It Actually Makes Youth Crime Worse

Jess Berentson-ShawMarch 20, 2017Tax and Welfare

The chair of the National Party’s Kaikohe branch, Alan Price, has advocated for physical punishment as a solution to some pretty grim stuff that Northland has to put up with. Northland is a low-income area in New Zealand. It has … Read More

Why climate change could have Aucklanders boiling their water

Paul YoungMarch 15, 2017Environment, Uncategorized

If you asked most New Zealanders how they think climate change will affect them personally, my guess is not many would mention needing to boil their drinking water. But 1.5 million Aucklanders are currently on the cusp of a boil … Read More

6 Things Governments Could Invest in that Actually Work (or how to stop throwing money down the loo)

Jess Berentson-ShawMarch 13, 2017Tax and Welfare

No single group operating in the policy space (or politics) owns fiscal responsibility as an idea. Rather fiscal responsibility is something all Governments are concerned about (in fact legally they have to be as we have an act that covers … Read More

Government Should Focus on Caring Work Like they Focus on Cows

Jess Berentson-ShawMarch 9, 2017Economics

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. Putting aside the number of men who asked when International Men’s day is (it’s November 19th), many in the policy and political space spent time reflecting on how gender bias still holds us back economically. … Read More

Families Who Find Themselves Poor in New Zealand: Some Important Data

Jess Berentson-ShawMarch 7, 2017Tax and Welfare

How many families with children find themselves struggling with rising costs in New Zealand? According to research by Statistics New Zealand in 2009, over half of New Zealand families experience at least a year of income poverty after the arrival … Read More

Raising the Age for Superannuation: Fine for Big Ted, but what about Manu?

Jess Berentson-ShawMarch 6, 2017Uncategorized

With an aging population and people living much longer than they did we are in a position of having more people not working than working- which is a problem because it is working people that pay for super. In addition … Read More