Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Rain still falling in hard-hit Napier, Covid-19 vaccine news comes with a catch, and government’s books in a better shape than expected. It’s still raining heavily in Napier, and the flooding damage has got worse in the last 24 hours. As Stuff reports, hundreds of houses experienced a … Read more
Covid-19 is still having a disproportionate impact on employment across the genders. Kiwibank economist Mary Jo Vergara explains the trends, consequences and what could it mean for the gender pay gap. The latest labour market statistics for the September quarter came with few obvious surprises. The unemployment rate increased to a lower-than-expected 5.3%, and the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Trump claims fraud with Biden holding slight edge, unemployment rate rise not as bad as feared, and Kim Dotcom extradition case to drag on further. If you switched the US election off early last night, you’ll probably have missed one of the most remarkable moments … Read more
Stats NZ has today released its labour market data for the three months to September, which shows an increase inline with most forecasts. What’s all this then? According to Stats NZ’s labour market data released this morning, New Zealand’s official unemployment rate has increased from 4% to 5.3% for the three months from July to … Read more
As it picks itself up from a drubbing, National needs to consider some new ways of doing things, such as reinventing the way we do social welfare, argues Liam Hehir. Yesterday was Labour Day. It has been Labour Month, in a way, with Jacinda Ardern’s party drubbing National in the general election 10 days ago. … Read more
Covid-19 has shoved New Zealand’s economy into recession, prompting a whole lot of businesses to downsize and slash their workforce. That’s why a support club has been formed to help the newly unemployed to get back on their feet. Redundancy can hit like a ton of bricks. The shock, uncertainty, the loss of income, that … Read more
From damp housing to unsafe work, doctors see every day the conditions worsening the health of thousands of New Zealanders. Dr George Laking of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians explains the four things we can do make a change for the better. Physicians are specialist doctors who look after people with medical illnesses. We … Read more
Roughly 11,000 people lost their jobs from Covid-19, and 10,000 of them were women. But as Leonie Morris from Auckland’s Womens Centre writes, this shows the need to address industrial patriarchy and create opportunities for women where they’re needed most. Just as predicted, Covid-19 has affected unemployment and under-employment rates for women far more than … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Many stories told by latest unemployment figures, Bloomfield says return of community transmission almost inevitable, and major tenancy reform package passes. First of all, it’s pretty clear that the top-line unemployment figure going down is a misleading picture of the state of the economy. Yesterday new … Read more
Data released by Stats NZ today shows the impact of Covid-19 on New Zealand jobs during the June quarter was disproportionately felt by women. Mary Jo Vergara from KiwiEconomics breaks down what it all means. Women have historically fared well in times of war and crisis. During the Second World War, there was a dramatic … Read more
The latest round of economic data won’t carry Judith Collins and the National Party into the promised land, and she’ll need to come up with something else to save her chances, writes political commentator Ben Thomas. The government has delivered an economic miracle! How else to describe today’s labour market statistics for the June quarter … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tauranga’s “combative” mayor on ropes after texts revealed, former firefighters reveal multiple sexual assault and harassment complaints, and new report details serious climate risks to NZ. Tauranga’s mayor is embroiled in some chaotic infighting around the Council table, and it could get uglier now that … Read more
Amid fears of growing financial hardship throughout New Zealand, a comprehensive campaign against high-interest lenders looks to be gaining new ground. Payday lenders, trucks shops, loan sharks: the names alone are enough to conjure up grim images of shady operators and hustlers lurking in dark spaces to prey on the financially vulnerable. While the reality … Read more
While banks predict house prices will still fall, by how much depends on a number of factors – including location, reports Brent Melville for BusinessDesk. Banks are being less than apocalyptic on their expectations for a post-Covid housing market correction, which could be as low as 5%, although they warn of potentially significant regional variations. … Read more
It’s an economic theory that advocates tout as a solution to governments’ debt crises, but critics warn is a recipe for hyperinflation. Either way, modern monetary theory is getting a lot more attention in the era of Covid-19. Two big economic ideas have captured the popular imagination during the Covid-19 pandemic: the universal basic income … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fears for paramedic service after pay boost scrapped, rapid report into managed isolation system released, and Greens release sweeping new welfare and tax policy. We’re going back to last week for today’s lead story, but it’s a deeply important one with wide implications for the … Read more
The government has just allocated millions of dollars towards encouraging employers to hire and train apprentices. So what courses does the $380m Apprenticeship Boost cover? Michael Andrew takes a look at some of the career pathways on offer. Bartenders picking kiwifruit. Tour guides felling wilding pines. Airline pilots driving trains. Such stories of redeployment are … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Political divisions rage as election looms, economic forecasts considered too optimistic, and travel routes start to move again. They had all been doing so well at getting along, but that’s all over now. A cross-party consensus is emerging that it’s time to get back to the … Read more
There’s more to the finance minister’s controversial move than meets the eye, argues Max Rashbrooke. If you’re a current beneficiary, I can see how it looks like a slap in the face. Finance minister Grant Robertson yesterday announced that people rendered unemployed by the coronavirus will receive a 12-week benefit of $490 a week, nearly … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Challenges loom in matching unemployed with rural jobs, trans-Tasman travel bubble agreed in principle, and Greens push for urgent Fair Pay Agreements. It is increasingly becoming clear that one of the country’s biggest economic challenges over the rest of the year will be matching people … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Peters captures political initiative with pair of speeches, future shape of unemployment in the spotlight, and second set of anti-semitic tagging at Auckland maunga. Over each of the last two years, PM Jacinda Ardern has been at the centre of coverage of an epoch-defining news … Read more
The economy is facing its worst crisis in almost a century, with the prospect of hundreds of thousands of people imminently losing their jobs. So why is the sharemarket chugging away at its own recovery? Alex Braae speaks to some experts to get an explanation. How’s the economy doing? In normal times, the most regularly … Read more
The risks to mental health during times of soaring unemployment is a crisis within a crisis, writes clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire. But there are steps you can take to come out the other side of unemployment in good mental shape. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every facet of our lives, including rising unemployment rates both … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Debate over leaving lockdown fires up, how the tax system could change after Covid-19, and concerns as cyclone bears down on Vanuatu. Over the last few days, a debate has started to fire up about leaving level four restrictions, and restarting some of the economic activity … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Housing market starts to get moving again, government reverses partnership visa decision, and man who assaulted James Shaw sentenced to prison. By a few key metrics, the housing market is starting to lift again. First of all, new listings in Auckland are way up, reports the NZ Herald. … Read more
When is being unemployed not unemployed? A true measure would show more teens are without jobs than people who have supposedly ‘retired’, writes former Treasury senior staffer Tony Burton. Many New Zealanders feel government is not meeting the needs of the long-term unemployed. Who counts as unemployed remains an issue: A third of your taxes … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Storming economic figures defy gloomy predictions, govt considering volunteer rural cops, and Auckland to spread around Drury and Pukekohe. It was wholly, entirely unexpected. In fact, some are saying not a single economist predicted it. But data from Stats NZ out yesterday has showed something remarkable … Read more
There are serious flaws in the theory that the ‘jobpocalypse’ is nigh, and technology is not about to replace New Zealand workers anytime soon, according to a new book. ‘Machines as ministers to man’, screams the US newspaper headline. Apart from the slightly old-fashioned language, the banner could be describing the conventional modern wisdom that … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch mosque attack accused to appear in court, threats made against Muslim prayer for ANZAC service, and tense hearings on gun law reforms. The police have confirmed they will be charging the man accused of carrying out the Christchurch mosque attack over every single person killed. The NZ … Read more