A breath of fresh spring air shows the way out of a dark age in education

By John Minto  /  December 10, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  11 Comments

The restructuring of state education proposed by the government working group led by Bali Haque, feels like a fresh breath of spring air after 30 years in the dark ages of Tomorrow’s Schools.

Qana massacre remembered – as should New Zealand’s protection for the Butcher of Qana be remembered

By John Minto  /  December 9, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  3 Comments

Yesterday the Fiji Times reported Prime Minister Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama attended a memorial service at Qana in Southern Lebanon to remember the Fijian soldiers who died as part of United Nations peace keeping missions in Southern Lebanon.

MUST READ: New Zealand’s economy depends on Chinese mothers NOT breastfeeding their babies

By John Minto  /  December 3, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  21 Comments

How did it come to this?

New Zealand’s economy now depends on more Chinese mothers NOT breastfeeding their babies.

Nuk Korako – National Party placeholder for Zionist brutality

By John Minto  /  November 26, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  15 Comments

Earlier this year Nuk Korako was one of six National MPs who attended a dinner hosted by the Israeli ambassador with the aim of establishing a New Zealand Parliamentary Friends of Israel group. (For the record the other MPs were Alfred Ngaro, Tim McIndoe, Todd Muller, Jian Yang and Paul Goldsmith)

Tamaki gentrification comes to East Porirua?

By John Minto  /  November 3, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  11 Comments

The government’s announcement today of a major regeneration project for East Porirua has all the hallmarks of Auckland’s Tamaki tragedy whereby low-income residents and families are being displaced from Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure as these suburbs are gentrified for the middle class.

Paula Bennett – a well-practised political conniver

By John Minto  /  October 23, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  17 Comments

Despite claiming National was concerned about Jami-Lee Ross’s mental health, Paula did her best to exacerbate it in revealing aspects of his private life.

What should be our response to the “fines” handed down by an Israeli court against Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab?

By John Minto  /  October 15, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  10 Comments

The most important lesson to learn from the Israeli court case which saw “fines” handed down to Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab is just how important and effective the BDS campaign has become in fighting for Palestinian political and civil rights. Justine and Nadia wrote a letter to New Zealand singer Lorde which asked her […]

Christchurch City Council subsidises building homes for the wealthy but refuses to rebuild council rental housing destroyed in the earthquakes

By John Minto  /  October 10, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  16 Comments

It should make an uncomfortable juxtaposition for the mayor and councillors.

One week they vote an extra $220 million for a new rugby stadium without public consultation and the next they are consulting on whether they should give a $30 million loan to the council’s housing arm – the Otautahi Community Housing Trust – to build 130 more council rental homes. 

Why does a minimum wage worker pay a higher tax rate than a rich lister?

By John Minto  /  October 3, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  15 Comments

If those on the lowest incomes pay the highest tax rates that means the average Maori or Pasifika taxpayer pays a higher proportion of their income in tax than the average Pakeha family – or the average beneficiary pays a higher tax rate than a rich lister.

Simon Bridges, Mike Sabin and the National government’s $120 million taxpayer rort.

By John Minto  /  September 25, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  14 Comments

Bridges colleague Mike Sabin, former policeman and former National MP, was at the heart of the moral panic over meth.

And they did this for 194 pages…

By John Minto  /  September 24, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  19 Comments

I’ve had the chance to read the interim report of the tax working group over the weekend and it’s a sorry, sad document.

Pitiful response to Housing NZ meth hysteria

By John Minto  /  September 21, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  12 Comments

The “pocket money” offer to state house tenants wrongly evicted from their homes based on bogus meth testing is deeply cynical and insulting.

Protest today at Council Meeting – a travesty of democracy is in the making

By John Minto  /  September 13, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  13 Comments

Members of the Christchurch Progressive Network will attend todays Christchurch City Council Meeting from 8.30am to protest the proposal to spend an extra $220 million on a rugby stadium ahead of rebuilding council rental housing destroyed in the earthquakes.

Labour, New Zealand First and the Pokies

By John Minto  /  September 3, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  9 Comments

When Helen Clark’s Labour government came to power in 1999 there were 14,000 “non-casino” pokie machines in New Zealand. Four years later there were 25,000.

Labour was asleep at the wheel.

Imagine if the rich listers paid the same tax rates as beneficiaries…

By John Minto  /  August 20, 2018  /  John Minto, Most Recent Blogs, Setting The Agenda  /  37 Comments

The National Business Review published its annual celebration of unearned wealth last week with the breathlessly-reported news that this bunch of specialised parasites increased their wealth from a net of $79.9 billion in 2017 to $100.8 billion this year.