John Minto

Last weekend’s New Zealand Housing Summit was an eye-opener to the heavy, hidden cost to our children of the housing crisis for low-income families.

Socialism in New Zealand will be different to what it looks like in any other countries because each country has a different history and different realities. However the principles of socialism are common everywhere and will be reflected in the kiwi socialism for which we are striving.

With the focus on the super-rich using New Zealand as a tax haven it’s worth remembering that even without tax evasion the rules here in New Zealand are so distorted that the super-rich, like Prime Minister John Key, pay a pittance in tax while the lowest paid workers bear the heaviest tax burden.

Keeping New Zealand and New Zealanders safe is best done by the police under strong democratic oversight through parliament. We should abolish the SIS and GCSB – they contribute only to make New Zealand a target for terrorism.

When the history of the 20th and 21st centuries is written by future historians they will remark on the astonishing steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of the relentless brutality and oppression they are suffering at the hands of the Israeli army.

After five years there are still thousands of Christchurch people waiting for insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission to pay up so they can get their houses rebuilt or repaired. Many have died waiting.

The biggest political advance from last week is probably the heightened understanding of sovereignty amongst Pakeha New Zealanders, most of whom previously saw it as an abstract concept.

This means only those children aged under seven now will get the maximum three years fully funded tertiary education when they leave school in 2025.