Letter No.12
6 March, 1995

18 February 1995

A branch of Britain's Prince of Wales Trust is established in NZ to help young people gain employment and training.

The three walkers, hiking from Cape Reinga to the Bluff to promote the Te Araroa walkway project, have arrived in Auckland.

20 February 1995

An international survey shows that NZ manufacturers are leading the world in profit growth.

The number of full-time employees in manufacturing increased 6.1% during the year to Sep 94, with the biggest rises coming from the engineering, wood processing and chemical industries.

The six Next Step Democracy Movement petitions are launched in Wellington.

21 February 1995

The NZ Students Association is seeking a High Court injunction over what it describes as discrimination by Income Support over allocating special benefits to students.

Lions Club International President Guiseppe Grimaldi is in NZ for the 40th anniversary of Lions in NZ. On his agenda : a meeting with Jim Bolger to discuss social problems such as violence, unemployment and drug abuse.

22 February 1995

A University of Otago food and nutrition report shows that more than 22,000 schoolchildren are perceived by their teachers to be regularly hungry. The study has found that 40% of schools reported hungry pupils in their classrooms.

The most comprehensive survey of aboriginal life in Australia shows the aborigines still the poorest, sickest, least educated and most unemployed people in Australia.

Prison chaplain Father Jim Consedine publishes his book on Restorative Justice, which advocates a Justice system in NZ based on rehabilitation and healing rather than punishment.

The ILO releases a major report on World Employment in 1995.

23 February 1995

The Fire Service identifies 170 jobs that will disappear on April 3, completing the first of two stages of restructuring. Some of the Service's most senior fire-fighters have elected - or been told - to take early retirement. About 107 support staff are also losing their jobs.

Social Welfare computer software staff fear another round of job losses will eventuate after a review of the division's operations.

Auckland's North Shore and Waitakere Hospital staff are due to lay off almost half their existing service staff in measures that will see their work contracted out.

Former Labour PM David Lange announces his retirement from politics at the next election.

Bill Birch announces his budget preview as required under the Fiscal Responsibility Act. He signalled tax cuts to middle and low-income earners in 20 months time, conditional on the level of the public debt. Also due in the Budget : more money for schools and an extra 800 teachers; and a change in the abatement rates affecting beneficiaries who wish to take part-time work.

Jim Bolger says parents were to blame for any hungry schoolchildren. He acknowledges a growing problem of disadvantaged children in low-income homes, but says that it was a parent's first responsibility to give their children breakfast and a school lunch. "These needs come before tobacco, Lotto, videos any of those things..."

24 February 1995

The High Court rules that up to 180,000 applications for special benefits from Social Welfare since April 1992 have been mishandled. Combined Beneficiaries Union chairman Frank Clarke urges beneficiaries previously refused a special benefit to reapply.

Peter Gresham says that last year's changes to the special needs grants programme and sandwich-making classes for parents will solve the hungry schoolkids problem.

US Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan tells Congress that economic growth appeared to be slowing, and that the bank's prolonged assault on inflation may be over.

25 February 1995

Statistics show that the building industry recovery is continuing, with little impact evident from the higher interest rates.

26 February 1995

Student fees will rise by up to 34% this year, according to statistics from NZ's seven universities.

27 February 1995

Sir Roger Douglas launches ACT NZ's policy platforms, and will promote them at 300 meetings over the next 6 weeks. It is pledging to abolish all company and income taxes if it wins the next election. It wants people to provide for their own health and superannuation through private insurance, and also pay for their own education - with low-income earners receiving a top-up from the state. Douglas says that economists have assessed that his policies would see unemployment fall back to 2% with a huge increase in the number of jobs for the unskilled.

28 February 1995

Parliament resumes. Jim Bolger and Helen Clark trade blows about making sandwiches for children.

250 firemen protest outside of Parliament in protests about 400 jobs that may disappear under plans to restructure the Fire Service.

1 March 1995

Amidst a shortage of seasonal fruit-pickers in the Nelson and Hawkes Bay regions, unemployed people who refuse to pick fruit face cancellation of their benefits and a six-month stand-down from the dole.

The government plans to substantially widen tax relief for foreign investors in moves to boost overseas investment.