26 September 1996

The Limited Services Volunteer scheme, which gives military-style training for young unemployed people, will be expanded from 720 trainees a year up to 2,000 a year.

Millions of dollars provided to train social workers at the Children and Young Persons Service to a minimum competency has been used instead to hire more temporary unqualified staff.

Statistics NZ says that private sector average hourly wages for the year to May had risen 4%. Overall, wages had risen 3.4%, with public sector wages rising a lower 2.2%.

27 September 1996

The Income Support Service says that pregnancy is the biggest single reason people are being granted the sickness benefit, and is nearly twice the number granted for depression or arthritis.

NZ First says it would make only minor changes to the Employment Contracts Act.

The general manager of the Children and Young Persons Service, Griff Page, is under pressure to resign in the wake of a damning independent report on social worker training.

The IMF warns that the US economy is in danger of overheating, with growth rates at 4.8% being the fastest in two and a half years, and unemployment dropping to 5.1%, with nearly 260,000 jobs being created each month.

28 September 1996

Havelock North's refrigerated freight business Roadair is to close with the loss of 100 jobs.

Unqualified trainee teachers may be used in classrooms next year because of teacher shortages.

The NZ economy is growing at its slowest rate in four years, at 0.3% in the June quarter.

The number of working days lost due to industrial strife has shrunk to its lowest point in almost four decades.

29 September 1996

Future dairy mergers could cost 1000 jobs by the year 2000, according to Ray Potroz, secretary of the NZ Dairy Workers Union.

30 September 1996

Many foodbanks close this week in protest against continuing poverty and the need for foodbanks in NZ.

Up to 35 Auckland casino staff may lose their jobs as a result of an investigation into 'double-dipping' on welfare benefits.

Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson claims that Healthcare Otago is being pressured by the government to achieve $6m in budget savings, which could mean major job losses.

1 October 1996

Wellington City Missioner Rev Des Britten has shunned the foodbank strike, saying it was "unchristian". He says he also wanted to keep faith with those who had donated food and money over the past year.

Nearly 1200 Labour Department staff who are PSA members began industrial action over their proposed new employment contracts. They are angry over proposals to cut salaries, increase hours of work, and require staff to work over the weekend for no extra money. Some staff walked off the job, or took common lunch and tea breaks ... in actions which included staff from NZ Employment Service, Occupational Safety and Health, Immigration Service and the Community Employment Group.

2 October 1996

Statistics NZ reports that the average net profit of cropping, livestock and mixed farms in NZ dropped by 68% in the June 1994-95 year.

3 October 1996

New Zealand's National Day of Action on Poverty.

Helen Clark pledges to set up a Commission on Poverty to investigate the scale of the problem in NZ and to recommend solutions.

4 October 1996

Hundreds will lose their jobs at the Glenbrook steel mill in efforts to cut substantial costs from the running of the plant.

5 October 1996

The government signs a $170m treaty settlement with the South Island's Ngai Tahu tribe, ending a 150-year campaign for recognition that the tribe had suffered under Crown actions.

7 October 1996

About 70 Longburn tanker drivers were facing an uncertain future after rumours that all the tanker fleet of the newly-merged Kiwi-Tui Dairies would be transferred to South Taranaki early next year. Only a handful of drivers were looking at transferring to Taranaki to keep their jobs, citing too many other commitments in Manawatu to move.

8 October 1996

Mountaineer Graeme Dingle re-launches his national youth development programme Project K, which aims to give young students a month in the wilderness followed by a month on community projects.

Anxious Department of Conservation staff are told that the upcoming 'restructuring', in the wake of the Cave Creek enquiry, is not designed to cut jobs.

9 October 1996

The editor of the New Zealand Law Journal criticises the Chief Justice, Sir Thomas Eichelbaum, for his comments aimed at the Business Roundtable.

10 October 1996

Massey University reports its Home Mortgage Affordability Index has declined by 6.6%, as rising interest rates outweighs falling prices.

11 October 1996

Pre-election jitters depresses the financial markets for the third day in a row.

12 October 1996

ELECTION DAY

NATIONAL retains their level of electoral support with about 35% of the vote and 44 seats in the new MMP parliament.
LABOUR drops in electoral support to 28% of the vote and 37 seats.
The ALLIANCE also drops in their support to 10% of the vote, although under the MMP rules, they gain substantially more members in the house from two to 13 seats.
NZ FIRST holds the balance of power with an increase of support to 13% of the vote and their members going from two seats to 17.
ACT passes the electoral threshold with 6% of the vote and 8 seats.
UNITED NZ gains less than 1% of the vote but holds onto one electorate seat.

Sixteen MPs lose their seats, including almost all the smaller parties in the last parliament. All the Maori electorates have moved from Labour to NZ First. And there will be 45 first-timers in Parliament.

13 October 1996

MMP government coalition negotiations begin : Which Way Will Winston Jump ?