Letter No.67
1 October, 1997

14 September 1997

A British study has found that if government ministers want to raise school standards, they should end child poverty instead of spending more on education. The study, called Literacy, Numeracy and Economic Performance, by the Centre for Economic Performance (based at the London School of Economics) says that a serious programme to tackle child poverty might do far more for boosting attainment in literacy and numeracy than any modest intervention in schools.

16 September 1997

A report on Tomorrows Schools by the Council for Educational Research says that teachers and principals are working longer hours, and increasing numbers of them are describing their workloads as excessive.

17 September 1997

The number of registered unemployed has risen by 7,198 people or 4.4% to reach 170,624. Employment Minister Peter McCardle blames the rise on a data-matching exercise that has found that thousands of people receiving the unemployment benefit were not registered as unemployed.

Labour's Steve Maharey says that this explanation does not wash with him. He believes that unemployment is ballooning out of control, and Peter McCardle's explanation does not explain why there are more than 16,000 or 10% more people unemployed now than there were a year ago.

A new Treasury report on Private Providers in tertiary education, says that there are 800 PTEs (private training establishments) half of which have been established since 1990. The PTEs provide courses for 100,000 students, with some 43% of the students being Maori (compared with 11% in the mainstream tertiary sector).

18 September 1997

Up to 70 civilian staff at Trentham Army Camp are uncertain about their job futures after the work they do was awarded to a private company.

The Alliance launches a new campaign to build support for measures to close the gender pay gap. Alliance's Laila Harre: "The gap between men's and women's wages has increased since the Employment Contracts Act took effect, and this indicates that the marketplace alone will not deliver pay equity..."

19 September 1997

Ted Turner, the founder of Cable News Network, has announced plans to donate $1 billion to United Nations humanitarian agencies over the next 10 years and called on other wealthy people to do the same.

The British Chancellor, Gordon Brown, is to spearhead a global initiative to cancel the debt of the world's poorest countries by the year 2000. He proposes that by 2000, 75% of the world's poorest countries should have schemes designed to cancel or relieve their debt. This will free domestic resources to invest in education, health and the relief of poverty.

20 September 1997

The Wellington City Council is to employ unemployed people under Community Taskforce to record the number-plates of motorists who are running red lights in the city.

Worker's accident pay will be slashed from 80% of their pre-accident earnings to 65%, if the government accepts official recommendations as part of a revamp of the ACC.

21 September 1997

A Belgian study shows that couples in which both partners work argue more than couples with one breadwinner.

The Employment Service in Whangarei is buying bikes for jobseekers in a bid to get over the district's lack of public transport. The jobseekers must be able to prove that mobility is an obstacle to full-time employment. They are issued with a $375 bike once they start work, and if they are still there after three months, they get to keep it.

22 September 1997

The European Union unemployment rate fell in July for the second consecutive month, according to figures produced by Eurostat, the EU's official statistical body.

The Business Roundtable is calling for a flattening of the tax scales to reduce the top personal tax rate to 20% or less over the next few years.

23 September 1997

The government makes a Treaty settlement offer to the Ngai Tahu tribe, which will give Ngai Tahu $170m, and an apology for the failings of previous governments. The settlement also includes ownership of land and lakes, and the future dual naming of many South Island placenames.

The Ruapehu District Council is restructuring with as many as 41 staff having to reapply for their jobs.

Coeur Gold's Golden Cross mine ear Waihi will close at the end of the year with the loss of 81 jobs.

24 September 1997

Private sector wages grew at 1% in the May quarter, slower than either the markets or the Reserve Bank were expecting.

Dating agency tactics are being used to pair employers and job seekers in Tauranga. Business people invited to a breakfast meeting next month organised by the Employment Service, will be given profiles of long-term unemployed people eager to find work. The Tauranga NZES is also to videotape their unemployed clients as another way of marketing them to employers.

25 September 1997

74 students are arrested outside parliament after protests over the Government Tertiary Review Green Paper which they say is a "thinly veiled plan to privatise universities and polytechs..."

26 September 1997

Thames businesses closed for an hour to protest against planned tariff cuts which would lead to Thames largest employer, Toyota, closing down permanently. The Minister of Commerce, John Luxton, told a hostile rally that the town had to start planning for life after the death of the plant ... which presently employs 330 workers and pumps $15m into the district's economy.

A retiring member of the police executive says that Auckland needs another 400 police officers if they are going to make inroads into crime.

Fletcher Challenge Forests' 1400 employees will have to submit to drug tests or lose their jobs.

NZ Post plans to axe 124 jobs as a result of restructuring in its mail centres.

NZ'ers have rejected Winston Peters compulsory superannuation scheme in a referendum with a staggering margin of 92.4% "No" votes to 7.6% "Yes" votes. The New Zealand Herald describes it as "one of the most stunning referendum results in world history..."

27 September 1997

Ngati Kahungungu tribal leaders have met with Children and Young persons and Their Families Service (CYPFS) staff to discuss taking over contracts for youth services for Maori youth from Wairoa to Wairarapa. The move is part of Social Welfare's iwi social services strategy, which will lead to increasing numbers of Maori taking over responsibility for their young people.

28 September 1997

The Sunday News reports that many Maori and Pakeha TOPS providers called to a Christchurch briefing on ETSA's Te Ararau scheme, greeted the news of a $500 Maori cash-for-jobs bounty with stony silence, and then walked out in anger.

29 September 1997

The National Bank's survey of business confidence has continued to show signs of strengthening, and is now back at levels last seen in December 1995.

30 September 1997

Firefighters fear more staff cuts are on the way following the resignation of the Fire Service's National Commander Bob Baillie. Bailie is the second top executive to quit in a week.

More than 40 people are losing their jobs at a Hamilton bakery among the first to go in nationwide redundancies following the Goodman Fielder takeover of Defiance Foods.