22 November 2004
ACT MP Muriel Newman launches an on-line petition to encourage a "proper submission process"
for the Charities Bill, inviting all those who will be affected by the proposed Charities Commission
regulations to make a submission. The petition can be found here
Newman is also calling for greater consultation on the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion
Bill that she says will close down sheltered workshops, affecting the lives of thousands of disabled
people. The petition to support wider consultation can be found here
23 November 2004
In Queenstown there are at least 200 job vacancies as the town braces for what is expected to be
a record number of overseas visitors this season.
NZ businesses continue to be upbeat about their future. 25% of businesses expect their business
to improve and 28% expect to raise their prices over the next year.
24 November 2004
The Security Intelligence Service is to be the subject of an inquiry after allegations the service has
been spying on "Maori activists".
25 November 2004
Wellington has about twice the rate of hospital admissions for children with skin infections than
Australia or the US. Public health registrar Darren Hunt says the reason is not clear but it could be linked
to household overcrowding, lack of access to family doctors and lack of home first aid supplies.
28 November 2004
The Maritime Union is concerned that new free-trade agreements will see waterside jobs given to
Asian workers. General secretary Trevor Hanson says the Port of Lyttleton has recently applied to
import waterfront workers, which are now on the occupational shortlist. Hanson: "We are not opposed
to foreign workers but we are strongly opposed to companies exploiting cheap foreign labour to
undermine wages and conditions for local workers."
About 200 Polish dentists will join the British National Health Service, recruited through an
overseas drive aimed at plugging the gaps in state-funded services across England.
29 November 2004
Nearly 1,500 Wellington primary school children regularly go to school without breakfast and nearly
a third of those often bring no lunch, according to research done by a Victoria University graduate
student. Regional public health dietician Bronwyn Wood says the problem is often money-related
or caused by parents working shifts and not getting up in the morning to prepare food.
30 November 2004
Student debt for NZers living overseas is twice that of those still living in NZ. University
Students Association co-president Fleur Fitzsimons says the figures prove there is a clear link between the size
of loans and people's decision to go overseas.
1 December 2004
Students who begin training to be pilots this year are having to sign a document that stipulates
that continued funding for the second year of their course cannot be guaranteed. The Aviation
Industry Association says, as a result, few if any training organisations will be able to fill their courses this
year. Enrolments in Auckland and Christchurch are down 70%. Being a two-year course, the lack of
people doing the training this year will have a flow-on effect for subsequent years and limit the number of
pilots available for work. The association says this will have restricting effects on both tourism and agriculture.
NZIER predicts NZ economic growth to halve from 4.8% this year to 2.4% next year.
NZ signs a trade liberalisation agreement with Thailand. One aspect of the deal is an "exporting
labour" provision that will allow Thais with qualifications to work in NZ. Thais qualified in such areas as
traditional Thai massage therapy or as chefs will be able to bypass normal immigration tests to work here
for up to four years, providing they have a job offer before leaving home.
2 December 2004
The number of NZ armed forces personnel has dropped by about one-third since 1991, with
many people leaving the service after they have trained. Defence chief Bruce Ferguson tells a
parliamentary committee that some military staff are being lured away by big salaries overseas. People with
special forces skills can attract private contractor rates of between $200,000 to $300,000 a year to work
in Iraq. But not all those leaving the service go overseas. Ferguson says since the economy has
improved over the last few years, more people have gone to civilian jobs where they can earn more.
Pacific Island expert Helen Hughes says that widespread government corruption and reliance on
foreign aid is stunting economic growth in the Pacific Islands. Hunt says the islands could support high
standards of living within a generation if their governments and foreign donors concentrate on
economic reform, increased agricultural production and job creation schemes.
3 December 2004
Taking a break from the office at lunch or taking the full entitlement of breaks improves worker
productivity, according to a survey by recruitment firm Hays. The survey also found that 41% of people said
it showed increased commitment to their employers to take less than their allocated break, but 75%
said their productivity benefited from taking a break away for the office at lunch time.
4 December 2004
The Hospitality Association of NZ says there is a desperate shortage of qualified chefs in NZ and
urges the government to return chefs to the immigration occupational shortlist. The Immigration Service
removed chefs from the list last year after concerns that many of the job applications were fraudulent.
Over 60% of NZ workers do not believe management is open and honest with them, nor does
management "inspire trust", according to recruitment website Seek's annual
Intelligence Survey.
5 December 2004
Poor public perception of council workers has emerged as the leading cause of flagging staff morale
and skill shortages in local government. A survey of employees in the five main skills areas where
councils have the most difficulty recruiting found 65% said the main reasons for the poor image of
council staff include perceptions they are lazy and overpaid, that there is excessive bureaucracy, and that
councils hinder development. The five areas of skills shortages are in building consents, engineering,
environmental health, planning, and policy.
New Zealanders are working longer hours, and working couples have boosted their time at
work by up to an extra day a week between them. Research by economist Dr Paul Callister has found
that, between 1986 and 2001, a greater number of NZers worked longer hours, and the number of
paid hours worked per household increased significantly.
