New hate speech law proposals from the government are a bit confusing, and some of the debate so far seems to have muddied the waters, reducing something that began as an effort to combat racism, terrorism and hatred to name calling and taunts by politicians. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Justice Minister Kris Faafoi contradicted Read more
On the campaign trail last year, Ardern raised eyebrows when she blithely told journalists she expected “wide support” for expanding existing hate-speech laws to include religion. When asked whether sexual orientation, age or disability could be included, she said, “Yeah.” The Prime Minister, who had just unveiled a memorial plaque at Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque, Read more
New child poverty statistics from Stats NZ paint an optimistic picture for the period before the 2020 Covid lockdowns, Monte Cecilia Housing Trust CEO Bernie Smith says, but the months since then have been brutal for low-income earners and government support is desperately needed. “We’re always happy to see those arrows going in the right Read more
Child advocates are slamming the Government for its “unjustifiably slow” action on welfare reform, with a new report finding just four of 126 recommendations have been fully implemented. And it found none the 42 key recommendations made by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group early last year have been achieved almost two years later. The Child Read more
Jacinda Ardern says she disagrees with the accusation of “unjustifiably slow” welfare reform made by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). CPAG’s criticism of the Government’s response comes after more than 60 charities urged them to increase welfare payments in the lead-up to Christmas, which Ardern ruled out. Progress on welfare reform is being made, Read more
Back in 2017, before Jacinda Ardern was sworn in as prime minister, she said she wanted the new government to be “empathetic and kind”. We’re all familiar with the “be kind” mantra, but I question its ability to achieve… well, anything. Ardern asked landlords to chill with raising their rent when the kind thing to Read more
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is refusing to take responsibility for the country’s damning social statistics; in particular child poverty. Amid the growing need for food banks and the accusation that Ardern, has done nothing to address the issue of child poverty, the Prime Minister told One News that she needs more than one term to Read more
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is promising to crack down on hate speech and restrict free speech if she can govern alone after the election. She promised to include religion under legislation that deals with hate speech and discrimination. “In a modern New Zealand, everyone would agree no one should be discriminated for their religion. “It Read more
In April 2018, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the Paris Institute of Political Studies to talk about the impacts of climate change in the Pacific Islands and said: “We are a Pacific nation … New Zealand does not simply sit in the Pacific. We are the Pacific too, and we are doing our best to Read more
The latest statistics on childhood poverty in New Zealand suggest that, on some key measures, things are worse than previously estimated. About one in six children (16% or 183,000) live below a before-housing-cost relative poverty measure, but that figure jumps to almost one in four (23% or 254,000) once housing costs are accounted for. And Read more