This web page was last updated before the election 1999 and will be re-designed / up-dated during the year 2001.
Yes - there was a sigh of relief after the election. And YES: the future looks bright for the country. Most people say:
Let's not go back to the nineties - and thank God the "right-wing" has practically fallen into oblivion. Imagine what would this country look like with those policies preached put into reality if they would have come to power.
Remember this one:
The
new "Work for the Dole" plans by the ACT Party !
We need a motivated population but not antipathy and threats against the most vulnerable in our society. It's like a bad dream - but it's over now ! There are many more items on this web site which look in hindsight like a nightmare for the country.
There are of course many unsolved problems and issues - so let's give this Government a decade to fix things and to re-build the country. One term would never be enough - and as always in life it takes much longer to repair something than to destroy it.
Please use the resources offered. Most links help you to get better informed ( OECD etc. ) .... Thank you.
If you want to contribute to this web site please e-mail us at: nzsociety2000@usa.net
A link page to web sites with important subjects / issues for ALL of us ...
Welcome to our web site. Every day (and esp. before the important decision ahead of us) more and more people are getting informed about what really matters for our society.
We appreciate your positive feedback - but also the negative comments. Many people have told us that we are some years "too early" with our approach. The decision this time will still be more based on traditional approaches rather than on exploring "information" resources (we are far away from a "knowledge" society - whatever this might be one day).
[ Our experience is the same - many of our visitors are satisfying at this stage their curiosity (having a look) - but they don't dig deeper into the resources offered to them. This might change however and we will develop this web site further over the next years to serve your information needs in the future. ]
We cannot cover everything but we add everyday new links - esp. before this election.
IMPORTANT :
Please
give our web site URL to others - whatever your political direction is
(there is something for everyone - right or left). Otherwise you will have
to ask yourself in the late hours of November 27, 1999 or in the early
morning on November 28, 1999 : Did I everything to get informed ?
Could there be another outcome if I have helped others to get informed
?
Thanks again for visiting us - and please bookmark the site and come back.
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
1999 is different to 1996 !
The internet allows us this time to get better informed about what really matters and to make a well founded decision !
Get informed - THINK before you make your "tick" this time !
Not everyone has access to the Internet. Please share not only your knowledge, experience and information with others - but also share this URL - thank you. There is so much talk about the "knowledge society", "knowledge economy" etc. - this is a good place to start to get informed.
We should however not forget some of the BIG issues - and "global" does not only mean the economy - there is much more to our world ...
The BIG issues - and how we will cope with this one ...
... and all of a sudden our BIG problems are becoming small problems !
( OK - the Rugby is hard to swallow ... we will get over it ! )
UNDER CONSTRUCTION ! We have just started to add the first links to this web site and hope that it will already fulfill its purpose: easier access to relevant information regarding our society.
This introduction page is very long (at this stage) - PLEASE READ ON - and scroll through the whole page. Thank you !
The story of the month NOVEMBER - see your NZ Herald on Page
A3 ( Tuesday 2, 1999 ) or
search the web site of the NZ Herald at : NZ
Herald
The sad story of Mr Ka ( Copyright of the NZ Herald ) More from WINZ ...
This story moves everyone ! If it doesn't move you - then you have a heart of stone.
[ Comments: We hope that this story
will contribute to help everyone in this country to make a better decision
for the future of all of us. Thank you. ]
The "Leader" debates on TV3 and on TV 1 were interesting to watch - maybe we should not focus too much on parties and their policies - but on the presentation of facts, the vision and the personality of the person we want in the top job.
Thorough information, seeing facts in context is required ... if we hear the statement that New Zealand doesn't fare bad compared with Ireland (as far as unemployment is concerned - roughly the same percentage) then we have to get the full picture to judge such statements - just go to the OECD website and compare the main economic indicators :
OECD Statistics: Main Economic Indicators
A look at the graphics and how things have developed over the last years is more than sobering for all New Zealanders. Printout the graphics for New Zealand and Ireland and put them side by side. These statistics are not New Zealand made - and we have asked ourselves: how many people in this country will have a look at them ?
The OECD - what it is, purpose, statistics and much more ...
Will you help others to get informed and give this URL to them ?
The other BIG question is: are there parties / political directions who can turn things around ? Therefore get informed and talk to the MPs.
More about the OECD further down !
This is what most of the people in the Auckland Area are interested in: "to make ends meet this Christmas ..."
... What a shame ! The payout of a $ 250.-- dividend from the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust to Auckland Electricity consumers has been postponed. For tens of thousands of people - esp. the low income people this would have been the only chance to put some smile into the faces of their children at Christmas. Shame on the councils who are blocking the dividends ! It's disgusting .... no wonder that most people think we need thorough changes at all levels of our society. Talk to your MP about these matters !
Thursday, November 4, 1999 NZ Herald DIALOGUE Page 17 :
- Economic prosperity must also provide social justice by Steve Maharey
- Labour's policy is all about the unions' power by Sir William Birch
[ Comments: Throughout the world - and esp. in all progressing countries - "social partnerships" have been developed over generations. There is not only "information" recognized as new factor of production but also the two (three) traditional ones: Capital, Labour, (natural resources). All factors are working together for the benefit of a nation.
New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world which have gone back over the last fifteen years by neglecting the most important of these factors: LABOUR - the people of the nation !
"Union bashing" is the last resort - it is esp. tragic if there is nothing left, nothing to show to the world that the wellbeing of a nation and its people have improved.
There are better ways "to go off the stage" when the time has come ! ]
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
Search ALTAVISTA for :
Social justice, social systems, unions, employer federations, labour law, social security ...
and pair these search criteria with: Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Germany etc. + some other progressive countries and a whole NEW world will open up for you !
The
NEW "Work for the Dole" plans by the ACT Party !
Still more is on their web site : ACT
Party
Left-wing
issues (under construction)
Right-wing
issues
About the WINZ Report by the Auditor General ... ( Copyright NZ Herald)
Could we REALLY expect something else ?
Visit : www.oag.govt.nz
October
19, 1999 - the report is out on the net ! Check in the left panel
for: Reports October 1999.
Web sites of the month : Engineering,
Printing and Manufacturing Union
( here you can watch the commercials
they
didn't want us to see on TV )
Economic Myth Busters ( VERY RECOMMENDED ! )
Magazine of the month : NORTH
& SOUTH re.
the article about
(s.a. our WINZ page)
Christine Rankin and WINZ - Work and Income New Zealand
Re. foreign banks operating in New Zealand. Dont let them kidding you with their commercials ( this is c... ) - Westpac is not only closing branches here in New Zealand but also sacking thousands in Australia. Click on the link below to read more about the Bank Customer Action Collective and the "Bank of New Zealand" - soon coming on TVs "60 Minutes" !
This concerns you too - press releases from the Bank Customer Action Collective !
From the NZ Herald October 16, 1999 :
Children are dying on our doorstep ( Copyright NZ Herald )
Slavery
and sweat shops in New Zealand I ( Copyright NZ Herald )
Slavery
and sweat shops in New Zealand II ( Copyright NZ Herald )
The original links will be added
as soon as possible - also search the NZ
Herald
Their archives are an excellent
information resource.
Click here to print out an URL sheet ! (for your school, supermarket white board etc.)
At this stage we recommend to
stay on this
As of October 11 we have started to transfer some
page and use the links below
(our regular
links to our regular pages !
link pages are under development)
!
We apologize for the long page - but this will change within some days !
Rcently added links can usually be found on
Some of our regular pages have been added containing
this page ( see sections below ) :
already some sections from this page.
GOVERNMENT section on this
page Our
Government Link Page
HEALTH section on this page
HEALTH Page
Environment,
genetically engineering and related matters
ECONOMY section on this page
Economy
related links
EMPLOYMENT section on this page EMPLOYMENT Page
WINZ - Work and Income NZ Page
EDUCATION section on this page
EDUCATION Page
PUBLIC Service section
PUBLIC Service Page
REGIONAL, LOCAL Government
REGIONAL, LOCAL Government Page
TECHNOLOGY / COMPUTER section
TECHNOLOGY / COMPUTING Page
MEDIA section on this page
MEDIA Page
CONTACT section
CONTACT Page
The subjects above are only some of the areas of interest for all of us in the aftermath of the late eighties and the nineties.
To start with one of the favourite subjects these days: the " knowledge society " .
Let's just get some " information " on the way ahead ( and before we do anything else ) - about something what is really important for the "knowledge society" of the future: our children !
(You probably have seen the nice done commercials on TV how important "children" are for our society - this is in contrast to the REALITY of life for many children in New Zealand).
From the NZ Herald ( 04/10/99 ) : Empty tummies dictate timing of school days !
[ Comments: If we cannot even feed our children properly in New Zealand after more than a decade of "economic" reform - how on earth will we ever participate (or play a leading role) - in a developing world where "knowledge" and the processing of information is paramount ? ]
Further recommended reading :
The NZ Business Roundtable
- search their site for "knowledge"
[ In case the search function on the NZ Herald Web Site doesn't work properly you can view the text of this article here : Empty tummies ..... ( Copyright of the NZ Herald ) ]
This item also answers all the questions asked just some days ago in one of the headlines of the NZ Herald :
Bright at 5, dull at 8 - why are NZ children struggling at school ?
(based on a study for the Council for Educational Research and the Ministry of Education).
[ Comments: Contrary to what is said in the article - there is NO more research needed to determine the EXACT reasons for the slow progress of these children .... - and you certainly don't need to have a university degree or the Education Review Office to find the factors to be blamed. ].
" Get informed - NOW ! "
Please keep in mind: Election issues
Only informed citizens can make the most important decision(s) for the future of our country ...
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
[ Comments:
October 1999 ... student demonstrations at most universities of New Zealand, strikes and depot pickets by bus drivers in Auckland, kids are going hungry to school ... everyday more bad news !
It is NO wonder with the approach : " Leave it to the markets ... " - how wrong has it all gone !
Most of us know that major changes are required to overcome the disastrous consequences for the New Zealand society as a whole caused by the so-called "economic" reforms (esp. during the last decade). However: we should not forget WHEN the mess was started (and ask those people serious questions) !
If we would have developed like Ireland and some other successful countries with similar structures and population levels ... then we could proudly say: "We had some pain, now we have the gain - also for the future of our children."
But this is NOT the case at all !
How serious is the situation for ALL of us
... ?
Very serious indeed !
( 1 ) the national assets created
by generations before have practically all been sold for peanuts - and
the
debt levels are higher than before (getting higher every day)
( 2 ) nearly the entire financial
sector and all related industries are also in foreign hands (now pioneering
communities in New Zealand try to build up banking facilities again)
( 3 ) important industries to keep
at least pace with the developed industrialized world (like the car assembling
industry) have been closed down and the people made redundant
( 4 ) we import practically everything
(from hi-tech equipment to junk) - but much less export
( 5 ) important industries to cover
basic needs like the clothing and the shoe industry have
been destroyed
.... and other problems more ....
[ Comments: Going through the items on the website of the NZ Business Roundtable one could get the impression that New Zealand is the mother of all "economic reforms" ( YES - it is: but with what a disastrous outcome for more than 3.5 Mio. people ! ).
Opinons expressed now and in the past - remember when the Irish Prime Minister was in New Zealand - are always going into the same direction: distributing some trivia to tell people how good our country fares (without telling the truth that our country has not only been sold out but also gone down the drain economically - and this in just over a little bit more than decade because of the policies preached).
It is understandable that they say for example that Ireland has not fared much better than New Zealand etc. - otherwise they would have also to admit that everything what they are preaching has totally failed over the last decade.
The point is - and this might be a little bit hard to swallow for these folks ...
Ireland has got the BIG research facilities of world wide operating computer giants like MOTOROLA - and additionally the big manufacturing plants !
This is because the Irish Government has NOT implemented policies and directions similar to those preached here by the NZ Business Roundtable and right-wing parties.
Instead they have shown some foresight and also consideration for their citizens and the workforce - there is NO such nonsense like the EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS ACT.
This is just the simple truth - if some people now like it or not !
Many of our visitors have found it amazing that - esp. on Labour Day
1999 - the NZ Employers Federation is putting ads in the Herald to indicate
that thanks to the Employment Contracts Act
270 000 + NEW JOBS have been created.
If this were true - why then is our whole economy - and society - such a disaster ?
The Employment Contracts Act has NOT created any jobs at all - instead we have more people working parttime, in unqualified jobs and it gets worse every day !
Foreign investment didn't create jobs either - instead our assets were drained, important industries destroyed (which would have helped us to participate in the modern world - there is more than the internet to take part in the knowledge society ! ), the people were sacked and the country is more or less an object of internationally operating speculators.
Our young people are going overseas not only because of the student loans - they are leaving the country in droves because there are not too many industries left (and they are paid much better overseas).
The cartoon on page A4 clearly indicates the fear of the NZEF that with the change of government and the return to democratic workplaces ( like in any other developed country of the world ) - the end has come to often outrageous working conditions in many cases ( YES : most employers are responsible employers - there is no doubt about it - but this has more to do with personality than with the NZEF ).
New Zealand Employers Federation
[ Comments: The cartoon is (like the stuff on the web site) harmless trivia - one should not put too much into it - esp. NOT that it means the employers will finish you off; it is a little naive joke - there is not much more to it ].
The same is valid for the advertisements on November 1, 1999 !
Of course - apart from some employers - everyone wants to go back to democratic workplaces (and probably even the employees at the NZEF ! )
Visit also :
NZ
Business Roundtable
INFOMETRICS
and there is also the other side of the coin at :
Engineering, Printing and
Manufacturing Union
( here you can watch the
commercials they didn't want us to see on TV )
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
[ Comments :
To restore this society at least to a level where the people of New Zealand are motivated again (after more than a decade of "reforms") - requires not only the change but also re-gaining mutual trust between employers and employees; the implementation of work councils and social partnerships between employers and unions. In principle everything what people in developed countries are often taking for granted (but generations have worked hard for it). Many areas of our society have to be re-build from scratch - it will not happen overnight ! ]
From the Business Herald ( October 16, 1999 ) :
Item
about the Irish economy by Brian Gaynor NZ
Herald
(if
we would have such problems only - we could feel like in paradise)
On page J9 ( Weekend Books and Arts ) of this issue we have also found
a review by Simon Collins about the latest
book by Professor Jane Kelsey under the head line : Price of
going global
Reclaiming
the Future: New Zealand & the Global Economy
By Jane Kelsey
Bridget Williams Books
( This item is copyright of the New Zealand Herald - at this stage we didn't
find the link on the NZ Herald web site so
we have quoted the text only of this item esp. because of the burning interest
involved for everyone at this time. )
" For 15 years, New Zealand has been hurtling down the road of integrating our economy with the rest of the world. You know the story. We've got rid of exchange controls and import licensing, taken off most import duties, sold large parts of what used to be the state to foreigners, and stood by while many of our home-grown businesses have become branches of foreign conglomerates.
We now have the freedom to buy what we like from overseas and to invest our money where we wish. At the same time, technology is genuinely creating a "global village." International phone calls are cheaper, and in an extraordinarily short time the Internet has made it easy to communicate with someone on the other side of the world.
The fact that these two things - deregulation and technological change - have happend together has encouraged us to think that "globalisation" is both desirable and inevitable. But in Reclaiming the Future, Jane Kelsey questions that part of "globalisation" that we have brought on ourselves - deregulation of trade and investment.
In economic terms, she argues, our performance has been worse than Australia's since the Labour Government began to deregulate in 1984. Our overseas earnings have fallen increasingly behind our spending and as a country we have gone increasingly into debt. In social terms, globalisation has increased inequality and insecurity.
And politically, foreign firms have taken over large swathes of the economy. We are now much more vulnerable to any passing flutter in the international "casino economy".
Kelsey rejects the idea that we are locked into these changes - that, for example, we can't afford to restrict foreign investment because that could create a run on our dollar as overseas investors pull out. "Such decisions require sober assessment of the costs and benefits, not just rhetorical hype about capital flight."
After the Asian crisis, when just such a capital flight crippled the economies of Indonesia and Korea, she says, "the tide is turning against the global free market," with increasing talk of re-regulation." She discusses restoring currency controls, keeping selective import duties and passing laws to protect workers and the environment.
It is hard to argue this position in New Zealand, because we have all been captivated by the simplicity of the goal of "opening up to the world." To a large extent we were right to open up.
But after reading Kelsey's 388 page dense pages of facts and figures, I doubt that it made sense to do it as quickly as we did, exchanging the minimal cost of protected industries for the huge economic and social cost of having thousands of workers on the dole.
Even in the longer term, the poll results she quotes suggest that most New Zealanders would be willing to pay slightly higher prices to keep the jobs of, for example the 21,000 people in the clothing and textiles industry.
With APEC over, perhaps we can, like other countries, develop a more balanced approach to trade and investment that takes account of workers and the environment as well as ideology of the free market. This book would be a great place to start.
Simon Collins is the editor of Wellington's City Voice newspaper, and a former economics editor of the Herald.
Very recommended reading ! Election issues
Search the internet for more items from NZ leading academics at :
www.altavista.com Search for : Jane Kelsey for example !
Only if we are "informed" this time then we can decide for a better future.
Make your mind free from all nonense and trivia and visit the following OECD links to get the correct picture:
the
OECD - what it is, purpose, statistics and much more ...
OECD
Gross Domestic Product statistics ( GDP )
OECD
Statistics: Main Economic Indicators
A web site telling more about the reality in this country :
Engineering, Printing
and Manufacturing Union
( here you can also
watch the commercials they didn't want us to see on TV )
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
The internet gives us this chance now (and for the first time available for most people before the election) - therefore :
Send us your links, notes etc. - we will publish them. They are also of interest for tens of thousands of people in New Zealand before they make their decision this time.
It doesn't matter from what (political) direction your input is - left, centre, right ...
We welcome the fantasy of more tax reductions as much as the idea of taxing the better well off at a higher rate !
[ Comments: any tax reduction (even if it is only worth a coffee more during your lunch break) will be eaten up easily by higher interest rates for your mortgage from around November on, by increased petrol prices etc. The leader of one party has said some weeks ago that a further reduction of corporate taxes will lead to 40000 jobs more - what an illusion to believe. Apart from some exceptions businesses are cutting costs to the bones. Taxing the well off more on the other hand will lead to more tax evasion etc. and/or companies going overseas into tax havens etc. ]
Look where some of the nations sporting / sponsor heroes of the past are residing now (after taking away a huge chunk of the nations assets) ...
And YOU are still sitting in the same dull office, working under conditions which YOU would have considered outrageous some years ago .... don't be fooled anymore - we all have to face the reality sooner or later !
This time make up YOUR mind !
Most people are aware that there is a huge amount of information on the Internet which goes beyond the short lived messages presented on TV, radio and in the newspaper.
Some of the media have however a SEARCH facility on their web sites to dig out interesting items - for example :
NZ Herald (click on SEARCH in the
left pane)
The PRESS - Christchurch
You can search for whatever you like : APEC, Police, IRD, WINZ, economy, INCIS, LINZ etc. and you will get lists with a huge numbers of interesting items published (we have experienced recently some problems with the search facility of the NZ Herald - maybe the problem has been fixed in the meantime).
Two of the most important items / links we have found in the NZ Herald
(on Saturday, September 25 and on Saturday, October 2, 1999) - and also
on the NZ Herald web site;
even if you read nothing else - this is AN
EYE OPENER !
Both items have been written by Brian Gaynor in the Business Herald :
Item
from 25/09/99 (dealing with: how New Zealand assets have been squandered
away)
Item
from 02/10/99 (dealing with those who have been the beneficiaries of these
sales)
[ Brian
Gaynor deals with some important issues in his items ( they should not
be forgotten one
decade later when we go to the polls - at least we should not be quite
stupid this time ) :
He
esp. recalls : WHO was in charge a decade ago.
It is up to us to decide in some weeks time who the people are deserving
our trust for a better future. ]
[ In case the search function on the NZ
Herald Web Site doesn't work properly you can view the text only
of
these articles here : First
item .... ( Copyright of the NZ Herald )
Second
item .... ( Copyright of the NZ Herald ) ]
We really recommend the items written by Brian Gaynor in the Business
Herald every Saturday to get an insight into what really counts this time
(use the Search function at the NZ Herald web site).
They are informative and written in an easy understandable manner.
There are also excellent online services available - you can subscribe too :
The Newsroom
SCOOP - very recommended
Often the time to search for what we are really interested in is not available and/or we don't know where to find the relevant information on the Internet - it has become too overcrowded and distracting.
Here we can help - less is actually more !
TV, radio, newspaper etc. are dealing with one or two subjects at a time. Regrettably - tomorrow we have forgotten the most important facts. The Internet allows us to have a look again at all the important subjects / issues (and to make up our own mind about the future shape of our society).
This is what this web site is about !
On this web site we will do one thing only : We will bring you interesting links and link pages to get a better picture of our society. We focus only on some issues: the really important subjects for all of us !
Still a HOT subject because of the circumstances - we should NOT forget this tragic issue (and also not the others who have fallen victim to the health system) !
Go to ...
Health and Human Rights - the Rau Williams
case
13/07/99 - Health and Disabilities Commissioner Report released
!
Search on ALTAVISTA :
for : Rau Williams
US
Health Care Reform
Study some of the items and you will see how in only one decade a certainly not perfect - but aspiring - public health system has been willingly nearly ruined (build up by generations before for the future of all of us).
Societies in developed countries take pride in what they have achieved for their people in this area - it has taken them often more than a century to get so far ...
It will also take generations of New Zealanders to come back to the level in public health care (affordable for everyone) where we have been a decade ago !
Excellent sources are the following link pages - dealing with politics, social issues etc.
Political Organizations and Commentary - a link page from the PIPER PAT web site
The Web site of: Joint
Methodist Presbyterian Public Questions Committees
The Poverty
Myths
Keith
Rankins New Zealand Political Economy Links
Ian
Ritchies Link Page
From here you can further explore many areas and opinions related to NZ society today.
We are not web designers, artists etc., we don't belong to any political party (and we don't want to sell you something via Internet) - however .....
We have set ourselves some goals with this web site :
(1) We want to achieve that as many people as possible can get informed about what has happened to them and society in general (esp. during the last 15 to 20 years).
(2) We also want to provide easy access to information from many sources (and representing as many directions / interests as possible). The internet is the ideal medium to do this.
A good example for our approach are the following links / items (representing different directions / interests) :
Life in the Economic Test Tube (by Professor Dr. Jane Kelsey from Auckland University)
and the :
Web site of the New Zealand Business
Roundtable
INFOMETRICS
These web sites represents in their articles mainly the opposite point of view compared to the first two links.
Another example :
We all hear from time to time how New Zealand fares in the so-called OECD statistics. Honestly - do you know what OECD stands for ? Please have a look at the following web site to find out what it is all about :
the OECD - what it is, purpose, statistics and much more ...
We will have many links to OECD pages and other international organizations (United Nations, Unicef, WHO etc.) on this web site - a further example is the OECD "Gross Domestic Product" statistics.
OECD Gross Domestic Product statistics ( GDP )
In its most simple definition GDP is the total money value of all final goods and services produced in an economy over a one-year period.
From these statistics we see that New Zealand - after Korea, Japan and the Czech Republic - is in the fourth worse position with a decline of 0.8 % GDP 1998 compared to 1997 (based on 1990 price levels/exchange rates). There are of course reasons for this - but there are certainly also reasons why Ireland has scored an increase of 10.4 %, Australia of 5.1 % etc. The GDP is not the only important figure to sum up an economy and any interpretation has to go a little bit further. The absolute figures have also to be seen in context with the size of the country and other economic indicators, export markets etc.
OECD Statistics: Main Economic Indicators
Print out some of the pages (with the easy to understand graphics) and find out how New Zealand fares compared with other OECD countries (Ireland is a good example to make us all think - have a look at their unemployment figures).
It is not too difficult to read and to interpret these basic statistics !
NZ Herald item from Saturday October 2, 1999 :
Weekend News - Page A 5
NZ living standard languishes
Statistics show we are behind almost all OECD
countries
Search the NZ Herald web site for this item written by Bronwyn Sell !
(3) We want you to ask yourself some honest questions ...
" What has happened to my life - positive and/or negative experiences - ( stress, leisure time, working conditions / job satisfaction etc. ... ) during the last ten to fifteen years ? "
" How much better / worse do I personally fare - what price did I pay (financial worries, debts in the form of mortgage and credit cards, what is my real - disposable - income today, my true living standard etc. ... ) ? "
" What will the future hold for me and my family (health, education - student loans, qualified jobs etc. ... ) ? "
(4)We ALL should get informed about the policies of the political parties (see their web sites which we have listed below) and find out how they intend to address the real problems we face today and in the future in our society.
At this critical time for of our country it is important that everyone has as much information as possible available to make up his/her own mind what the future should hold.
Consider what really counts for YOU and the
future of our society. DON'T let someone impress you with gimmicks,
election bribes and empty promises. Of course: if we are NOT thoroughly
informed then we cannot make well founded decisions and we will get what
we deserve !
Most important !
Talk at least once in your lifetime to your local MP and / or the candidates from your preferred party at their electorate office. You can call, send dozens of faxes, e-mails etc. - meeting him/her in person is much more effective !
Keep in mind that ONE vote only can be critical for decisions made in Parliament (with consequences for generations to come).
Find out if your MP is informed about the REAL issues / problems we all are facing in our society.
The following party list is in alphabetical order - but NOT yet complete : Election issues
ACT Party
Alliance Party
Christian Heritage Party
Green Party
Labour Party
Natural Law Party
New Zealand First Party
National Party
United Party
An excellent information source is the following web site :
All you need to know about elections in New Zealand ....
In the not too far future we will have world-wide quite different systems
to elect our leaders in a democratic fashion. Similar to the polls on this
web site it will be possible in the near future to conduct at practically
NO cost at all elections, referenda etc. over the internet (with some build-in
security features - pin numbers or similar passwords). The new systems
will allow the individual citizen to take part in dozens of polls and referenda
every week ...
Get informed about MMP and how it works in other countries - New Zealand had just one election under MMP. We don't have to describe the outcome from 1996 - you know it already !
[ Most people think it would be democratic and fair to the voter if all parties declare their policies and prospective coalition intentions before the election to save us this time the disastrous experience of 1996 and what followed. ]
Even if you can nothing remember anymore about MMP on polling day ...
PARTY VOTE counts ! .............
PARTY VOTE counts ! .............
PARTY VOTE counts ! . ............
Make a list before you talk to YOUR MP about what you expect him/her to do in the interest of all us [if he/she becomes (re) - elected].
At the meeting talk about the issues concerning YOU ( there are probably thousands of others in the same situation ).
Only if we and our representatives in Parliament are informed - the right decision(s) representing the will of all of us are made.
We ALL have to take care of that we have at the highest level capable representing us. Based on their life experience, knowledge of society, (formal) qualifications: the elite of our country (they don't have to be necessarily university lecturers) MUST be able to do a good and QUALIFIED job for all of us !
The risk of damage done to generations of New Zealanders - by the vote of an unqualified MP for example - going into one direction or the other (whatever we consider is the right direction) - is just too high to be ignored.
By the way: Mail to your MP - addressed to: Parliament Buildings, Wellington - is FREE !
(5) We will concentrate on links which are IMPORTANT for the further development of our society (not only the economy). A country can be a prosperous one in economical terms - society itself might be deeply depressed.
(6) We have found that the time to search for something on the Internet, getting the right URL and/or page etc. are the major reasons why people don't get informed.
We want to change this with one URL to get access to information about important issues for our country and society in one place.
PLEASE click here to print out an URL sheet ! and give it others !
(7) We use mainly ALTAVISTA as our search engine at : ALTAVISTA Search Engine
Whenever possible we will give you some search criteria for further research and/or the criteria we have used in the following form (example only) :
Search criteria : new zealand health
nzhis
nz health information service
Disclaimer
The publishers of this web site do not accept any liability for any loss or damage whatsoever which may directly or indirectly result from any advice, opinion, information, representation or omission, whether negligent or otherwise, contained on this site. The linked web sites and pages are the sole responsibility of their owners.
If you have been here before you can now jump directly to the area you are interested in.
GOVERNMENT section on this
page Government
Link Page
HEALTH section on this page
HEALTH Page
Environment,
genetically engineering and related matters
ECONOMY section on this page
Economy
related links
EMPLOYMENT section on this
page
EMPLOYMENT Page
WINZ - Work and Income NZ Page
EDUCATION section on this page
EDUCATION Page
PUBLIC Service section
PUBLIC Service Page
REGIONAL, LOCAL Government
REGIONAL, LOCAL Government Page
TECHNOLOGY / COMPUTER section
TECHNOLOGY / COMPUTING Page
MEDIA section on this page
MEDIA Page
CONTACT section
CONTACT Page
The subjects above are some of the areas of interest for all of us in the aftermath of the late eighties and the nineties.
We will - probably from October on - transfer all the links to separate pages referring to one of the subjects below..
ALL links are at our Government Link Page
The Government
and Politics link page from Lincoln University
For press research :
Find the latest at :
NZ Herald
The Press
The News Room
SCOOP - very recommended
ALL links are at our Government Link Page
Health and related social issues
Major NZ link pages regarding Health and Medicine are :
The
Health and Medicine link page from Lincoln University
Related
(social) issues are also found here ...
Children are dying on our doorstep ( Copyright NZ Herald )
We will list links from the areas of : general medical care, dental care for children and adults, hospitals, privatization, waiting lists, booking system, genetically modified food, depression, gambling, prescription medicine misuse, alcoholism, child abuse ... to name just a few of the subjects.
It will take some time to gather all the links available from New Zealand and the world. Please be patient with us - we will add more and more links every day.
We will put at first the links onto this page and transfer them from time to time to the following linked page :
Main Health link page
For press research :
The latest you will find at :
NZ Herald
The News Room
The Press
SCOOP - very recommended
Examples - NZ Herald 19/07/99 :
Luxury
Birth Care - if you pay
Two-tier
system at National Womens
From the NZ Herald ( 04/10/99 ) : Empty tummies dictate timing of school days !
If we cannot even feed our children properly in New Zealand after little more than a decade of "economic" reform - how on earth will we ever participate (or play a leading role) - in a developing world where "knowledge" and the processing of information is paramount ?
[ In case the search function on the NZ Herald Web Site doesn't work properly you can view the text of this article here : Empty tummies ..... ( Copyright of the NZ Herald ) ]
This item also answers all the questions asked just some
days ago in one of the headlines of the NZ Herald :
Bright at 5, dull at 8 - why are NZ children struggling
at school ?
(based on a study for the Council for Educational Research
and the Ministry of Education).
[ Comments: Contrary to what is said in the article - there is NO more research needed to determine the EXACT reasons for the slower progress of those children .... etc. - and you certainly don't need to have a university degree to find the factors to be blamed. ].
Children are dying on our doorstep ( Copyright NZ Herald )
Ministry of Health
New Zealand Health Information Service
Occupational Safety and Health
ACC - Accident and Rehabilitation Corporation
Department of Labour: -
ACC related page
HN Group (sea. Mental Health)
The following are excellent links from the PIPER PAT link pages - whatever the health problem is you will find further information about the problem(s) in one of the health related links below :
Medical Interest
Groups
Health information
Doctors
Chemists
Dentists
Optometrists
Fitness related
links
Alternative
Medicine
The RAU WILLIAMS case
Alta Vista Search Criteria : Rau+Williams
Man's
slow death rattles New Zealand's public health system
New
Zealand debates Health Care Rationing
see also : National Waiting Time Project ( Booking and Waiting Time Management )
Media
Release by Bill English, Minister of Health, 02/10/97
Government
must take some responsibility (by Tau Henare, Minister of Maori Affairs)
The web site of the Health and Disability Commissioner
This web site has been updated several times recently !
If you use the search function and enter : Rau Williams your will find:
Report on Opinion - Case 97HDC8872
( s.a. the NZ Herald, July 13, 1999, Page A 10, by Ken Lewis - Rau Williams ruling upsets all concerned )
We all have to be concerned about the RAU WILLIAMS case, very concerned indeed as far as the state of our society is concerned ! There are not many cases as tragic as this one - we will continue and bring you more links and comments regarding this case in the future.
National Waiting Time Project ( Booking and Waiting Time Management )
This project - also commonly known as the "BOOKING SYSTEM" is of interest for all New Zealanders - if young or old, healthy or sick. The site is easy to follow up. In case some links within the site - or the whole site - are disappearing one day for whatever reason: we have kept the original downloads as of July 4, 1999 and can upload them again to our servers if required. This way they are preserved.
We recommend the study of this web site esp. for all those people (or their relatives in serious cases) who are / have been on a waiting list or have been shifted etc. to understand the implications for them.
Media Background (published in the forum of this website)
Click to go to our web page with links for: Environmental issues, GE ...
Social Services, Churches, Poverty :
Children are dying on our doorstep ( Copyright NZ Herald )
The Web site of: Joint Methodist
Presbyterian Public Questions Committees
The Poverty Myths
Keith
Rankins New Zealand Political Economy Links
Ian Ritchies
Link Page
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
Statistics New Zealand - Department of Statistics
Click
here to go to our Link Page !
Commerce and
Economy link page from Lincoln University
We will deal with: the account deficit, export / import matters, parallel imports, asset sales, small business, big business, speculation and speculators, overseas debt, (small) investor protection, OECD statistics .... to name just a few of the subjects.
One of the latest items by Brian Gaynor in the NZ Herald from Saturday, October 30, 1999 :
Ceramco's loss Baycorp's gain
In case the Search Engine at the NZ Herald doesn't work properly (it happens sometimes) we have reprinted the text only (click on the following link) :
Copyright NZ Herald ( Ceramco's loss Baycorp's gain )
We will certainly over time - and until the next election in 2002 - uncover more and more what has happened and still is happening in our country. After reading this item you will know WHY we have the Employments Contract Act, why small investors are crying foul, why BENDON has to be closed (don't believe the stories with the cheap imports etc. - all crap).
However - this item confirms what everyone with some common sense already knows :
- small investors need to be better protected
- all these speculators have not contributed anything to the country;
esp. not those who have
willingly helped to sell the countries assets and are now enjoying
the hundreds of millions of dollars
they have made with our assets ( go some years back and see
WHO has supported the sellout
of our country )
- we need a TOTAL overhaul of all legislation regarding speculation, investor protection, etc.
- it would be NO problem at all to keep manufacturers like BENDON in
this country; just read how
many millions of dollars you can make by shuffling shares around
- no one cares about jobs etc.
(this is a totally different game).
- if you really believe the c... that raising the minimum wage by fifty
cents or a dollar would damage
the economy etc. - then you would be very naive.
... and there a thousand things more you should get informed about !
Click here to go now to our Link Page !
Story
of the day: "Investment in a social conscience" ( Copyright NZ Herald )
[ Comments: and all of a
sudden all the drivel preached by the new right becomes so meaningless
]
Statistics New Zealand - Department of Statistics
The Management
and Industrial Relations link page from Lincoln University
The latest : The
new "Work for the Dole" plans by the ACT Party !
Here we will deal with: the labour market, what really needs to be done, NZES, WINZ, the vanishing of quality full-time work, employment statistics, the unions ... and much more ....
It will take some time to gather all the links available from New Zealand and the world. Please be patient with us - we will add more and more links every day. We will put at first the links onto this page and transfer them from time to time to the following linked page :
Main Employment related link page
For press research :
Because of the sheer volume and the recent interest in the "life style of the rich and famous" we have created for WINZ - Work and Income NZ - related links an extra page :
If you want to find a real job in todays environment then you have to look at other places - search for example through the following link page:
But be aware - as once A.M. said :
"Computer managers don't die - they just open personnel agencies !"
There are also numerous on-line services .... (to be continued)
The latest : The new "Work for the Dole" plans by the ACT Party !
Statistics New Zealand - Department of Statistics
Industrial Relations Service -
Department of Labour (Employment Law etc.)
Occupational Safety and Health
ACC - Accident and Rehabilitation Corporation
Department of Labour: -
ACC related page
OECD - what it is, purpose, statistics and much more ...
Unions of New Zealand Contains the directories / e-mail addresses of other unions
New Zealand Police Association
PIPER PAT Union / Professional Body links
We're a
' low-wage society ' according to TradeNZ site
(s.a. item in the Computer World NZ from July 19, 1999 by Gillian Law)
How the work force of New Zealand is presented to the world not only
surprises Don Farr from FinSec: FinSec
but must also surprise any other ordinary New Zealander. This can't be
true !
Regrettably it is.
New Zealand Employers Federation
New Zealand Business Roundtable
The Education and Training link page from Lincoln University
Here we will deal with: teacher training, computers at school, Internet resources, school funding and resources, tertiary education, student loans and much more ...
( page with links and resources is under construction - the list is of course not complete )
As far as training in IT (information technology) is concerned there
are numerous training providers out there - most of them offer product
specific training (like Novell, Microsoft products) -
but be aware: there are also sharks out
there who are only after your money ! Some of them also advertise on TV
everyday - and/or target new immigrants specifically. We recommend extreme
caution before spending one cent on any "computer training" !
Before you go into any training compare the course offerings, prices etc. Because you want to learn something seek the help of someone who has already gone through this kind of training. The industry is changing so fast - there are also courses labelled with approval from NZQA etc. What really and only can count is the professional advice by those who know by their own knowledge and experience what is offered (points, units and whatsoever is all meaningless in the real world out there).
Taking out student loans for product specific training is of course nonsense and will hit you hard in the future - be careful. To have a professional foundation you need training at a level which is offered only by universities and polytechs. You DON'T become - NOR are you - an academic with some kind of product specific certificate after attending a $ 6500.-- course for 240 hours over twelve weeks. This course lasts for some years and then you have to attend another one to keep "up-to-date" - this has nothing to do with laying professional foundations.
The best offer we have found at :
Visit their website, contact the local MANPOWER office, register with them - ALL training is FREE ! See also the ads in the weekly COMPUTERWORLD at your newsstand !
It is a little bit tricky to get all the courses together from their catalogue and develop your own curricula - but it can be done. If this proves to be too much for you (every student at varsity has to do it) - then you might be better off to fork out $ 7000.-- or more for class room training (and probably the world of continuous learning is not for you because putting together the courses is something what every student has to learn).
Once again:
Most of the course offerings on the market are product specific and last for only some years to get involved in some product specific work - they are NOT a replacement for a professional foundation which is offered by universities and polytechs.
[ Comments:
The web site of the ERO is clearly structured and you can also get hardcopies of their reports and publications - very well done. On the other hand : "review" is like "accounting" directed towards the past - what we really need is "controlling" as action directed forwards.
So it would be worthwhile - instead of lamenting who has done what wrong at what school (and making the headlines) - to think about the true reason(s) why some kids fare not as good as others at school, save the millions of dollars for travel expenses / reports and set the priorities right in context of our society. This money could be put into education and supporting families so that their children are motivated and able to learn the basics (you cannot learn with a hungry stomach).
Forget about the Internet at primary schools and similar technical gimmicks:
Feed the kids FIRST, then teach them the basics (everything else is a TOTAL waste of money in the difficult situation our society is in at the moment).
When we have got this right in our society then we can build up on foundations - and direct our efforts towards the "knowledge society".
From the NZ Herald ( 04/10/99 ) : Empty tummies dictate timing of school days !
If we cannot even feed our children properly in New Zealand after little more than a decade of "economic" reform - how on earth will we ever participate (or play a leading role) - in a developing world where "knowledge" and the processing of information is paramount ?
[ In case the search function on the NZ Herald Web Site doesn't work properly you can view the text of this article here : Empty tummies ..... ( Copyright of the NZ Herald ) ]
This item also answers all the questions asked just some days ago in one of the headlines of the NZ Herald :
Bright at 5, dull at 8 - why are NZ children struggling at school ?
(based on a study for the Council for Educational Research and the Ministry of Education).
[ Comments: Contrary to what is said in the article - there is NO more research needed to determine the EXACT reasons for the slow progress of these children .... - and you certainly don't need to have a university degree or the Education Review Office to find the factors to be blamed. ].
Ask your MP about his opinion(s) as far as education - esp. in primary schools - is concerned. After reading in the papers about the "cruising" worries by the Education Review Office a review of the Education Review Office itself might be not a bad idea ( to give them some direction and to put its views into perspective - and context - also giving them the chance to consider the real problems and educational needs in our country instead of producing more and more paper ) !
University links :
Auckland University
Waikato University
Massey University
Victoria University
Lincoln University
Otago University
Statistics New Zealand - Department of Statistics
State Services Commission (very recommended to get an insight into the Public Service)
Here we will deal with : computers and technology, Police and INCIS, Fire Service, computers in the Health System, Tourism NZ, "golden handshakes", IRD, tax matters ... and many other subjects.
It will take some time to gather all the links available from New Zealand and the world. Please be patient with us - we will add more and more links every day. We will put at first the links onto this page and transfer them from time to time to the following linked page :
Main Public Service Page
For press research :
Statistics New Zealand - Department of Statistics
State Services Commission (very recommended to get an insight into the Public Service)
Work and Income NZ :
Work and Income NZ WINZ and WINZ related links and resources
Fire Service :
Professional Fire Fighters Union
Firefighters - HN
Group
HN Group (Home Page)
NZ Police :
New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police ( 2 )
New Zealand Police Association
If you want to get informed about the INCIS computer project go to :
NZ
Herald
and search for : INCIS (
SEARCH function is at the bottom of left pane )
An ALTA VISTA or SCOOP search for INCIS, NZ POLICE will also bring spectacular results !
Health System :
New Zealand Health Information Service
He we will deal with rates, water and sewage problems, Aucklands Britomart project ... to name just a few.
(the page with links and resources is under construction)
The Link Page from PIPER PAT - Councils, local Government
A comprehensive link page about NZ Places is the following link :
The Link Page from PIPER PAT - NZ Places
The Science and Technology link page from Lincoln University
Backgrounder (very recommended) :
The web site of Paul Strassmann
To be continued with individual websites :
The Media and Publishing link page from Lincoln University
to be continued !
New Subjects are under development !