Category: Media releases

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‘Show us the numbers’ on port privatisation

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union says the Mayor of Auckland should “show us the numbers” about Auckland’s finances before pushing port privatisation as the easy answer to its problems.

The Maritime Union was responding to claims by the Mayor reported in the media last week about the need for service cuts and asset sales as a solution to rising rates. 

Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 Secretary Russell Mayn says Auckland ratepayers are aware of pressures on City finances, but want to see some hard evidence as to how privatisation is a solution.

“At the moment it seems largely to be doom and gloom tactics to try and generate a panic and justify an existing agenda.”

He says that selling profitable strategic assets comes with substantial costs of its own.

Mr Mayn says a report commissioned by the Union showed how port privatisation in Australia had led to major increases in port charges as private owners sought to recoup their investment.

These charges would be passed onto businesses and consumers, he says.

Mr Mayn says the Port of Auckland is making good returns and has a very positive future with its current ownership model.

“Privatisation of assets would lead to Aucklanders losing the family silver, and then facing increased costs through profit gouging at a private port.”

Mr Mayn says it makes no sense to be talking about major waterfront beautification projects on port land while at the same time claiming that the City was broke.

“The Maritime Union understands the pressures on Auckland’s finances, but selling off the prime assets of the City for a one-off sugar hit does not address the long term issues and would lead to all sorts of consequences.”

He says one immediate cost saving would be cancelling overseas consultants being paid hefty fees to build the privatisation case.

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National strategy required for future of New Zealand ports and shipping

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union says there needs to be national level planning around ports and coastal shipping, otherwise New Zealand is going to find itself in a bad position.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says there needs to be a stronger response to building resilience into the supply chain.

The Productivity Commission has noted disruptions to global supply chain trends are likely to become more frequent with causes including pandemics, war and climate change.

Mr Harrison says the Union is calling for political solutions including a port strategy and investment in coastal shipping.

He says one problem is how New Zealand ports are primarily seen as income streams for owners, as opposed to national infrastructure that underpins the successful functioning of the economy.

An example of lack of co-ordination is the multiple conflicts around the future of the Port of Auckland, he says.

“In the case of Port of Auckland, we have major roading and rail projects being proposed at the same time as a privatization agenda and plans to shrink the port despite no clear alternative capacity – in other words, total confusion.”

He says claims there can be a straightforward relocation of port activities to Northport (Whangarei) or Tauranga are unrealistic.

“Northport does not even have a rail link at this stage, and Tauranga is operating close to capacity. This situation is not going to be resolved by highway mega-projects that simply move congestion around.”

He says with ongoing climate-driven weather events becoming more severe, proposals to sink more and more resources into roading projects shows a refusal to face facts. 

Mr Harrison says there needs to be a strategic shift to build the role of coastal shipping.

He says New Zealand coastal shipping provided resilience that was demonstrated during COVID and during natural disasters such as earthquakes or flooding, when regional land links were out of action.

“For a fraction of the enormous price tag of monster motorways, New Zealand could become a leader with investment into low emission coastal shipping, and create safer, less congested roads.”

“The recent Government investment and resulting growth in coastal shipping shows the potential but there needs to be an integrated shipping and ports policy to build on this.”

He says that the Maritime Union is campaigning for changes to the Maritime Transport Act to promote New Zealand shipping and maritime jobs.

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Maritime Union backs calls for corporate manslaughter law

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union is backing the call from Pike River family members Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse for the introduction of criminal corporate manslaughter laws.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says the Maritime Union has supported corporate manslaughter laws in principle for a number of years.

Mr Harrison says it is unacceptable workers are dying and being injured on the job due to failure to provide safe working conditions.

“The terrible tragedy of Pike River is an indictment on how the interests of senior managers, directors and shareholders were put before the lives of workers.”

He says investigations of any corporate manslaughter cases must rest with the New Zealand Police and prosecution with Crown Prosecutors.

Mr Harrison says there have been eighteen deaths in New Zealand ports over the last ten years, as well as a substantial number of sometimes serious injuries.

He says progress has been made in health and safety in the Ports sector, including the development of an industry backed Approved Code of Practice for port operations, with the involvement of the Union.

“It is now necessary to ensure that strong laws are in place to provide an incentive for employers to ensure safe workplaces, and to send a strong message to those employers who choose to put workers in danger.”

The call for new laws comes as charges against three individuals by Worksafe resulting from the Whakaari/White Island disaster were dismissed in the Auckland District Court earlier this month. 

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WorkSafe job losses another reminder of risks to public services this election

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Working people will bear the brunt of WorkSafe’s proposal for a deep and wide restructuring that was announced today said the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

“Reducing WorkSafe’s capacity and capability is the wrong thing to be undertaking when New Zealand’s poor health and safety record is costing so many lives of working people,” said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

Between June 2022 and June 2023, 71 New Zealanders died from a result of an injury at work. In addition, estimates suggest that another 750-900 workers die each year from work-related occupational diseases such as asbestosis and cancers.

“More funding is needed right now to ensure WorkSafe’s valuable mahi can continue to help ensure working New Zealanders can return home safe and healthy from work.”

While the NZCTU agrees with the intention to prioritise maintaining the existing frontline inspectorate numbers, this needs to be understood within the context of an already understaffed resource, and now the frontline inspectorate will operate with even less organisational support.

In addition, WorkSafe have an array of core legislative functions which are beyond simply ensuring compliance with minimum standards, such as establishing codes of practice and best practice guidance on how work safely, data analysis and providing research and education.

Following the Pike River Mine tragedy, the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety called for a regulator that had both the mandate and resources to be a visible and effective best practice regulator.

“Reducing WorkSafe’s capacity now risks going back to how things were in the lead up to Pike.

“These proposed cuts will only make it much harder for New Zealand to make real progress in turning around its poor health and safety record,” said Wagstaff.

“What is really worrying is that National and Act are threatening to make even more cuts at WorkSafe and across the public service to fund their tax cuts for landlords and others.  

“When cuts are made to public services, there are real consequences as this exercise at WorkSafe shows. The scale of cuts demanded by National and ACT would have a huge impact on public services New Zealanders rely on – there is no doubt that hospitals, schools, and many other services are at risk.

“You just can’t cut public services and expect better results – WorkSafe’s proposals for restructuring are a clear warning of the consequences of that,” said Wagstaff.

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Stronger than expected GDP underlines confidence in economy

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The economy is in stronger than expected shape, with official figures showing GDP growing at an annual rate of 3.2% says NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

“The June quarter result is an encouraging sign of the underlying strength of the economy,” said Renney.

“The data also confirms that the economy was not in a recession, showing flat growth instead. When taken together with strong employment data, strong wage growth, and falling inflation, this data does not support those who are seeking to paint a picture of a struggling economy. They are wrong.”
 
“The data shows that the economy is now 9.2% larger than it was at the start of COVID-19. Quarterly growth was stronger than had been forecast by ANZ, ASB, Westpac, RBNZ, and the Treasury forecasts just last week. Growth was widespread, with 14 of the 16 sectors of the economy showing annual output growth. Exports were 13.1% higher than in June last year, again showing the New Zealand economy competing successfully on the world stage.
 
“This data is welcome news. The New Zealand economy is growing even with strong population growth. GDP per capita rose 2.2% last year. International experts such as Standard & Poor have said that New Zealand has ‘excellent institutions, a wealthy economy and moderate public indebtedness’. We can now add that it also has a growing economy, and no recession despite huge international economic challenges.
 
“We are in good shape and while there may still be dark clouds ahead, the underlying picture is one of an economy that has weathered the post-COVID environment better than many expected.”

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Credibility of Nicola Willis on the line after new analysis confirms $2 billion tax plan hole

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions says it beggars belief that National Leader Christopher Luxon can retain confidence in his finance spokesperson Nicola Willis after the latest revelations about the size of the hole in its tax plan.

As reported on RNZ today, two respected economists, working with property experts CoreLogic, show National’s Foreign Buyer Tax would raise just $210m a year compared to National’s optimistic estimates of $740 million.

“This amounts to a staggering hole of more than $2 billion over the four-year forecast period,” said CTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“The CTU has said all along that National’s tax plan doesn’t add up and the weight of expert evidence continues to mount daily, confirming a huge headache for National – the credibility of finance spokesperson Nicola Willis is at stake here.

“We call on Christopher Luxon to express confidence in Ms Willis and explain how the Foreign Buyer Tax will work and release the reports which they are relying on instead of resorting to the sweeping and shallow defences he has made to date. He needs to front up and answer the hard questions journalists are asking every day.

“There is too much at stake here. If the numbers don’t add up as many now suspect, and a huge fiscal hole to the tune of billions of dollars opens up, a National-ACT government would have to take an even sharper axe to public services and slash and burn core services should it form the next government.

“Nicola Willis has said she wants to cut $600 million in public sector spending by Christmas. Clearly, the cuts would be more severe to make the tax plan work – they would need to more than double – and that means the public service would be incapacitated and unable to function effectively.

“National needs to come clean on what those cuts will mean for New Zealanders – without a doubt services New Zealanders need across health, education, justice, welfare, conservation, biosecurity, customs and much more are at risk.  

“Mr Luxon makes a lot of his corporate record – but no leader of a listed company would stand for this shambolic accounting.

“This election is all about earning the right to lead New Zealand. Right now, Mr Luxon is not doing enough to prove he’s got what it takes. He needs to front up with evidence and numbers that add up, or own up to the fact that his plan is not fit for purpose.”

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PREFU data shows the strength of the underlying economy

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Treasury data released today shows a resilient economy, but one with long-term challenges that need to be addressed to make sure that New Zealanders benefit from future economic growth, said CTU Economist and Director of Policy Craig Renney. The Treasury forecasts show that government debt will continue to be low by international standards, and unemployment will continue to be lower than the long-run. Wages will continue to grow faster than inflation, with record migration driving house prices higher in the future.

Craig Renney said “While it is pleasing to see growth returning in the economy, we need to make sure that the benefits of that growth are being equally shared. That means making sure that the government is continuing to invest in essential public services. It means making sure that benefits and pensions rise in line with wages, rather than with inflation. Maintaining fiscal control is important, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of leaving the most vulnerable New Zealanders behind.

Renney said “Whoever is in government after the election will be faced with the same set of choices. The test is how they respond to them. Spending cuts and tax giveaways, or maintaining the public services that we all rely upon. Treasury data today shows that we should take heart from the resilience of the economy. What we choose to use that resilience for will determine the outcomes for New Zealanders”.

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National Party Cuts – Front Line Services in the Firing Line

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The National Party has identified nearly $2.5bn of cuts to public services to pay for its tax programme, but an analysis by the CTU shows that this includes services many New Zealanders would consider front-line, says CTU Economist and Director of Policy Craig Renney. “National targets what it calls back office government bureaucracies. But the areas in scope of the cuts include courts, biosecurity, and cybersecurity. These aren’t back-office services”.

“Troublingly, the areas identified for cuts also include work on family violence and sexual violence. It includes serious fraud. It includes food safety. These are not areas that should be under the microscope for cuts. These should be areas where there is cross-party consensus that we need to invest more”.

National’s numbers come from Treasury data published at the last Budget. This has given the CTU the ability to identify what is within National’s savings programme. If we concentrate on the truly ‘non-front line’ the size of the cuts necessary to achieve National’s target rises nearly 5-fold – to 31% of spending. The reality is deeper and deeper cuts to public services, or no tax changes.

Craig Renney said “This analysis adds to the existing problems facing National’s tax plan. The cuts to public services will have to get even bigger if their overseas tax measures fail to bring in the $3.6bn necessary. National says that $2.3bn in tax cuts for landlords are necessary, but it hasn’t identified why possible cuts to front line services, such as search and rescue, are necessary”.

Craig Renney said “National should provide voters with clarity about how it will achieve such potentially deep cuts to public services. There are only a few weeks left until early voting opens, which only adds to the urgency. New Zealanders deserve to know how National will make its sums work, without cutting the essential services that are in their sights”.

Example areas within the scope of National’s savings programme:

Department Service Description
Crown Law The provision and supervision of a national Crown prosecution service and oversight of public prosecutions
DPMC Supporting activities that address cyber security threats and improving cyber security resilience
DPMC Leadership and co-ordination of the government’s response to the sequence of 2023 extreme weather events that impacted the North Island.
Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence A whole-of-government approach to prevent, address and eliminate family violence and sexual violence, as well as related services and support to Ministers.
Serious Fraud Office Preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting serious financial crimes by the Serious Fraud Office.
Customs The provision of services relating to goods crossing borders, including trade compliance, and the protection of New Zealand through interventions, investigations and enforcement.
Ministry of Primary Industries Biosecurity monitoring and clearance programmes that manage the biosecurity risk associated with international trade and travel.
Ministry of Primary Industries Scientific inputs and development and implementation of food related standards (including as appropriate international and joint Australia/New Zealand standards) and standards related to inputs into food production, imports, exports, new and emerging issues and the domestic market.
Ministry of Transport The coordination of search and rescue activities as authorised by section 9(1) of Land Transport Management Act 2003.
Inland Revenue Inland Revenue undertaking investigation, audit and litigation activities
Ministry of Justice Providing services that support the work of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court
Ministry of Social Development The processing and administrative aspects of payment of Veterans’ Pensions and related allowances
Department of Internal Affairs Providing effective management of New Zealand’s records of identity, authenticating official documents, and coordinating the congratulatory message service.
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MEDIA RELEASE: Strong Support For Age-Verification On Porn Sites – Poll

Source: Family First

MEDIA RELEASE

6 September 2023

Strong Support For Age-Verification On Porn Sites – Poll

A new poll has found significant support for pornography sites to have age-verification requirements.

In the independent polling commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research, 1,000 respondents were asked “Some people have proposed placing stricter age verification rules on pornography sites on the Internet to ensure children cannot access adult content online. This law would require porn sites to verify someone is 18 or older with a credit card or ID before they can access the site. Do you support or oppose this law?”

Almost 4 in 5 (79%) respondents support a law requiring age verification on porn sites, with just 11% (1 in 10) opposing it.

Females were more supportive than men (84% v 73%), but support was strong across political party affiliation.

A poll in 2017 also found high levels of concern around the effects of online pornography and its link to sexual violence, and the easy access that young people have to offensive material. It also found significant support for action from government and internet providers in terms of filtering and Opt-Out provisions.

“Thanks to the availability, affordability and anonymity of the internet and smartphones, young children are exposed to what used to be referred to as hard-core – but now mainstream – pornography at an alarming rate. Parents are crying out for help,” says Bob McCoskrie, CEO of Family First NZ.

“And the research is revealing the true picture. Youth with greater pornography exposure have been found more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour at a young age, view women as sex objects and develop attitudes that support violence against women, believe “rape myths” – beliefs that justify or defend rape, have increasingly aggressive behavioural tendencies including increased interest in coercing partners into unwanted sex acts, and experience increased difficulty in developing intimate relationships with partners and decreased erectile function.”

France, Germany, UK, Louisiana and Utah have rolled out age verification systems.

For those who argue against age-verification, we already have age checks on other sites (e.g. Kiwi Access Card and RealMe).

Australian campaigner Melinda Tankard Reist identifies the urgent need for this legislation – both in Australia and also here in New Zealand.

“There are currently no barriers to prevent child from entering rape, sadism, torture porn and incest sites.  As a result of this harmful experiment on the sexual development of children, many are acting out in sexually inappropriate ways, becoming copycat predators… We tell boys to respect girls, but porn – the world’s biggest department of education – teaches them the opposite. They are taught to see sex and aggression as linked. An age verification system would complement other strategies the Government, educational, and community groups are undertaking to help limit harms of explicit content. While not a ‘fix-all’, proof-of-age requirements would provide a much-needed layer of protection for children vulnerable to the predatory porn industry.”

“Today’s pornography teaches boys to be users, to be aggressive, and it tries to persuade girls that they are to be used. Initial studies show that the adolescent brain is more sensitive to sexually explicit material than adult brains. A review of 19 studies found that adolescents who view online pornography are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors and to have anxiety or depression, and more likely to commit sexual violence,” says Bob McCoskrie, CEO of Family First NZ who sponsored a petition to Parliament in 2017.

“Society is starting to catch up with the science on the harms of pornography. There has been an important national conversation around consent and ‘rape culture’. At the same time, there is increasing consumption and availability of online pornography and sexual violence. It’s time we connected the dots.”

The Ministry of Health, in its submission to the Select Committee considering the 22,334-written petition admitted that “the content of pornography has changed significantly over the last 20 years and has become more extreme, deviant and violent.” It also acknowledged that “violence towards women and girls is depicted in 80% of online content. This has a variety of harmful impacts on children and young people’s sexual expectations, attitudes, and behaviour.”

READ THE FULL POLLING RESULTS

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New report shows major downsides to Ports of Auckland privatisation scheme

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

A new report commissioned by the Maritime Union of New Zealand shows major downsides to any privatisation of operations at the Ports of Auckland.

The report entitled “The costs and risks of privatising Ports of Auckland operations” draws on international research including the experience of Australian ports in recent years.

Auckland Council is reviewing options to sell an operating lease for the Ports to a global network terminal operator, and has commissioned consultants to seek expressions of interest.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says a key concern coming out of the report is the potential for price hikes hitting port users – then being passed on to local industry and consumers.

Mr Harrison says privatisation of operations at Ports of Auckland is estimated to hit local port users with NZ$70 million in extra costs annually.

“Any private operator in Auckland would be in a monopoly position and would seek returns on its investment, on top of the lease cost – the profit has to come from somewhere.”

He says privatised port operations in Australia have seen surcharges of over AU$100 per container imposed on port users, who have no other options.

“The failed automation experiment at Ports of Auckland shows there is no fat to be cut at the Port, and private profit through privatization would be extracted from port users and the local economy.”

Mr Harrison says the primary value of the Ports of Auckland is how it facilitates trade.

He says there is growing concern there is no clear strategy for the Ports and decision making is being driven on a short term, ad hoc basis.

“The Ports of Auckland is going through the a period of growth and stability under new leadership with improving returns, and should be left to get on with the job and not meddled with.”