Not just another candidates’ debate – this is your chance to debate the real issues facing our communities.
Five union/community election forums will be MC’d around New Zealand by some of New Zealand’s favourite funny people, including Michele A’Court, Jeremy Elwood, Darren Ludlow and Ian Harcourt. The forums have been organised by a group of unions and community organisations joining together to bring you a fun, fast and furious evening of political debate.
There’s a serious side to this as well. Candidates will be asked the hard questions on welfare, public services, inequality and more.
Please come along by going to the Facebook event and inviting your friends in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Invercargill to join in too.
The issues: Welfare, inequality and a living wage | public services, health and early childhood education | disabled people’s issues | caring work | ACC
The format: Party spokespeople will have 2 minutes each to answer questions on these topics.
The venues:
West Auckland – Tues 8 November, 7pm. Kelston Community Centre, cnr Great North & Awaroa Rds. MC’d by Jeremy Elwood. Labour candidate – Carmel Sepuloni
Wellington – Wed 9 November, 5.30pm. St John’s on Willis St. MC’d by Ian Harcourt. Labour candidate – Grant Robertson
Invercargill – Wed 9 November, 7pm. Lindisfarne Community Centre. MC’d by Darren Ludlow. Labour candidate – Lesley Soper
Auckland Central – Tues 15 November, 7pm. Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn. MC’d by Michele A’Court. Labour candidate – Jacinda Ardern
Hamilton – Wed 16 November, 5pm. YWCA, 28 Pembroke St. MC’d by Jeremy Elwood. Labour Candidate – Sue Moroney
What, no Christchurch? I want to meet the cool kids too!
We don’t have enough beneficiaries in NZ.
I am very grateful to Labour for their promise to extend WFF to include beneficiaries. This is what the country needs – many more people dependent on the state – i.e. other taxpayers.
Good on you, Labour. This is good, solid, fiscally responsible economics. Well done.
Labour needs to get people off the dole and into jobs. Not a real vote getter for the Red party tho. Understandable position. Im am confident they will be doing what they can to bring down the wealfair costs, just not by whipping people who have more than one child!
Yes, they will be “bringing down” the “wealfair” costs by creating more of them. This is what the WFF extension would do.
There is an old proverb – “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Labour is very much of the “give a man a fish” – sorry – “handout” camp.
Labour is very much of the “give a man a fish” – sorry – “handout” camp.
So you are saying teach a man how to get handouts all on his own? I guess thats whats been working for the mega rich wall street bankers for the last 3 years! Tax payer bailouts so bankers can get there “performance bonuses” (what a joke). Ha Ha Ha, dam, its on us.
@ed – “So you are saying teach a man how to get handouts all on his own?”
No. I’m saying TRAIN the man. Don’t just give him a handout to sit on his backside. Expanding the already-unaffordable and of-dubious-value WFF scheme is not good policy.
Labour did actually make a positive step in mentioning training in one of their policies, but that has now been completely undone by this very poorly-considered policy. This country does NOT need more benefits or beneficiaries.
( When I said that it did, I was (of course) being sarcastic….. )
National hasn’t made any steps in this direction either. They are just pulling it out for the election.
I think that instead of bashing on the bottom we should be looking at ways to improve the prospects and wages of the people just above the bottom. I get minimum wage and can’t get a promotion. Who is helping me get a fair deal for my labours? Or is my life just one of wage slavery?
@ ed “…we should be looking at ways to improve the prospects and wages of the
people just above the bottom.”
I agree. Couldn’t agree more. The best way is training and education. It really is that simple. There are no shortcuts.
(And no, there are no guarantees even if you get trained or educated. It’s a big bad world out there.)
Look at the people from Asia who come here. They HUGELY value education, and their work-ethic would put to shame 70% of the people in this country. Look at the orchardists in Hawke’s Bay who have to get people in from Fiji because locals here can’t be bothered picking fruit. That’s the NZ “work ethic” for you.
I’m not saying everyone is like that, but there are lots who are.
As for “a fair deal for your labours” – do you mean that you should be paid more without putting in some effort to improve your skills? If the answer is “yes”, then I’d say you’re destined for a long period of “wage slavery”, as you put it.