So reading the paper and listening to the radio today I was struck by two stories at odds with each other.
Firstly there were yesterday’s unemployment figures which at 3.9 percent are the best we’ve seen in a decade and up there with the lowest levels in the world. Everyone’s got a job. There are jobs and no people. The ANZ economist says it’s not actually sustainable and she also pondered why wages aren’t on the up since workers are so scarce.
That is a good question. Let’s all ask our bosses for a wage rise this Friday and see what happens. Imagine that. If the whole nation went out on strike on Friday saying we’re sick of being a low wage economy. Just do it.
Of course, that’s ridiculous because as today’s Reserve Bank statement on the economy says inflation is at a standstill except of course for houses and petrol. So the money ain’t flowing but that’s another issue.
But the upshot of the economic figures of late is that New Zealand is tracking well and even as Mike Hosking noted this morning the new government has not wrecked the gravy train as yet.
But a few pages later there’s the Housing Minister releasing figures that show this winter’s homelessness was the worst in years.  In fact the last 3 years in a row have had very high level of homelessness. Then there are the city missions around the country bracing themselves for an enormous run on their help this summer.
It confuses many. How can we have jobs and opportunities for Africa and yet a stubbornly poor underclass in this country living in garages and killing themselves slowly eating bad cheap food?
It’s because we’ve forgotten the concept that 18 months ago people were saying would be the primary issue in the election.  And that concept is inequality.  The left, in particular, went into the election saying that the rich were getting richer and the poor getting poorer and we need to do something. These two stories today suggest to me that nothing has changed.
And then I thought about all our debates recently.  It’s all about house ownership and tertiary education and trams and stadiums. Such first world problems.  This has been a year of middle-class welfare. Children of the well to do getting uni education for free and a hand up into houses and comfy superannuitants getting heaters.
There’s a reason the poor are staying poor in this country and that’s because they’re born poor and no-one has figured out how to break that cycle. And it starts at the very beginning
This week a global report says New Zealand has one of the most unequal education systems in the world. We’re 33rd out of 38 countries in terms of educational equality.  
By the way, New Zealand is also the worst in the world for bullying at school.
The report looks at the gaps between the highest and lowest-performing pupils in OECD countries, by measuring the difference between those in the bottom 10 percent and top 10 percent. Our best is great and our worst is terrible.  In fact, it says that 90 percent of us are just fine. Life’s not easy but it isn’t impossible.  But right at the bottom, there’s a load of people being left behind completely.
I wonder why we haven’t heard the word inequality in this year of the coalition. I think I know. There are votes in liberal middle-class people. But I’m still waiting to hear how this so-called lefty government is truly going to help the people who really need the help.

So reading the paper and listening to the radio today I was struck by two stories at odds with each other.
Firstly there were yesterday’s unemployment figures which at 3.9 percent are the best we’ve seen in a decade and up there with the lowest levels in the world. Everyone’s got a job. There are jobs and no people. The ANZ economist says it’s not actually sustainable and she also pondered why wages aren’t on the up since workers are so scarce.
That is a good question. Let’s all ask our bosses for a wage rise this Friday and see what happens. Imagine that. If the whole nation went out on strike on Friday saying we’re sick of being a low wage economy. Just do it.
Of course, that’s ridiculous because as today’s Reserve Bank statement on the economy says inflation is at a standstill except of course for houses and petrol. So the money ain’t flowing but that’s another issue.
But the upshot of the economic figures of late is that New Zealand is tracking well and even as Mike Hosking noted this morning the new government has not wrecked the gravy train as yet.
But a few pages later there’s the Housing Minister releasing figures that show this winter’s homelessness was the worst in years.  In fact the last 3 years in a row have had very high level of homelessness. Then there are the city missions around the country bracing themselves for an enormous run on their help this summer.
It confuses many. How can we have jobs and opportunities for Africa and yet a stubbornly poor underclass in this country living in garages and killing themselves slowly eating bad cheap food?
It’s because we’ve forgotten the concept that 18 months ago people were saying would be the primary issue in the election.  And that concept is inequality.  The left, in particular, went into the election saying that the rich were getting richer and the poor getting poorer and we need to do something. These two stories today suggest to me that nothing has changed.
And then I thought about all our debates recently.  It’s all about house ownership and tertiary education and trams and stadiums. Such first world problems.  This has been a year of middle-class welfare. Children of the well to do getting uni education for free and a hand up into houses and comfy superannuitants getting heaters.
There’s a reason the poor are staying poor in this country and that’s because they’re born poor and no-one has figured out how to break that cycle. And it starts at the very beginning
This week a global report says New Zealand has one of the most unequal education systems in the world. We’re 33rd out of 38 countries in terms of educational equality.  
By the way, New Zealand is also the worst in the world for bullying at school.
The report looks at the gaps between the highest and lowest-performing pupils in OECD countries, by measuring the difference between those in the bottom 10 percent and top 10 percent. Our best is great and our worst is terrible.  In fact, it says that 90 percent of us are just fine. Life’s not easy but it isn’t impossible.  But right at the bottom, there’s a load of people being left behind completely.
I wonder why we haven’t heard the word inequality in this year of the coalition. I think I know. There are votes in liberal middle-class people. But I’m still waiting to hear how this so-called lefty government is truly going to help the people who really need the help.

There was a whole lot of toilet talk on Andrew Dickens Afternoons
It comes after Kaikoura District Council's removed a camera in the West End toilets after receiving two complaints in three-months. 
The cameras were installed to stop vandalism, but several complaints about privacy have seen them destroyed. 
Now that they've been removed, they've now had they've had two instances of  graffiti in the public toilet in four-weeks. 
Andrew Dickens asked if listeners if New Zealand needs to have a better attitude to privacy and toilet maintenance. 
One caller says that the country should copy some European countries and charge people to use public toilets.
LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOVE

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Newstalk ZB host Andrew Dickens has started the conversation over the potential of switching to nuclear energy as the country faces record high energy prices. 
Read More: Andrew Dickens: It's time for a nuclear power generation in NZ
Many commentators believe New Zealand is in the beginning of a power crisis, with renewable energy coming under fire as an expensive alternative compared to traditional coal fired plants.
Talk-back caller Jason called The Andrew Dickens Show and explained the advantages and disadvantages of using the controversial power source.
LISTEN ABOVE AS JASON SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENS

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Popular Auckland beach Mission Bay has been left littered with fireworks after Guy Fawkes celebrations in the city, and it has left many talk-back callers to The Andrew Dickens Afternoon Show infuriated.
One caller expressed his anger at having to pick up the tab for other people who have no respect for the environment.
"We have to pay our rates for this, we are paying the council contractors to pick up the rubbish."
Gary told Andrew Dickens that personal responsibility is to blame.
"Come on people, use your brains. If you drop something, you pick it up and take it back home."
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE AS TALKBACK CALLERS SPEAK TO ANDREW DICKENS

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One caller has a controversial suggestion to avoid getting caught by new speed cameras.
It was revealed this morning that police are trialling new 'point to point' cameras that follow average speed and weed out consistent speeders.
Andrew Dickens raised the topic with his listeners this afternoon, and one caller, Liam, offered his own unique take on it.
It's fair to say that not all of his fellow listeners were impressed.
LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK ABOVE

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Australia's military veterans will be able to board planes first and be acknowledged by in-flight announcements, in a new plan for recognition.
Virgin Australia says it wants to honour veterans by giving them the perks.
It follows the Prime Minister Scott Morrison's announcement of a military discount card for veterans.
Defence Industry Minister Steven Ciobo says it's part of a wide-ranging approach to supporting veterans.
"We're investing a lot more money into, in particular, veterans counselling services to help them with the psychological adjustment. We're also investing through the White Card in making sure their health is more robust and we provide support where we can."
However, callers to Andrew Dickens were more mixed about where or not the same treatment should be given here.
Caller Ian asked if one occupation was more deserving of special treatment than others, pointing out that careers such as water treatment do more to protect our wellbeing than the military.
LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOVE

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Questions are being raised about National's promotion offer to Jami-Lee Ross, while the party's leadership knew about harassment allegations against him.
Another phone call recording was released this morning, which reveals a conversation between Ross, Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett before Ross went public with his accusations against the party. the whole saga became public.
Political editor Barry Soper told Andrew Dickens the recordings reveal a lot.
"Both of them, Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett, are saying basically that if he behaved himself, if he followed their instructions, he could return to Parliament next year and he might even be promoted."
Soper says the promotion offer reflects poorly on Bridges and Bennett, who serve as National's Leader and Deputy Leader.
"By offering him to toe the party line and he would be looked after next year in parliament, it doesn't say a lot for the seriousness with which they are treating the complaints which they were in receipt of."
LISTEN TO BARRY SOPER TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVE

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So the slow-motion dance between teachers and the Government continued over the weekend with the announcement of 600 extra learning support co-ordinators by 2020.
These staff will work alongside teachers and parents to provide individualised support and "free up teachers so all children get more quality classroom time". They will be helping the teachers deal with the kids who need a little more either because of disabilities or learning issues.
The 600 staff will mean one or two more for each school and maybe even more for the larger schools.
It was announced at the Labour conference and I suppose it has been scheduled as the conference’s lolly scramble for a while. It also adds to the Government’s offer to teachers.
It all adds to the feeling that I have that Chris Hipkins is telling the truth. That he has put as much as he can on the table, but as time goes on he will try to make the job easier and better.
Rather than fighting to get all the world in one fell swoop I would urge the teachers to take what has been offered and continue to work with this government over the middle term. They are sympathetic but not spendthrift. The strikes will only reduce the sympathy.
Meanwhile, the first question you ask yourself is where are these 600 going to come from. Experts have said that existing teachers will probably go for the coordinator positions, further exacerbating the teacher shortage we’re fighting with.
So once again we’ll be forced to the overseas well. This is a common theme. Over the weekend the challenges of finding quality staff prompted heavyweights in Auckland's hospitality scene to call for more flexible immigration policies.
This puts the government in a pickle. During the last election they blamed immigration for much of our woes and they promised to fix those problems. This is what they said in their election manifesto.
“Labour will invest in housing, infrastructure, public services, and in training New Zealanders to fill skills shortages. At the same time, we will take a breather on immigration. We will do this by making sure that work visas are not being abused to fill low-skill, low-paid jobs, while ensuring that businesses can get the skilled workers they need.”
It’s a delicate balancing act because to fix the infrastructure they’ll also need to import skills. I think we can all see one year on that there has been no breather in immigration
The minister in charge of this delicate immigration balancing act is one Iain Lees-Galloway. Interestingly he’s also in charge of our workplace relation rules. A man who so far has not shown a delicate touch.
We’re trapped in an immigration swamp. We can’t deal with it and we can’t deal with it, without it. Labour and New Zealand First campaigned against immigration in the last election but so far they’ve remained strangely silent on the issue because Government is much harder than opposition .

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New Zealand men are famous for keeping their cards close to their chest and not giving anything away. But a new initiative being launched is trying to change this.

Movember NZ manager Robert Dunne joins The Andrew Dickens Show to discuss Mensus, which is being described as a census but for Men’s feelings.
LISTEN TO THE FULL AUDIO ABOVE AS ROBERT DUNNE SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENS

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