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Category Archives: Phil Goff

NEW ZEALAND’S ACTIVE LIFESTYLES CULTURE EVOLVES AS DESK JOBS ARE CUT IN NEW BUDGET – 2011

Do and be active. Don’t just paper shuffle – is the message from New Zealand with a government’s intended budget cuts program.

A quick overview of New Zealand’s latest political wranglings reveal where the current government intends to cut spending.

Bill English, Finance Minister’s budget aims to cut public services spending. Mr English in observing his political rhetoric the last two years is always the dude saying “high quality” and “top quality.” Today though he’s done an about face and is saying the words “lower value”. Too funny. In particular, he says “lower-value activities the government is currently funding” will be cut.

Labour leader Phil Goff, leader of the opposition party said the Government was preparing the electorate for cuts. A government program (waved like a promise once) titled Working for Families would have a new criteria to be funded. It is now being limited to people on incomes less than $100,000.

“They can only make significant savings if they cut into the incomes of families where each (parent) would be on average be earning less than the average wage, currently around $50,000. That means hammering people on middle incomes with at least a couple of children to support and high mortgage or rental payments.”

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Agreeable change based in new directions New Zealand is heading or not?

Also being spooked (slightly) in this budget are these sectors Read the rest of this entry »

 

PHIL GOFF TALKS RECOVERING FROM SCANDALS, QUAKES, NATIONAL ASSETS STRIPPING AND ELECTRICITY PRICES ON THE SURGE

New Zealand’s opposition leader of the nation’s Labor Party, Mr Phill Goff not only had to deal with a gay sex scandal of a Jr. politican who had to resign, but he also said his members of Parliament had talked about the sale of state assets by John Key‘s government and the impact it would have on electricity prices, as well as the Christchurch recovery, which he said the Government was using as an excuse to make changes such as cuts to Working for Families.”

Kiwis don’t like selling off national assets at all (because politicians do come and go) when assets go what’s left for future generations? Eroding community programs is also viewed as an erosion of cultural strength too at the grass roots.

There’s a lot going on in New Zealand. Rebuilding is definitely robust opposition terrain to flex some weight behind such issues. For sure. The whole nation’s heart is with Christchurch City though, the people are awesome.

In any event, there’s a royal wedding to attend for the nation’s PM, so Mr Goff needs an introduction about now as the caretaker leader during the upcoming days where the world will celebrate Will and Kate‘s special day in London.

Phil has been one of the nation’s longest serving politicians. Always thoughtful and purposeful. Most of all patient is how I remember him when I was in high school. Just kidding, he’s not that old! Blimey.

The climate these MP’s are in is leading ‘Facebook culture environments of peeps,’ where work gets in the way of Facebooking (darn it!) like this story perhaps shows, More than half see work as a big yawn.

Who are the new neighbors in New Zealand who’ve snapped up the state assets? What asset territories/ companies were sold off and what nations are the buyers from? New neighbors are always fun if we take a chipper view of these harrowing facts of sold assets. All these questions… and so little Facebook time too in a day. What will Kiwis do? :)

The Rugby World Cup is ahead in the upcoming months. Exciting stuff to plan and prepare for in anticipation or a major sporting event on the planet. Go New Zealand! It’s a party in Kiwi-land soon.

What about Sir Peter Blake‘s son, doing extra mural university papers and being on college campus when he can be and standing as an MP (no disrespect meant to the other candidates). Perhaps he could motivate the student pack in Dunedin as a good young leader? And generate some exciting culture in Dunedin that would benefit Canterbury youth as well? Why not! Give this student town something to Facebook about. Or, why doesn’t Dunedin (or Canterbury) create its own Facebook all Kiwis can use.

So many exciting possibilities ahead for Dunedin. Kara whiua!

[Photo caption - Labor Party leader Phil Goff emerges from a meeting with his front bench at Otago University in Dunedin today - NZPA].

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 3.28.11~