The Reserve Bank is “watching” the expansion of private equity in Aotearoa New Zealand in light of alarm bells being run by financial regulators globally. These alarm bells included no less than the European Central Bank and Bank of England over possible risks to financial stability by the rise of private equity, including their lendingContinue reading “Changing face of capitalism: private equity threat to New Zealand economy”
Tag Archives: new-zealand
New Zealand’s shameful modern slavery shutdown
Slaves had existed in both ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. However, the word ‘slavery’ has a subsequent Latin origin, ‘sclava’, meaning “Slavonic captive in reference to the 9th-century slavery of Slavonic people. Over time it came to mean anyone in captivity, not just Slavs (nor for that matter, those in Greece or the RomanContinue reading “New Zealand’s shameful modern slavery shutdown”
Hegemony, meaning and structured literacy
One of the big political influences on me has been Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937). He was a courageous revolutionary and anti-fascist activist whose premature death was directly linked to a lengthy imprisonment, while in poor health, under Benito Mussolini’s fascist government. Gramsci was also a remarkable and creative intellectual perhaps most noted for hisContinue reading “Hegemony, meaning and structured literacy”
Cuba and New Zealand: a relationship worthy of strengthening
Cuba and Aotearoa New Zealand have some similarities as small island nations (in different hemispheres) and with small populations (over 11,000 and 5,000 respectively). On the other hand, geographically they are far apart and with different political, economic and cultural histories. The dynamic of the Cuban Revolution (including its earlier revolutionary movements) is central toContinue reading “Cuba and New Zealand: a relationship worthy of strengthening”
Function versus form: public service cuts
The National-led coalition government is undertaking a brutal assault on the public service by implementing blunt arbitrary cuts on public service staffing. The cuts are intended to be up to 7.5% but in some ministries and departments it could be higher. Its official justification is that there is too much ‘fat’ in the public service.Continue reading “Function versus form: public service cuts”
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