title: Efficient remittance services for development in the Pacific

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: Pacific

abstract: Capital inflows to the Pacific islands from aid, foreign investment and remittances are an important source of development finance. Remittances are the fastest growing; they now total US$ 400 million per year and can be expected to grow even further as labour mobility is used to deal with seasonal labour shortages in Australia and New Zealand and limited job opportunities in the Pacific. The transaction costs of sending remittances to the Pacific islands are very high for the most widely used methods. This paper examines the New Zealand- Tonga remittance corridor, where typical transactions involve costs in the order of 15 to 20 per cent for bank drafts and transfers through money transfer companies such as Western Union. Cheaper transfer methods using automated teller machines (ATMs) are feasible and have transaction costs of less than 5 per cent but are not widely used. This spread of 10 percentage points between the most popular and the cheapest remittance methods means a potential loss for Tonga of the equivalent of 4 per cent of GDP. Extrapolating from this remittance corridor to the rest of the Pacific, avoidable transaction costs may total US$ 40 million per year. Hypotheses about the continued reliance on high transaction cost methods are examined and implications for development policy are discussed.

text: Efficient remittance services for development in the Pacific Capital inflows to the Pacific islands from aid, foreign investment and remittances are an important source of development finance. Remittances are the fastest growing; they now total US$ 400 million per year and can be expected to grow even further as labour mobility is used to deal with seasonal labour shortages in Australia and New Zealand and limited job opportunities in the Pacific. The transaction costs of sending remittances to the Pacific islands are very high for the most widely used methods. This paper examines the New Zealand- Tonga remittance corridor, where typical transactions involve costs in the order of 15 to 20 per cent for bank drafts and transfers through money transfer companies such as Western Union. Cheaper transfer methods using automated teller machines (ATMs) are feasible and have transaction costs of less than 5 per cent but are not widely used. This spread of 10 percentage points between the most popular and the cheapest remittance methods means a potential loss for Tonga of the equivalent of 4 per cent of GDP. Extrapolating from this remittance corridor to the rest of the Pacific, avoidable transaction costs may total US$ 40 million per year. Hypotheses about the continued reliance on high transaction cost methods are examined and implications for development policy are discussed.

year: 2007

title: Penal welfare: What it does and why we should change it

authors: Hodgetts, Darrin

abstract: Inequality in New Zealand is now greater than it was in the 1920s, prior to the socio-economic upheavals of the 1930s. Since the 1970s our current economic system has increasingly benefitted those who already have wealth at the expense of people of more modest means. In this context, the considerable increase in the number of people living precarious lives (the precariat) is primarily the product of dysfunctional intergroup relations where more affluent groups take too much and leave less affluent people with not enough.¹ The most recent statistics available indicate that wealth inequality is rising in New Zealand. In 2015, the top 20 per cent of New Zealand households held 70 per cent of the national wealth.²

text: Penal welfare: What it does and why we should change it Inequality in New Zealand is now greater than it was in the 1920s, prior to the socio-economic upheavals of the 1930s. Since the 1970s our current economic system has increasingly benefitted those who already have wealth at the expense of people of more modest means. In this context, the considerable increase in the number of people living precarious lives (the precariat) is primarily the product of dysfunctional intergroup relations where more affluent groups take too much and leave less affluent people with not enough.¹ The most recent statistics available indicate that wealth inequality is rising in New Zealand. In 2015, the top 20 per cent of New Zealand households held 70 per cent of the national wealth.²

year: 2017

title: E kore e ngaro, he takere waka nui: Te mātauranga whakatere waka me ōna take nunui

authors: Tuaupiki, Jackie Whetumarama

abstract: E kapi ana te hautoru o te ao i te Moana nui a Kiwa. I ngā tau manomano ka huri, ka puea ake i Āhia ki te tonga mā rāwhiti, he iwi māia, he iwi mātau ki te hanga me te whakatere i ō rātou waka. Ka tupu ngātahi hoki i a rātou tētehi mātauranga whakatere i tarawhitia e rātou ngā tōpito katoa o te Moana nui a Kiwa. Koinei ngā tāngata tuatahi, nāna i kau ngā ara terenga waka onamata. Nō ngā tau maha i muri iho, ka whanake tēnei mātauranga me tō rātou hangarau waka, ā, ka tīmata ngā terenga whakawhiti roa e tau haeretia ana ngā moutere o Poronīhia, tatū mai ki Aotearoa. Engari ia, i roto i te wā, i tino waikauere ngā mahi whakatere waka, ā, i ētehi moutere o Poronīhia, i wairuhi kau, he mahara noa i mau i te kōrero tuku iho. Ko tātou tērā, te iwi Māori.

Otirā, i roto i ngā tau e whā tekau ka pahemo atu rā, kua whakawhāiti mai tētehi ohu ki te whakahaumanu i ngā mahi whakatere waka me tōna mātauranga. He waka hourua kua hangaia i Poronīhia, i te ātārangi tawhito hei amo i ngā whakamanawatanga o ngā iwi me ngā kaupapa whakarauora i ēnei mahi tūpuna. Ka tika te oha ki te hunga hāpai kura i takere nui ai, i haumi tūporo ai ki te whakahaumanu i te mātauranga whakatere waka. Nō reira, o ngā mahi rangatira kua tutuki i te rāngai waka i Aotearoa i ngā tau tata nei, ko tā tēnei rangahau, he kohura i ētehi o ngā take nunui me ngā kaupapa whakahirahira e puta mai ana i mua i te aroaro o te mātauranga whakatere waka me ōna kaumoana i ēnei rangi, ki tā te Māori titiro. Waihoki, ko te pānga o aua take nunui ki te ahurea Māori. Koinei te matū o tēnei tuhinga kairangi. He pūtoi whakaaro, he whakaemieminga kōrero ki te whakatakoto i ngā huatau o ngā puhi kai moana Māori e tākawe ana i tēnei wānanga.

Mātua rā, e kore e tukua kia riro anō ngā mahi whakatere waka i te nenewhatanga o te rā, tau ki te rua. Kua whakatupuria e te wā he kura kaumoana Māori, māna ngā take matua o tēnei tuhinga roa e whakatutuki ki tua i te pae kai ao.

“E kore e ngaro, he takere waka nui”

text: E kore e ngaro, he takere waka nui: Te mātauranga whakatere waka me ōna take nunui E kapi ana te hautoru o te ao i te Moana nui a Kiwa. I ngā tau manomano ka huri, ka puea ake i Āhia ki te tonga mā rāwhiti, he iwi māia, he iwi mātau ki te hanga me te whakatere i ō rātou waka. Ka tupu ngātahi hoki i a rātou tētehi mātauranga whakatere i tarawhitia e rātou ngā tōpito katoa o te Moana nui a Kiwa. Koinei ngā tāngata tuatahi, nāna i kau ngā ara terenga waka onamata. Nō ngā tau maha i muri iho, ka whanake tēnei mātauranga me tō rātou hangarau waka, ā, ka tīmata ngā terenga whakawhiti roa e tau haeretia ana ngā moutere o Poronīhia, tatū mai ki Aotearoa. Engari ia, i roto i te wā, i tino waikauere ngā mahi whakatere waka, ā, i ētehi moutere o Poronīhia, i wairuhi kau, he mahara noa i mau i te kōrero tuku iho. Ko tātou tērā, te iwi Māori.

Otirā, i roto i ngā tau e whā tekau ka pahemo atu rā, kua whakawhāiti mai tētehi ohu ki te whakahaumanu i ngā mahi whakatere waka me tōna mātauranga. He waka hourua kua hangaia i Poronīhia, i te ātārangi tawhito hei amo i ngā whakamanawatanga o ngā iwi me ngā kaupapa whakarauora i ēnei mahi tūpuna. Ka tika te oha ki te hunga hāpai kura i takere nui ai, i haumi tūporo ai ki te whakahaumanu i te mātauranga whakatere waka. Nō reira, o ngā mahi rangatira kua tutuki i te rāngai waka i Aotearoa i ngā tau tata nei, ko tā tēnei rangahau, he kohura i ētehi o ngā take nunui me ngā kaupapa whakahirahira e puta mai ana i mua i te aroaro o te mātauranga whakatere waka me ōna kaumoana i ēnei rangi, ki tā te Māori titiro. Waihoki, ko te pānga o aua take nunui ki te ahurea Māori. Koinei te matū o tēnei tuhinga kairangi. He pūtoi whakaaro, he whakaemieminga kōrero ki te whakatakoto i ngā huatau o ngā puhi kai moana Māori e tākawe ana i tēnei wānanga.

Mātua rā, e kore e tukua kia riro anō ngā mahi whakatere waka i te nenewhatanga o te rā, tau ki te rua. Kua whakatupuria e te wā he kura kaumoana Māori, māna ngā take matua o tēnei tuhinga roa e whakatutuki ki tua i te pae kai ao.

“E kore e ngaro, he takere waka nui”

year: 2017