Max Harris
@maxdnharris
Legal & campaigns work. Policy, writing, academic work when I can. Former advisor to @johnmcdonnellmp. Author of 'NZ Project'. Hash browns.
Wrote this on the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on Israel’s unlawful occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories: waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/360752…. What was said, including on apartheid and obligations of other states like NZ, deserves more attention.
Judge: "The fact Te Kākano was conducted as a webinar that did not allow participants to discuss their opinions of the topic within the course setting does not prevent them from doing so outside of it, as Mrs Dickson has herself demonstrated through her public comments."
In 2023 Uber paid $1.2m in tax on an estimated $867m in revenue while transferring $200.2m in "intercompany service fees" - profits - offshore. Check out our latest report "The business of misclassification" on the costs of the Uber model in NZ. cictar.org/s/Uber-Report-…
Congratulations, @ZohranKMamdani! Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city. Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won.
BREAKING: Andrew Cuomo concedes to Zohran Mamdani in NYC Democratic Primary for Mayor
Thank you comrade. I've decided to collate pieces I have written onto a Substack, Levellers & Revellers - 'Class-critical and socialist perspectives on New Zealand political economy and society' - here: levellersandrevellers.substack.com
Great piece. Worth adding this excerpt from the 1960 Stats NZ Yearbook.
My essay on the visionary, affecting and extraordinarily funny work of Janet Frame. Focused on the novels and short stories she wrote while she lived in Camberwell in the early '60s, when she was freed of her ‘schizophrenic fancy dress’. lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/…
Health workers from @NZPSA speak out: health cuts are hurting staff and patients. Similarly, PSI's global survey found half of world's health workers on verge of quitting and a third have seen needless patient deaths due to under staffing. Time for govts to revalue health…
Dental for All published a new report today telling the stories of 10 people struggling in NZ's privatised dental system. It shows the $1000 WINZ dental grant is not fit for purpose,+makes the case for universal, free, Te Tiriti-consistent oral healthcare: dentalforall.nz/research
.@MHdeJong "This is wasteful spending that will only benefit the military industrial complex...We should be buying ferries not frigates. Our budget priorities must reflect urgent national issues, foremost of which is the cost of living crisis.” Read more: scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2502…
We criticise the NZ government’s signalled increase of defence spending towards 2% of GDP. “If the government was serious about regional security and New Zealand’s influence in the Pacific, they would invest in development and diplomacy." @dasafo123
Excellent conversation between @coughlthom and @MHdeJong on NZ foreign policy and the Pacific: open.spotify.com/episode/3C2gKK…. This conversation moves quickly and incisively across lots of topics, including New Caledonia and the Cook Islands. Need more conversations like this!
David Seymour refused to say whether Philip Polkinghorne gave a donation to ACT, before or after Seymour wrote to police on Polkinghorne's behalf. If Polkinghorne hadn't donated, wouldn't Seymour say? Doesn't this leave ppl assuming Polkinghorne donated under the $1500 threshold?
Excellent piece on public housing, how construction costs have risen worldwide, and how therefore New Zealand’s public housing choices are political: thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360562…. (Also written by my very talented sister, @alexis_h91, who has long-standing experience in this area.)
3/ "A 90-minute prescribed course is not a disproportionate burden compared to the ability of the course, from the Authority’s perspective, to better enable licensees to meet their professional obligations."
Howick real estate agent Janet Dickson's celebrated High Court action over having to do a mandatory 90- minute course focused on Māori culture, language and te Tiriti o Waitangi has been dismissed "in its entirety" by a judge. She faces a five-year ban if her licence is revoked.
South Australia brings trains back into public ownership.
Today is an historic day for South Australia. Our train services have returned back into public hands. Bringing a privatised service back into public hands is a remarkable achievement, and one that will benefit South Australians each and everyday.