Bully Regime? Speak Out #health

“[There is] a sense of bullying from the highest level; that’s the executive leadership team and the group managers,” the source said. Dr Bidrose was “part of the problem”.

### ODT Online Tue, 14 Jun 2016
Claim no DCC bully culture
By Vaughan Elder
A senior Dunedin City Council manager has denied claims there is a culture of bullying at the highest levels of the organisation as details of restructuring emerge. […] This comes as a source, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Otago Daily Times morale remained poor at the council despite chief executive Sue Bidrose insisting otherwise at a staff meeting held at Dunedin City Library in recent weeks.
Read more

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W O R K S A F E New Zealand
Bullying – Preventing and responding to workplace bullying
— filed under: Hazard – Psychosocial
This best practice guideline gives options and examples of how to prevent and respond to workplace bullying.

█ Bullying Guidelines Last updated 11 May 2016
Download: Bullying – Preventing and responding to workplace bullying
(PDF, 1.7 MB)

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E M P L O Y M E N T New Zealand
Dealing with bullying
Bullying can mean many things. It can be offensive, intimidating, malicious, humiliating or insulting behaviour.
If you think you’re being bullied, keep a diary of the incidents of bullying behaviour and if it seems there is a pattern, let your employer know. It’s a good idea to follow up any discussion with a formal letter outlining what has been discussed and any proposed actions. This can provide you with valuable support if the problem continues.
Just because bullying doesn’t affect you directly, doesn’t mean that it’s ok. Be ready to help your workmates and encourage them to raise the issue with their employer. A little friendly support is often all that is needed to turn a situation around.

If you’re not comfortable approaching your employer, talk to either your Union or the health and safety officer where you work, and see if they can support you.

█ If you feel that discussions with your employer have failed, you can find out what you can do next by calling the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Contact Centre on 0800 20 90 20. This is a free service and is available to both employers and employees.

Visit the problems solving page for further information.
█ Read more at Employment NZ

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SnowPatrolVEVO Uploaded on Dec 23, 2009
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars (2007 version)
Music video by Snow Patrol performing Chasing Cars. (C)2006 Polydor Ltd (UK)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: takepart.com – AntiBullyingSign

New Zealand local government T-shirt #haze #corruption

Whaleoil link received.
Thu, 28 Jan 2016 at 9:10 a.m.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT . . .
“in NZ is dodgier than a 10-month-old piece of rancid mutton.” –Slater

### whaleoil.co.nz January 28, 2016 at 8:30am
NZ drops in corruption ratings
by Cameron Slater
The Herald has asked the question of whether NZ is corrupt. Really? They don’t know? Are they surprised?
Of course NZ is filled with corrupt officials. Local Government is the worst.
Corruption is foolishly assumed by the Media Party to be extreme acts. Like someone getting paid off to make a decision that avoids due process. They have tried to lay the blame on top line government “scandals” but they are missing the point. Corruption comes in many forms.
Read more

27.1.16 Fairfax: NZ’s anti-corruption record slipping: watchdog
27.1.16 NZH: Stonewalling and strange deals: Has NZ become more corrupt?

Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index
First launched in 1995, the Corruption Perceptions Index has been widely credited with putting the issue of corruption on the international policy agenda.
█ https://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/

### radionz.co.nz 3 hrs ago
High-profile deals behind corruption slide – report
By Robert Smith
Controversies such as the Saudi farm deal and SkyCity’s Convention Centre mean New Zealand no longer sets the standard for integrity in the public service, as it slips down the world rankings for corruption.

New Zealand fell to fourth in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International released yesterday.

It has previously topped the index seven times, including as recently as 2012 and 2013, and fell two spots this year after losing the top ranking to Denmark in the 2014 list. Finland and Sweden have now overtaken it and are perceived to have less corrupt public sectors than New Zealand.
The SkyCity Convention Centre plan, the Saudi sheep deal and the Oravida affair have been cited by Transparency International as the primary reasons for New Zealand’s slide down the rankings.
The findings in the latest report have been backed up by the Public Service Association (PSA), with national secretary Glenn Barclay saying the group was not surprised by the drop thanks to a “growing lack of transparency” in the public sector.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
5.1.16 Hammered from all sides #fixit [dunedinflood Jun2015]
2.10.15 DCC Draft 2GP hearings panel lacks FULL INDEPENDENCE
20.9.15 Corruption serious threat to New Zealand #CAANZ
14.9.15 Screening tonight: Paradigm Ep2 Local Government Corruption in NZ…
4.8.15 Hundreds of DCC Staff receive fraud detection/prevention training #OMG
23.7.13 Publicise: laudafinem.com
13.7.15 Jeff Dickie: Edinburgh tough, Dunedin (DUD)
17.3.15 DCC whistleblowing —what is open government ?
15.1.15 New Zealand: Salmond on abuse of democratic freedoms
19.12.14 DCC: Limited Citifleet investigation about insurance
13.5.14 Stuff: Colin Espiner usefully defines Corruption
7.12.13 Corruption in NZ Sport: Where has John Key PM been hiding ???

█ For more, [sample] enter the terms *corruption*, *delta*, *flood*, *citifleet*, *hotel* or *stadium* in the search box at right. [there are other terms, Dunedin is a clear seat of fuzzy avoidances of accountability]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (top) aliexpress.com – tshirt mickey mouse fudged by whatifdunedin | linkedin.com – corruption

New Zealand: Salmond on abuse of democratic freedoms

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 10:57 13/01/2015 — Dominion Post
Erosion of democratic rights
By Dame Anne Salmond
OPINION In the wake of the shooting of cartoonists and journalists in Paris, political leaders in New Zealand have expressed shock and horror, and their support for those who uphold freedom of expression in other countries.
What about freedom of speech and thought at home, however?
Over the past decade or so, politicians seeking to uphold their own power have abused democratic freedoms in New Zealand. Journalists including Jon Stephenson (for reporting on New Zealand’s involvement in Afghanistan), Andrea Vance (over a suspected leak of a report about the GCSB spy agency), and Nicky Hager (for exposing scurrilous relationships between senior politicians and muck-raking bloggers) have been intimidated and attacked.
While our leaders do not shoot people, they work with others to try to ruin the lives and careers of those who disagree with them. The means may be different, but the intent is the same. One way or another, their critics (however valid their points of view might be) must be silenced.

It is not just outspoken individuals who are at risk. Institutions that are the bulwarks of our democracy have been undermined. Since the 1980s, the civil service, which is supposed to offer informed, impartial advice to politicians, has been brought under ministerial control, and instead of serving civil society now largely serves its political masters.

The freedom of the press has been compromised, for instance in the wake of the teapot tape scandal, when newspaper offices were raided in an effort to prevent the publication of those recordings, or when improper pressure is brought to bear on journalists and media outlets for partisan political purposes.
While H L Mencken defined good journalism as “afflicting the comfortable, and comforting the afflicted”, much journalism in New Zealand now does the opposite. Read more

█ Dame Anne Salmond is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Auckland. She was the 2013 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.

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Anthony Robins at The Standard says:
“Salmond goes on to cover attacks on “The independence of the judiciary and the rule of law”, “Independent statutory bodies”, “Freedom of thought and inquiry in universities and Crown Research Institutes” and “Radical extensions of the powers of the SIS and the GCSB” […] It’s an excellent article, and a depressing summary of the state of NZ.” Link

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Related Posts and Comments:
13.1.15 Southern complainants: IPCA won’t ensure upfront investigation…
16.12.14 Chief Ombudsman | OIA review
24.10.14 John Key’s Godzone and the OIA
20.9.14 Election Night
19.9.14 Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem to launch post-election inquiry
17.9.14 John Key PM —real or fake? and one email
15.9.14 The Moment of Truth
2.9.14 John Key PM, plus and minus
7.12.13 Corruption in NZ Sport: Where has John Key PM been hiding ???
30.7.13 GCSB: National Party websites hacked
● 13.7.13 New Zealand: Salmond on democracy
21.3.13 Public service causing “paralysis of democracy” with OIA requests
26.7.12 ‘The Public’s Right to Know’ – OIA Review

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr