Grid of posts 2×3

  • Pike river mine mass killing

    As we learned this afternoon, the rescue we hoped for will not take place. Because of a second major explosion the miners at the Pike river site are all almost certainly dead. Hard questions remain to be answered and there will be a struggle for the truth to see the light. As that inevitable struggle Read more

  • Review:Mates and Lovers

    In advance of Ronald Trifero Nelson’s theatrical adaptation of Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand, Spark correspondent Ian Anderson reviews the original book. The Spark November 2010 Chris Brickell’s Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand is an essential book for anyone interested in local social history. The first book Read more

  • Solidarity with Pike River workers

    The Workers Party extends its solidarity to the families and friends of the 29 workers currently trapped in the Pike River mine. This terrible disaster is the latest in a steady stream of industrial carnage. According to the official government website http://www.whss.govt.nz/statistics.shtml there are about 100 fatal work related injuries in New Zealand each year. That Read more

  • Secret ballots? Workers should decide

    Back in April The Spark carried an article sounding the alarm at National MP Tau Henare’s Private Member’s bill to require unions to run secret ballots for strike action. While the Council of Trade Unions gave its “support in principle” to the bill at the time, we warned that workers could become ensnared in pedantic Read more

  • Luis Jalandoni – radio interview

    Luis Jalandoni and Coni Ledesma, two leaders from the Philippines liberation movement have finished a nationwide speaking tour. During their tour they gathered signatures and support from socialists, human rights and peace advocates including members of parliament, Maori activists, trade unionists, clergy and community leaders calling for the Aquino government to resume formal peace talks Read more

  • Housing protest in Mana

    Activists from Matt McCarten’s by-election campaign in Mana have been involved in a symbolic protest to highlight the crisis in housing faced by working class people in the area and New Zealand as a whole. 3 News reported that the vacant state house in Cannon’s Creek had been occupied by protestors in order for a Read more