Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[wizard of Tauranga]

In NZ, borrowing costs for businesses have historically been 1-3% higher than in Australia, the US, Asia or Europe.

When the cost of capital is high:

• Fewer firms invest in new tech
• Expansion is delayed
• Productivity-boosting projects are shelved
• Replacement of old equipment happens slower

NZ businesses end up relying more on Labour instead of capital which is the exact opposite of how high-productivity economies grow.

Over time these choices accumulate leading to smaller businesses paying lower wages and a lower GDP per person.

Govts need to sort out our persistently high (relative) interest rates to make NZ strong and productive. Arguably the biggest structural change we could make for our collective future.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I’ve been reading about how the world has entered a K shaped economy post COVID. This is where different groups or sectors split where areas of the economy rise (the upper arm of the K) while others fall (the lower arm).

The winners:
- very high income
- asset owners
- technology companies and workers

The losers:
- average and low wage workers
- Most small and medium businesses not exposed to tech

This has been caused by:
- rapid AI adoption
- high inflation
- high interest rates
- high skill shortage but low skill oversupply

Takeaways: Middle class (and success) used to be divided by income, now it’s by capital and investments. If you rely on income you cannot get ahead - you’re competing with global workers and technology that can outperform you. Wage growth globally has been below inflation since Covid.

Owners of stores of wealth (houses and investments) are sheltered as the inflation erodes earnings, assets still rise (CGT just makes capital owners equally poor instead of fixing the underlying issues).

Solution: Time. Simplified - Productivity gains from technology will eventually kick in lowering inflation to match wage inflation. The economy will further move to more service, entertainment and personalised jobs not able to be automated and not competing with overseas companies.

The K graph was pre COVID

 

[Lord Gnome of Mooloolaba]

Local Water Done Well: Council plans to cost $9b more than expected https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politica...l-council-plans-to-cost-9b-more-than-expected

 

[Lord Gnome of Mooloolaba]

Aren’t their headquarters based in Mooloolaba?

Dunno, but I did see your Mum there the other day?

 

[Lord Gnome of Mooloolaba]

do you have any facts to support the link between sexual orientation and political views?

Sexual orientation has been widely proven to be a trait one is born with. While political views have been proven to be a function of upbringing and experience.

If you have proof of a link between the two, it might be worth publishing this in a scientific journal as it would be a world first

Unless you are talking paedoes - they all seem to be right wingers and/or Christians.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Unless you are talking paedoes - they all seem to be right wingers and/or Christians.

Let’s see the offending data on race, ethnicity and religion then

 

[defensivebomb]

Unless you are talking paedoes - they all seem to be right wingers and/or Christians.

TPM seems to be pretty keen to ensure incarcerated paedos are able to vote at election time

 

[Lord Gnome of Mooloolaba]

TPM seems to be pretty keen to ensure incarcerated paedos are able to vote at election time

It's the unicarcerated ones in the Act and National parties you should be worried about.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

It's the unicarcerated ones in the Act and National parties you should be worried about.

Wow Ben Doyle was Act and National too? Busy bussy

 

[MaybeTop8]

TPM seems to be pretty keen to ensure incarcerated paedos are able to vote at election time

Do convictions exclude you from human rights? Citizenship? It's a slippery slope, one the right often go down, unsurprisingly

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Do convictions exclude you from human rights?

Of course it does. Being incarcerated is obviously a loss of freedom which is one of the few fundamental rights.

 

[defensivebomb]

Is the link between sexual deviancy and political leanings a linear continuum, whereby the far right voters are paedos, the far left voters are saints, and the centralists are sometimes good and sometimes bad?

If so, it would make trials a lot easier. The lawyers could just dig up voting papers and trials would only take a few hours. Throw AI in there and trials would only take a few seconds

 

[defensivebomb]

Do convictions exclude you from human rights? Citizenship? It's a slippery slope, one the right often go down, unsurprisingly

At the moment the threshold is 3 years in prison. I think the debate has not focused enough on the softening of sentencing over the last few years. The last government tried to control the prison population by having home detention and cutting down sentences.

There has been lots of public criticism of the courts doling out discounts and home D, for crimes that would normally be incarceration. e.g. roast busters etc.

The impact of the *soft* sentencing guidelines has been that more criminals have been able to vote as they don't meet the 3 year prison sentence threshold.

Anyway, that's just me hypothesising

 

[Noitall]

At the moment the threshold is 3 years in prison. I think the debate has not focused enough on the softening of sentencing over the last few years. The last government tried to control the prison population by having home detention and cutting down sentences.

There has been lots of public criticism of the courts doling out discounts and home D, for crimes that would normally be incarceration. e.g. roast busters etc.

The impact of the *soft* sentencing guidelines has been that more criminals have been able to vote as they don't meet the 3 year prison sentence threshold.

Anyway, that's just me hypothesising

When courts stretch name suppression, they erode public trust and accountability - Law News

Public trust in New Zealand’s institutions is falling as court-ordered suppressions, media limits, and rapid social-media leaks expose a system struggling with transparency. Without open justice, Kiwis can’t hold authorities accountable or understand risks within their communities.

lawnews.nz

It might make people feel warm and fuzzy to know that criminals aren’t getting what each of us get in a vote, but there are just as many people out in society that you’d hold the same standard to but either have the money to avoid consequences or simply haven’t been caught. Name suppression has created a world where cases are easily swept away because there isn’t any exposure of it and justice isn’t served with the offender having the means and knowledge of the system. In prison are generally criminals, but also plenty with severe mental illness issues that the system has let them down

 

[MaybeTop8]

This government is utterly corrupt

Associate transport minister bars Holcim from using foreign-flagged ship for transport

Holcim says local jobs will suffer if it cannot transport its product around New Zealand on a Swiss ship.

www.rnz.co.nz

 

[defensivebomb]

This is an example of someone that falls into the group that will no longer be able to vote, if the govt enacts its prisoner voting ban.

Under existing legislation, he would be allowed to vote

Have a read of the victim impact statements if you are on the fence

'He had enormous power': Ex-Gloriavale leader jailed over sex abuse against girls, women

Howard Temple, 85, admitted offending over 20-plus years.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[miket12]

I’m confused…. reading through here, most pedos are right wing, Christians. Most white collar crime would most likely be voting right.

The right wing parties don’t want people in jail with long sentences to be able to vote.

So, the right wing parties are sabotaging their own votes.

 

[Noitall]

This is an example of someone that falls into the group that will no longer be able to vote, if the govt enacts its prisoner voting ban.

Under existing legislation, he would be allowed to vote

Have a read of the victim impact statements if you are on the fence

'He had enormous power': Ex-Gloriavale leader jailed over sex abuse against girls, women

Howard Temple, 85, admitted offending over 20-plus years.

www.nzherald.co.nz

I would imagine the sentence he’s looking at would be greater than 3 years so would never have qualified either way. These are the worst because of the trust people have towards them

 

[Noitall]

I’m confused…. reading through here, most pedos are right wing, Christians. Most white collar crime would most likely be voting right.

The right wing parties don’t want people in jail with long sentences to be able to vote.

So, the right wing parties are sabotaging their own votes.

Where’s that old neighbour Mike? He’ll point you in the right direction

 

[defensivebomb]

I would imagine the sentence he’s looking at would be greater than 3 years so would never have qualified either way. These are the worst because of the trust people have towards them

He was sentenced to 26 months!!! So his right to vote in prison is currently being vigorously defended by TPM, Labour and the Greens

I'm of the view that he kissed those rights away when he started offending against children under his care

As a side note, I agree with your earlier points regarding name suppression etc