Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[John Nick]

The numbers can be pointed in what ever direction

Fact
The ferries are life expired

Don't imagine they won't announce some sort of promise re; new ferries in the very near future.
There fear of losing every single South Is vote will be their worry.

 

[Wellington Taniwha]

I know. It would be like setting up an "independent" Tax Working Group headed by Michael Cullen (who lost an election on a CPT policy) to investigate whether NZ should have a Capital Gains Tax.

Or getting the IRD to investigate the top tax earners in NZ.... not to create policy based on it but to fill an information gap as to their worth.... and then have two of the three parties on the left use the report to justify their tax policies.

Or having a 3 Waters report which included centralising the water systems written by the gentleman who wrote the report that established Scotland's version of 3 Waters.

And then when there is actually some independence like with a Royal Commission, the Terms of Reference are often written in a way to either favour the current government or to find against the previous government.... the Terms of Reference for NZ's COVID response comes to mind. Or the ToR are written in such a way that the report will recommend what the government wanted in the first place by limiting what can, and more importantly for the required outcome, what can't be included in the Royal Commission's findings.

Whether we like it or not, it happens with every government.

It's all gamesmanship at our expense, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it!!!

Hear hear. Why can’t we have some statespeople for once? Those with vision for the future no matter which side of the spectrum they sit on? Both sides are so guilty of rehashing ideas (which are flawed) from overseas and getting ‘experts’ to justify their positions. Often on the lamb from the UK - we should be looking closer to home to a successful country who is top of the living standards by most measures…

Not without its own issues, but willing to accommodate at least a million of us and counting.

 

[Wellington Taniwha]

Someone working 40 hours on minimum wage is almost in the middle now with lack of tax band indexing to inflation, isn’t it?

They would earn $47k and $48k jump’s them from the 17% to 30% tax rate. That just getting hammered!

A minimum wage worker doing an hours overtime a week thumped with 30% tax. No wonder they can’t get ahead. To me minimum wage should be on minimum tax rate - 10% not 30%

This has totally created working poor and a benefit cohort (who work zero hours) who are impossible to shift. Also very wealthy pensioners collecting welfare. I’m pretty left but this needs to be addressed so that those working at the bottom are actually getting ahead.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Absolutely rotten this lot - https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/12/17/government-quietly-defunds-transport-climate-work/

What world are they living in? Or are they climate change deniers? Ideological bullshit that will cost us billions and set us back decades, decades that we as a country, planet don't have.

 

[Noitall]

Absolutely rotten this lot - https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/12/17/government-quietly-defunds-transport-climate-work/

What world are they living in? Or are they climate change deniers? Ideological bullshit that will cost us billions and set us back decades, decades that we as a country, planet don't have.

NZ politics live: Time for a new air force plane?

PM Christopher Luxon says the unreliable air force jets are a national embarrassment after another maintenance fault.

www.stuff.co.nz

Luxon mentioned yesterday of the embarrassment for NZ in our forms of travel for dignitaries, would say some of the money being cut from whatever area will be on saving him anymore embarrassment.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Protecting the wealthy at all cost - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politica...f6zWxtiTgFRKX9s9XaM9As0IYcyyvCgl6W2GYmAv7itbE

So much for an open and fair society - and aren't the right defenders of free speech and information? Corrupt.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Protecting the wealthy at all cost - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politica...f6zWxtiTgFRKX9s9XaM9As0IYcyyvCgl6W2GYmAv7itbE

So much for an open and fair society - and aren't the right defenders of free speech and information? Corrupt.

Treasury itself says: it could present a risk to the "integrity, independence and endurance of the reporting framework". Are you calling them corrupt?

Why is it actually needed? What were they trying to discover? What would it show about the wealthy that isn’t already known from the tax report Labour commissioned with Cullen?

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Absolutely rotten this lot - https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/12/17/government-quietly-defunds-transport-climate-work/

What world are they living in? Or are they climate change deniers? Ideological bullshit that will cost us billions and set us back decades, decades that we as a country, planet don't have.

Pragmatism vs ideology? Top of our street has had millions invested in cycle lanes, complete reconfiguration of parking, footpaths and roads to accomodate them, plus it severely impacted business owners during the construction phase. It is very rare to see a cyclist on those multi-million dollar cycle paths.

 

[Rizzah]

Pragmatism vs ideology? Top of our street has had millions invested in cycle lanes, complete reconfiguration of parking, footpaths and roads to accomodate them, plus it severely impacted business owners during the construction phase. It is very rare to see a cyclist on those multi-million dollar cycle paths.

Which city?
Cycleways need proper barrier infrastructure along the whole route otherwise they are difficult to use. If there are sections along the cycleway where people feel unsafe (painted lines only), they won't be used a heap.
Might be a case of more barrier sections are needed along the route from your place before people will use them willingly.

Bike use should be incentivised as well. Similar to the EV rebate. The more people on bikes, the less cars on the road - win : win for car people.

 

[Noitall]

More National Party MPs, ministers say they have taken taxpayer-funded reo Māori lessons

"I think it's really important in an electorate like mine."

www.newshub.co.nz

Sounds like more of the national party don’t follow luxon’s beliefs on the likes of himself paying privately for things since he can afford it as he mentioned to Matt McLean, even though he did the same. Very bizarre the fact they are willing to learn Te Reo but zone in on the government agencies being returned to english titles? All but Kainga Ora which they are happy to let remain. The pessimist in me would say with all the negative headlines they are spinning around Kainga Ora at present is very deliberate in leaving a Maori title for that one.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Which city?
Cycleways need proper barrier infrastructure along the whole route otherwise they are difficult to use. If there are sections along the cycleway where people feel unsafe (painted lines only), they won't be used a heap.
Might be a case of more barrier sections are needed along the route from your place before people will use them willingly.

Bike use should be incentivised as well. Similar to the EV rebate. The more people on bikes, the less cars on the road - win : win for car people.

Inner Auckland suburb

 

[Rizzah]

Inner Auckland suburb

Have you tried to use the cycleway? And if you had kids would you be okay with them using it?

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Have you tried to use the cycleway? And if you had kids would you be okay with them using it?

Nah I walk to work - best way to listen to rugby league podcasts!! The cycle lanes are set up so that they avoid cars & driver blind spots, however I’d hardly give their design a 5* rating - I wouldn’t let the kids use them without supervision. All up a massive waste of money.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Which city?
Cycleways need proper barrier infrastructure along the whole route otherwise they are difficult to use. If there are sections along the cycleway where people feel unsafe (painted lines only), they won't be used a heap.
Might be a case of more barrier sections are needed along the route from your place before people will use them willingly.

Bike use should be incentivised as well. Similar to the EV rebate. The more people on bikes, the less cars on the road - win : win for car people.

The flaw I see with cycling is the variety of users who all have different needs.

* kids, families, leisure cyclists want to be removed from transport routes, less direct but more safe
* people with a purpose want as direct as possible along main transport routes.

We’ve had 100’s of millions spent on cycle routes around Tauranga including repurposing entire footpaths to cycle lanes. Cars pulling out of driveways have been a problem and the cyclists still have to stop at side roads. So they ignore the expensive cycle way and still use the road edge.

Overall bugger all use for the cost. Rarely see them used overall.

 

[dean]

I'd like to see cyclists pay an annual registration fee and have their bike and safety gear checked and certified.
The odd cyclist I've seen in Auckland have only been in wealthy suburbs. It really is a rich mans mode of transport or hobby.
Why should poor folk driving an old car have to subsidise these rich pseudo greenies.

 

[Damo]

Treasury itself says: it could present a risk to the "integrity, independence and endurance of the reporting framework". Are you calling them corrupt?

Why is it actually needed? What were they trying to discover? What would it show about the wealthy that isn’t already known from the tax report Labour commissioned with Cullen?

The report is due at the end of the year, the work would already have been done.

The only motivation to push this under urgency is to prevent the report coming out.

 

[Noitall]

Stuff

www.newshub.co.nz

Winston back in form, I’ve got a feeling my pessimism might not be far off?

 

[Rizzah]

I'd like to see cyclists pay an annual registration fee and have their bike and safety gear checked and certified.
The odd cyclist I've seen in Auckland have only been in wealthy suburbs. It really is a rich mans mode of transport or hobby.
Why should poor folk driving an old car have to subsidise these rich pseudo greenies.

This is such boomer energy. "Old man shakes fist at cloud"


If you drive a car, you want more money spent on mode-shift infrastructure. To get other people out of their cars.

 

[MaybeTop8]

I'd like to see cyclists pay an annual registration fee and have their bike and safety gear checked and certified.
The odd cyclist I've seen in Auckland have only been in wealthy suburbs. It really is a rich mans mode of transport or hobby.
Why should poor folk driving an old car have to subsidise these rich pseudo greenies.

Because it's all about you. The cry of the rare spotted neolib seldom heard in New Zealand, mostly found on talkback radio - "Why should I......."

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Stuff

www.newshub.co.nz

Winston back in form, I’ve got a feeling my pessimism might not be far off?

Is this really something worth reporting on? From what I’ve heard, away from the media, Winnie has been a total professional.