Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[wizard of Tauranga]

View: https://x.com/NewstalkZB/status/1757616403723563363?s=20

Wiz - "that's not many...."

‘The officials said the changes may encourage “work-ready” beneficiaries to enter the workforce, however.’

Funny how the whole article focuses on the negative with a single line hidden in the middle about the positives…

Anyway I’ve read the whole article and it doesn’t explain how more people will no longer be able to afford a school uniform anymore - real material hardship. By definition if your benefit increases by inflation, then your purchasing power doesn’t go backwards. Explain please?

There is no official measure of inflation in NZ but the two major methods are: The ‘fixed line’ measure anchors the poverty line in a reference year, then adjusts it each survey with the Consumer Price Index. By this preferred govt definition if your increasing benefits by CPI fixed line then there will be no further poverty and a child can still afford the school uniform.

The more abstract ‘moving line’ or ‘relative’ measure, favoured by the left, which sets the poverty line as a proportion of the median income. By this measure it can only get worse with the proposed changes but has no relevance to the real world or if a child can afford a school uniform or not.

The ‘Material hardship’ measure is an actual real world measure used by stats NZ about how many of a list of essentials a family can afford. Under the proposed changes with benefits increasing by inflation this cannot get worse.

Convenient the whole article is based on the one abstract method and ignores the real world method. Almost like it’s deliberately biased and bordering on misinformation…

So yes the 13,000 is a nothing figure.

 

[miket12]

Winnie will pull the handbrake on this proposal, won't he?

It depends.... lowering the exemption threshold will lead to more build to rent units becoming available. Maybe the Nats idea is to offer him something that's too low and NZ First counts with a proposal of ten houses (which is the figure they may have wanted in the first place). A win for the Nats and a win for Winnie.



But then I'm probably giving the Nats (and especially Bishop) too much credit.

 

[miket12]

Why would you index benefits above workers wages?

Because there are times when workers wage index is higher and times then inflation is higher. While I don't think that a benefit should be a "lifestyle choice", we need it and shouldn't be punishing people as they are left even further behind.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

View: https://x.com/JennaLynchNZ/status/1757653705552429348?s=20

Breaking news ‘minister gets a wide variety of advice on a wide range of options which best practice should require. We will focus on one of the 100’s of pieces of advice, that’s never going to happen and scaremonger the nation! Left media 101 as Bruce would say!

Can we focus on what the governments actually announcing rather than left leaning Twitter scaremongering please.

 

[miket12]

‘The officials said the changes may encourage “work-ready” beneficiaries to enter the workforce, however.’

Funny how the whole article focuses on the negative with a single line hidden in the middle about the positives…

Anyway I’ve read the whole article and it doesn’t explain how more people will no longer be able to afford a school uniform anymore - real material hardship. By definition if your benefit increases by inflation, then your purchasing power doesn’t go backwards. Explain please?

There is no official measure of inflation in NZ but the two major methods are: The ‘fixed line’ measure anchors the poverty line in a reference year, then adjusts it each survey with the Consumer Price Index. By this preferred govt definition if your increasing benefits by CPI fixed line then there will be no further poverty and a child can still afford the school uniform.

The more abstract ‘moving line’ or ‘relative’ measure, favoured by the left, which sets the poverty line as a proportion of the median income. By this measure it can only get worse with the proposed changes but has no relevance to the real world or if a child can afford a school uniform or not.

The ‘Material hardship’ measure is an actual real world measure used by stats NZ about how many of a list of essentials a family can afford. Under the proposed changes with benefits increasing by inflation this cannot get worse.

Convenient the whole article is based on the one abstract method and ignores the real world method. Almost like it’s deliberately biased and bordering on misinformation…

So yes the 13,000 is a nothing figure.

The CPI is a figure for price increases for the entire country but inflation effects every household differently. Someone may have a rental increase above inflation meaning their household has less money to be able to spend for a school uniform while their next door neighbour has been able to work some overtime and not had as large a rise in their rent. At the year of the year, one has had a better financial outcome than the other..... despite what the CPI for that year was.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

The CPI is a figure for price increases for the entire country but inflation effects every household differently. Someone may have a rental increase above inflation meaning their household has less money to be able to spend for a school uniform while their next door neighbour has been able to work some overtime and not had as large a rise in their rent. At the year of the year, one has had a better financial outcome than the other..... despite what the CPI for that year was.

Yes, but policy works on averages with WINZ having options for people that get unexpected outcomes. (Accomodation supplements; one off major expense payments, etc).

Someone could get a median pay based increase of $15pw, instead of inflation based $12pw and still get a $50pw rent increase which the neighbour next door doesn’t get.

That’s life under Labours out of control rental market.

 

[miket12]

Yes, but policy works on averages with WINZ having options for people that get unexpected outcomes. (Accomodation supplements; one off major expense payments, etc).

Someone could get a median pay based increase of $15pw, instead of inflation based $12pw and still get a $50pw rent increase which the neighbour next door doesn’t get.

That’s life under Labours out of control rental market.

People forget that actions by governments have unexpected consequences (or consequences that are expected but can then be weaponised against a group).

Take the ability for SOME landlords to lose their ability to claim back the expense of interest deductions. The previous government was warned in a Treasury paper that doing so would lead to a rise in rents as landlords with mortgages tried to recover that money.

The argument for removing the ability was that is gave landlords an unfair advantage over owner occupiers as they aren't able to claim interest of the mortgages of their tax bills. It completely ignores the fact that landlords are able to still claim back other expenses owner occupiers can't such as insurance, rates, bulk water charges, some repairs.

It also doesn't take into account that this policy doesn't effect all landlords the same. Mum and Dad investors just starting out with a $900,000 rental property with no deposit (they're using equity in their own house as the deposit) with an interest rate of 7% are paying $71,630 PA in mortgage payments. In that first year, they have only paid back just over $9,125 in principal repayments meaning they paid over $62,500 in interest - that's an expense of just over $20,600 they can't deduct.

The neigbouring property was brought by another Mum and Dad investors six years ago for $650,000 again with no deposit and now has a balance of $602,500 owed to the bank. Again, at the 7% interest rate, their mortgage payments are $51,740 PA. In the next financial year, they will pay back just over $10,030 in principal repayments meaning the interest they will pay will be just over $41,700 - that's an expense of $13,750 they can't deduct.

Yet, if both landlords are charging the same rent, one is being effected much more than the other. And a landlord without a mortgage on a rental property has not been affected at all (because there never was any interest to deduct in the first place).

It's also ironic that charities with emergency housing say that rents are too high and that investors should follow their example by having lower rents..... of course they can afford to have lower rents because, unlike private landlords, they don't pay tax!!!

And, it's gotten weaponised in that landlords have been portraited as greedy by increasing their rents.... even though, rises in rent was a predicted outcome/consequence of this policy!!!

Perhaps a better way, if it is even required, to make things "fairer" for owner occupiers and FHB's over landlords would have been not to remove the ability to claim back mortgage interest but to have made it more universal and stopped landlords from being able to claim back rates and insurance.

 

[Bay39er]

Could you please list the occupations which you regard as non-essential roles and which have too many people

wizard of Tauranga I think you must have missed my response above.

I’m interested in your thoughts

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

wizard of Tauranga I think you must have missed my response above.

I’m interested in your thoughts

- The huge increase in govt department employees - eg ministry of education had 500 employees 20 years ago and now have 4600 with worse outcomes. That’s not just about more employees, to keep busy they create copious amount of stupid paperwork for schools.
- The majority of compliance related tasks (pool checks; building WOF independent IQP auditors, etc)
- the explosion of H&S requirements which is excessive and blowing budgets everywhere. The worst legislation for unintended consequences (I’m not anti H&S, it’s just overboard)
- half the people working in offices if they have admitted they can get the same amount done in 4 days
- council staff - the average manager has something like 4 staff under them - halve the managers to 1:10
- legislation/ red tape staffing requirement. Eg resource consents, etc. The courts say one of many reasons they are so far behind is because the judges have to read every word of 30 page cultural reports)
- halve the number of MP’s
- etc, etc, etc.

 

[John Nick]

- The huge increase in govt department employees - eg ministry of education had 500 employees 20 years ago and now have 4600 with worse outcomes.
- The majority of compliance related tasks (pool checks; building WOF independent IQP auditors, etc)
- the explosion of H&S requirements which is excessive and blowing budgets everywhere. The worst legislation for unintended consequences (I’m not anti H&S, it’s just overboard)
- half the people working in offices if they have admitted they can get the same amount done in 4 days
- council staff - the average manager has something like 4 staff under them - halve the managers to 1:10
- halve the number of MP’s
- etc, etc, etc.

Start by getting rid of list MP’S

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Start by getting rid of list MP’S

I can't think of any other worse grifters drinking at the public trough than these people.

Well maybe John Tamihere.

They have no one to represent other than the party and no accountability to the electorate.

The other thing about the list is that you get a bunch of has been MPs who will probably lose their electorate seat in a swing, who switch to the list in the hope they are high enough or senior enough to avoid the bloodbath. Pathetic.

Note to file: This rant is cross bench

 

[John Nick]

I can't think of any other worse grifters drinking at the public trough than these people.

Well maybe John Tamihere.

They have no one to represent other than the party and no accountability to the electorate.

The other thing about the list is that you get a bunch of has been MPs who will probably lose their electorate seat in a swing, who switch to the list in the hope they are high enough or senior enough to avoid the bloodbath. Pathetic.

Note to file: This rant is cross bench

Agreed. They are a waste of time and effort in the house.
Memo; Just my opinion

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Warrant of fitness on cars is a gigantic circular waste of money. Just about all middle management at any govt dept as well

 

[MaybeTop8]

- The huge increase in govt department employees - eg ministry of education had 500 employees 20 years ago and now have 4600 with worse outcomes. That’s not just about more employees, to keep busy they create copious amount of stupid paperwork for schools.
- The majority of compliance related tasks (pool checks; building WOF independent IQP auditors, etc)
- the explosion of H&S requirements which is excessive and blowing budgets everywhere. The worst legislation for unintended consequences (I’m not anti H&S, it’s just overboard)
- half the people working in offices if they have admitted they can get the same amount done in 4 days
- council staff - the average manager has something like 4 staff under them - halve the managers to 1:10
- legislation/ red tape staffing requirement. Eg resource consents, etc. The courts say one of many reasons they are so far behind is because the judges have to read every word of 30 page cultural reports)
- halve the number of MP’s
- etc, etc, etc.

Mate, you might as well post the Act party manifesto 10 times a day.

It probably contains the same points and it's all still fact free bullshit.

On any one of these points you're living in fantasy land, PLEASE COME ON WARRIORS to distract from this incessant far right propaganda

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Warrant of fitness on cars is a gigantic circular waste of money. Just about all middle management at any govt dept as well

It's a rort.

So it's apparently dependent on age of vehicle.

My daily drivers have a 3 year WOF requirement but my 60 year old classic cars which get more attention than my wife need a 6 month WOF. Fucking joke. And to make it worse, they say the rule is you can't get a rego without a warrant Duh.

If you want a bit of fun. Have a couple of jars then go down to your local supermarket and wander round the carpark. Check the warrants and regos. Guaranteed a bottle of something good it will be in the region of 40% compliance , if that.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Mate, you might as well post the Act party manifesto 10 times a day.

It probably contains the same points and it's all still fact free bullshit.

On any one of these points you're living in fantasy land, PLEASE COME ON WARRIORS to distract from this incessant far right propaganda

Has the season started?

 

[Lord Gnome of Waiheke]

The cuts are starting to have consequences;

Govt’s spending cuts could force NZDF to defer necessary maintenance

It comes as attrition continues to "hollow out" the Defence Force.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Police Commissioner unable to rule out job losses amid Govt’s spending cuts

Training 500 new officers in two years is "ambitious" according to the Commissioner.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Trains cancelled, delayed, across Auckland

KiwiRail said it will be undertaking an 'aggressive plan' to fix the track.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Just so people like me can get a tax cut I don't need.

 

[Lord Gnome of Waiheke]

The KiwiRail select committee session yesterday was a particularly enlightening watch, clearly demonstrating just how little the incoming government understands either finance or economics.

 

[Lord Gnome of Waiheke]

The KiwiRail select committee session yesterday was a particularly enlightening watch, clearly demonstrating just how little the incoming government understands either finance or economics.

And not to mention infrastructure!

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

The cuts are starting to have consequences;

Govt’s spending cuts could force NZDF to defer necessary maintenance

It comes as attrition continues to "hollow out" the Defence Force.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Police Commissioner unable to rule out job losses amid Govt’s spending cuts

Training 500 new officers in two years is "ambitious" according to the Commissioner.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Trains cancelled, delayed, across Auckland

KiwiRail said it will be undertaking an 'aggressive plan' to fix the track.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Just so people like me can get a tax cut I don't need.

‘Could’ ‘unable to rule out’ and Labours maintenance issues.

All noise. I will judge them in a couple of years leading up to the next election.

The pigs in the trough seem to be screaming the loudest about the govt no longer living beyond its means.