Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[MaybeTop8]

This is why we need to ensure public journalism is prominent and to the fore - from Bernard Hickey

‘We’re so stretched it’s now not safe’​

​

Decades of underfunding of hospitals relative to population growth has stretched emergency departments to breaking point. RNZ reported last night:


The ED hit nearly 200% occupancy in May and was regularly over 100% through winter.

In my view, this is the culmination of 30 years of under-investment in health infrastructure to ensure Budget surpluses and low public debt, but with low income taxes and no wealth taxes. This coincied with a tipping point in the 30-50% pay gap between Australian and New Zealand health sector wages. Australia’s decision to announce on Anzac Day this year it would welcome any New Zealander as a first class citizen accelerated the exodus, along with significant upfront bonuses and relocation pay offers from Australia’s health system in the wake of covid.

All roads lead to the 30/30/30 fiscal rules. Both National and Labour-led Governments have tried to keep net debt and the size of Government spending well under 30% of GDP by running surpluses whenever possible for 30 years, but without a capital gains or wealth taxes. That was fine when the strategy was set in stone in 1989 when population growth was low with an ageing population. But politicians, planners and ultimately median voters realised in the last 20 years they could generate GDP growth, higher land price inflation for leveraged tax-free capital gains and get lower interest rates by engineering 1.5-2% population growth per year, but without enough infrastructure investment. It worked until it didn’t, which is now.

This accidentally-on-purpose ‘strategy’ of engineering low taxes with unfunded population growth happened because politicians and ultimately voters decided not to talk about or create population growth or infrastructure investment strategies. That was largely because it would become clear in the conversation that the 30/30/30 rule was unsustainable without higher user-pays charges and taxes on households, especially through wealth or capital gains taxes. That higher tax share of GDP for investment is needed to pay for higher levels of infrastructure spending that goes with this population growth, which was three times faster than officially forecast and still is.

Yet we just had another election, at least the fifth in 15 years, where the same accidentally-on-purpose strategy of unfunded population growth to keep taxes low on today’s home owners was adopted.

So how does this end? Tens of thousands of young renters are opting to leave the country and are being replaced by over 100,000 (net) new workers on temporary work visas. Taxpayers are now somewhat surprised and alarmed that the EDs are full when they need them, largely because politicians from both sides of Parliament assured them they could have it all: low taxes AND a fully publicly-funded hospital system.

Labour’s disintegration and reintegration of the DHBs into one national authority was the latest attempt to square an impossible circle by pretending more could be achieved by spending the same amount. Somehow, we are promised, less can be spent in the ‘back offices and we’ll get the same level of service at the front line.

The whistles of the escape valves in our political economy are;

• rising net migration rates of residents, including some of the 200,000 temporary workers awarded residency last year after the covid lockdowns;
• more desperate pleas from nurses, doctors and administrators for help, while administrators and politicians limit spending growth on hospitals, staff and drugs to ensure their Budgets return to supluses; and,
• the richest taxpayers will increasingly opt for private health insurance.1

Note: The privatisation by stealth and privilege of the nz health service
Note: We can't afford tax cuts for the rich, or any tax cut

 

[Hredwood]

Our governments keeps borrowing off the corrupt global banksters gangsters. WEF, Blackrock, who Horse face Jacinda visited. Most governments around the world are controlled by this. Now you have them the elite transferring funds to BRICS. It's all a scam.
e already know from the Budget back in May that government debt is closing in on $158 billion – that’s more than $120,000 for a family of four – and we hear that today’s books are going to be a blood bath.

Some are rubbing there hands with glee, Debt = slavery.

 

[Hredwood]

Our governments keeps borrowing off the corrupt global banksters gangsters. WEF, Blackrock, who Horse face Jacinda visited. Most governments around the world are controlled by this. Now you have them the elite transferring funds to BRICS. It's all a scam.
e already know from the Budget back in May that government debt is closing in on $158 billion – that’s more than $120,000 for a family of four – and we hear that today’s books are going to be a blood bath.

Some are rubbing there hands with glee, Debt = slavery.

But there’s a reason. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for this, there’s a reason education SUCKS, and it’s the same reason it will never, ever, EVER be fixed.

It’s never going to get any better, don’t look for it, be happy with what you’ve got.

Because the owners, the owners of this country don't want that. I'm talking about the real owners now, the BIG owners! The Wealthy… the REAL owners! The big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions.

Forget the politicians. They are irrelevant. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice! You have OWNERS! They OWN YOU. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought, and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls.

They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying, lobbying, to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I'll tell you what they don’t want:

They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. Thats against their interests.

Thats right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don’t want that!

You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this fucking place! It's a big club, and you ain’t in it! You, and I, are not in the big club.

By the way, it's the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long beating you over the head with their media telling you what to believe, what to think and what to buy. The table has tilted folks. The game is rigged and nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care! Good honest hard-working people; white collar, blue collar it doesn’t matter what color shirt you have on. Good honest hard-working people continue, these are people of modest means, continue to elect these rich cock suckers who don’t give a fuck about you….they don’t give a fuck about you… they don’t give a FUCK about you.

They don’t care about you at all… at all… AT ALL. And nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care. Thats what the owners count on. The fact that Americans will probably remain willfully ignorant of the big red, white and blue dick thats being jammed up their assholes everyday, because the owners of this country know the truth.

George Carlin

 

[marv.]

Horse face Jacinda

here we go.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Our governments keeps borrowing off the corrupt global banksters gangsters. WEF, Blackrock, who Horse face Jacinda visited. Most governments around the world are controlled by this. Now you have them the elite transferring funds to BRICS. It's all a scam.
e already know from the Budget back in May that government debt is closing in on $158 billion – that’s more than $120,000 for a family of four – and we hear that today’s books are going to be a blood bath.

Some are rubbing there hands with glee, Debt = slavery.

Horseface.

View attachment 7922
here we go.

Yeah, for once Marv I'm with you. Kinda degrades any argument or points of discussion that follow.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Convenient.

KiwiRail chairman to retire, board to be ‘refreshed’

Minister says the retirement is unrelated to Aratere incident.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[Worried2Death]

Isn't there still a clause we can activate to become a state of Australia? Might be time.

 

[Worried2Death]

Our governments keeps borrowing off the corrupt global banksters gangsters. WEF, Blackrock, who Horse face Jacinda visited. Most governments around the world are controlled by this. Now you have them the elite transferring funds to BRICS. It's all a scam.
e already know from the Budget back in May that government debt is closing in on $158 billion – that’s more than $120,000 for a family of four – and we hear that today’s books are going to be a blood bath.

Some are rubbing there hands with glee, Debt = slavery.

Everyone knows it's a scam, but we don't know who "They" are. Have you got their names?

 

[miket12]

Everyone knows it's a scam, but we don't know who "They" are. Have you got their names?

Atlas?

 

[Worried2Death]

Atlas?

Definitely suspects. And they would have gotten away with it too if not for us pesky Wahs fans.

 

[miket12]

Speaking off corruption, MBIE and the previous government made a huge mistake with the earthquake certification for commercial buildings…. and this current government is no better for not shutting the same loophole.

All commercial buildings are required to have a structural engineer to access a building’s earthquake strength in relation to the current building code, and, depending on the use of the building, access what percentage of the current building code, the building will resist in an earthquake. A building used as a hospital or school needs to meet a higher measure than an apartment building or warehouse.

If the building does not meet the earthquake standards, it is the owner’s responsibility to strengthen the building to the required standard.

The problem is that the assessments were written in the name of the business, not the person doing the assessment or the principals/owners of the business.

While this wouldn’t normally be an issue, there is a structural engineer in Auckland currently being investigated by Auckland Council because he was willing to reassess buildings and would rewrite reports which showed the buildings miraculously now met the standard. He’s also changed the name of his limited liability company a number of times so the former entity no longer exists so he can’t be sued in case there’s an earthquake and it’s proven that his reassessment was wrong.

A number of building owners and body corporates will now be getting nervous as AC are now looking at getting an independent structural engineer to look at all the certificates issued by the other engineer. It wouldn’t surprise me if he suddenly has a “family emergency” and leaves NZ very soon to return home.

 

[dean]

A number of building owners and body corporates will now be getting nervous as AC are now looking at getting an independent structural engineer to look at all the certificates issued by the other engineer. It wouldn’t surprise me if he suddenly has a “family emergency” and leaves NZ very soon to return home.

Is he a foreigner?
Hope he did the certification for the Beehive.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Speaking off corruption, MBIE and the previous government made a huge mistake with the earthquake certification for commercial buildings…. and this current government is no better for not shutting the same loophole.

All commercial buildings are required to have a structural engineer to access a building’s earthquake strength in relation to the current building code, and, depending on the use of the building, access what percentage of the current building code, the building will resist in an earthquake. A building used as a hospital or school needs to meet a higher measure than an apartment building or warehouse.

If the building does not meet the earthquake standards, it is the owner’s responsibility to strengthen the building to the required standard.

The problem is that the assessments were written in the name of the business, not the person doing the assessment or the principals/owners of the business.

While this wouldn’t normally be an issue, there is a structural engineer in Auckland currently being investigated by Auckland Council because he was willing to reassess buildings and would rewrite reports which showed the buildings miraculously now met the standard. He’s also changed the name of his limited liability company a number of times so the former entity no longer exists so he can’t be sued in case there’s an earthquake and it’s proven that his reassessment was wrong.

A number of building owners and body corporates will now be getting nervous as AC are now looking at getting an independent structural engineer to look at all the certificates issued by the other engineer. It wouldn’t surprise me if he suddenly has a “family emergency” and leaves NZ very soon to return home.

The fire sprinkler systems are in a similar position aren't they Mike? This is leaky homes but on a commercial building scale?

 

[miket12]

The fire sprinkler systems are in a similar position aren't they Mike? This is leaky homes but on a commercial building scale?

Very similar.

There’s also problems emerging in the Healthy Homes reports. While most of the companies who were writing reports did it properly, there’s at least one property manager who has had a few appearances at the Tenancy Tribunal because the “associated” company he used was writing reports which were wrong… ceiling insulation not thick enough, rangehoods and/or bathrooms not vented properly, inadequate AC units.

One of the biggest mistakes this government has made in terms of rental properties is not requiring the licensing of property managers. In my experience as a former tenant, current landlord and in the construction industry for nearly 40 years, there’s a number of property managers who care only for themselves, collecting fees and “clicking the tickets” for any maintenance work required.

 

[miket12]

Is he a foreigner?
Hope he did the certification for the Beehive.

I’d be more concerned about flooding at the Beehive…..the Civil Defense HQ in the Beehive basement used to flood at the slightest sign of a shower when the Beehive was first built.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Note: The privatisation by stealth and privilege of the nz health service
Note: We can't afford tax cuts for the rich, or any tax cut

My read is we can’t afford the immigration when it isn’t covering itself with improve productivity.

We could afford a decent health system before the immigration.

200k extra people as a percentage of NZs population is insane!

We’re effectively being asked to pay more tax to cover the immigrants costs. You may like the extra tax no benefit but I don’t!

 

[MaybeTop8]

More great work from Bernard Hickey - utterly disgusting by this government


Bernard Hickey

2d
∙
The Kākā by Bernard Hickey

So now we learn the Government is buying its tax cuts by cutting funding for food banks. Taking food off poor people so rich people can get more money back from the Government. To do what?
Donate to charities? Or just store it up in a term deposit account. Along with the other $294 billion in savings accounts and term deposit accounts in banks in April 2024, up from $244 billion in February 2020.
Here’s Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson:
Since the onset of COVID, the Mission and other agencies had received support for food, although at a declining rate since 2020.
Now the Mission, and other social agencies, face the prospect of significantly reduced food services resulting in many individuals and families not getting the nourishment they need or deserve. “Without the support of government, at the Mission we will have to drastically reduce the amount of food we can give families in need from 50,000 food parcels to 20,000 food parcels annually. That is a reduction of over 50% from 1 July of this year,” says Robinson.
“This lack of appropriate Government investment will result in immediate hardship for families already struggling in tough times. We are facing the dire reality of providing 27,000 fewer meals every week for parents and children who will not have enough food to stay physically and mentally well, not enough to go to school or to work, not enough to contribute well to society. It’s a deeply upsetting and concerning prospect.”
aucklandcitymission.org.nz/the-mission-…
AUCKLANDCITYMISSION.ORG.NZ
The Mission faces turning people away at the door - Auckland City Mission
Unless the Government funds food security in the budget, Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai will have to turn…

 

[marv.]

Speaking as someone who is very senior in that industry I can honestly tell you that there is no plan to replace either the ferries or the port infrastructure (which is falling into the sea).

I just had the COO of KiwiRail on the phone - who you gonna believe?

Govt advised to replace Cook Strait ferries with new, smaller boats

Exclusive: Ministers have been handed a report laying out options for the specifications of the new ferries and when they could arrive.

www.1news.co.nz

 

[Noitall]

taskforce 2025 john oliver - Google Search

Was watching John Oliver and came across what an interesting topic regarding what’s proposed under trump’s next presidency in what’s labelled taskforce 2025. It’s a taskforce put there to piece by piece dismantle everything of the previous administration. I thought I’d put it here because I thought it’s very reminiscent of what has been this government’s early intentions

 

[MaybeTop8]

taskforce 2025 john oliver - Google Search

Was watching John Oliver and came across what an interesting topic regarding what’s proposed under trump’s next presidency in what’s labelled taskforce 2025. It’s a taskforce put there to piece by piece dismantle everything of the previous administration. I thought I’d put it here because I thought it’s very reminiscent of what has been this government’s early intentions

Here's an example - https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350...expected-auckland-roads-due-governments-plans