Merry Christmas from National

Written By: - Date published: 3:17 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 28 comments
Categories: ACC, national/act government, privatisation - Tags: ,

National’s decides to hit workers in the pocket:

ACC Minister Nick Smith yesterday said levies would increase from $1.40 to $1.70 for every $100 earned from next April.

The employer and self-employed levy would rise from $1.26 to $1.31.

Recommendations by officials to increase motor vehicles levies and lift registration fees by $50 would not be considered until next year.

Well, there goes your tax cut. Of course, the interesting thing is that the National/ACT government doesn’t have to impose such heavy levy increases, but they are. Why? They’re deliberately ignoring options that the Labour government had on the table to keep levies down, in order to demonise ACC and justify privatisation further down the track. Simple as that.

28 comments on “Merry Christmas from National ”

  1. the sprout 1

    “demonise ACC and justify privatisation further down the track”

    Exactly Eddie. That’s the whole basis of the beat-up and faux-outrage over this non-issue.

    I mean, were National actually surprised that investment funds aren’t performing to thier optimal capacities at the moment?

  2. George 2

    And not a single apology from the labour side about dropping NZ’ers in the faecal matter in the first place. Interesting how marion and labour have all the answers after the fact. Macdoctor has it right on this one.

    • George. Labour didn’t drop NZ in it. There was no mismanagement of ACC. The costs have increased for a few simple, unavoidable reasons. One is increased rehabilitation costs because medicial technology means more people who once died from injuries are now surviving in need of a lot of expensive rehabilitation. The other big one is the financial crisis, which has hit the returns on the ACC’s assets.

  3. Some calculations under privatizing it actually makes it look good. It’s quite a bit cheaper.

  4. Mr Magoo 4

    And not a single apology from the labour side about dropping NZ’ers in the faecal matter in the first place.
    WHAT?! I know that the national party are doing everything BUT saying this outright in the full knowledge that their mindless flock will fall into this conclusion – but seriously. Not even THEY are saying labour caused this??

    Some calculations under privatizing it actually makes it look good. It’s quite a bit cheaper.

    Christ almighty…do I even bother??

    Power
    Phone

    People said the same thing when the same thing was done previously. I assume by “Some Calculations” you mean those by private industry and those commissioned by national? Perhaps the tory treasury has some figures on this??

    I really do lament at the sheer ignorance and stupidity that NZ is going through here. (These posters are just echoing a large portion of NZ’s sentiment) I am honestly starting to believe that this country seriously deserves a right tory gang bang. Maybe that will shake them out of it?
    The US went through 9 years of it, but a great short-doco I just watched would indicate that that gang-bang was one too many. (ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_TjBNjc9Bo)
    That doco brings up many issues that NZ IS facing now, but could be facing in the future in the same magnitude if we keep burying our heads in the sand.

    I think I need to stop reading comments sections of blogs..it is depressing the hell out of me.

  5. George 5

    Mr Magoo, So ongoing slices being taking from your pay packet doesn’t depress you, depresses me no end.

    Steve, Labour has dropped the new zealand public in it through something called project creep. Under Labours watch it has accelerated so that ACC now covers things that don’t neccesarily need to be covered, ie absolute top of the line hearing devices, the latest and greatest, at $8k a pop, when last years go for around $3-4k. it happened under National too, but speed up under Labour. if someone had been watching the costs of ACC and what was being forked out for, rather than just expecting money to appear magically to meet these increased costs, then the position would not be as bad as it is now. it would be bad, but not this bad.

    i’ll repeat myself, Macdoctor has the reasoning behind this.

  6. Kerry 6

    Mr Magoo – exactly right!

    The more I read from right wingers the more I think this country is fucked….you simply cannot have a fair and just society with right wingers in charge…

    Where does the right wing mentality come from? surely not from a decent education….just look at John Banks and Paul Henry!!!! Just goes to show that you can be as rich as hell but it doesnt guarantee smarts or taste!

  7. djp 7

    Is Labours “laterally” thought out plan merely to dump the current costs on taxpayers in 2020?

    Surely the comman man is getting tired of ponzi schemes.

  8. higherstandard 8

    It is also of note that one can often access non subsidised pharmaceuticals via ACC that PHARMAC has (most often rightly) deemed to be too expensive as cheaper alternatives suffice.

    While I’m no huge fan of PHARMAC some of their fiscal management might come in very handy in relation to some of the excesses that are allowed under ACC.

  9. Mr Magoo 9

    Mr Magoo, So ongoing slices being taking from your pay packet doesn’t depress you, depresses me no end.
    George, what would depress me more is if a Kiwi’s life was completely and utterly ruined because of an faultless accident at work, especially due in part to poor safety standards. It would depress me more if the majority of people though a few bucks a week (e.g. a coffee or a beer or two) out of their pay packet was not worth this.
    I also believe in a public health system and a welfare state.

    If you do not, then we will just have to agree to disagree on that.

    The point I made still stands completely unmodified however. Your premise is completely and utterly false and your reasoning is the is the product of National’s cunning spin.

    Is Labours “laterally’ thought out plan merely to dump the current costs on taxpayers in 2020?

    Here here djp!
    If you have not already, watch that 1/2 hour doco. NZ is fast heading towards this situation if we do not act now.

    The US currently would have to invest around 170k per citizen TODAY to pay for their social security/medicare bill in the future.
    Our ACC and pension is very similar in this regard, although not as bad as theirs just yet.

    Both major parties are completely lacking in this area. Kiwisaver was a START, but it should have been ramping up to 8%, not 4%. (more like aussie)

    Higherstandard:

    I thought ACC DID do this already? You have not referred to the particular case in question, but I would be wary about assuming this logic off the bat.
    ACC is notoriously stingy but has different objectives to PHARMAC. PHARMAC does not care if you get back to work earlier or healthier. ACC does because it is likely paying you 70% of your wages during this time!
    PHARMAC calculations (and I have seen these personally) are based on outcomes per head per funding. ACC can take a more individualistic approach and offset the cost against the expense of not getting you back to work early.

  10. infused 10

    IrishBill: you were banned on the “gratitude” post.

  11. Quoth the Raven 11

    HS – … but the excesses of herpceptin are absolutley tolerable because National did it.
    On the side of that Sccop artilce they linked to this.
    The New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists appeals to the National Party to engage with physiotherapists and other treatment providers regarding their policy on choice and competition for workplace injury coverage. “There were terrible results when this policy was introduced last time,’ said Mr Warren. He said that physiotherapists saw many examples of patients who were so confused about how to claim coverage that they sometimes just gave up in frustration, or alternatively delayed seeking treatment and therefore hindered their recovery.
    Just thought I’d point it out.
    Privatising ACC seems to be the least pragmatic most ideologically driven thing National plans to do.

  12. higherstandard 12

    QTR

    Once and for all the decision regarding Herceptin is supported by all NZ oncologists (including those who provide advice to PHARMAC) as it reflects the best evidence to date in relation to this medicine.

    In relation to the physiotherapists – I’m not surprised they are worried about someone looking at the excesses of ACC the private physio providers are one of the worst abusers of this in the land.

    Magoo

    Have a look here as to why many of us in the medical profession are are bit jaded in relation to ACC

    http://www.macdoctor.co.nz/?p=900

  13. Quoth the Raven 13

    HS – Got any links or quotes or something to back up your claims. Do you not see any inconsistancy in your stance? I don’t really want to open up that topic again (your position has been debunked in other threads), but anyway how about this: Auckland Women’s Health Council report:
    The AWHC supports the proposal to decline to extend or replace the current publicly-funded nine-week course of Herceptin with a publicly-funded 12-month course of the drug. The reasons for our stance are as follows:

    • There has been no new evidence presented that would indicate that a 12- month course of Herceptin is a great deal more effective than a nine-week treatment period of Herceptin administered concurrently with taxane.

    • There is a reduced risk of cardiac toxicity with the shorter treatment period.

    • The evidence published thus far has revealed that administering Herceptin concurrently with taxane appears to be more effective than administering Herceptin sequentially after other chemotherapy.

    • As Roche has not published the data from a key clinical trial and continues to withhold the results of this trial, the AWHC believes that it is very likely that the data on the missing women are being withheld due to the fact that including them would reduce the claimed effectiveness of administering Herceptin sequentially Roche’s preferred treatment regime.

    • The results of a small trial recently presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology showed that the addition of Tykerb to Herceptin improves progression-free survival in pre-treated women (2). This provides further evidence to support the proposition that administering Herceptin for HER2 positive breast cancer concurrently is more effective than sequential therapy.
    • Despite the small size of the trial, the FinHer study revealed an appreciable effect, where disease-free survival was statistically significant. This result was achieved in spite of the small number of patients. The AWHC is therefore strongly supportive of the research currently being done which will hopefully provide answers to the questions about the optimum duration and the sequencing of Herceptin treatment.

    • The Council believes that in the context of the New Zealand health care system and the budget constraints faced by the District Health Boards (DHBs) a cautious approach to the funding of Herceptin is justified, particularly when PHARMAC is faced with the withholding of important data from clinical trials and the resulting publication bias. (3)

  14. Tim Ellis 14

    I posted this at the right-wing blog this morning but it still has currency here.

    I see Maryan Street has put out a statement saying that National should defer fully-funding ACC until 2019 to keep levies down. This is an outrageous statement. By 2014 the government will have had fifteen years to move to a fully-funded ACC system, paying the total future costs of claims in the year they were incurred. Labour’s solution to spread this out further would have passed enormous costs onto future levy-payers. The fiscal irresponsibility of this is quite staggering. Labour did some very good things in Government, like setting up the Cullen Fund to help fully-fund the future cost of national superannuation and not pass that burden onto future taxpayers. Labour was quite happy to do the opposite with ACC.

    In ACC Labour wanted to promise a gold-plated system delivering extremely generous entitlements by international standards, and pass the bill onto future generations. They went into this election promising lower ACC levies. They now say any moves to properly fund ACC, and potentially rationalise the entitlement system, is a pre-cursor to privatisation, even though they know fully well that there is no possibility of privatising the non-earners or motor vehicle accounts, and the chances of privatising the earners’ account is also next to zero.

    Their dishonesty over this issue really has cost them any moral authority on ACC.

  15. higherstandard 15

    QTR

    To the best of my knowledge there isn’t a single oncologist or qualified medical professional on the AWHC.

    For a view typical among oncologists I suggest you look here.

    http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1259/2676/

    You should note that Richard has one of the largest private practices in NZ as well as his public practice, so one could suggest that wishing to have Herceptin available and fully funded for 12 months was not in his best interest from a financial perspective.

    The AWHC also quote the results of a small trial with the addition of lapatinib in advanced breast cancer which is irrelevant as the issue in NZ is in relation to early breast cancer – there is no variance of the use of Herceptin from the norm in ABC in NZ.

    The PHARMAC decision regarding Herceptin was financial if it was not they would have supported the longer regimen (as has every other similar country).

    I don’t know of a single oncologist in NZ that thought PHARMAC’s decision was clinically justified.

  16. Johnty Rhodes 16

    Thank you Labour, my tax cut will be smaller now. Simple as that.

  17. rave 17

    Scrooge Key’s Xmas vs Tiny Timoti’s

    There is the Xmas at St Stephens Ave with tax kuts, Kiwisaver kuts, cheap labour, gutted unions, kuts in ACC to bosses (relative to workers) topped off with a lucky dip of state houses in SA to keep the proles quiet, bail for tagger killers, bang up the gangs, Herceptin to reward women voters (OK but the rich wont pay for it), gated housing at Hobsonville, national standards to keep the rich kids winning and fine the losers into the jails; roads, pollution and a Rooted MA to get the bottles through to the grog shop so that the yoof can binge out into the arms of the offender squad….

    Then there is the Xmas at McGehan Close…

  18. Quoth the Raven 18

    HS – I really don’t want to get into another drawn out argument over this. Anyway, whether or not AWHC has oncologists as members is immaterial they were citing a clinical study carried out by oncologists and the fact that Roche is witholding the results of a study. One would have to ask themselves why they would do that and a critcally minded person might come to the conclusion that a profit motive is behind it that the results would undermine the claimed effectiveness of administering Herceptin sequentially. Now I’m absolutely sure this has been pointed out to you before, but if you read the relevant information at pharmac’s website you’ll see that pharmac consulted oncologist and reviewed all the clinical evidence before making its decision. Herceptin Questions and Answers. Herceptin a summary of the evidence at August 2008. The Lancet aricle was quoted in the second link:‘Failing to publish inconclusive results can mean wide (and wasteful) use ofineffective treatments, or even unnecessary illness and death if the reported risksof harms are underestimated. Clearly adjuvant trastuzumab is effective but howbest to use it appears to have been hampered by some publication choices thatpresently are unclear. There is a duty of care to trial participants, sponsors, regulators, and the public good to promptly publish outcomes in all exposure groups.’
    And of course there is the rest of the argument, the matter of what is best for us to spend our limited amount of money on (whether or not it is the best publicised disease or not) and the issue of the government overruling the decision of an indepentdent body and making its own medical decisions and what that bodes for the future of this kind of funding in New Zealand. e.g. a National MP has a mate who owns lots of shares in this pharmaceutical company and they’re pushing this dodgy drug…
    I’m sure if Labour had made such a decision you’d screaming about their arrogance and know it all attitude.

  19. NickC 19

    “Labour didn’t drop NZ in it. There was no mismanagement of ACC. The costs have increased for a few simple, unavoidable reasons.”

    Steve thats nonsence and completely avoids the issue. Here we have a gold plated scheme which is willing to hand out vast amounts of money, run various ad campaigns and generally incurr high costs. Sure Labour could not control the financial crisis which hits ACC’s asset returns, or the fact that new medical technology has ment increased payouts. But they can very much control the nature of the system itself by limiting the amount of money ACC handed out and the situations in which it did so.

    Labours so called solution is also a completely useless. Their aproach is; Why pay back the debt when we can just legislate to pay it back later!? You once again fall back on the smokescreen arguement that this is all somehow ment to soften us up for privitisation, but i put it to you that given this inditement on the system that ACC privitisation is not only nessesary but inevidible.

  20. DeeDub 20

    Why do the righties who post on this site have such an appalling grasp of the subtleties of the English language, right down to spelling ‘inevitable’ with a D?

    That’s not a typo, that’s a dumbo. (Seems appropriate with the avatar anyway…) 😉

    The same kind of thinking that invents words like ‘picture-ress’….

    I bet most of them say ‘irregardless’ often and loudly, too??!!

  21. Sarah 21

    I cannot actually stand reading this. This site cannot be taken credibly when it bases entire posts on nothing more than innuendo and what the party-line says. Flying the red-coloured flag high again i see.

  22. Camryn 22

    Mr Magoo – This is going to be an aside to the discussion at hand, and I admit that. So, with that off my chest… can we all please stop making out that every little aspect of the social safety net in this country is just “a coffee or a beer or two (a week)”. They do all add up you know, and it doesn’t take long before all the beer and coffee money is gone and we start cutting into other aspects of households’ potential spending. Not to mention putting the beer and coffee industries out of business 😉 Obviously not quite, but my point is that not every $1 or 2 per week for every service is the ‘first dollar’. They add up!

    Also, Bush is socially right wing but on economics he’s right/left/incoherent… whatever. Don’t try to tar National with that brush!

    Captcha: Jamaica time!

  23. higherstandard 23

    QTR –

    Final word to the NZ oncologists who being the experts in the field we should perhaps take credence of.

    “We remain perplexed as to why the Medical Advisory CaTSoP committee of PHARMAC was told that 12 months was not an option when considering their recommendations. We note that CaTSoP expressed a strong preference for 12 months of therapy, but were given the option of 9 weeks or nothing. Subsequent to the CaTSoP adjudications the evidence supporting 12 months treatment has further strengthened as studies continue to collect more follow-up data.

    Why, with CaTSoP’s stated preference for 12 months of therapy did PTAC, the PHARMAC Board, and the DHBs not actively pursue additional funding from the Health Minister, rather than try to restrain spending within their current budget?
    Health care is becoming inevitably more expensive with many other new drugs and technologies becoming available and offering potentially significant benefits. Beyond the issue of cost, if we do not adopt proven new therapies the quality of our care will inevitably fall further in comparison to other countries, at a time when our take up of new therapies is well behind most other OECD countries.

    In this setting, it is disappointing that PHARMAC appears unable to weigh up the narrow (drug costs), short-term fiscal imperative against available research evidence together with the wider and longer-term health care costs, in a logical, systematic, and transparent fashion.

    A major role for PHARMAC here, which has proven to be very effective in the past, should be to push for optimal pricing of Herceptin by negotiation with the pharmaceutical industry.

    It is clear that Herceptin improves the outcome of patients with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer, but the current international standard of care remains 12 months of therapy. PHARMAC have now introduced a regimen for funded treatment on the basis of very poor evidence, which is one small trial with serious statistical concerns, in preference to regimens supported by robust clinical trial data.

    While PHARMAC have a difficult job in balancing pharmaco-economic benefits of treatment, we believe in this instance they have placed too little weight on compelling scientific evidence. The risks they have taken with their decision to fund 9 weeks of Herceptin are not so much with their limited budget, but much more significantly with patients’ lives.”

    I also agree and can’t be bothered arguing with someone who hasn’t the slightest grasp of how to interpret clinical trial data and the body of clinical evidence, that aside have a good Xmas.

  24. Mr Magoo 24

    Also, Bush is socially right wing but on economics he’s right/left/incoherent whatever. Don’t try to tar National with that brush!

    And the brush began with Regan, then Bush Senior. Of course we forget them because they have been completely overshadowed by Bush Jnr.

    Having said this, just because National has been irrelavent for the last 9 years and you and everyone else have forgotten their MO, does not mean I cannot tar them with whatever brush happens to be appropriate. They have been in 1 month and they are back to their fiscally irresponsible tricks.

    And they are NOT like Bush?? Slashing Kiwisaver, increasing debt with stupid spending, privatising ACC, reducing workers rights, gutting environment policy, climate change increasing???

    1 month. You just wait for the next 2 years, 11 months.

  25. Mr Magoo 25

    Higherstandard:

    I have yet to hear a doctor say a good thing about any government department! 🙂

    I understand your point and I am not claiming ACC is perfect. However one cannot ignore the fact that our ACC system is one of, if not the, best in the world. The way I see it, it is the best that any beurocrats could do.
    Of course we could have more doctors and nurses running it! That would be great.

    Of course there are not enough as it is!

  26. Ianmac 26

    The simple main issue is: should MP’s make decisions for Pharmac?
    If Yes then change Pharmac so that each medication supply decision goes through Parliament.
    If No then the Herceptin decision is a bad undermining ill informed decision with serious flow on implications.
    Argue as much as you like about the details but thos bottom lines remain.

  27. higherstandard 27

    No Ian

    The issue is should PHARMAC hide behind the illusion that their decisions regarding new medicines are based on science rather than economics, this is why many of us would prefer to see the clinical decision completely separate from the economic decision, that is an assessment of medications on clinical grounds by the medical experts sitting outside of PHARMAC followed by a separate economic evaluation and decision on what to fund by PHARMAC.

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    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

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