Southern DHB sacked

Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, June 17th, 2015 - 53 comments
Categories: health - Tags: , ,

So the Minister of Health has just dismissed all members of the Board and replacing it with a Commissioner:

Southern DHB Board dismissed – Commissioner appointed

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today written to Southern DHB dismissing all members of the Board and replacing it with a Commissioner.

“The financial problems at Southern DHB are longstanding. I do not have confidence that the current governance arrangements are suitable for delivering on the changes required in Southern DHB,” says Dr Coleman.

“Southern is forecasting a final deficit of $27 million for the current financial year. That figure has effectively doubled in the last six months.

Southern covers the Otago and Southland regions. Here’s some background reading on the problems:

Southern DHB financial crisis lies with underfunding
DHB’s funding below inflation – Labour
Southern hospitals bear the brunt of Government underfunding
Hundreds of DHB workers on less than ‘living wage’
SDHB ‘in extreme difficulties’
Democracy under threat as axe hangs over SDHB

There are real and significant problems in Southern’s jurisdiction, especially around the state of Dunedin Hospital. They stem from underfunding by the government. No doubt a new Commissioner will save money. They will do it by cutting services, and placing further pressure on staff who are already at breaking point.

53 comments on “Southern DHB sacked ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Macro 1
    17 June 2015 at 12:46 pm

    What a useless lot of incompetent idiots we have as a so called “government”. A do nothing minister of “finance” and a uncaring pony tail pulling “prime minister” who has little conception of what constitutes truth.
    When are the people of NZ going to wake up from their sleep? The longer this shower remain warming their fat arses on the treasury benches the more NZ as a whole will suffer.

  2. Tracey 2
    17 June 2015 at 12:55 pm

    have details been given around the commissioners kpi’s

    • Chris 2.1
      17 June 2015 at 2:49 pm

      Will we be told precisely what the government believes the DHB has done wrong? No, we won’t be. It’ll be government spin like what Coleman’s already saying: “I do not have confidence that the current governance arrangements are suitable for delivering on the changes required in Southern DHB”. Wait for how many ways government can say the same thing without telling us what the DHB has done wrong or what it believes the DHB is incapable of doing.

      What’s worse, though, is the opposition’s inability to ask the right questions or to do what’s necessary to find these things out. Half our problem at the moment is the fact we do not have an Opposition.

    • cogito 2.2
      17 June 2015 at 5:18 pm

      kpi = kill poor innocents.

  3. dv 3
    17 June 2015 at 1:09 pm

    New appointed board member been sacked once already!!!
    Richard Thomson

    Mr Thomson was chairman of Otago DHB (2001-2009) before being sacked by then Health Minister Tony Ryall who held him accountable for the $17 million fraud which took place at the DHB over six years.

    • dv 3.1
      17 June 2015 at 1:39 pm

      How much of the $17m fraud is responsible for the short fall?

      • dukeofurl 3.1.1
        17 June 2015 at 2:15 pm

        The fraud was between 2000 and 2006.
        “Swann spent just under $8 million of his $15.2 million booty on cars and boats, $3.7 million on real estate, a little over $1 million on food, liquor and household items, with $1.1 million taken in cash.”

        http://www.spcs.org.nz/michael-swann-checketts-mckay-fraud-and-otago-dhbs-missing-6-million-report/

      • McFlock 3.1.2
        17 June 2015 at 2:41 pm

        well, none really.

        $27M this year isn’t really impacted by $17M ten years ago.

        Basically Southern DHB isn’t given enough money to run, and some of the funding is ringfenced (which is good because it helps guarantee funding for those areas) which means that the shortfall has to be made up by cuts in other areas alone (which is bad).

        DHBs are funded pretty much at a fixed per capita rate for their resident population.

        There are significant building costs that need to be funded, both to dunedin public hospital and to satellite hospitals like upgrading queenstown. These costs are basically funded on a desperate-priority basis (like roof leaks in operating theatres).

        Then there is the issue that DPH is a tertiary-level hospital and needs to fund specialists to serve the population in a halfway decent period of time, especially after trauma. We have a pretty large surface area compared to the population that needs to be served, so that impacts on things like the golden hour. And then there’s another full DHB between the northern border of Southern and ChCh hospital, which is the next closest tertiary-care hospital. Even with helicopters, invercargill or Remarkables to ChCh just isn’t cool for urgent treatment.

        So we need a lot of infrastructure that a population doesn’t need when there are two tertiary hospitals in your metro area even though you’re in a different DHB.

        • dv 3.1.2.1
          17 June 2015 at 3:13 pm

          Thanks dofurl and Mc

          However that Thompson ‘allowed’ the fraud AND was sack would suggest his governance is not to good

          • McFlock 3.1.2.1.1
            17 June 2015 at 3:38 pm

            He’s not too bad – Swan kept the IT budget with spec, and used an undisclosed conflict of interest in the “servicing” company for the fraud that started prior to Thomson turning up.

            Thomson seems pretty capable, really. As soon as the CFO picked up that something was amiss, the entire thing was handled pretty smartly. I reckon the previous CFO has a fair bit to answer for, though.

            • dv 3.1.2.1.1.1
              17 June 2015 at 3:52 pm

              Thank]x

            • dukeofurl 3.1.2.1.1.2
              17 June 2015 at 4:17 pm

              The real donkey was the CEO. Invoices of that scale should have been approved beforehand and werent.

              The whole thing is a case study of incompetence and poor governance

              • McFlock …
                17 June 2015 at 4:29 pm

                because he never saw them because the CEO never kicked them upstairs and the auditors never flagged that point.

                Captain and all, but still, a bit of a bad rap.

  4. McFlock 4
    17 June 2015 at 1:18 pm

    Underfund it, run it down, gain direct control from the democratic boards you placed in an impossible position, privatise.

    BAU.

    • dukeofurl 4.1
      17 June 2015 at 2:30 pm

      The board is mostly run by the Ministers appointments all ready.

      As well some elected members were first appointed by Minister.

      The Board consists of seven elected members (four from the Otago constituency and three from the Southland constituency) and up to four members appointed by the Minister of Health. The Minister also appoints the Board Chair and Deputy Chair.

  5. Ffloyd 5
    17 June 2015 at 1:38 pm

    Does that mean seeing as this government has run our country into the ground we can write them a letter sacking them?

  6. hoom 6
    17 June 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Obviously there will be loads of ‘DEMOCRACY UNDER ATTACK’ banner headlines.

    …oh wait, silly me this is Nats actually and directly attacking democracy. Again.
    No, this will just earn praise from the Dirty Columnists :-/

  7. Paul Campbell 7
    17 June 2015 at 2:08 pm

    part of the problem is the way funding is done, a physically large health board covering roughly the bottom 2/5 of the south island is funded using the same per-capita rates that one in Auckland is.

    The Nats have squeezed hard on Otago, one assumes it may have something to do with our token National MP who used to run the only local private hospital

  8. weka 8
    17 June 2015 at 2:24 pm

    How many local bodies has the govt taken over so far?

  9. Colonial Rawshark 9
    17 June 2015 at 2:46 pm

    Worth remembering the Southern DHB cut home help to many elderly people a few years ago, resulting in some personal health disasters for vulnerable older people in the community.

  10. mac1 10
    17 June 2015 at 2:57 pm

    Also, remember this health board outsourced its meals on a fifteen year contract, provoking a very strong local reaction.

    Was this an example of its poor decision making or a result of pressure to lower costs due to under-funding?

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/273059/southern-dhb-will-outsource-hospital-kitchens

    • Ergo Robertina 10.1
      17 June 2015 at 10:10 pm

      Yeah, maybe the minister will sack all of the other district health boards which’ve signed the very same Compass contract as Southern; the one developed at great expense over several years by the Government’s very own Health Benefits Ltd.

  11. North 11
    17 June 2015 at 3:18 pm

    From Anthony Robins’ post – “They [the ‘problems’ pounced on by Coleman] stem from underfunding by the government. No doubt a new Commissioner will save money. They will do it by cutting services, and placing further pressure on staff who are already at breaking point.”

    This typifies the approach of this fetid, corrupt, lying executive. Act so as to render problems inevitable – once the problems manifest publicly abuse the elected decision makers as incompetent and worse – then drive a truck through Democracy by appointing a yes man/woman (outrageously remunerated [viz. ‘bought’] no doubt) to do their bidding. Those more knowledgable than me will have other examples.

    Where’s the NZ Herald screeching “Democracy Under Attack” ?

  12. Wayne 12
    17 June 2015 at 3:26 pm

    From time to time, over the last thirty years, various DHB Boards have been sacked when their performance is substantially under par. The common element is their level of incompetence, not particular features of their communities.

    Helen Clark sacked the Auckland Board when she was Minister. Most people thought she had done the right thing.

    These sorts of actions say very little about the ideological aspect of any particular government. To show that you would have to show that a particular govt sacked way more DHB’s than other governments. That does not appear to be the case here.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1
      17 June 2015 at 3:45 pm

      When those events occurred, did you make any political hay out of it much, Dr. Mapp?

      In fact, it’s pretty much the duty of opposition to hold the government’s feet to the fire in any such situation, aye.

      Otherwise witless and destructive ideology masquerading as “personal responsibility” might, say, kill lots of patients.

      Like it is now.

      • Wayne 12.1.1
        17 June 2015 at 4:20 pm

        Of course the Opposition has to deal with it. My point is the way they deal with it.

        Of course they could say it is all due to gross underfunding, but that immediately raises the question of why other DHB’s are able to cope.

        In my view Labour has all too frequently tried to argue that this govt is the most irresponsible ever.

        Like Andrew Little saying not achieving the surplus was the worst political deceit in his lifetime (or words to that effect). It sounded just a little overwrought. It therefore damages his credibility.

        Labour needs to choose its targets by focusing on the things relevant to the public. On housing they are doing that, and are having some effect.

        But on a huge lot of other things, the public turn off (GCSB, ponytails, Warner Bros, cabinet club, charter schools, 90 days etc), since they are simply not sufficiently relevant, or the “scandal” is grossly over-hyped.

        • RedBaronCV 12.1.1.1
          17 June 2015 at 8:18 pm

          The health spend is declining as a % of GDP so looks like Nact is underfunding all. Nor does anyone know how large the unmet needs are. But hey why don’t we use that $26m of the flag referendum for health instead?
          BTW don’t bother with any more uncaring remarks- this one is kinda personal –
          wait till you know some young people who have serious but treatable issues not getting the care they need and deserve.

          • john 12.1.1.1.1
            17 June 2015 at 11:36 pm

            Some facts about what you call “underfunding”.

            Health has risen from $11.297 billion in 2008 to $15.075 billion in 2015.

            That’s over 30% increase – around three times faster than inflation which was 11% over the same period.

            Or you could look at it on a population basis – $2646 / person in 2008 up to $3281 / person in 2015 – that’s a 24% ($635/person/year) increase – still more than double inflation.

            The increases are even more remarkable if you factor in that 2008 was at the end of years of a boom economy and 2015 is after years of the global financial crisis,

            • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1.1.1.1
              18 June 2015 at 8:09 am

              All you have to do now is factor in the increasing age of the population, and the consequential increased costs, and you’ll look like you know a little bit about the subject.

            • Malconz 12.1.1.1.1.2
              18 June 2015 at 8:47 pm

              The 2010 OECD per capita expenditure figures might enlighten you. NZ paid US$2454 per person for healthcare, the lowest of any comparable nation. The UK paid $2992, Australia $3357, Germany $3558, Netherlands $3837, Canada $3895, and the USA $7290.
              My own experience of working in rural hospitals is that staff routinely work loooong hours to paper over the cracks.
              And anyway, if you look closely at the SDHB’s deficit ($27 million), it’s a tiny fraction of their billion-dollar budget.
              So basically the whole thing is another Tory jack-up, an excuse to seize control (see Christchurch etc etc).

              • greywarshark …
                18 June 2015 at 8:50 pm

                @Malconz
                Clear figures that indict us. Can you put the link to those stats?

                • Malconz …
                  18 June 2015 at 10:01 pm

                  The figures are on an OECD chart that I screen-grabbed a couple of years ago, and I don’t know how to post the image here.
                  But here’s a link to an equally damning 2014 EOCD report: it shows that in 2012 our per capita expenditure on health was US$3172, while the OECD average was $3484. That places us at number 20 out of 34 OECD nations. Not great!

                  http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-NEW-ZEALAND-2014.pdf

                  • greywarshark …
                    20 June 2015 at 10:17 pm

                    Thanks Malconz. Facts like that are gold when trying to get a handle on comparisons with the rest of the world. I’m always trying to find out if we are a banana republic already, or whether we can never hope to reach that level!

    • Tim 12.2
      17 June 2015 at 4:12 pm

      How could we possibly question the ethics of health minister Jonathan Coleman who after accepting an invitation to watch U2 in a corporate box from British American Tobacco in 2006 subsequently caused an altercation by blowing cigar smoke in a woman’s face?

      http://tvnz.co.nz/content/910849/425825.xhtml

    • dukeofurl 12.3
      17 June 2015 at 4:23 pm

      In those days they were all elected, whereas now the Minister puts his own people in the key board roles.

      This board has been ineffective for a while, under Tony Ryalls oversight.

      I still think they are underfunded, but Ryall was the one who sat on his hands for 6 years with his people running the show.

  13. Jester 13
    17 June 2015 at 3:33 pm

    I struggle to see where this is democracy under attack. Surely a government has a responsibility to ensure the best possible services are delivered and DHBs are fiscally responsible.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1
      17 June 2015 at 3:41 pm

      *whoosh*

      • Jester 13.1.1
        17 June 2015 at 3:58 pm

        Are you suggesting that is not a correct assumption OAB?

        • McFlock 13.1.1.1
          17 June 2015 at 4:06 pm

          The government’s failure to provide the funds for your first SDHB responsibility renders the second responsibility impossible and any attempt at it morally and possibly legally criminal.

          • In Vino 13.1.1.1.1
            17 June 2015 at 5:01 pm

            Well said, McFlock. And let’s not pretend that other DHB’s are coping well. Their staff at the ‘coalface’ are all overloaded, and the whole system is under dangerous threat of errors and failures due to work overload. Moreover, what about the secret waiting lists that patients get pushed off – nationwide?

          • Jester 13.1.1.1.2
            17 June 2015 at 6:45 pm

            You need to read the released documents. Their is no suggestion that the DHB is under performing fiscally due to underfunding. Please provide a link to “possibly legally criminal” actions at SDHB otherwise I assume you are simply just talking shit again.

            • In Vino 13.1.1.1.2.1
              17 June 2015 at 8:11 pm

              Their (sic) is no suggestion? Who are ‘they’ to whom ‘their’ must refer?
              Please get literate. And please bear in mind that most Ministries now serve to cover the Govt’s backside rather than promote the social good. Their reports NEVER blame underfunding. Funny how people at the coalface have a different perspective.

            • McFlock 13.1.1.1.2.2
              17 June 2015 at 9:53 pm

              No suggestion?

              Well, that’s wrong for a start. Which means that there is at least a suggestion that my dichotomy reflects the situation facing the board, based on the two priorities that you initially identified.

            • Mark 13.1.1.1.2.3
              17 June 2015 at 11:18 pm

              I know shitheads like you actually exist in the world but fuck off to the troll hole you came out of.
              You want anyone with an IQ bigger than 10 to take any documents released by this government as true and factual then you are a bigger fuckwit than you sound.
              But as someone who has managed to read the documents only hours after their release, you give yourself away as the troll shithead you are.
              Have a look before they came out did we?
              Slater is missing you, fuck off home.

            • philj 13.1.1.1.2.4
              18 June 2015 at 7:56 am

              You are very quick to get this report and to comment. Are you associated with the Gov?

  14. hoom 14
    17 June 2015 at 5:09 pm

    Maybe they can replace Southern DHB outright with some Social Bonds? /sarcasm

  15. Keith 15
    17 June 2015 at 8:05 pm

    Sacking boards is becoming just another day in paradise for National. Can’t run your organisations on cut budgets, or stupid edicts and policy, well tough!

    2009 saw the sacking of the Otago District Health Board (DHB) chairman Richard Thomson by Tony Ryall, Thomson, then a member of the Labour Party was the scape goat for a fraud that occurred by a pair of staff members both before and yet uncovered during his tenure.

    2010 saw the sacking of 14 Canterbury democratically elected regional councillors after complaints by amongst others, former National Minister Wyatt Creech.

    Then there is the revolving doors of school boards and commissioners.

    The sundry threats to take over democratically elected boards or else or to do just that as with the governments response to sideline the Christchurch City Council in early 2011 and take over the rebuild to “punch through red tape”. I think I’ve heard that one since in Auckland too, none of this namby pamby democracy rubbish when we feel like it!

    And now the entire Southern District Health board.

    There is probably more but these control freaks with their warped economic management aren’t going to let democracy get in the way of the National Party!

  16. millsy 16
    17 June 2015 at 10:41 pm

    You cannot cut a big deficit without cutting services or increasing revenue (ie more funding from the government). The SDHB realised that, and that is why this has happened. Most of the fat from the health system was slashed years and years ago.

    • tc 16.1
      17 June 2015 at 11:25 pm

      Not all the fat has been slashed and this govt has done nothing about the dysfunctional politics, waste and highly paid paper pushers that are littered throughout the DHB system upper levels.

      Combine that with year upon year under NACT of funding decreases in real terms, ryall’s shonky shell game with waiting list numbers and it’s another sector desperately in need of major reform in many areas that don’t actually treat patients.

      Like education, research, social services etc it’s being deliberately run down by the haters and wreckers on treasury benches

  17. saveNZ 17
    18 June 2015 at 9:01 am

    Better start standing up, because there is so many democratic positions being ‘sacked’ at present.

    Health in real terms is being underfunded 25%.

    Hello, TPP will come and ‘help’ us reform.

    We can just off shore the health jobs, and have health, USA, style, the worst health system in the world for a developed county.

    • cogito 17.1
      18 June 2015 at 10:44 am

      “Better start standing up”

      Well said. But I can’t see kiwis standing up for anything worthwhile anymore. There’s far too much fear and brainwashing.

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    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
    JERRY COYNE writes –  If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
    Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession.  This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • The Scafetta Saga
    It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
    Real ClimateBy Gavin
    7 days ago

  • Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
    TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
      For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
     Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • A Womance, and a Nomance.
    After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • When The Internet Rushes To Your Defense
    Hi,You can’t make this stuff up.People involved with Sound of Freedom, the QAnon-infused movie about anti-child trafficker Tim Ballard, are dropping like flies. I won’t ruin your day by describing it here, but Vice reports that footage has emerged of executive producer Paul Hutchinson being inappropriate with a 16-year-old trafficking ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • Doubts about Robertson’s good news day
    The trading banks yesterday concluded that though GDP figures released yesterday show the economy is not in recession, it may well soon be. Nevertheless, the fact that GDP has gone up 0.8 per cent in the latest quarter and that StatsNZ revised the previous quarter’s figure to show a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • The Votes That Media Dare Not Speak Its Name
    .Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..A recent political opinion poll (20 September) on TV1 presented what could only be called bleak news for the Left Bloc:National: 37%, down two points equating to 46 seatsLabour: 27%, down one point (34 ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    1 week ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38 2023
    Open access notables At our roots Skeptical Science is about cognition of the results of climate science research in the minds of the entire human population. Ideally we'd be perfectly communicating understanding of Earth's climate, and perfectly understood. We can only approximate that, but hopefully converging closer to perfection. With ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Failing To Hold Back The Flood: The Edgy Politics of the Twenty-First Century.
    Coming Over The Top: Rory Stewart's memoir, Politics On The Edge, lays bare the dangerous inadequacies of the Western World's current political model.VERY FEW NEW ZEALANDERS will have heard of Rory Stewart. Those with a keen eye for the absurdities of politics may recognise the name as that of the ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
    $12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...
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