Four things that mattered this week, plus my Sunday reads

My personal thoughts on the week's top four news items, plus my pick of the charts of the week for paying subscribers, and some weekend reading links

Newtown’s long-ladder fire truck has been broken down since February last year and Loafers Lodge residents trapped on the roof had to wait for another to arrive from across the city. File Photo of Wellington firefighters: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā

TL;DR: For paying subscribers, here's my pick of the week’s top four news deveopments, quotes and charts of the week with my personal reflections, plus my suggestions for (wet) Sunday reading and listening. There’s also one fun thing.

In summary this week, my four takeaways were:

• Life is dangerous deep inside our housing and poverty crises;

• Budget 2023 was more stimulatory than expected, but also politically clever;

• Removing the $5 prescription fee and lifting the trust tax rate were Budget highlights; and,

• The Budget’s starvation of investment in housing, transport and climate beyond 2024 was the lowlight.

There’s more detail, analysis and charts on those four takeaways below the paywall fold, along with a fun thing. Join the community supporting our public interest journalism on housing unaffordability, climate change inaction and poverty reduction by upgrading to becoming a paying subscriber. I’d love to see you in our comments, Chat and in The Hoon.