Luxon fires Reti & flicks hospital pass to Brown; Labour above National in new poll; Retail & hospo sales soft over summer; OCR cuts only now cutting mortgage bills; Big business economic fears worsen
Welcome back! Thank you for the digest of the announcements. I am looking forward to seeing if there is any change in how this government perceives cycling as a transport option, especially with Bishop adopting a less confrontational approach. The annual budget for the venue and the activities you witnessed yesterday at the bike hub is equivalent to constructing just 25 cm of road, yet we are considered wasteful! In 2024, we received over 1,400 visitors, assisted owners in repairing 620 bikes, and recycled and sold nearly 100, all while serving as a social hub for many communities in Waiheke.
Let’s hope so. Chris Bishop is much friendlier. The Bike Hub is doing amazing work and all the decent analysis says we should double down on bikes and cycleway investments.
Great to have you back, hope you had a good break. A question, how can the private sector step up when the Govt has crashed the economy and crippled the private sector and spending is down? How will that help raise credit? It just seems like an extractive spiral of hollowing out the lower socioeconomic tiers as the Govt transfers public wealth to private interests?
that post article jogged my memory from a discussion I had over the holidays about an issue with palming off elective surgery to private hospitals. At the moment training surgeons don't get many opportunities to be involved with these operations, and as most hospitals in NZ are training organisations this means these surgeons finish their training without much practice in completing the big ticket, hernia, hip and knee replacements that are private hospital bread and butter. Putting aside the impact on patients stuck on the public lists, this eventually will mean fewer qualified quality surgeons in this space and increasing costs to get this done privately as experienced surgeons age out.
Welcome back Bernard. We missed you ++. Simpering Simeon on morning report described himself as minister for Delivery. Does that mean he takes over Uber eats and Delver easy etc as well??
Might get something done there. No chance he will in the poisoned chalice that is health? Back to Potholes?
Did he actually say that? Wow. Zero ability of self assessment. What did he deliver? The one road he was trying to toll the backlash was so big his colleagues forced him to back off it.
Welcome back! Regarding low retail spending over the summer. I'm not sure how impactful it is, but 'no buy year' is trending online for various reasons. It's apparently big on Tik Tok and I've seen it a lot on instragram and reddit. Whether its for cost of living reasons or political reasons (boycotts), there's an active distain for excessive and unnecessary consumption amongst the younger generations currently.
Yip, I know heaps of people in my various online groups doing spells of 'no buy' whether for environmental, minimalism, better mental health, improving their finances or other reasons. Even people with small budgets have too much crap in their lives and people often declutter over the holidays and resolve to buy less.
My globally spread younger generations also have some disdain for buying things. Were actually taught as 10 year olds at school here, that much of advertising was a rip off. Surprised me at the time. Seems to have had long term results.
Crikey, Luxon is showing his ineptitude ever more deeply.
If he is naive enough to think that imposing Simeon Brown on the health system will quell the growing problems, he's more of a fool than I had realised. But maybe the language used - "ruthlessly execute" - just underlines his tone deafness in pursuit of his masters' commands. Who is he working for again ?
Since infinite growth is impossible, perhaps the government is doing the world a favour? Irony aside, it is obvious that "getting the job done " for health is to destroy the public health system and privatise it. Reti wasn't quick or ruthless enough. It's clearer by the day where their priorities lie, and it isn't with people's needs.
Welcome back Bernard! I missed your insights over the break!
Absolutely!!
Many thanks for the break everyone. Feeling refreshed and ready to go.
And from me! The kaka sized gap in my morning is taken care of🙏🏻
...or even kākā sized! Macrons save lives 😉
So good to have you back, Bernard. Happy new year to you and the Kākā-ites!
So good to hear your voice, Bernard.
Ngā mihi nui o te tau hou pākehā!
Welcome back! Thank you for the digest of the announcements. I am looking forward to seeing if there is any change in how this government perceives cycling as a transport option, especially with Bishop adopting a less confrontational approach. The annual budget for the venue and the activities you witnessed yesterday at the bike hub is equivalent to constructing just 25 cm of road, yet we are considered wasteful! In 2024, we received over 1,400 visitors, assisted owners in repairing 620 bikes, and recycled and sold nearly 100, all while serving as a social hub for many communities in Waiheke.
Let’s hope so. Chris Bishop is much friendlier. The Bike Hub is doing amazing work and all the decent analysis says we should double down on bikes and cycleway investments.
Great to have you back, hope you had a good break. A question, how can the private sector step up when the Govt has crashed the economy and crippled the private sector and spending is down? How will that help raise credit? It just seems like an extractive spiral of hollowing out the lower socioeconomic tiers as the Govt transfers public wealth to private interests?
I was going to say similar.
Ruling elites worldwide have been increasingly bought by private capital.
In NZ , current Labour, National, Act and NZ First all drinking deeply from the cup.
Objective is roll back the post WW2 wefare state. And egalitarianism as a result.
Method, now well advanced, is:
Lower taxes.
Emasculate mainstream journalism. Lower trust in what is left of it.. though media itself is doing a pretty good job themselves
Strangle social services to make them look incapable, then hand over to profit making private capital.
Tellingly, road construction, which is already in private hands, is not being deprived of budget.
Grimly, it looks we are in a fast accelerating stage of this agenda in New Zealand.
Welcome back Bernard!
that post article jogged my memory from a discussion I had over the holidays about an issue with palming off elective surgery to private hospitals. At the moment training surgeons don't get many opportunities to be involved with these operations, and as most hospitals in NZ are training organisations this means these surgeons finish their training without much practice in completing the big ticket, hernia, hip and knee replacements that are private hospital bread and butter. Putting aside the impact on patients stuck on the public lists, this eventually will mean fewer qualified quality surgeons in this space and increasing costs to get this done privately as experienced surgeons age out.
Thanks for the insights Dave, as someone with aging parents that is a source of anxiety for me.
Welcome back Bernard & Kākā Whanau.
Great point Dave P
Welcome back! Happy to have your insight back
Nice to have the Voice of Sanity back, Bernard! Hope you had a restful and restorative break.
Welcome back Bernard. We missed you ++. Simpering Simeon on morning report described himself as minister for Delivery. Does that mean he takes over Uber eats and Delver easy etc as well??
Might get something done there. No chance he will in the poisoned chalice that is health? Back to Potholes?
Patrick Medlicott
Did he actually say that? Wow. Zero ability of self assessment. What did he deliver? The one road he was trying to toll the backlash was so big his colleagues forced him to back off it.
Giving Dr Reti the Health portfolio was like giving a jockey a three legged horse and expecting him to win the Grand National.
Welcome back! Regarding low retail spending over the summer. I'm not sure how impactful it is, but 'no buy year' is trending online for various reasons. It's apparently big on Tik Tok and I've seen it a lot on instragram and reddit. Whether its for cost of living reasons or political reasons (boycotts), there's an active distain for excessive and unnecessary consumption amongst the younger generations currently.
A New Zealand thing, or globally?
Globally
Yip, I know heaps of people in my various online groups doing spells of 'no buy' whether for environmental, minimalism, better mental health, improving their finances or other reasons. Even people with small budgets have too much crap in their lives and people often declutter over the holidays and resolve to buy less.
My globally spread younger generations also have some disdain for buying things. Were actually taught as 10 year olds at school here, that much of advertising was a rip off. Surprised me at the time. Seems to have had long term results.
Really like the new format. Great work.
Crikey, Luxon is showing his ineptitude ever more deeply.
If he is naive enough to think that imposing Simeon Brown on the health system will quell the growing problems, he's more of a fool than I had realised. But maybe the language used - "ruthlessly execute" - just underlines his tone deafness in pursuit of his masters' commands. Who is he working for again ?
The tone deafness is engrained in our government. Who else cringed with hearing Nicola Willis's intention to be "cooking with gas"?
Wow. That one blasted past 100 likes in record time. So I’ve opened it up to all. Many thanks to paying subscribers again for permission.
Since infinite growth is impossible, perhaps the government is doing the world a favour? Irony aside, it is obvious that "getting the job done " for health is to destroy the public health system and privatise it. Reti wasn't quick or ruthless enough. It's clearer by the day where their priorities lie, and it isn't with people's needs.
No, to privatising, something that we must absolutely fight all the way!!
It is OUR health system, not to be sold.