Open Mike 17/09/2026

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 30 comments
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30 comments on “Open Mike 17/09/2026”

Comment numbers have changed to permanent references. Older quoted numbers may no longer identify the same comment.

    2. 1.2

      It is well past time to stop kidding ourselves we live in a democracy. It is a poor form of government, more a popularity contest. This is demonstrated by the importance of polling. All the main parties promising no new taxes or even lowering tax is evident of this too.

      Plutocracy is close to what we have.

      The high % of landlords in our house of representatives.

      The lack of blue collar workers as MPs implies you need a bit of money behind you to get elected.

      The amount of influence lobbyists have is great for those that can afford them.

      Reply
  3. 3

    They Farmers are not exactly happy about the Future. Having known (and worked for) some, and read many opinions from others, I'd riposte : when are they ever?

    Soaring costs, election and potential dairy downturn overshadow farmers' decade-high profits, new survey finds

    Hurst described farmers as "politically anxious" ahead of the upcoming general election in November, causing some uncertainty.

    "We've essentially had a Government that's sort of freeing things up, the red tape and that. But there's still more work to do, farmers just want that [resource management] reforms completed.

    "So the concern [is] about what the result with a new Government may or may not be."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/1426496/soaring-costs-election-and-potential-dairy-downturn-overshadow-farmers-decade-high-profits-new-survey-finds

    I find the Arable Farm comment in that first Link (with regard to its Dairy competitor) kinda interesting and Ironic, as there was this article recently….

    Grain sector 'disappointed' farmers are choosing cheap palm kernel feed over local grain

    At the conference, SGNZ vice president Jo Townshend of Midlands Seed in Mid Canterbury raised concerns about the challenges for arable to compete against the usually cheaper imports.

    "I mean, for $2 billion worth of animal feed coming into the country, for a country that's pretty good at producing it itself, is pretty disappointing."

    That Guy

    In response to questions from Jo Townshend at the event, Guy said he fed his cattle PKE and found it was an easy supplement to switch on and off.

    And yeah…Its all about the money. No loyalty, even to their fellow Farmers

    One farmer who contacted RNZ said PKE was $300 per tonne, versus $500 for grain, and dairy was a business not a national charity.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/1268395/grain-sector-disappointed-farmers-are-choosing-cheap-palm-kernel-feed-over-local-grain

    All this political ooer…. a new Lefty/Socialist….Commy Govt reminds me very much of a previous election where sir Key was dogwhistlin' DevilBeast to beat the band.

    Vote Left, Labour and Green for a Fair Future…for all. Including Farmers : )

    Reply
  4. 4

    Stubbs' general point is that even if some property owners see that part of their wealth decline, our collective Kiwisaver accounts are going up, which is better for us individually and collectively:

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361034003/big-lessons-and-big-fails-past-10-years-kiwisaver

    "Fundamentally the flywheel of economic prosperity is simple. If we save more, we invest more. If we invest more, we make more money. And as the profits of more money are taxed, we can pay nurses and teachers more. Because we are saving more, investing more, and exporting more, the future is brighter than it may feel right now."

    Possibly not the easiest message to sell in the 2026 election cycle with an essentially stagnant economy.

    Is he right?

    Reply
    2. 4.2

      Fundamentally the flywheel of economic prosperity is simple. If we save more, we invest more. If we invest more, we make more money.

      That sounds boosterishly wonderful. But I have a few random doubts that may or may not make sense:

      • If we save more, we spend less*. So if we save more, we reduce demand in the domestic economy. If domestic demand is reduced, the only game in town that has a chance of growth is exporting. This is what we see right now with only fortuitously high export commodity prices keeping parts of the country buoyant
      • And if we spent more into the domestic economy (rather than saved so much), then there would be more reason to invest in producing products and services for the domestic market – and those products and services may become of exportable quality, i.e. a paradox: if we save too much we reduce investment, not increase it (at least domestically)
      • Therefore, the very act of saving so much means that these savings will likely be invested offshore
      • And we save so much into buying houses and Kiwisaver because state old age pensions assume you have a freehold house and some private savings. These are savings/investments that are very risk-averse – another reason why Kiwisaver investments go offshore rather than domestic startups
      • And the reason that saving more means that we spend less, is because our wages are low. And our wages are low because there is not enough spending into the domestic economy for wages to be higher (another paradox)

      All I see is paradoxical, self-contradictory doom loops, rather than a 'brighter future' from us all saving more into our Kiwisaver and/or saving to buy houses. Or I may be talking gibberish.

      Note: * though that is not true for the wealthiest of us

      Reply
      1. 4.2.1

        One strand of this is the call of Gareth Morgan for less focus on home ownership and more placed into Kiwi Saver to afford retirement (that is rent in old age).

        Does this only work if there are affordable long term rentals?

        Sam Stubbs supports 6% compulsory savings for workers, the Kiwi Saver Fund he is with is Simplicity.

        A small proportion of some of our funds also invest in:

        – Low cost first-home mortgages which we offer to our KiwiSaver members (exciting updates around this coming soon)
        – Simplicity Living, an unlisted build-to-rent development company providing long-term rentals to areas of NZ which need them most
        – Kiwi startup companies via investment in Icehouse Venture funds
        – Established family and private businesses via our Private Equity fund

        https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceNZ/comments/1ni59j6/comment/negll75/

        Reply
  5. 5

    As for savings records and tax payments.

    Labour and National funding of the NZSF.

    Initial Funding Phase (2002–2009)

    Labour

    • 2002: $600 million
    • 2003: $1.200 billion
    • 2004: $1.879 billion
    • 2005: $2.107 billion
    • 2006: $2.337 billion
    • 2007: $2.049 billion
    • 2008: $2.104 billion
    • 2009: $2.243 billion

    National

    Suspension Phase (2010–2017)

    • 2010: $250 million (Contributions halted in July 2009; this represents residual processing)
    • 2011 to 2017: $0 (Suspension period)

    Resumed Funding Phase (2018–2026)

    Labour

    • 2018: $500 million
    • 2019: $1.000 billion
    • 2020: $1.460 billion
    • 2021: $2.120 billion
    • 2022: $2.420 billion
    • 2023: $2.558 billion
    • 2024: $1.614 billion

    National

    • 2025: $879 million
    • 2026: $0 (The calculated $61 million contribution for this period was fully diverted to the Elevate NZ Venture Fund, resulting in zero net capital contribution to the core NZSF).

    This is Labour's work.

    The New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZSF) paid $2.52 billion in income tax for the 2025–2026 financial year ending June 30, 2026

    Reply
      1. 5.2.1

        You are replying to my post about NZSF and the tax returns that derive from that investment by Labour.

        My reply to your post is 4.1.

        Just because there are future tax revenues off KiwiSaver PIE tax does not mean National would increase nurse or teacher pay.

        If this is the way Labour campaign (tone deaf to the message Labour has to promote about its record) we are all in trouble.

        Reply
      1. 7.1.1

        It's a little different as the four you mention are already in NZ and in government whereas this bloke isn't even in the country so not exactly dedicated.

        Any existing MP's like you mention would be gone immediately if they are not voted in. that goes for all MP's.

        Reply
  8. 8

    This should be a Labour win

    Christopher Luxon faring worst: 54% of voters have an unfavourable view of the prime minister, compared with just 25% who view him favourably.

    Like Luxon, Labour leader Chris Hipkins is underwater, but is in a much stronger position than Luxon: 30% view him favourably and 38% unfavourably.

    The gap becomes clearer when voters are asked which man they think would do the job better.

    Hipkins leads Luxon on seven of the eight measures tested, including the issues most closely tied to voters' everyday lives.

    Asked which leader was most likely to make decisions that would improve their lives, 39% chose Hipkins compared with 29% for Luxon.

    Hipkins also had a sizeable lead on understanding what voters and their families were going through, 43% to 22%, and on reducing carbon emissions and protecting nature, 43% to 19%.

    When voters were asked who they trusted to make the right decisions about the economy, Hipkins was the only active political leader to score a positive rating. Forty-one per cent trusted him, against 31% who distrusted him.

    Luxon was in the opposite position: 32% trusted him on the economy, while 48% did not, giving him a net score of minus 16.

    As for support partners

    Forty-five per cent of voters now have an unfavourable view of Peters, compared with 29% who view him favourably.

    David Seymour fares worse, with 46% unfavourable and 21% favourable.

    Chlöe Swarbrick is also more disliked than liked, with 38% viewing her unfavourably and 23% favourably.

    https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361079479/voters-dont-love-hipkins-they-really-dont-luxon

    Reply
  9. 9

    Incomprehensible. Its a word. Like Denial. Would many (if any) NACT1 know the meaning ? And consequence of ignoring?

    Handling of climate change in updated school curriculums 'incomprehensible', expert says

    A Voice of Reason.

    Waikato University's Chris Eames said there was a lack of emphasis on the link between human behaviour and climate change.

    "Most people around the world realise we have to deal with climate change in some way. If we're not giving students the skills in the critical thinking and the systems thinking that they need to grapple with this issue, where are they going to get that when they leave school?" Eames said.

    "It's incomprehensible why climate and climate change aren't mentioned in the science curriculum … it's there at year 11 and beyond, but that's way too far down the track," Eames said.

    Other countries in the OECD were including climate change in school curriculums as early as years five and six, Eames said.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/education/1423774/handling-of-climate-change-in-updated-school-curriculums-incomprehensible-expert-says

    I've linked this before, but I find it particularly Incomprehensible….but hey I see the Bigger Picture. Planet burning,flooding etc etc….(note the glowering FedFarm guy..now an ACTivist Minister : (

    Federated Farmers launches petition against climate change teaching resource

    Lobby Group AKA Militant Union !

    The farmer lobby group say the resource, "Climate Change: Prepare today, live well tomorrow" was not appropriate for use by teachers in classrooms in its current form.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/southland-top-stories/118855668/federated-farmers-launches-petition-against-climate-change-teaching-resource

    Reply
    1. 10.1

      That's actually quite funny.

      It shows that National pandering to the Jacindaphobes (ACT, NZF, vax, woke, rant on Kiwiblog) is not working for them at all.

      Luxon, who desperately needs to keep swing voters onside, attacks Winston for putting Jacinda into power. He doesn't seem to grasp that his 38% included many from Ardern's 50%.

      "But why don't they like me?", he sobs into his pillow every night.

      Reply
      1. 10.1.1

        It is a revealing view on just how much her leadership was appreciated…..and her beacon of light continues to shine on for many……and the small anti Ardern mob are left chasing shadows in the dark………

        Reply
  12. 12

    National's Southland MP, Joseph Mooney, has been naughty in the usual National Party manner. He is claiming credit for a bike/walking bridge near Queenstown, but According to Crux:

    "Mooney claimed the [bridge] project as a personal achievement for the district – in spite of council and local community groups having done most of the lobbying…..Mr Mooney went to considerable lengths in May 2026 to take credit for the $12 million [walking and] bike bridge – including a stage managed project announcement with the NZTA and Government Minister Chris Bishop."

    The problem for Mooney is that many people in the Queenstown Lakes District see much better uses for the $12 million. It would go a long way to replacing the one-lane bridge at Albert Town (near Wanaka) that is a well known SH6 bottleneck.

    Also from Crux:

    "The [$12 million bridge] work comes at a time when traffic congestion in Queenstown is making national headlines and causing tens of millions of dollars in lost productivity and damage to our tourist industry"

    Reply
    2. 12.2

      It's a bit easier to tolerate the muppet (Mooney) this election knowing that he's probably going to cost National one of their senior list MPs.

      But yeah, seriously long list of projects that would have been a better use of $12m around Whakatipu. But like anything on that bit of road there's a whole lot of other historic services that have to be worked around and brought up to current standard with some allowance for the future. Numbers get big fast.

      Reply

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