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6:00 am, August 26th, 2025 - 53 comments
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Today's Posts (updated through the day):
Gaslighters of the world unite
New Post up:
Gaslighters of the world unite
Of course it is commercially sensitive. That'll be the reason…..
Labours Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall points out….
And General surgeon and Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust chair Phil Bagshaw calls it. As IMO, an American-style healthcare system is where NACT1 were always going.
10 year contracts …
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360770302/open-letter-auditor-general
So is this how long they intend to deliberately leave its own hospitals short staffed to save money?
National is claiming to have fully staffed wards but is deliberately slow in replacement of those departing – so it can save money. This is placing stress on those who remain (who are expected to do unpaid OT to meet targets). That impacts on performance and or staff well-being. They are burning out existing staff knowing they have an over-supply of either graduates, or nurses outside the hospital system denied pay equity to bring in.
To underline their perfidy, they also use the surplus to hold down nurses pay.
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-31-07-2025/#comment-2040218
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/568491/thousands-across-new-zealand-strike-over-nurse-pay-and-lack-of-staffing
Yesterday, the hospital I work at was short of fourteen nurses on the D shift[pm]. That was covered by overtime at double time, twenty eight more nurses could have been employed for that cost. Don't mention the A shift[night] it was even worse.
Well, the CoC MPs are a slippery bunch, 'governing' for the sorted and abdicating their responsibilities to ‘everyday Kiwis’ – CoC MPs do not care. Imho "the slippery slope" is an understatement – it's a done deal. Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust chair Phil Bagshaw signed the open letter warning of the dire consequences of 10-year contracts with for-profit hospitals on public health services – see SPC @2.1.
It's curious, this morning I was thinking about a mindset similar to the one in the cartoon above, but the topic was the inability to distinguish between "me" and "for everyone". Which more or less leads onto the Who gets the Money argument as shown. Some of it is that a particular type of person was born into a version of NZ that had no social conscience. So they go off to university and are indoctrinated into current economic views, and when questioned, their whole sense of their education, and identity, is threatened. You can imagine what happens next. Another foundational issue of these conflicts is that community oriented types, when planning a process, realise that there will likely be some push back, hurdles, some discussion required, adjustments, balancing, maybe even compromise. People of the earlier mentioned type never consider opposition, as if the whole world will bow before them in deference, for reasons I can't imagine. It's a strange brain that puts so much stock in brute force, glorifying it, making a virtue of it, but that never stops to acknowledge the historical context, or the equal and opposite forces they consider an adversary, without which, their entire world view couldn't exist. Sadly, there is not yet a way to reconcile the sides for something new and constructive.
IMO, Isnt it a sad truism that Simeon Brown, Chris Bishop, Shane Jones et al could easily be transposed with Rishi…The sorted.
Are there any examples anywhere of PPPs that didn't turn into cash-cows for the private partner?
Probably in one of those Shortest List's…like the Shortest Book of NACT1's Altruistic Actions.…
Poverty in New Zealand
Background
AI on child poverty.
Since then, rising unemployment, minimal MW increases, less food in schools, cuts in government support to food banks would have had a negative impact.
AI on old age poverty
the past
trends
The lack of income related rental housing for those over 65 (ageing unemployed) is the major cost problem.
Some (usually singles) in homeownership struggle with utility payments rates, insurance, broadband and power. More so, if they have higher costs of transport.
Then there is the cost of a dentist visit and medical care.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/570930/retirees-struggle-as-cost-of-living-in-even-a-paid-off-house-mounts
In the, it could be worse category, the ageing single when unemployed, or unable to work for health reasons, has to find housing/pay a mortgage with less income than on super.
Will this government get around to providing more income related rental accommodation?
Will this government include sickness in ACC?
Will this government increase disability payment to the super level?
Will this government pay super rate benefits to those over age 60?
Will this government sort out access to a dentist for all those on a CSC?
Who are they governing for?
“Will this government …”
Maybe, probably not. It's a balancing act.
On the one hand, if more and more old people can no longer afford the ongoing costs of owning their house, it provides a magnificent business opportunity if these old people have to sell their houses. They can be snapped up by investors and added to private rental house portfolios. Home ownership can be consolidated and shrunk way below 50% of the population. Some of National's supporters will love that prospect.
On the other hand, old people vote diligently so you really don't want to make their lives miserable. But that might depend on how miserable you make them. If you make them a bit miserable they may become activist, if you make them really, really miserable you could crush the spirit out of them and turn them into non-voters. Then you have to calculate the impact of whatever fragments of social solidarity still remain in the public consciousness, Will someone who is not miserable vote against you because you are making lots of other people miserable? Has this instinct been successfully eliminated in enough of the population yet? If it has not, how do you drive it further? And so on. Ultimately the decision the Government makes becomes something of a guess.
It's been happening for decades… called retirement villages. A license to print money for the owners. Who are perfectly willing to take your money up front, make you pay ongoing 'fees', trap you until you are no longer profitable (you can't sell, only they can), and then boot you out when you cost more than they can extract from you (e.g. people with dementia)
I understand the concern about rising old-age poverty, but I’m less enthusiastic about orienting more of our scarce social support toward the elderly.
Many retirees are sitting on freehold houses that have accumulated massive, untaxed capital gains over the past decades. That asset position puts them in a fundamentally different category from children going hungry or young families locked out of housing.
If the primary struggle is covering rates, utilities, or maintenance on a property that has quadrupled in value, then the solution has to be the same as for everyone else: sell up and move somewhere more affordable. Otherwise, we risk pouring huge chunks of the national budget into effectively subsidising mortgages, rates, and lifestyle choices for the already asset-rich, while our children starve and freeze to death.
We can only spend a dollar once. Spend it lifting a child out of poverty, and it pays back for generations: a healthy, happy, contributing member of society who raises their own kids free of intergenerational traps. Spend it topping up your racist boomer uncle’s income so he can sit in his four-bedroom villa and whine on Facebook about the “bloody Māoris,” and it does nothing.
That’s not investment. It’s just another subsidy for inequality.
That doesn’t mean ignoring the elderly who are genuinely vulnerable, especially renters, women, and Māori, who face compounding disadvantage.
But with limited funds and tough choices, children must come before protecting accumulated capital.
Every. Single.Time.
Some (usually singles) in homeownership struggle with utility payments rates, insurance, broadband and power.
In this area, there is an important issue. Relationship property settlement law.
The current law would be one reason, a lot of oldies do not hook up.
This means less efficient use of housing.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/571043/experts-say-government-should-revisit-rewrite-of-breaking-up-laws
The Heating is coming, and not in a good way….In the article its City leaders..but IMO you could easily transpose Govt leaders….
The council’s chief sustainability officer, Katairana Maki says what again..should be known for Auckland, and indeed all of NZ.
Quite often Newsroom has interesting and often informative comments at the end of their articles. Incl Dr Kevin E Trenberth (whose views as a Climate Expert I have followed for years)
If a positive has to be found, warmer winter days keeps down the heating bill. Of course, that will be countered with more cooling usage in summer.
If it was only that simple. But as you said "countered with more cooling usage in summer ". So no easy write off…
And of course all that Climate Heating has a cumulative effect. Which is accumulating fast. Hence no lovely, Idyllic, basking type environment…
I have previously posted about some of what IMO is needed…as future preparedness. One is Sponge City…..(this is not just about floods…Its designing Cities as an Environment..for Humans and Nature. Why cant it be?
Sorry, that was my feeble attempt at finding something- anything- positive about climate change. While I've enjoyed my power bill being a bit lower than it would normally be over winter, I'm acutely aware that my lovely thick duffle coat that once was frequently worn in Winter, has only been worn 3 times this year (in Wgtn) And I've only worn a woollen jersey once.
It's very frightening.
Hi Kay, yes i did realise you were doing that. I felt I linked the swing (of a warmer weather winter )..is followed by the followup swing of wetter, stormier spring etc…And It can indeed be frightening. I struggle sometimes with the, at times overpowering nature, (human altered) of it all.
But…what I personally do, and IMO there are many things we all can do, is sign petitions/submissions to have a voice….Fight Back against NACT.
Take care.
I've just finished Graham Linehan's book, Tough Crowd. Thoroughly engrossing.
His story of creating and having stolen from him a career in comedy.
It covers off the making of Father Ted all the highs and lows including losing Dermot Morgan on the wrap day of the final series.
Then for daring to speak out about women's rights motivated by having a wife and a daughter, the vicious lies and tactics of those who sought to silence him.
At the time of writing he had started doing stand-up comedy again. The tide has definitely tuned against this new religion and it is still unknown where equilibrium will be found.
He is currently living in Phoenix working on a comedy product with Andrew Doyle.
He was "protecting" women so much his wife & daughter left him. The guy is a transphobe, through & through. I still love Father Ted though, a very funny show.
For the sake of clarity, what do you mean by transphobe?
His family left him because of the toxic level of hatred and abuse. Including, but not limited to, publishing the family address both before and after the separation.
Hmm, these days calling someone a transphobe, or even a Nazi, is just an indication that the accuser is little more than a mildly toxic, manipulative twat who should be ignored.
If you think you should ignore them then feel free to do so. Or you could ask what they mean and then challenge them in a robust debate. The choice is yours.
"Or you could ask what they mean and then challenge them in a robust debate."
I've found on this subject, there is a tendency of spray lies and innuendo then walk away.
Critics of Linehan would be hard pressed to quote the man in context demonstrating what he is accused of.
They will never do a robust debate. The concept that men can become women simply by opening their mouths and uttering the magical incantation "I identify as", has no scientific or logical backing. That is why they have to resort to insults and threats of violence.
And look where it get them.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3r4zrg35vlo?fbclid=IwY2xjawMZr9VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqTrt9U9YjAeJVEBi6F1WPh8qHmX-MCuoV4JO-Yhv8EYRfCsFM8HOaYFXVvd_aem_dkkaKiyt4bGhYOQf0cWhxg
A literal Nazi with a bad case of PORGD (Prison Onset Rapid Gender Dysphoria.
"A controversy has broken out in Germany about whether a trans right-wing extremist should serve a prison sentence in a women's or a men's facility.
In July 2023, Marla-Svenja Liebich was sentenced by the Halle District Court in Saxon-Anhalt to a total of one year and six months in prison without parole for extreme right incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult.
Liebich appealed against her sentence and lost.
At the time she was known as Sven Liebich. German media reports say Liebich used to be a member of a neo-Nazi group called Blood and Honour."
In a situation with many alarming fronts one of the most concerning is the capture of middle-class institutions and artistic or creative groups.
The BBC being one of the worst offenders. The Fife NHS scandal being a good example of the BBC and ideological reportage. To a casual observer Sandy Peggie's clearing of misconduct will come as a surprise.
I’m loathe to link to the Beeb but…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2mp5jley8o
A feature of the sex/gender debate is No Debate, where the questions are almost never answered in a serious way*, and the challenges rarely accepted, because the whole point is to suppress the debate and not let it happen. People like Linehan, for all his faults, are among those who paid a huge price for insisting that the debate did happen.
I Feel Love called Glinner a transphobe, but it's hard for TRAs to explain what means when asked because the ideology says that anyone who even so much as questions (irony alert!) gender identity ideology is a transphobe. A transphobe is anyone deemed to be a transphobe.
I've pulled Terry up on his approach as well at times, and I don't agree with his generalisation, but he's also not wrong in what he is pointing to.
*exhibit A: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-08-25/#comment-2042353
Like mud wrestling with a pig, you both get dirty, & only the pig enjoys it.
The best response when dealing with the types of individuals who throw these accusations around, is to let them know that you’re not going to have the discussion, and leave it at that. You and I don’t owe others our time or emotional energy. These types of accusations are form of bullying, intimidation, control and emotional abuse. Just don’t engage.
Interesting you group these two together…
Liberal own goal.
For clarification, both Graham Linehan and J K Rowling have been called a Transphobe and a Nazi.
Though it is interesting, don’t you think? Someone disagreeing with another’s political and/or social ideology, is reason to call them a Nazi!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Linehan
You won't catch me out calling Linehan "a Transphobe" – imho, Father Ted is one of the most creative and funniest TV comedies ever – I’ve got it on DVD.
What JKR actually thinks,
https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/
Variations on this appear under everything Linehan posts online. It's like watching mafiosi who burned down someone's shop because they wouldn't pay the protection money then mock the victim for no longer having a shop.
Relationship property settlement law.
The current law would be one reason, a lot of oldies do not hook up.
This means less efficient use of housing.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/571043/experts-say-government-should-revisit-rewrite-of-breaking-up-laws
The MH-60R Seahawk helicopter cost US$37 million each to buy last year (see link), so lets say US$39 million this year which is roughly NZ$67 million.
The cost of 5 of these choppers, just ordered by Judith Collins, is then NZ$335 million.
How has this become "more than NZ$2 billion" (see RNZ link). Am I missing something? I realise that there will be training, spare parts, repairs and maintenance and inflation to add on but this still seems to make no sense.
https://simpleflying.com/how-much-us-navy-mh-30-helicopters-costs/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/570629/watch-judith-collins-and-winston-peters-reveal-new-2-point-7b-planes-and-helicopters
Your first link clarifies it.
The first order of a new helicopter is much more each, than a later one.
Over 10 years ago South Korea paid $1B for 8 of them (a first order).
Clearly a lot of the cost is in the set up and specified capability profile.
Sure, the airframes might only be US$37m each.
But procurement is never just about the sticker price. You’re buying an entire system: weapons, training, simulators, spare parts, maintenance, and the infrastructure to support it. The helicopters are just the visible tip of a very long and complex logistical, organisational, and informational chain.
It’s not like buying a Toyota: it’s like buying the Toyota factory, ten years of spare parts, and the mechanics to run it.
And yeah, it’s US gear, so no doubt someone is making a fair bundle. But that’s about par for the course when it comes to military procurement.
We could have had a gold plated public hospital instead of giving massive profits to the US military industrial complex for these (probably to be little-used) choppers.
I notice Collins stressed their use for humanitarian purposes at the press release. I'm sure we could have got them for a quarter of the price for that purpose.
How many submarines are going to bypass Australia so that we need to hunt them with this kit? And Australia is massively richer than NZ and can afford some of this stuff.
Makes no sense to me.
We're wealthy enough for both guns AND butter (especially if Fonterra keeps charging the prices it has). So, I don't necessarily see this as a tradeoff. Like hospitals, military capability is something that takes a long time to build, costs a ton, and needs to be maintained constantly. It's not a tap you can just suddenly turn on.
And from a foreign policy perspective, if we expect Australia or the US to protect us, we have to bring something to the table. Why would Canberra send young Aussies to die for us if we refuse to shoulder any of the burden ourselves?
So don’t think of this as just a cost. It’s an investment: in an alliance structure that safeguards our sovereignty, secures our trade routes, and gives us diplomatic leverage in an increasingly uncertain world.
Bold of you to assume other nations aren’t already ignoring our sovereignty. Foreign vessels pass through our waters at will, and poaching in our EEZ and Antarctic claims is routine. Having no means to monitor or respond just signals we’re happy to let them carry on.
Regardless if NZ is Neutral or part of a Coalition on either side if or when conflict breaks in the Asia Pacific Region.
NZ's National & Economic Security depends on its Sea Lanes of Communication because NZ is Export led Economy!
What that means? If NZ can't Defend, Protect, Secure, Guard, Control, Escort & or Deny Access IRT it's Sea Lanes of Communication NZ is stuff because it leaves NZ vulnerable to internal & external interference rather than be convert or overt State or Non State Actors.
The most efficient and effective way to sink those Bulk Carriers, POL Tankers & Box Carrying Ships is Submarine, not Anti Ship Missiles that the likes of Anti Defence Groups like Just Defence say's!
Follow by Commerce Raiders hiding various Wpn Systems within the Ship & or TUE's (20ft to 40 Containers) and this also incl laying Sea Mines or Special Forces Direct Action Attacks.
And the least cost effective/ ineffective is Anti Ship Missiles.
Well the Karman Seasprites are no longer sustainable & are pretty much an orphan fleet nowadays since Karman is getting out of the Helicopter Business after old man Karman passed away a few yrs ago.
When the NZ Labour Govt brought 10 (8 for flyable & 2 spare Airframes incl the entire Spare Parts inventory plus training aids )of the Ex RAN Seasprite's when my mate Phil Goff was the Defence Minister.
The Govt & Treasury were explicitly told by the MoD, RNZAF & RNZN that they will get 10-15yrs out of Seasprite's before they need replacing like for like as the Seasprite's are likely to become an orphan & unsustainable as the Seasprite's have reached design development for further upgrades and therefore making them uneconomical to undertake another Airframe & Combat Mission Systems upgrade.
P.S
Forgot to mention that the last time that the RNZN undertook ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare) Operations was during INTERFET 99-00 which was UN Sponsored Chapt7 Peace Enforcement Stabilisation Mission when Timor Leste voted for Independence.
The old Type 12 HMNZS Canterbury F421 was not only provide Point Air Defence for Convoy Duties but also ASW.
Where F421 detected, what is now believe one or possibly 2 of Indonesian Type 209 U Boats.
One during the Over the Beach Landing off Suai, which ended up being a complete cluster fuck & had TNI had some spine could've turned the Landing into Dieppe 1942.
The 2nd time was about Mth (from memory/diary) later off Dili when F421 was the guard ship as the Australian Frigate had to suddenly support 3RAR down in the Oecusse enclave where the TNI & the Militia were causing trouble.
Well, I sure as hell hope they'll be little used, anyway. It's always a lot better if it turns out that we didn't need weapons after all than if it turns out "Fuck did we need all those weapons and we could have done with a lot more."
Also, we're not a poor country. This isn't an either/or.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360797892/fiscal-responsibility-doesnt-mean-what-nicola-willis-thinks-it-means?cx_testId=10&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=0&utm_source=the_post_stuff_home&utm_medium=referral#cxrecs_s
archivedotli
Willis and friends are ideologs….not an ounce of common sense on show. This is why they will be a one-term government.
Basically they are getting up too many people's noses.
Yup even die hard nats want them gone as their business tank under the coalitions boot with zero ideas of how to fix their own mess.
Goldsmith's a good example of if you hang around long enough you'll get a top job regardless of your level of competence.
The more airtime Luxon and PM's office lets her have, the more she gets profiling for the natural successor to Luxon once he polls consistently under 20%.
She's sure getting all the airtime she wants.
Willis would be a natural in the mold of Richardson and Shipley.
Couple of things I wondered about the Beat the Bish game is:
– Where did the creators find the confidence that the response by the National Party and its proxies would be so muted?
– Is it any surprise that the response by the National Party and its proxies is so muted?
The answer is that it's a blue on blue attack, the first blue (and possible the second) in drag. Joel MacManus explains:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/26-08-2025/windbag-beating-the-bish-and-the-strange-shifting-politics-of-housing
I got an email from Lisa at 350 Aotearoa and I do realise this is short notice (and many might well have seen and already submitted) but here anyway… we can Fight Back against NACT !
Thanks, done 🙂