Dopey - that's being kind. Making up a water tax on the fly, flip flopping on Tax and $20m for fast rail from Tauranga to Auckland reeks of incompetence.
Printable View
Labour seem to have been rather quiet about the carry ons of Jian Yang ....hmmm
How are we going to take that statement seriously ? Taxinda (and all those supporting her on this forum) have been saying she will not stand by and wait as the issues need dealing with ASAP and she will do it without taking it to an election to let the voters decide. Then she finally is told that she is wrong and asks Robinson to announce that her "Captain's Call" has turned into "Captain's Fail" , "Lets do this" turned into "Lets not do this" and you all continue like it was great that she saw her "mistake" (As JT put it) and changed her stand. No credibility left for Taxinda, Labour and you guys whatsoever.
If you are referring to their decision to hold off tax increases until they have been detailed before an election,* they can hardly be thanked or congratulated for that. The decision to announce details after the massaged, hand-picked committee of her comrades had parrotted her recomendations, showed her extreme naivety.
*Your comment 'even prepared to let everyone vote on it' ........for Allah's sake ez - anything else would be 2cnd or 3rd world dictatorship conduct. NZ is first world still.
John Key went to the polls in late 2008 assuring NZ voters that National would not be increasing GST from 12.5%. By February 2010 they were talking about doing just that. They dropped taxes at the top and increased them for the masses. Would National have been voted in if that was made clear in 2008? I doubt it. It's also an admission of failure to grow the economy. The tax base was being shredded, and didn't recover to Labour's levels for many years. Jobs and services paid for that.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...-video-emerges
ez you are wrong. The tax decrease put everyone, no matter what their level of income was, with enough extra money to off set the GST increase.
It is as bad as Labour screaming now about the tax reductions to come next April as being tax gains for the rich and ignoring the fact that everyone once again benefits. The tax bands were well overdue for raising. The lower ones in particular.
But of course being Labour, that is how you/they would promote it. The progressive tax base is still there.
Looking at the statistics section of the IRD there are 2,904,380 taxpayers in the country earning. 2,608,920 earn less than $52,000 (the new band). 2,779,750 earn less than the top band ($70,000), that leaves 124,630 taxpayers over $70,000. (4.29%)
And you would want to deny the 2,779.750 a tax cut just because you hate the thought of those earning in the top tax bracket getting $20/week.
I know what EZ will be doing next Saturday - dragging people off the streets into a polling booth
Andre just sent me an email pleading with me to so the same -
Next Saturday, there’ll be Labour Election Day Mobilisation bases right across the country, but we need huge numbers of volunteers ready to hit the phones, go door knocking and help Labour voters get to vote.
.....will you volunteer to get voters to the polls on election day? Whatever time you can spare will make a huge difference.
No I won't, that's on the nose I reckon. Won't achieve anything, and it could be illegal if done the wrong way. I'm going to walk to the local school and vote on the day, then kick back and watch the results. I'll be a bit tired from helping to grab all the signs back on the day before, anyway.
Just saw Jacinda at a Hamilton Theatre, it was packed and standing room only for the last people. Tamati Coffey and Anika Moa were there too, great job done by all and everyone was buzzing. Again Jacinda was mobbed afterwards. Had a brief chat to Annette King.
I'm not surprised you're leaving it until the last minute, presumably in case Taxcinda comes out with anymore 'let's not do this' moments. Of course, Taxcinda and James Shaw could have a fight to the death dust-up after the nonsense on Q + A today.
I have no such concerns, so will vote in the morning, then again Tuesday, and daily until Saturday - when I will vote twice; mostly for Act, but a couple for National.
Yeah I'm contemplating voting twice too. I have a mate who is on the roll but never bothers to vote. So I may rock up tomorrow at the local mall and cast a vote on his behalf. All they do is ask your name and address and no ID required (my partner has already voted and that is all she supplied). Then on Saturday its off to cast my own vote. 4 ticks blue :) (or ACT or NZF, have not yet fully decided how this is going to go)
Are you guys trying to wind me up? I don't think it's that easy, and it's certainly illegal. If that person doesn't vote themselves, no-one else can do it for them. You should present the small card you got in the mail (one card one vote), and I'd think anyone not using that will be looked at pretty carefully on the 23rd. If you haven't enrolled by the 23rd, you can't vote. Go to an early polling station where you can enrol and vote at the same time, they'll have enough time to help you.
As for you desperate National voters, trying to keep a disappointing freeloading government in power, shame on you. Your time has come, get used to it.
Annette King said that she's quite happy leaving the next lot of policy decisions to the younger ones. Rod Oram would agree.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/1...ion2017-choice
Of course they don't mean it. If they were planning to they would not exactly be saying so on a public forum.
Don't need an easyvote card to vote. I voted last week, card arrived afterwards. The person I got my voting paper from said a lot of people had not received their cards.
Illegal, schemegal. If its good enough for Meteria to add votes in an electorate that wasn't hers then its good enough to ensure a registered voters opportunity is used. Seems there are loads of greens who have no issue with manipulating the electoral systems - and they may get into bed with Labour. So lets not be making a fuss!
I should add that if voting more than once make sure you use details of someone you know will not be voting, because every vote is checked against a master roll. You can buy voters rights for $10 a time or less. Better than donating to the party.
Correct, you do not need the card. My partner voted without the card and only gave her name and address. She did not have to provide ID. So my initial thoughts are possible. Wind you up ELZorro... :) I would not do that surely?
For what its worth, I still have not received the card either. Its very tempting.. my friend never votes.... I know his address.... decisions decisions :)
The Herald's recent data suggests a Labour-Green coalition is on the cards.
http://insights.nzherald.co.nz/artic...tion-forecast/
Except I can't agree with their countrywide Party vote numbers. They suggest that 96% of voters will vote for the big four. That's never happened before. 92% maybe.
I would not be surprised EZ if people will be voting for the "major" parties this time more than in previous MMP elections. Clearly NZF has already lost some of their left leaning voters to Labour. I expect there is a real risk for NZF that their right leaning voters will get cold feet and vote for National if they think there is a potential for a Labour-Green coalition. I would not be surprised that as a result, NZF will not make the 5% threshold !
I suspect that New Zealand has a great desire for change of government this election.
I think that people who want a change will be likely to vote Labour, as they will think that doing so will make the change they want more likely to happen.
I think there will be a similar, although less pronounced, effect by those who don't want a change.
This will take votes off all the smaller parties across the political spectrum, and I suspect that some of them may never recover.
This will raise the spectre of what happens to MMP if the little parties never make 5%?
I didn't see JACINDA Party on the voting form
Hope Jacinda fiddling with the way the Reserve Bank works and monetary policy doesn't upset overseas forex traders and lenders
Amazing ... and here I thought that the Greenies shifted at least this election their focus onto the environment (after the Metiria disaster, this is). But they just can't change their spots - can they? The hard left appendix of our Labour party just can't hide what's really important for them: It is not the environment, it is taxing everybody who has any money they earned by hard work (like in a Kiwisaver account) and increasing the benefits for spoiled brats like Metiria:
James Shaw is calling for Capital Gains Tax NOW!
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/electi...ns-demand.html
Not sure what he wants to achieve other than lose further support (maybe take some hard left votes off Labour?), but than - listening to the electorate was never a skill valued on the Left side. At least we can't complain that they didn't show their true colours!
Her and I saw the section on Winnie last night on news or whatever and decided to give NZF or party vote. We may change but anything to keep the Greens out.
His stance on making CGT key in any coalition negotiations was simply insane. Does he really believe Labour could do another 180 turn, making a full 360 degree reversal without irretrievably destroying themselves in their first week in office? Is he as naïve as Jacinda?
Not sure whether a vote for Winnie is a good strategy to keep the Greenies out of government. Vote National or ACT - Winnie is too unreliable and will go with whoever offers him the larger baubles of power ...
But than - I can't see any strategy which would make a vote for Winnie a good idea. If you want a Left government, than vote Labour. If you want a centre right government - vote National or ACT (if you want to support the centre).
What would a vote for Winnie give us other than an unpredictable government which will be the end of the rule of whatever party he is going with?
I totally support your last statement, they concern me (The Green) with some of there promises, like giving free transport to under 19 years of age, what the good in that, it's uncool for a teenager to be seen standing at a bus stop. Not much to say on the important things like our hospital system.
Im not sure if that is a bad thing. All students in Holland have what is called an "OV". This is pretty much a "public transport card" which gives them free travel on trains, busses, trams, and subway. They can choose if its for during the week or if they want, the weekend option. Why is this such a bad thing?
Give them free transport yes, but do take it from their allowance, which I think they do in Holland. So the allowance is diminished but public transport is free. Means they actually use it rather than using the extra $ for skipping class and going to the publy.
This whole "free" business anoys me. Obviously its not free as someone has to pay and that someone is the long suffering taxpayer.
Politicians should be honest and say we are going to shift money from the haves to those we think will win us a vote with something for free.
Can you NOT vote for Jacinda after this
Utopia Fungus?
Well, as a relatively high income earner who pays all his tax obligations every second Thursday in full in the knowledge that many of the rentiers seem to think they owe zero to the provision of state services.
Yet they expect a full state response should their coronary arteries close suddenly.
No its the inequities in the current tax system, now that is dystopian
Shame.It was an opp to improve the standard here and fight a fair fight above the bar . Calling the leader an offensive name is the norm for the national party and its acolytes. Lying and cheating , throwing mud, smearing as you are doing with an incorrect name well i have to give you full marks for consistency there; great role model for the next generation to take on board, Trump down under, National the winner by a mudslide in the behaving badly stakes anyway. I guess any way to get a result regardless is your motto fp.
Meanwhile people are dying for lack of an operation.DHB's underfunded under Nationals watch. But not to worry who cares when you've got medical insurance ehh!;)
Health, Environment, Poverty, Housing, Addictions etc all rundown under nationals watch. Rise up NZ we can do much better than this.Lets add values with Labour.:t_up:
We are talking about VALUES thats one of the changes ur country wants and needs.
One heartening thing that was said to me around the country was that the conversations about values-based politics gave people hope – whether people were young or old. But these conversations also gave me hope. I saw the reservoirs of warmth and goodwill in people around the country, not yet entirely depleted by neoliberalism. I saw that such warmth and goodwill in the people that invited me into their homes to talk politics, in the people that wanted to pick me up from airports and train stations to chat about values, in the people whom I’d never met before who let me stay in their homes (with the amazing organising support of Bridget Williams Books). I was reminded in all of this that, for all the talk of anti-intellectualism in New Zealand, we have a culture willing to debate big ideas – about values, or decolonisation, or neoliberalism.
I do not, however, want to be too starry-eyed or complacent about the task ahead of us. Our record on fossil fuel emissions, youth suicide, sexual violence, mass incarceration and a host of other issues remains shameful in Aotearoa New Zealand. As the recent leaders debates revealed, it is still difficult to talk about changing our economic model, for example by asking the wealthy to pay a bit more tax. I saw, around the country, a fair amount of anger and unhappiness about the failure of successive governments to deal with these issues.
Our next challenge is to draw on the reservoirs of goodwill and warmth, and to harness this collective anger, in order to turn debate into action. We will have to do that because, to put it simply, debate on its own is not enough.
Election time offers one opportunity to act – to call for parties, of whatever hue, to offer more transformative policies, and to vote with our values. I, for one, think it is time for a change of government.
But beyond September 23, we cannot let up on putting pressure on politicians to help to create something better. In my view, that “something better” is a politics grounded in care, community, and creativity – a politics underpinned, ultimately, by love. The structures of our politics in their current form don’t accommodate how people are doing politics or want to be done. We need to change that.
And to build that different kind of politics we need to do the “cultural work” that Vivian Hutchinson talked to me about: the self-reflection, the listening, the conversations and connections with others. It is, as Hutchinson says, about “the making of a movement”.
My travels around the country suggest that we may have the start of that movement – in the people gathering in search of a common purpose, in the ideas beginning to take shape, in the energy developing in the spaces between us. We mustn’t let go of the momentum.
You can go shopping with values: Max Harris on the politics of love
How is it possible amy adams, minister responsible for housing and she does not know how many houses were built in aucland last year!
Jeez that Andrew Kirton is a real sourpuss
Thought that Labour was running a 'positive' campaign
Taxinda is offensive, was hoping we could lift the bar of decency a bit.
Don't be silly. I'm sure she doesn't find it offensive. I don't find it offensive either. What about being called Jakinda suprise, as she told a bunch of schoolkids? Is that:
(1) As offensive
(2) Less offensive
(3) Not offensive
(4) More offensive.
Full marks if you picked 3.
Anyone who can't see a bit of humour in their nick-name is too thin skinned for politics. I'm quite sure she's got a sense of humour.
Yeah, Recinda after the backflip on CGT.
Ok I've tried .Mods its your call from here on because there are no standards here for anyone to meet. But that is consistent for the national party and its acolytes on here.
Whatever happened to honest Bill; corrupted by power.
But what is National saying to its rural support base? It’s not just that Labour is a tax and spend party, or that Labour’s water tax will cripple good honest farmers. Bill English told the nation on TVNZ’s Q&A yesterday morning that the consequence of the water policies of the “opposition parties” was to “slaughter the dairy herd”. He then said, “The next thing they’ll be talking about: depopulate the cities, because they cause water pollution too.”
This, by the way, was shortly after he’d denied he was leading a campaign of lies and scaremongering. Whatever happened to Honest Bill?
New Zealand doesn't have an urban-rural divide – but National's trying its hardest to create one
Howabout JacInda - with a capital I
Puttig the emphasis where she would like it
On sunday, will it be Jacintarella?
Or Joshcindatree? Is she he, or he she, maybe?
:eek2:
Just to change the attack. " Bill delivering for all New Zealanders " He will give you a tax cut but only by reducing Govt. funded services. Waikato hospital as with all hospitals in NZ severely under staffed and under funded. Police struggling to cope with crime. Again under funded. As for housing -its really too hard for National to cope with the problems so we will buy a couple of motels and that will solve it.
Immigration, carry on we need lots of low paid workers and plenty of multi millionaires.
As for jet fuel, tell Govt. workers to can their travel arrangements and our MPs can stay at home and campaign in their electorates. That will solve that one.
Bills out on his delivery bike for all NZers.
westerly
So in your view, there is nothing useful to put those taxes into? So what if a few extra staff are employed in the public sector. They pay taxes, they buy stuff, they have a dignity not seen in the dole queue. That's how Labour grew the economy so well last time. Bring it on.
Locally, a farming protest in Morrinsville managed to get on TV last night. Winston sort of derailed it, probably just to coat-tail on the publicity. Why not?
These are the same farmers who say that cows only live for five-seven years, so therefore they don't pollute more than humans in their lifetimes. Except they're outdoors and uncontrolled, and always get replaced with more cows.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...st-farm-stream
If you want to hear what one farmer thinks, a farmer who appears to have been chosen as a spokesperson by the Waikato rural community, it's a bit of an eyeopener. Put a mic in front of this guy and it's quite an education.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/pr...bate-water-tax
Now I'm really worried. I thought it was just one rogue farmer talking around the facts.:(
Just to be clear. Are you saying that the Morrinsville farmer is being fully honest about the situation that average Waikato farmers could face under a Labour Government? What are they afraid of, again?
Anyway, I thought farmers like to minimise taxes, and improve local waterways. Sounds like a win-win.
Despite Bill saying at every opportunity that farmers are working tirelessly on improving our waterways and runoff (or words carefully chosen to that effect) Mike Joy reports that the waterways are getting worse.
We have to act now.
Wait. So farmers are the ones with a collectively owned, vertically integrated, profit-distributing supply chain, and we're the communists?
Vote for a Liar? .Whatever happened to Honest Bill? A Leader?
"But what is National saying to its rural support base? It’s not just that Labour is a tax and spend party, or that Labour’s water tax will cripple good honest farmers. Bill English told the nation on TVNZ’s Q&A yesterday morning that the consequence of the water policies of the “opposition parties” was to “slaughter the dairy herd”. He then said, “The next thing they’ll be talking about: depopulate the cities, because they cause water pollution too.”
This, by the way, was shortly after he’d denied he was leading a campaign of lies and scaremongering. Whatever happened to Honest Bill?"
More Porkies from Bill
"Dairy NZ says there are 2000 dairy farms using irrigation. Most of them are in the South Island and are much larger than the average NZ dairy farm. According to Dairy NZ, Labour’s water tax would cost those farms an average $45,000 per year. Close to the low end of English’s range, but nothing like the $100,000 he also mentioned. There are 10,000 more dairy farms in New Zealand that do not use irrigation. Dairy NZ says they would pay $240 a year."
SLANDER the new norm. Would you trust such a leader?
"It’s revealing in many ways that Bill English thinks it’s okay to get farmers enraged at Labour and the Greens. One is that he appears to believe his reputation for integrity is unassailable. Another is that his party knows slander works, and they’re not above using it. We knew that already, most recently thanks to Steven Joyce and the so-called $11 billion hole in Labour’s budget. That was a fiction English himself would have taken part in creating and which he continues to promote."
No values no caring from National
DHBs critically underfunded, opposition parties say
From Checkpoint, 5:38 pm today
Share this
- Share on Twitter
- Share on Facebook
- Share via email
- Share on Google Plus
- Share on Reddit
- Share on Linked In
A Dunedin man whose prostate cancer spread after he waited 10 months for urgent surgery has been failed by an underfunded health system, say opposition parties.
Stephen Hoffman told Checkpoint yesterday his GP referred him as an urgent case to Dunedin Hospital in September last year.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news...png?1503381127Photo: RNZ/ SUPPLIED
He had classic symptoms of prostate cancer, a family history, an abnormal DRE, a rock hard prostate and progressive urinary discomfort.
But instead of having surgery within the Ministry of Health's six week guideline, the 62-year-old waited 10 months and the cancer has now spread to his rectum.
Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party said today that Mr Hoffman's case - which was just one of several similar cases at the Southern District Health Board - was the sad consequence of a DHB which has been critically underfunded.
When asked about Mr Hoffman's situation today, National Leader Bill English said while his situation was unacceptable, it highlighted long-standing issues within the Southern DHB's urology department.
"Of course it's the obligation of the DHBs to make sure - where there is any evidence that it's less than a world-class service - that they're taking action to change it.
Listen duration 5′ :54″Add to playlist
Download
Listen
"This is a big system, it's seven or eight percent of the whole economy, it's bigger than the dairy industry, and at any given time, there will be pressure points in it and we expect the DHBs to deal with those effectively."
However, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern said DHBs had been underfunded by $2.3 billion and Mr Hoffman's story was a sad consequence of that.
"Some of the stories that we've seen coming out of the southern DHB in particular really are staggering.
"I think there would be an expectation in New Zealand that you would, once you are diagnosed, get the health care you need. The fact that this is not happening speaks to the drift we've had in healthcare, and the need for action."
The Southern DHB's Chief Medical Officer of Health Nigel Millar conceded to Checkpoint last night Mr Hoffman was not alone, with other men in a similar situation.
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters said the government had made Mr Millar the fall guy for long-term underfunding.
"The saddest thing there was the head of the DHB, who is obviously a decent, honest person, trying to explain away why somebody waited 10 months for something that should have taken a maximum of six weeks.
"As a consequence, he's got a truncated life to look forward to, and frankly, we are down dramatically in health funding in this country."
Green Party leader James Shaw said waiting times were unacceptable.
"They are, at the very least, life threatening and I know people have had their life expectancy cut because of the length of the waiting time."
Mr Hoffman said he was now incontinent and had been told his prognosis was not good. He's been given five years, but was yet to receive an apology from the Southern DHB, he said.
Checkpoint asked the Southern DHB today when changes would be made to staffing and theatre resourcing within the urology department and if they could clarify if hundreds of urology patients were currently sitting outside the Ministry's guidelines and waiting longer than they should for treatment.
Late this afternoon the DHB responded, saying the request was being treated as an Official Information Act request.
Interesting data. If you consider that the 'free' water probably costs them plenty already to get a consent, drill a bore, pay for ongoing power and pump and boom maintenance, plus insurance. Why are they doing it?
Two reasons: If each irrigator setup costs $1mill, the farm value goes up $2mill, was the old rule of thumb. The extra water available in times of drought, grows grass that must be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, per year, per farm. The only other option is brought in feed. Some farms have multiple centre pivot irrigators.
So would a $50,000 reminder fee for water table degradation/restoration really break the bank on these farms? I doubt it.
IF YOU NEED JUST ONE GOOD REASON TO VOTE LABOUR LOOK AT THE TRAGEDIES UNFOLDING IN OUR DHB'S DUE TO UNDERFUNDING
DHBs critically underfunded, say opposition parties
However, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern said DHBs had been underfunded by $2.3 billion and Mr Hoffman's story was a sad consequence of that.
"Some of the stories that we've seen coming out of the southern DHB in particular really are staggering.
"I think there would be an expectation in New Zealand that you would, once you are diagnosed, get the health care you need. The fact that this is not happening speaks to the drift we've had in healthcare, and the need for action."
The Southern DHB's Chief Medical Officer of Health Nigel Millar conceded to Checkpoint last night Mr Hoffman was not alone, with other men in a similar situation.
I don't think it's really a full-blown tax. It should be part of the costs in running an irrigation system on a big scale farming business, just like rates are an overhead. And it strikes me that this amount of fees, per farm per year, will be spread fairly thinly on reparation works. It'll need buy-in from locals too.
Dr Lance O' Sullivan, NZ'er of The Year reckons that when he becomes Minister of health he is going to freeze DHB funding for five years. Why. Because the present model is inefficient and wasteful - probably to the tune of a few $b. He's a another person who makes good sense - probably why he's NZ of the Year.
The health system is enormous - its not hard to find a problem here and a problem there of any kind in a system so big. As sure a things as taxes - ther will alway be problems with Health not meeting expectations.
Sure ; 9 years of fiddling, inefficiencies and wastefulness and plain not caring and its a disaster.
NO VALUES from national.If you don't have medical insurance you are disposed of. Thats it in a nutshell. Send (try to)an 85 year old man home at 11.30pm on a cold night with an hour to get home simply because they want the bed NOW.
Have an op to treat an invasive cancer, many month s later people are dying because the op never happened. Quality of life is what counts not OECD ratings. The fact that there were plenty of funds available for the DHB's but national have failed us yet again.Its criminal!
Put an ailing man in a wheelchair and leave him at a bus stop, out of sight out of mind, out of care. The man falls out of wheelchair dies two days later, no insurance NOT VALUED. Really sick. Throwing money at it won't fix it i agree but combined with efficiencies and improving relations with the people at the coal face, doctors etc , it will.
This is one reason alone national have to be eliminated as govt, many others too.
Sure you an pick out a bad story - its not hard in health.
I've been very close to the health system of late and I rate it as excellent. The people I came across all stages of the system were great, the care was great, the outcomes as expected. I dont know if it was faultless - but I do know the standards were very high. They even had target measurements on noticeboards and you see all sorts of measurables for yourself.
I'd even go as far as saying I dont think you will find a world class system of healthcare across every element of health anywhere in the world. We do pretty well with a funding population of les than 4.8m
Hasn't every government since I don't know when, nearly always have increased funding for health services in each budget, and especially near an election. As MM said I think we do pretty well given our smallish population.
That along with more police officers seems to stick out each budget, not sure where they all go, must just as many exiting thru the out door:confused:
So can't say (imho) that it is any particulars governments fault