Our new coalition government.

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Networkn
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#2094425 21-Sep-2018 12:12

Change for the sake of change isn't an improvement either.

Meaningful, well thought out and planned change is. This Government seems to be short on the second parts.

OMG BAN plastic bags, despite the fact the alternatives aren't better, and a ban on smoking would have a higher impact on the environment and health (and would have impacted negatively on tax take, which this Government can't afford).

I would be considered conservative by most I guess, but I am not totally opposed to change, so long as it's for the better.

rjt123

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#2094441 21-Sep-2018 12:34

Rikkitic:

This thread is clearly just a continuation of the previous one, angry conservatives telling each other how much better things would have been under National.

There are lots of things not to like about this government and since everyone here gets such a thrill from listing them I won't bother. I also won't bother listing the good things since the hyenas will just jump on them like pieces of meat. What I will say is what I like most about this government is that the mere fact of its existence has caused all kinds of important things that were previously ignored to be seriously discussed and analysed. Things like housing and homelessness, treatment of WINZ clients, the judicial system, the drug epidemic, the value to society of teachers and nurses and care people, the values of society as a whole, refugees and many other things that were ignored or disregarded or not taken seriously by the previous government. For all its fumblings, the coalition has managed to put human values back into the discussion. Things like quality of life and dignity of the individual and just basic respect that have largely been missing from the political discourse. This alone is already a huge accomplishment.

We live in a time of change. Unfortunately, conservative by definition means opposed to change. Conservatives are stuck on the wrong side of history and they just don't like that much.

And with that, I am following tdgeek's example and leaving this thread to the gnashers of teeth. It won't go anywhere anyway. So enjoy telling each other how right you are about everything. I am out of here.

Jacinda is incredibly decieving (i don't mean that in a mean way) - but with her, literally everything is discussed. Every issue is heard with seeming interest, spoken about with an apparent sincerity that would make you think this issue has been tugging at her heart strings for a long time. She is a communicator and speaker par excellence, it is not hard to be persauded by her heartfelt overtures that all those problems are understood and will be solved. And the million and one working groups and inquiries helps to continue that narrative. But endless discussions and no action are useless. They're a waste. It would be better those discussions were never had because it only dulls the issue, takes the edge off the problem and helps nobody. Those discussions are only ever good if there is action, and until now we're not seeing much of that.

I can understand if jacinda-mania stirred deep hope in your heart before the election - don't worry, it happened to lots of voters around NZ. Her speech and manner was designed to do that. But a government that can only dream up socialist kind of policies and that is dead-set on pursuing and advancing it's unionist agenda can never deliver on the hope that it promised, can never fulfil the desire for change that it's voters want, and will only ever reciprocate those expectations with despair and a wistful regret for what might have been.

I'm not exactly trying to spread fear, just merely laying bare the realities of a labour coalition. I think that stardust has blinded (and deafened) some people. I could announce in a dramatic and "i-hope-everyone-feels-bad-that-I-have-left" kind of way that I'm leaving this discussion, but it's probably not true, because i'll probably join in again in the near or distant future. I tool feel frustration when people who don't agree with my opinions don't understand my POV and take what I consider to be a mis-guided view of the economy and the state of the nation, and who, when challenged to justify their position, run away with their tale between their legs. But I will alwasys defend what I consider to be the best options for NZ and will fight till the last against what I consider to be detrimental to NZ.

networkn

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#2094531 21-Sep-2018 13:27

Here's something pretty positive from our Government

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12128648

All kids to be tested for Dyslexia, giftedness etc.

Question is, how will they fund the programs to deal with the findings. More teachers for the dyslexic, per school, more special programs for the gifted kids (I have some knowledge of the costs related to running some of these programs).

It proposes a new "learning support co-ordinator" in each school with a more "flexible package of support" to meet every student's needs.

Let's assume they get paid at the lower end of teachers salaries of 60K, times the number of schools....That's some big numbers. This is just the first part.

MikeB4

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#2094593 21-Sep-2018 14:56

networkn:

Here's something pretty positive from our Government

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12128648

All kids to be tested for Dyslexia, giftedness etc.

Question is, how will they fund the programs to deal with the findings. More teachers for the dyslexic, per school, more special programs for the gifted kids (I have some knowledge of the costs related to running some of these programs).

It proposes a new "learning support co-ordinator" in each school with a more "flexible package of support" to meet every student's needs.

Let's assume they get paid at the lower end of teachers salaries of 60K, times the number of schools....That's some big numbers. This is just the first part.

Excellent move, two of our sons have Dyslexia and it certainly would have made it easier to convince some of their schools of the fact.

vexxxboy

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#2094634 21-Sep-2018 16:15

networkn:

Here's something pretty positive from our Government

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12128648

All kids to be tested for Dyslexia, giftedness etc.

Question is, how will they fund the programs to deal with the findings. More teachers for the dyslexic, per school, more special programs for the gifted kids (I have some knowledge of the costs related to running some of these programs).

It proposes a new "learning support co-ordinator" in each school with a more "flexible package of support" to meet every student's needs.

Let's assume they get paid at the lower end of teachers salaries of 60K, times the number of schools....That's some big numbers. This is just the first part.

dont worry im sure they will set up a committee to find a way

Common sense is not as common as you think.

wsnz

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#2095184 23-Sep-2018 18:24

vexxxboy:

dont worry im sure they will set up a committee to find a way

The lack of detail is concerning. How many "learning support co-ordinator[s]" will be appointed per capital? What qualifications and experience will they have? Where will they find such staff members? What exactly is a "flexible package of support"? I cannot decide whether to support this initiative or not based on the information provided thus far. From my perspective in the tertiary sector, providing learning support services to those with learning difficulties is extremely difficult to get right.

6FIEND

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#2095419 24-Sep-2018 12:13

It seems that Ardern's propensity to mislead others is not limited to New Zealand politics.

(Or was there a stop-over in a Las Vegas chapel en-route to NYC?)

Even the New York Times was misled and was forced to publish a retraction

...I guess those pesky staffers in the PM's office messed it up again. #scapegoats

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networkn

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#2095421 24-Sep-2018 12:16

Well, don't forget they couldn't get her calendar right to front to media last weekend, but she did manage to turn up to a fluff media peice where the interviewer made many glowing references to her "awesomeness".

networkn

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#2095423 24-Sep-2018 12:23

Just as well these people don't handle setting major policy that affect the direction of our economy and affect millions of peoples lives.. Oh wait...

I am surprised that they haven't set up a committee to manage the setting up of committees :)

Rikkitic

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#2095461 24-Sep-2018 13:02

Give it a rest guys. Your bad temper is showing.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

networkn

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#2095463 24-Sep-2018 13:05

Rikkitic:

Give it a rest guys. Your bad temper is showing.

Why? Is what we are saying untrue?

Rikkitic

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#2095469 24-Sep-2018 13:14

Unnecessary, petty, nit-picking, irrelevant, unimportant, bad-tempered.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

networkn

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#2095471 24-Sep-2018 13:17

Rikkitic:

Unnecessary, petty, nit-picking, irrelevant, unimportant, bad-tempered.

It's none of those things in my view.

You are welcome to post on the things that the Government has done well of course..

6FIEND

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#2095499 24-Sep-2018 13:41

Rikkitic:

Give it a rest guys. Your bad temper is showing.

What justification is there for giving it a rest?

Plenty of people (yourself included IIRC) are still prepared to vote for these duplicitous incompetents, so it seems the threshold hasn't yet been met for no longer needing to hold them to account.

And, to be fair, requiring our nation's official representatives and their entourage to be upfront and honest about their identity is setting a pretty low bar.

However, if you're prefer a less nit-picky assessment:

Paul Glass: Why business confidence has fallen

...what we are seeing is that businesses are growing increasingly concerned about the coalition Government's lack of clear strategy and poor execution of policy. We are clearly experiencing management by an unwieldy committee.

New Zealand has been blessed for much of the last two decades, under both Clark and Key, for having political leaders who were more pragmatic and less ideologically driven than the current lot. Remembering that financial resources are scarce and that expenditure needs to be prioritised, let's look at coalition execution around a number of policies.

Policy: Free tertiary education
Cost: $1.5 billion over 3 years

Execution:
Who knew that this was one of the most pressing issues facing New Zealand but the Coalition government clearly decided it was and announced $1.5b of funding straight after the election.
Why students should receive this funding ahead of people going straight into the workforce or a trade or ahead of entrepreneurs setting up their own businesses has never been explained. A further weakness is that it initially applies to the first year of university not the last so that many unsuitable people will attend and have a go at the taxpayers' expense. And being a universal benefit people receive it whether they need it or not, so even the children of New Zealand's wealthiest families get a taxpayer subsidy. Targeted assistance would have been far more effective.

Policy: Support for overseas embassies and the Pacific
Cost: $1b over 4 years

Execution:
Clearly a sop to Winston Peters, it was unusual to see this expenditure prioritised above much-needed pay increases for teachers, nurses, and police.

Policy: Labour market reform
Cost: Unknown, but will be substantial to business and employment

Execution:
Simply dreadful. Andrew Little is a cloth-cap unionist who is still fighting a war that ended decades ago.

The biggest challenge facing most businesses is a shortage of skilled staff but these reforms, particularly changes to the 90-day rule and union rights to enter workplaces represent a triumph of ideology over pragmatism.

The 90-day rule was a huge success and resulted in many marginal people being able to enter the workforce and prove themselves. Labour laws are already skewed towards employees - just look at the steady stream of nonsensical decisions that flow out of the Employment Court.

Policy: KiwiBuild
Cost: $2b and rising

Execution:
There is no doubt that we have a housing crisis with affordability being the key issue. Government policies relating to restricting sales to non-residents, extending the bright-line test to 5 years and removing the tax deductibility of negative gearing are all sensible and long overdue.

The lottery system of KiwiBuild, however, is one of the more poorly thought out policies in recent times. Those who win the ballot will be able to sell their property after three years and keep the taxpayer subsidised profits.

Those who don't get picked out of the barrel, who have equal needs, get nothing.

Policy: Water quality
Cost: Nothing much to date

Execution:
Water quality was one of the biggest issues going into the last election with saturation media coverage. Remember the issues around Canterbury's rivers and the impact of dairying? Since then the media have moved on and so has the Coalition. This has been placed in the too-hard basket.

Policy: Immigration
Cost: Unknown

Execution:
Poor. After promising large reductions in the number of net immigrants (relative to our population, New Zealand has the highest level of net immigration in the western world) in order to let our infrastructure catch up with our population growth, the Coalition has been at sea on this issue with no clear policy framework.

Policy: Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)
Cost: $3b

Execution:
The PGF smacks of third world politics. Yes the regions definitely need support but a poorly defined slush fund that exists to fund pet political projects probably close to the next election is a recipe for disaster. Northland, in particular, has been underfunded for years and needs a clear plan around providing much-needed infrastructure. Northland should be one of New Zealand's fastest growing areas given its unique natural resources, but needs sound policy to unlock its potential, not a slush fund.

Policy: Ban of oil and gas exploration
Cost: Billions to New Zealand in the long term

Execution:
It is clear that climate change is one of the biggest issues facing the world and we strongly support sensible steps for New Zealand to take a lead in this area. This policy however, which was announced without any consultation, will have almost no positive global environmental benefit as New Zealand will now have to import the oil and gas it needs. This was a clear case of poorly thought out "virtue signalling". It gave all types of long term infrastructure business a real shock and raised the risk premium on New Zealand. Policies focused on actually reducing NZ's usage of fossil fuels, like subsidising electric cars, e-bikes or solar energy, moving quickly to electrify public transport (for example, buses as China is currently doing), banning petrol sales post 2035, moving Fonterra off coal fired dairy plants or improving vehicle emission standards would be welcome and make more sense.

Policy: Tax Working Group
Cost: Unknown as yet

Execution:
It is high time that a thorough review of our tax system was conducted and Michael Cullen has assembled a competent team. Our economy has long had far too much focus on investment in unproductive housing speculation at the expense of other areas. The TWG has created uncertainty while it goes through its deliberations but this is unavoidable.

The interim report is out now and the final report with recommendations is due in February 2019. Any legislative changes will only come into effect after the next election so this is a long period of uncertainty for businesses in a very important area.

The Coalition has a charismatic leader in Jacinda Ardern and most businesses want the Government to do well. However, until their policy direction becomes more pragmatic and clearer it is understandable that business confidence has declined.

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#2095505 24-Sep-2018 13:45

6FIEND:

It seems that Ardern's propensity to mislead others is not limited to New Zealand politics.

(Or was there a stop-over in a Las Vegas chapel en-route to NYC?)

Even the New York Times was misled and was forced to publish a retraction

...I guess those pesky staffers in the PM's office messed it up again. #scapegoats

I am not sure what the problem is here

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