Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is blaming New Zealand going into another recession on the previous Government’s “six years of economic vandalism”.
It was revealed on Thursday that New Zealand is back in a technical recession after the economy shrank two quarters in a row.
Gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, official data found. This is the fourth quarter in the past five where the economy has contracted.
Let’s be very clear here!
The ‘economic vandalism’ Luxon is claiming here is the extra money the last Government borrowed to combat Covid!
Policies that saved 20 000 lives!
New Zealand Covid response saved 20,000 lives, study says
So the ‘economic vandalism’ was saving 20 000 lives!
I’m sick of having our Covid sacrifice denigrated by a Right wing who want to re-write the narrative!
Labour borrowed to prevent a health catastrophe during a once in a century pandemic, the true economic vandalism is taking from children’s hungry mouths, the disabled, workers, renters and the environment to afford a $2.9billion tax break for the richest landlords!
We now have this situation where ACT are mocking Public Servants getting sacked…
Deputy leader Brooke van Velden is unrepentant about an Act Party tweet which said “good” in response to news hundreds of public sector workers were set to lose their jobs.
Act tweeted that in response to news that the Ministry for Primary Industries was planning to slash 384 roles. The Ministry of Health has also confirmed that a quarter of the jobs at the ministry could be scrapped in its proposed restructure – up to 200 jobs – after a consultation period.
The cuts are part of the coalition Government’s drive to cut public sector spending by requiring government departments to find 6.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent of savings – but to restrict staff cuts to back-office roles.
Act’s post said: “Good. The number of bureaucrats at MPI increased by 52 per cent – or 1,277 – between 2017-23. The average salary at MPI is about $102,000.”
…ACT and National are promising to gut MBIE because MBIE employs the people who regulate New Zealand’s poorly policed and under regulated capitalism!
27 000 Bosses were given the power to import migrant workers and exploit them, of that number only 2 have had their exploitation scams ended and that’s because there is no State policing the current regulations we have!
We see this time and time and time again, State regulators who are supposedly policing the under regulated markets with barely enough staff to look into anything at all!
Max Rashbrooke highlighted the horror of NZs under regulated market…
The bad news is that, to investigate 200,000-300,000 terrible rentals, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has employed a frontline inspectorate numbering … 37. Each inspector will have to check somewhere between 5000 and 8000 rentals.
…there is only 37 inspectors of rental properties for 300 000 terrible rentals?
Similar poorly funded regulation is apparent in the 82 labour inspectorates who are supposed to police hundreds of thousands of migrant worker exploitations!
ACT and National’s bullshit dismantling of Capitalism’s police tells you all you need to know about the deregulated hellscape a National/ACT monstrosity would birth into this world!
Destroying the Ministry tasked with policing NZs poorly regulated capitalism is a recipe for disaster.
This is the malice we is now.
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NACTNZ are reaping what they sowed .While the economy was growing by 7% they were saying it was a dead dog .Well now they have killed it completely .The CEO and CFO just thought it would be all good as soon as they were elected .Well I have news for them as it has gone down hill steeply since october .Instead of brown and benny bashing for the last 3 months they should have been waving the magic wand and fixed the disaster they wanted .I bet they wish they were not in charge now .
Yes….and that pathetic line that Luxon keeps spinning that he… “is not about to be lectured to by Grant Robertson or the Labour Party about how to run the finances of the country” …when he has had zero experience at the complex juggling act required, let alone throwing in a one -in -100 -year worldwide pandemic and multiple catastrophic climate disasters into the mix.
His trite lines, clear ignorance, and buffoonery, just makes him sound like it is actually, ‘he’, who is one, who doesn’t have a clue.
I am surprised that none of the media have picked him up and challenged him on it, as he is reciting the same stupid false unproven lines almost every day!!
You are right of course.
But they could probably get rid of all civil servants now because all the decisions are going to be made by Benson and Hedges Bishop, Pork Barrel Jones and Simian Browne.
The redundant workers could be issued shovels and picks to build all the houses and roads and to dig the new oil and gas wells. Some could be given boats to catch all the fish and dig the offshore wells while building the Wind farms in the Taranaki night. Thats if Nicorette Willis will fund the purchase of picks and shovels.
Billions of dollars were printed and pumped through the economy during lockdown to prevent small business, big business, landlords, banks and workers going bankrupt. The final stopping point of that money was the ultra rich and landlords who made billions on inflated assets. Now is the time for that money to be rebalanced by tax on the very wealthy and landlords. Their government is going to increase reducing services for the poorest and middle class and provide rentier welfare to themselves and their rich mates.
I agree with your comment although as Luxon shows they all think that they are “entitled” to whatever their greedy hearts desire & have the money to pay for the government they want. Tough times ahead
Yes and not to mention the COVID subsidies that were granted to keep businesses going, and rightly so, but what happened on numerous occasions was wealthy businesses claiming the subsidies without any justification and in many cases, without paying their employees or keeping the subsidies for employees who had in fact been made redundant.
They always seem to regard the people who are losing their jobs as something like “stock units”, rather than people. It’s unfortunate they say, but you never actually hear much about the effects on people’s families of redundancy. I know them first hand – fuck act.
guerilla surgeon. Yes. There are people who won’t just lose their jobs and livelihood, but their family life, mortgages, and homes. Nicola Willis’s flip comment suggesting they’ll have no trouble finding new employment opportunities was the usual Nat disregard for consequences and the broader impact. ACT’s “good” comment was vicious and strangely personal. They are haters, and enjoying it.
It’s just utter bullshit. Don’t give tax cuts if the books are so bad. They are supposed to be the responsible economic managers (which again is utter rubbish). The fact is their numbers didn’t add up pre election and after forming a coalition and trading off certain policies the numbers look worse.
Hit the nail on the head Wheel. Simply cancel tax cuts, we don’t need them, then no jobs will be lost. Fuck,even Willis could that equation up and she’s dumber than dumb.
She promised to resign if tax cuts were not…delivered.
Here’s hoping…she resigns.
We don’t need the tax cuts, but we probably need to rinse the inefficiencies from the public service too. We don’t need to keep pumping money into the Wellington bureaucrat elite when we need to spend it on the underpaid Police, Teachers, Nurses… If we cut 20,000 managers and give that money to the workers then more power to them.
Wheel 100%. Of course they should cancel the tax cuts. And raise them for the rich, and chase the off-shore evaders and dodgy trusts, if they know how. Today an affluent older man from a fairly affluent suburb, told me that he thought cancelling children’s school lunches is wicked. Correct.
In the meantime Amanda luxon is holding a hundred dollar luncheon to tell people what it’s like to be a PMs wife, talk about out of touch. A hundred dollar lunch when her husband is cutting school lunches and many NZers can’t afford food or pay rising bill cost. These people disgust me.
Ultimately, tax cuts are a stimulus measure. Which might make some sense given the parlous state of the economy. But they are also the least effective stimulus measure, and economists know that perfectly well. Only a joke government would propose them.
But they were promising tax cuts to buy votes, not to stimulate the economy.
Well, a serious government doesn’t just corruptly disburse public funds to their mates, they act in the public interest. Not that we’ve seen much of that in my lifetime.
They may come to regret being anti-police too.
Tax cuts are not a stimulus measure because if you cut taxes. The over all income of the nation falls. And oh look, it fell. Amazing. Someone like John Key could fudge the numbers which taxes years of practice and great timing to get the execution right.
Expect nothing less from this fascist government – folk might say this is an overstatement – just wait and see as we have Police focusing on ensuring property rights over human rights in the next couple of years. I am sure it will be this long because know there is no way they will call an early election unless they are certain of victory. This certainty is ebbing by the day as more NZers realise what we have elected … watch this space.
I wonder how many of those being made redundant voted for National or ACT?
Events now show people really do get the kind of government they deserve and we are now a nation full of silly bastards.
What govt worker votes right?
They all know Labour inflates the public sector when they are in govt, and as a result almost all as a %age vote left.
So they voted left Stevie, but knew Labour were dead ducks, an extra 17,000 staff taken on in 6 years is madness.
And if you think that’s a great thing….why are all the measurable stats soooo bad after 6yrs.
It’s the outcome dear boy, not the amount of money put in, if the outcomes are no better/worse then what was the need for the additional 17,000??
Labour does tend to take on more when in power – this is because every time National are in power they cut back the public service – no matter what. Then when Labour get back in they need to rebuilt capacity within the public sector.
Have you tried to get through to IRD recently – virtually impossible – by design from National (and Labour to some degree) who intentionally decimate the public sector necessitating a rebuild which is later described as government overspend and cuts start again – then a rebuild, etc.
Why so bad after the last 6 years – well, 1/100 year pandemic (could have let 20000 die for the sake of the economy I guess), war in Russia/Ukraine and more recently conflict in the Middle East – all these things impacted on supply chains, which impacted on cost blow outs and lack of availability of things (especially building materials while you are trying to amp up building houses and construction).
So, your simplistic BS around the 17000 is nothing more than that – bullshit. Stop telling only the part of the story that fits your distorted narrative of the situation.
Which Stats are actually referring to? Is 17k additional or include replacement of attrition?
The usual broad statements with nothing to back it up and let’s just forget a global pandemic taking place. What has the global economy done over the same period?
Did you take into account the vaccination work force,the contact tracers, the new nurses,teachers,800 more police. The quarantine staff and facilities that saved lives. This was not free people accepted their vaccinations did they think the people involved in this process were not qualified. Look around the world every country has horrific stats as you put it. We are part of the global economy. We would have eased back with Labour, we would still have had ferries,lower speed limits, cycling tracks etc. etc.This government is setting up back on an unprecedented level we will end up like Greece on austerity plus. The beneficiaries would not have had to take full responsibility for landlords tax cuts. The people with disabilities would be able to relax a little bit knowing they were more important than tax cuts for the wealthy. Covid ,Gabrielle wreaked havoc for the Labour government, their aspirations for Aotearoa were high unfortunately they ran out of time because the greedies demanded their tax cuts. Well good luck with that. We have the most horrible government and we are doomed. All that hard work by Labour for nothing. I hope you voters who voted right are happy now that we are in the shit.
You want lower speed limits? Are you smoking crack?
What I would like to know is why do we go on about speed but then have all sorts of ads on TV telling us there are loads of shit boxes out there that are not safe? They are not referring to cars that are very old either. Why sell them? How much is that costing the health system etc?
Lower speed limits are everywhere in Australia, as are $1000 instant fines for driving using a cellphone… it’s no problem..
The traffic deaths have declined rapidly and significantly… All but the very stupid obey the rules because they know what the consequences are. It’s the same in France, where they come down hard on distracted driving and speeding in built up areas.
We are shocked to see the huge number of people here that still drive with a phone in their hand or up to their ear, or even worse, texting. A lethal combination!!
If the government wants extra revenue they should follow Australia’s lead and fine drivers $1000 who are caught with a smartphone in their hand, even at traffic lights. They’d rake in a fortune.
But no! That wouldn’t go down well with their voter base, and the business sector, who always seem to have their phones glued to their ears, whenever and wherever!
So they’d rather take money off a disability carer. They are easy to deal to!
This is a lazy shallow as a puddle clueless Government !!
People are going to get sick of them sooner rather than later. They won’t last!!!
are you trying to sell him some
Why do people like you be so personal. Can’t you have an opinion without the rude remarks because people have a different opinion to you .Many of our roads are not made for speed. It’s much safer now on many roads at 80k. So yes you arrogant prick I agree with lower speed limits
Mohammed Khan: Here is a link to a recent RNZ article, which explains the safety benefits of reduced speeds, as implemented by the Labour Government. You can educate yourself by reading the article and listening to the interview in the link.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/511768/road-to-zero-expert-says-speed-limit-changes-will-drive-up-deaths
“An international road safety expert says the Government must keep applying targets to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries – and that reversing speed limit reductions will drive the road toll up.
It comes as officials are working on a new safety policy after the Road to Zero was scrapped.
Eric Howard is convinced the road toll will climb if speed limit reductions stop, and if lower limits are reversed across the country.
Howard was manager of road safety for VicRoads in Australia when the state reduced deaths by 20 percent. He’s since provided advice on safety in over 30 countries – and has done so for Auckland Transport.
“Anybody who’s prepared to put an hour’s work into reading some of the literature and the research evidence, and practical evidence in case studies in this part of the world – would say why are we doing that, that’s going to put the level of deaths and serious injuries up, unequivocally”.
Howard backs vision zero strategies – which aim for zero deaths on road…..”.
Here is another article, which should help you understand that speed reduction has minimal impact on travel time, but adds considerably to road users’ safety.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/129998714/lower-speeds-add-minutes-save-lives-and-carbon–expert
“Lower speeds add minutes, save lives and carbon – expert
Olivia Wannan
September 29, 2022, • 04:25pm
Lower speed limits will save lives. In addition, cars are more efficient, reducing the fuel that’s burned.
MARTIN DE RUYTER / STUFF
With speed limits of 100kph on open stretches, the holiday highway between Christchurch and Akaroa took an average of 72 minutes. Now speeds have been reduced to 80 – and even 60 on the windy hills – how much longer is the journey?
Four to six minutes, says transport expert Paul Durdin. That’s what the modelling found, and what he has personally experienced on the drive.
“The public were up in arms because they perceived the change would be far more significant than it was.”
With other experts, Durdin made the case for speed limit reductions at the Australasian Road Safety Conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch this week.
The extra minutes mean drivers are far less likely to be in a serious or deadly crash. At 80kph, their vehicle is near peak efficiency, Durdin said, meaning the new speed reduces the fuel consumed – saving emissions and reducing petrol bills….”.
no but if you have ‘a need for speed’ you probably have a problem khan
I’m tighty right doesn’t take anything into account, as that would require critical thinking of which he has none.
The best money managers are those on low incomes who have to account for every dollar and spend wisely. They know they can’t go making extravagant promises to anyone.
We have the two groups here who live by buying favour. The wealthy, donating crazy amounts to a political party then to claim they do it out of the goodness of their hearts and the political party which knows it has to offer money (tax cuts) to win the favour of gullible voters. They are all fools and the gullible voters who believed it, were even more stupid.
No-one wanted Luxon as PM. We still don’t. But we’re stuck with him now for a few months.
Make better choices next time people. We’re always being told the situation we’re in is because of our choices. That advice applies to everyone, not just those at the poor end. The wealthy need to make more compassionate choices, not hard-nosed, me first choices. Many people are too selfish to think straight.
“The best money managers are those on low incomes who have to account for every dollar and spend wisely.”
Some would say the best money managers are those who can increase their income. This foolish government is going out of their way to reduce their income by giving to the rich.
Increasing your income is good but it’s a long-term plan and won’t happen over-night. This govt. reduces the possibility of low-income earners doing that in future through education etc. by making every day a matter of just surviving.
Therefore, more proof if we needed it, that this govt. are poor money managers themselves. They don’t look into the future potential earning power of people when they would also be able to pay more tax.
Always short-term, quick buck thinking from the right.
This government is one for the greedy, not the needy.
But TDB warned you of that before the election.
Next time – in less than three years, I reckon – heed the warning!
Winston uses the Nazi line, unfortunately he is akin to Hitler alongside the worst government in history, the 2023 National Government…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-cuts-rural-cops-could-lose-super-cheap-22-a-week-rentals/2RYF4JLNCFF5VB3S6ALTTGO5MY/
So the ACT hypocrites breathlessly blurt out “The average salary at MPI is about $102,000”!!
Trying to use the politics of envy when it suits them, hoping lesser paid Kiwi wage/salary earners will resent the fact and thus make the mass sackings more palatable.
But if it’s one of their parasite donors earning $102,000 (or inevitably more)???
“Yeah nah”, say ACT – “you’re just jealous of success”.
ACT being two faced as always, with their “Don’t worry about those fat bloated corporates sucking you dry, worry about those public servants doing stuff on your behalf.”
Exactly and to earn $102,000 one needs educational qualifications. These are not school leavers.
Better educated than a lot of ACT voters too.
So Cockwomble Dave thinks we should be more like Switzerland. Not the worst idea. Economic growth fueled by innovation not immigration. A wealth tax. The ability for homeowners to write off mortgage interest against their taxable income. Subsidised public transport. Pretty much all things the Cockwomble rails against.
Scrap Te Tari Pūreke for even more savings for the taxpayer.
… and the registry too.
Over $200 million saved.
Should have started with GCSB and WINZ and Oranga Tamariki staff.
The GCSB perform an important role, the others not so much & aren’t my concern either.
Those of you who voted for a loser, a snake and no disrespect to actual snakes intended and a highly trained liar? This building nightmare is in you, you fucking morons. You’ve really fucked it up this time.
Luxon blames the previous Labour Government for “economic vandalism” in his address to Labour hating farmers but what he conveniently overlooks is that it was the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr, which deliberately created the recession:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130568638/adrian-orr-admits-reserve-bank-is-deliberately-engineering-recession#:~:text=Reserve%20Bank%20governor%20Adrian%20Orr,a%20select%20committee%20on%20Thursday.
In his now typically boring finger pointing blaming exercise, Luxon does not give any real detail to justify his claim. Anyway, it is not just New Zealand that is suffering under the current economic recession. Many, many countries are also struggling.
This is just a rinse and repeat of the failed economics of the 80s, 90s, 00s & 10s. Most of us subscribing to this blog know this. We also know the solutions to giving ALL NZ a fair go. They’ve been listed and infinitum. Unfortunately the lies, manipulation and marginalisation have seduced sufficient of the electorate to inflict a further 36 months of pain. Maybe they’ll learn, but I forgot one, won’t hold my breath.
big tick and a gold star richard
Totalitarian, wake up.
we’ll see how you feel when one of yours is run down by a pissed up speeder snark