Kicking the disabled, denigrating migrants and bashing beneficiaries to balance the budget isn’t a solution, it’s social vandalism
As the Government escalates public sector cuts, welfare restrictions and disability support rollbacks, critics say New Zealand is watching austerity politics mutate into something uglier — a culture war economy where vulnerable communities are punished while corporate interests remain protected.
This isn’t an economic vision, it’s social carnage…
Changes to accommodation supplement could negate benefits of fuel subsidy, Green MP says
Social Development Minister Louise Upston has introduced legislation to amend the accommodation supplement threshold for homeowners. But one MP says it could effectively negate the fuel subsidy for some families with children.
Stuff
Government to overturn court decision recognising family carers as employees
The Disability Minister has revealed a bill that would reverse a recent Supreme Court decision to recognise some family carers as employees.
Stuff
More public service job cuts may be coming – how many have gone already?
The government is set to announce proposals which RNZ understands will seek to reduce the number of government agencies, with amalgamation, more work on digitisation and using AI, and setting a target to reduce the public service headcount to 1% of the total population by 2029.
There are 42 ministries and agencies currently in the public sector and just over 63,000 full-time workers.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the headcount blew out by far too much under the previous Labour governments. It was 48,000 in 2017 and increased to 57,000 by 2020.
Getting the number of public servants back to 1 percent of the total population by 2029 could require thousands of jobs to be cut.
In 2024 RNZ kept a count of cuts in the sector, to get a sense of the changes, and in May 2025 RNZ published an explainer about why it is not easy to find consensus on the right way to count cuts.
RNZ
Austerity politics is becoming social punishment
Kicking the disabled, denigrating migrants and bashing beneficiaries to balance the budget isn’t a solution, it’s social vandalism.
Election panic is driving the culture war escalation
The realisation on behalf of National that if they return to power, it will probably be with Winston as Prime Minister for the first 12 months has spurred them into a blitzkrieg of legislation they are ramming through in order to compete for the culture war vote and push things through they don’t think Winston will agree to as PM.
Winston is already mocking Nicola by pointing out that his beloved MFAT are immune to any off the spending cuts…
Winston Peters has taunted Nicola Willis about his department, MFAT, being exempt from the $2.4 billion of cuts she plans to announce in next week’s Budget².
…it will be a race by National, ACT and NZF to see who can be the biggest prick to appeal to the frothy right wing electorate polarised by social media hate algorithms.
Meanwhile in the real world this hypocritical entitled bitch…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360982141/minister-seeking-tougher-accommodation-supplement-criteria-claims-1000-week-housing-allowance
I told everyone she was the worst of the worst but no one listened!
It’ll be a case of “I’m entitled to it because it’s in the rules!”
Over $300K a year as a Minister inside Cabinet, plus another $50K+ in housing allowance. You poor, impoverished soul. However do you cope?
Thing is, Louise, given what you’ve just announced, the optics around this are fucking cancer. You just end up looking like a vicious, out-of-touch, devoid of empathy, “Rules for thee, but not for me!” hypocrite.
On a positive note, if this miserable government keeps kicking Kiwis in the crotch while patting themselves on the back all the way up to Election Day, they’re toast.
Mass migration is a key pillar of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism is hard right.
Hey but at least these dipshits will help you work out who the women are. What a bunch of drop kicks.
“Hey, New Zealand! Do you live in a state house? Good news! Uncle Chris Bishop is putting your rent up! Which is just what you need during a cost of living crisis, when you can barely manage to pay for petrol to get to your shitty minimum wage job, and put food in the bellies of your children… right?! Thanks Uncle Chris!”
National – Governing for all New Zealanders… except those dirty bottom-feeders. They can collectively get fucked, the povo scum.
You should design a sticker that can be put around the National Party advertising boards, speak truth to power.