Labour’s 10% Student Loan write off could have won them the election
THIS is the Chippy we have been missing.
Clearly the recent criticism over his ‘statesman-above-the-fray’ routine has sunk in.
The Wellington Mandarin clique around Chippy can’t have him lose obviously, people who prefer to control the losing team rather than than lose control of the winning team have to play smarter than that, or else their strings become too obvious.
So it was a far more energetic Chris Hipkins who was actually allowed to throw a couple of punches in his speech.
In an economy and culture in turmoil, people want someone who is going to fight their corner, not rise above it and float away.
Labour’s 10% Student Loan write off could have won them the election.
The manner in which the Student Loan system has been an anchor of debt around every generation after the Boomers is never acknowledged and any attempt to do something meaningful to writing off debt is a social good.
For every arsehole who screams, ‘why am I paying for the education of these uni students’, their debt makes up your bill every time you use their service clowns!
We need more educated people in our society, not less.
Labour have done a lot here to sway voters, cancelling 10% of students debt is a bold policy idea and is tangible.
Well done Labour.
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” Labour’s 10% Student Loan write off could have won them the election ”
And a comprehensive reform plan that many Kiwis want action on.
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The Labour Party has swiftly rejected the Green Party’s proposed new policy to increase taxation on the wealthy. Labour is signaling, again, that the neoliberal orthodoxy will remain undisturbed. So where does that leave the Green Party?
” Aotearoa has a problem: the rich don’t pay their fair share. They benefit from our society: the state protects their wealth and provides peaceful conditions allowing them to carry on business without fear. And yet they refuse to pay for it. Meanwhile, their cartels suck the money out of ordinary New Zealanders, so they can spend it on bigger and bigger houses, bigger and bigger yachts, helicopters, and so on.
Its time we made them pay their fair share. And over the weekend, the Greens put up their election year tax policy, which will make them do it. A wealth tax, targeted at the super-rich, which will finally bring them into the tax system. A new top income tax rate, for those earning top incomes. A capital acquisitions tax, targeting gifts and inheritances over $1 million, to limit intergenerational accumulation and tax-dodging. A higher corporate tax rate for big companies. A bank-levy, targeting our biggest cartel parasites, Aussie banks. Stopping foreign tech companies from dodging New Zealand taxes by pretending the profits happen elsewhere. And reversing Luxon’s landlord and property speculator tax cuts.
” These are not radical socialist policies. They are all perfectly normal overseas. But the rich have bought so much power in our society since 1984 that they’ve been able to gaslight us into thinking that the normal is abnormal, that other countries don’t have wealth taxes, inheritance taxes, more progressive income taxes, restrictions on tax cheating. And they’ve been able to do that, in part, because they can use their money to buy politicians and media outlets, steering our society in their preferred direction, despite huge public support for taxing them ”
https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2026/06/time-to-tax-rich.html
“Yesterday the Greens announced a significant election policy: default union membership. New employees would automatically be enrolled in a “default union”, but would be able to opt out. Unions approved, of course, but what did Labour, the supposed party of the union movement think about it?
Yes, they were “non-committal”. The same way they’re “non-committal” about anything actually left-wing these days (when they’re not actively hostile to it, like taxing the rich).
https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2026/07/eating-labours-lunch.html
” Despite Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds describing the policy as ‘solely benefiting the wealthiest New Zealanders’, Labour says it will continue to give landlords a $3 billion tax break if elected in November.
LABOUR’S RETREAT on interest deductibility for landlords is not an aberration or a momentary lapse in judgement; it is the party reverting to type. Despite its endlessly repeated claim to represent working people and the poor, Labour has spent decades proving that when confronted with the interests of capital, it folds. It folds quickly, quietly, and with a kind of resigned obedience that reveals how thoroughly it has internalized the logic of the economic order it claims to oppose. The announcement that Labour will not remove the landlord interest-deductibility tax break if elected in November is simply the newest confirmation of that long-running pattern.
https://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.com/2026/09/under-labour-landlords-will-still-be.html
Labour are making a good job of trying to buy votes but people know the money has to come from someone else that has worked hard to get ahead and look after their own family with food education and housing .
I do not mind paying taxes to help those in genuine need if things go wrong but not to buy votes
A true Socialist government there wouldn’t have a student loan! Advanced education would be free.
Countries with Free or Low-Cost Public Universities
Germany — Public universities charge zero tuition fees for undergraduate programs for both domestic and international students, though a small semester administration or registration fee usually applies.
Norway — Public higher education is traditionally tuition-free for all students regardless of nationality, though programs are primarily taught in Norwegian and minor student union fees may apply.Iceland — Public universities do not charge tuition for any nationalities, though students typically pay a small annual registration fee.
Brazil — Federal and state public universities offer tuition-free higher education to both citizens and international students, though classes require strong proficiency in Portuguese.
Czech Republic — Studying at public universities is completely free if the degree program is taught in the Czech language; programs taught in English require standard international tuition.Austria — Higher education is free for citizens and EU/EEA students, with very low nominal fees or semester contributions for non-EU students.
Finland and Sweden — Tuition is free for domestic and EU/EEA/Swiss students, and PhD/doctoral programs are free for everyone, but non-EU students pay tuition for bachelor’s and master’s courses.France — Public universities are heavily subsidized by the government, costing very low annual registration fees (around €170–€380 per year) for EU students, with higher regulated rates for non-EU internationals.
Argentina — Public universities provide free access for local citizens and nominal/low administrative fees for international students.Note: Even when tuition is free, students are almost always responsible for their own living expenses, housing, and mandatory student union or health insurance fees.If you are considering studying abroad, let me know:Your citizenship or passportYour preferred language of instruction (English, local language)Your intended degree level (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD)I can help narrow down the best tuition-free options for your situation.Top UniversitiesWhere can you study abroad for free? | TopUniversitiesWikipediaFree education – WikipediaWorld Population ReviewCountries with Free College 2026Show all
forgive me if I don’t get too excited!
Has chipkins once mentioned neoliberalism publicly? Has he ever suggested arresting roger douglas and his gangster clan for misappropriation, embezzlement, treason, tax avoidance and/or fraud etc? If the answer’s no then we must resolve to make it yes.
Watch this guy. Gary Stevensen. Here he’s talking with Chloe Swarbrick.
The first politician on Gary’s Economics
https://youtu.be/zl_LgDjpzxE?si=Qq-qjVBFPSVJpUoW
A good policy start and the new jobs will help many people want to work and many cannot find a job despite being told there are jobs by Nicola. We need to invest in our young people and look after our elderly. And we also need to stop all the racially divisive nonsense it is destroying the social and economic fabric of our beautiful country. The latter can only happen with a change of government.