The Taxpayers’ Union has perfected the art of manufacturing fury around public sector payouts, but strip away the slogans and many of these so-called ‘golden handshakes’ turn out to be contractual obligations dressed up as scandal.
Thousands of sick New Zealanders are being quietly rejected before even reaching official hospital waiting lists, hiding the true scale of unmet healthcare need.
Ian Powell says escalating US sanctions against Cuba are driving a humanitarian crisis marked by rising infant mortality, blackouts and deepening poverty.
Behind every staffing shortage statistic is a whānau shattered, a burnt-out health worker, and a system failing people when they are most vulnerable.
The Wellington floods weren’t just bad weather. They were a warning flare from a system still worshipping fossil fuels while the water rises.
Dialysis rationing is not bad luck. It is the brutal bill for a health system that ignored prevention, ignored clinicians, and called chaos reform.
Ian Powell examines how conviction politics has reshaped New Zealand’s health system — and why responsibility must come first.
Proposed changes to the HPCA Act could allow ministerial direction of health regulators. Critics warn political interference may undermine public safety.
