According to the NZ HErald today it’s those who were in the Parliamentary Scheme before 1992. This accords with my understanding because that scheme was based on a fixed percentage of final salary like the broader GSF scheme which was closed in the early 1990s.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10579179

Prebble stepped down on his own terms.

To make friends with those of a similar social standing

I think Zoning has a bigger ability to achieve this effect on more children that private schools ever could.

My Name is Jack, you deserve the demerits for calling the National Party Nazis. I disagree with them, but I would never do that.

Who’s subsidising who, again, Burt?

As a National party hack you of course want to make it appear that ACT rolls their leaders like National does, but there are parties with more morals, and it would havevbeen nice of you to recognised that.

Is that envy talking or are you actually anti good educational outcomes?

Look lets not mince words here – people who pay private school fees are also paying taxes supporting the state system they are not using. What part of “fair” do you not like in the tax system?

If all the people who have kids in private schools sent their kids to their local (in zone) school what would happen? Would $40m cover the cost of the teachers and classrooms required to house the kids that could legally turn up at anytime (if they are in zone) and demand a seat in a classroom ?

Think it through.

There may be a point there; the caucus would have been badly wanting in courage to challenge her grip on the leadership.

” The way things are going she would have (as far as I am aware) been in the unique position of having lost an election after an extended term of PM but then having won the next.”

But there’s the catch: the voters; they were/are completely through with the Clark years and would simply not countenance any sort of repeat performance.

if tax payers who have kids in state private schools could opt out of funding the state system…

You are right, bloody private schools achieving better academic outcomes should be shut down – they show up the monopoly state schools as being inefficient… we can’t have it – must have one size fits all – the purity of the socialist model is more important than the educational outcomes…

Bugger off – parents paying for private school are funding capacity in the state system they are not using – if tax payers who have kids in state schools could opt out of funding the state system then I would agree there should be zero govt funding for private schools.

Nothing like the $40 million Johnny & Billy lavished on our top private schools.

I was going to have to cancel the cut flowers and starched sheets if the boarding school fees went up ..again.

Perhaps Tony Blair should have hung on longer – Gordon Browne doesn’t seem up to the job.

The vampire may have gotten away from the castle but the torch and pitchfork mob at the gates questions that it was entirely voluntary.

You can’t have it both ways – the increased donations were corrupt if she was planning to leave and left voluntarily, they were just part of NZ being a good global citizen if Helen was staying – which way do you want it ?

Given the amount of money that was suddenly donated to the UN in the years preceeding dear leaders departure it is possible that we should class her departure as voluntary. Why else did she feather the nest of her external interests so blatantly if she was not planning to leave when she did?

But MyNameIsjack – this is a right blog. What do you expect? The left is always going to be “badder”, this game wouldn’t be much fun otherwise!