Stuff reports:

Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ’s proposal to cut 54.7 roles, or 4.8% of staff at the National Public Health Service has triggered a scathing public statement from a who’s-who of health experts.

The only downside is it is only 5%. Far too many public health staff are just basically taxpayer funded lobbyists. I want my public health dollars to go on immunisations, not lobbying.

Radio NZ reports:

Traffic in Manhattan’s central business district fell by 7.5 percent last week and 273,000 fewer cars entered the borough’s central business district after the first congestion pricing fee in the US took effect on 5 January, New York City transit officials said on Monday.

The fee was designed to reduce traffic and raise billions for mass transit, with most of the revenue generated targeted to upgrade the city’s subway and bus systems.

“The early data backs up what New Yorkers have been telling us all week – traffic is down, the streets feel safer and buses are moving faster,” head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Janno Lieber said.

Overall travel times were 30 – 40 percent faster on inbound river crossings into Manhattan, which had the most congested traffic in the United States.

This is no surprise. Congestion charges are an efficient form of user pays which reduce congestion. I look forward to having them in NZ.

That is an impressive time saving.

The Herald reports:

Police are investigating a complaint of shoplifting at an Auckland supermarket made against a former MP.

The incident is alleged to have occurred in late 2024 at a Pak’nSave supermarket in the Auckland suburb of Royal Oak.

When presented with the allegations against a former MP, a police spokesperson said: “Police can advise a shoplifting complaint is under investigation from late 2024.”

Police would not comment any further on privacy grounds.

In case it goes to trial, I’m turning off comments on this post, so people don’t guess who they think the former MP is.

UPDATE: Stuff has named the former MP as Golriz Ghahraman. Comments now on, but a reminder it is merely a complaint at this stage – no charges, let alone a conviction.

With the sea of red in the pre-Christmas HYFEU, and local government continuing to be in crisis, it’ll be a big year ahead for the Taxpayers’ Union. And thanks to our, errr, friends in Parliament (NZ First, Labour, National, and ACT) shoulder tapping so many of our staff over the last 12 months, we’ve got a few roles that we need to fill in order to effectively hold the Government to account and continue to advocate for taxpayers.

The jobs we are currently recruiting for are:

• Communications Manager (Full time, Wellington)
• Graduate Researcher (Full time, Wellington)
• Graphic Designer (Part time, Wellington)
• Executive Assistant (Part time, Auckland)

We also have our ears and eyes open for new potential volunteers as Board Members or Local Government Advocates.

My approach to recruitment

I’m a great believer in identifying exceptional talent (or potential) and building the right job around the person rather than trying to search for the ideal person to fit a pre-defined bureaucratic job description/role. Being a small team, we thrive with generalists, and a can-do culture.

For example, when we onboard student interns or graduate researchers, I ensure they are all given initial tasks in both the research and comms/advocacy side of the organisation. As a result, they tend to work towards the areas that they’ll excel at – whether it’s sniffing out the next big wasteful scoop, or making social media / policy explainer videos (which were a great series, and a young staffer’s initiative).

So if you don’t quite fit perfectly into any of the roles above, please don’t let that dissuade you from sending us your CV/cover letter to applications@taxpayers.org.nz

We look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Jordan Williams
Executive Director
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

Radio NZ report:

The Ministry of Education notified residents that crews at Wellington Girls’ College would begin tree removal with just over a weeks notice.

One local – who did not want to be named – said the letter arrived too late to allow any chance for consultation and gave little indication of the extent of the work.

“They’re lovely old trees. [The principal] explained that they weren’t obliged to consult because it’s on their property but taking six to eight trees down on a short piece of street – where we’re all part of the same community – just doesn’t feel quite right to me and once they’re down they’re down you can’t replace them.”

Trees on public land are public property and get consulted on. Trees on private property belong to the tree owner and they decide what to do with them (so long as not a protected tree). If the locals would like more trees, they should plant some on their properties.

Stuff has reported on the 22 countries Kiwis are advised not to travel to. They are:

• Afghanistan – “There is an ongoing and very high threat of terrorist attack throughout Afghanistan. The threat to New Zealanders in Afghanistan is very high. Attacks target hotels, housing compounds, restaurants and other places visited by foreigners. There are also threats around airports.”
• Belarus – “Do not travel to Belarus due to the volatile security situation caused by the Russian military action in neighbouring Ukraine and the conducting of military operations by Russian forces from Belarus.”
• Burkina Faso – “You should leave as soon as it is safe. There is a high threat of terrorism and terrorist attacks which could happen at anytime, anywhere.”
• Central African Republic – “New Zealanders who remain in CAR against our advice should avoid any unnecessary travel, keep a low profile, maintain a high degree of personal security awareness and take all possible security precautions to protect their safety.”
• Haiti – “Murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault and carjacking is prevalent and there is an increased risk at night and in isolated areas. Local law enforcement’s response to crime or emergencies is often limited due to lack of resources.”
• Iran – “Violent civil unrest, the risk of arbitrary arrest or detention, and the volatile security situation in the region are significant threats to New Zealanders in Iran.”
• Iraq – “The security situation in Iraq remains highly volatile and could deteriorate further, with little or no warning. The terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant remains active in parts of the country, as do other violent extremist groups engaged in sectarian, ethnic and tribal violence and organised crime. Political instability, crime and corruption, and civil unrest are also common in Iraq.”
• Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories – “There is a heightened threat of terrorism throughout Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Attacks could occur at any time – the situation is highly unpredictable. New Zealanders are advised to be security-conscious at all times.”
• Lebanon – “The political situation in Lebanon is unpredictable. Political developments in the region and international events can escalate tensions and result in outbreaks of civil unrest.”
• Libya – “The political and security situation in Libya remains extremely fragile.”
• Mali – “There is a transitional government in place in Mali, and higher security measures are in place, including random identity checks and roadblocks. Civil unrest is common and demonstrations can turn violent.”
• Myanmar – “The Myanmar military has declared a state of emergency and taken control of the country. There is violence, night-time curfews, and bans on public gatherings across the country. You can also expect an increased security presence.”
• Niger – “Terrorism and kidnapping, the presence of armed militants and an unpredictable security situation are all significant threats in Niger. Terrorist groups are active across Niger and attacks could happen anytime, and in places visited by foreigners.”
• North Korea – “Do not travel to North Korea due to extensive restrictions placed on foreigners, serious risk of arrest and detention, and an uncertain security situation that could change with very little warning. The security situation on the Korean Peninsula remains volatile – technically North Korea and South Korea are still at war.”
• Russian Federation – “Do not travel to Russia due to the impacts the armed conflict with Ukraine has had on commercial flight availability and access to financial services.”
• Somalia, including Somaliland – “Terrorist attacks could occur without warning at anytime, anywhere in Somalia and often involve car bombs, multiple explosions and heavily armed gunmen.”
• South Sudan – “The government has limited capacity to deter crime and maintain law and order throughout South Sudan. Banditry and lawlessness is an issue in rural areas. Humanitarian workers have been the targets of killings and violence in the past.”
• Sudan – “New Zealanders in Sudan should ensure they have appropriate security measures in place including a contingency plan for departure due to the deteriorating security situation.”
• Syria – “There is a significant risk of terrorism, violence and kidnapping throughout Syria. A number of foreign nationals have been targeted and some have been murdered.”
• Ukraine – “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is ongoing, with heavy fighting on the frontlines in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine and missile and drone strikes possible across the country.”
• Venezuela – “There is a very high level of violent crime throughout Venezuela, including in national parks and tourist areas.”
• Yemen – “The security environment in Yemen is highly unstable and the political situation remains volatile. There is ongoing conflict throughout the country between government forces, Houthi rebels and other groups, with a high risk of gunfire and indiscriminate shelling.”

Ive been to Israel, Iran and Ukraine. I’d like to go back to all three countries in the future.

Others on the list which I would like to visit one day are:

• Iraq (visit Babylon)
• Lebanon (Tripoli and castles)
• Myanmar (Shwedagon Pagoda)
• Russia (Moscow, St Petersberg, Trans-Siberian Express)
• Syria (Tartous and Krak des Chevaliers)
• Venezuela (Canaima National Park)

Most likely is Myanmar and Russia when the current hostilities die down. Syria may become safe in a couple of years if the new Government doesn’t turn repressive. I can’t see Lebanon or Venezuela being safe anytime soon.

Iraq is unlikely, but I do have a good friend from Iraq, so might do it if she was my travel guide!

Despite trying hard with a new company, of very good people, and four quality applications (with property owners willing to lease remarkable properties) … the Charter School show is over for us unless there is MASSIVE change in personnel and approach. It is, in principle, a very good policy.

Work in 2025

The NZ system is truly a mess by any standard and I/we will look for a range of ways to be a part of improving things for NZ young people in an ongoing way.

– We are working hard towards three high quality private school options – two in central Auckland and one north of Auckland.

– We will continue to advocate to Minister Stanford – who is actually trying hard – for a Designated Character School near an Auckland transport hub for neuro-diverse learners. Seymour has told us not to bother – but we will try never-the-less.

– I am working with a very good team to continue to develop education opportunities for schools visiting Waitangi and the Bay of Islands.

– I have three exciting and major research projects to under-take throughout the year – the main one being an in-depth dig into why some groups are not attending school (or even enrolled) and what the genuine solutions are that need to be applied.

– I will again do the full data process for LEAVERS data for every high school in NZ. The raw data for that becomes available in August. The NCEA/UE results that come out soon are by year group and does not take into account many students in schools who leave at other stages.

– I am writing curriculum for a number of schools and assisting up to 40 high schools with goal setting (based on LEAVERS data) to improve their results over a 5 year period.

– I am working, with a range of good people, to bring David Eagleman (https://eagleman.com/) to NZ in August to speak on the development of the brain of young children.

– I am open to any families who need help/advice for the education of their children.

And a few other things.

Really excited and always looking for people to collaborate with.

Also: – My Substack (alwynpoole.substack.com) will change and be fully dedicated to best practice in learning/education for families, schools and systems. I will write three times a week and very happy to research topics for people and answer questions. If you have children, grand-children or a general interest education … please subscribe!

All the best to you for 2025.

Alwyn Poole
alwyn.poole@gmail.com
Innovative Education Consultants Ltd
Education 710+ Ltd
alwynpoole.substack.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alwyn-poole-16b02151/

NewstalkZB reports:

The second-most powerful police officer in the country has been suspended from duty amid a criminal investigation, his lawyer says. 

The Herald revealed last month that Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming is being investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, and the New Zealand Police. 

The nature of the allegations against McSkimming cannot be reported. 

He has since been suspended from his position as Deputy Commissioner, his lawyer confirmed. 

It is believed to be the first time a Deputy Commissioner has been suspended. …

In 2023, McSkimming was promoted to deputy commissioner on the recommendation of Chris Hipkins, who was Prime Minister at the time, following a Public Service Commission selection process. 

There will be two aspects to this investigation. The first is whether McSkmiing has done anything which is a breach of criminal law. The second is whether he has done anything incompatible with remaining Deputy Police Commissioner. One has a higher threshold than the other.

Jane Norton writes:

The first reason has been explicitly given by the Charities Services. A charity’s funds should only be used to advance a charity’s purposes. Supporting a political party or candidate is not consistent with a charitable purpose. This is because not all purposes of political parties are charitable. They have a range of policies that go far beyond those that can be linked to recognised charitable purposes such as health or education. 

In Waipareira’s case, it also led to a private (not public or charitable) benefit to its chief executive. Let’s not forget also that most of Waipareira’s funding comes from contracts with government to provide social services. This, combined with the tax benefits that come with being a registered charity, means that it is effectively funded by the state and taxpayer. Donations to a political party result in money intended for non-partisan charitable purposes aimed at benefiting the public being redirected to further the interests of a partisan non-charitable organisation.

The second reason charities must not support political parties is that it compromises their independence. A hallmark of charity is that it is independent of government. This independence is crucial to any democracy because it enables charities to hold government to account and provide diverse (and dissenting) viewpoints. A charity that becomes intertwined with a political party blurs the boundary between government and the charity sector which means it loses its distinct and important role.

I’ve bolded the key aspects. An interesting comment on the article by Peter Davis:

This action is long overdue. The truth is that various government entities – including the Serious Fraud Office, Department of Internal Affairs – have had serious reservations about the operating model at Waipareira but have always held back, presumably because of the political connections of the agency, its ostensible purpose in assisting Maori and other disadvantaged groups, and the bold and aggressive manner of its leadership. It is a real worry that it has taken the concerted efforts of one journalist at the NZ Herald to get us to a position that has been in the offing for almost two decades.

Agreed that it shouldn’t have taken 20 years for action.

On my Patreon (paywalled) I have exclusive poll results on if NZers support lifting the NZ Super age to 67.

Sir Ian Taylor writes:

Matua Shane Jones and I often agree to disagree on various issues, but one thing we do share is a willingness to kōrero about our differences.

Because I don’t speak Te Reo Māori, our discussions are always in English.

This came to mind when I read how angered Matua Shane was over the decision at Dame Tariana Turia’s tangi to bar non-Te Reo speakers from paying their respects. Dame Tariana tirelessly served all her people, with or without Te Reo, and on this matter, the minister and I are in complete agreement. …

At her tangi, a single language created division instead of fostering unity.

At the very least, that opportunity should have been extended to the three prime ministers who came to honour Dame Tariana on behalf of the nation.

Matua Shane captured the essence of this when he said, “So what if they had spoken English — expressions of aroha and sadness are universal.”

It was very sad that the hosts of the tangi prevented three Prime Ministers from paying their respects to Dame Tariana. I hope it doesn’t happen in future with similar occassions.

Some stats from Chris Bishop show Kāinga Ora is moving in the right direction:

• Time to respond to complaints about disruptive behaviour down from 60 days to 13 days, a 78% reduction
• Section 55A notices of unacceptable behaviour up from 41 to 553, a 1200% increase
• Number of open cases down 60% from 500 to 200
• Number of tenancies terminated for unacceptable behaviour up from 4 to 23, a 475% increase

Neighbours of abusive tenants (who are a minority) are no longer being ignored.

The Daily Mail reports:

A Los Angeles fire chief has blasted the city’s mayor Karen Bass for ‘failing’ fire crews and communities devastated by the ongoing wildfires. 

Fire Chief Kirstin Crowley took aim at the city’s leadership during an interview with KTTV on Friday, admitting it had failed those affected by the fires and prevented the LA Fire Department from effectively doing its job.

‘We are screaming to be properly funded to make sure that our firefighters can do their jobs so that we can serve the community,’ Crowley said, adding that there were ‘huge gaps’ in firefighters’ ability to tackle the blazes on the ground.   …

Mayor Bass has also been cricitised for flying out to attend a presidential inauguration in Ghana even though meteorologists had warned a ‘recipe for fire’ was on track to strike LA. 

In 2023 Bass has a +23% approval rating.

In 2024 it had dropped to +10%

It is safe to predict it will be underwater in 2025.

Radio NZ reports:

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate, who was first elected in 2019, has announced she won’t be running for re-election later this year.

In a post on Facebook, Southgate said it was time for change and that she wanted to reprioritise her time.

“It is now time to make way for younger, emerging leaders and to spend more time with my friends and family.

“I will not be standing for re-election later this year.”

Mayors don’t last long in Hamilton. Since 1998 there have been seven Mayors. Five did only one terms, and two did two terms.

With a 19.9% rates increase, I suspect the public will be looking for leadership that is more fiscally restrained!

Stuff reports:

President Nicolás Maduro extended his increasingly repressive rule over Venezuela until 2031 when he was sworn in Friday (local time), despite credible evidence that his opponent won the latest election and following protests against his plan to serve a third six-year term.

It was a stolen election. This is no surprise. It did get me thinking though. We hear a lot about the dangers of positions on the far right, and very little about those on the far left. So how often does a leader on the right turn elections into a farce that keeps them in office, compared to leaders on the left?

So here is an exercise for readers. Post in comments any leaders of countries since say 1990 who were democratically elected to office, but effectively become an authoritarian leader who held onto power through rigged elections.

I don’t mean leaders who become dictators through coups and the like. I mean ones that got elected to office, but then effectively used that office to keep their party in power perpetually.

Nicaragua and Venezuela are two that come to mind. Putin in Russia. Belarus.

Steven Joyce writes:

I first met Nikki Kaye more than 20 years ago. She was a young researcher in the National Party Leader’s Office, and I had just been appointed to chair the investigation into what was then (and remains) the National Party’s worst-ever election result. The deputy leader at the time, Roger Sowry, directed me to the Backbencher pub to meet some of the key staffers from the campaign.

He sat me between two passionate young women, one of whom was Nikki. The two of them, and mostly Nikki, proceeded to give me chapter and verse of what went wrong, without pausing for breath, for the next two or three hours. It was by turn invigorating, relentless, and ultimately exhausting, and I’ve never forgotten it. It was my first real introduction to party politics.

Nikki never changed. She entered Parliament in 2008 at the same time as me. She was a truly lovely person, but man, once she formed a view on something, she never gave up. She was a relentless advocate for what she thought was right. Only her humour and self-deprecation leavened the ceaseless lobbying, and that was definitely for the better.

There was no such thing as a short conversation with Nikki!

Another who gave much of her life to politics was Tariana Turia. I didn’t know Tariana as well as I knew Nikki, but she was a calm, patient, and determined presence in the Parliament and in Government. I enjoyed her dignity and her sometimes mischievous sense of humour.

Tariana sold Whanau Ora to John Key and to Bill English first, and then painstakingly pitched it and repitched it to the rest of her colleagues, many of whom either didn’t understand what she wanted to achieve or didn’t want to. It was when Bill pointed out that monolithic government departments didn’t know it all, and that contracting out social services to Māori (and other) providers was exactly what National stood for, that the penny dropped and Tariana won the day.

I tell these little vignettes about two very different politicians because they had at least two things in common. They were both passionate believers in making a positive difference in our country, and they knew who they were elected to represent, in what is, after all, a house of representatives.

Determined advocacy can work in persuading others.

The Herald reports:

She said the current system was problematic in that many entitlements were claimed by wealthy people and paid for by hiking taxes on workers of all income levels.

“There are a lot of entitlements and support that have crept into the middle and upper class, and I would prefer to have a system where we don’t keep hiking tax rates in order to give people’s money back to them in the form of different entitlements,” Willis said.

She noted that her own family would have been eligible for thousands of dollars of Best Start payments, a $73 a week payment to all parents with children under 1 (the payment is means tested for families of children aged 1 to 3), which was introduced by Labour in 2018 (Willis’ children were born prior to the payment coming into force).

“Is that really necessary when there’s a two-income household?” Willis said.

She said some entitlements were “mission critical”.

These included “having a social safety net with welfare support available for people in times of unemployment, for people who are disabled, that is really, really important in our community”.

However, she said “continuing to add to the layer cake and entitlements at the expense of creating very high tax rates is not the path I want us going down”.

I’m in favour of almost all welfare payments being targeted at low to middle income households, rather than being universal. This includes NZ Super, winter energy payments, early childhood subsidies and the like. The only time a payment should be universal is when the cost of targeting it would be too high a proportion of the revenue saved.

I am a big fan of immigration, in a controlled way such as we have in NZ. But immigration into a country is a privilege not a right. Generally speaking you should expect immigrants to be more law abiding than the population as a whole, or at least no less law abiding. Otherwise you’re doing something wrong.

In NZ this is the case. The overall crime rate for immigrants from Asia and India is significantly lower than the NZ population as a whole.

What is staggering with this UK data isn;t just the relative differences, but the absolute rate. It seems 1 in 5 Albanians in the UK have been arrested!

In late August 2024, the Minister of Health, Dr Shane Reti, issued updated guidance to the Health Research Council (“HRC”) after years of scandalous funding was revealed.  Dr Reti wanted it to fund cures, not Kaupapa, and definitely not spiritual curses.  Especially given $126 million is spent in annual “health” research and the government’s books are not in a great way. 

Dr Reti wanted the HRC to:

“have an increased focus on Government priorities and improved health for New Zealanders when being considered for funding.”

Dr Reti then expected:

“…a sharper focus on real-world projects leading to improved health and/or health system outcomes, such as improving timely access to quality healthcare for New Zealanders.

With the first funding for 2025 announced, did the Health Research Council heed Dr Reti’s memo or did they chuck it into recycling and continue as if Grant Robertson and Dr Verrall were in charge?  Sadly for Dr Reti the answer seems the latter with the first 78 grants for 2025 out. 

Here are some “low lights”:

• $481,400 to research if a “…significant gap exists in Aotearoa’s equitable assessment of food security, as current strategies are influenced by colonial, capitalist ideologies that focus narrowly on financial access to food.”  Can someone please tell me how “colonial capitalist ideologies” on food reflects a single priority of the Government’?

• $411,819 to provide practical knowledge about the roles that Māori men had and can have during child birth “by gathering experiences and stories from tāne Māori, speaking to experts in hapūtanga and the roles of tāne and working in collaborative ways with multiple stakeholders, the project team will identify actions and work to implement change.”  While common sense how will this lead to “real-world projects leading to improved health and/or health system outcomes”?  It is surely the domain of Social Development and Te Puni Kōkiri and not ‘health research? 

• $265,000 to develop a culturally appropriate marae-based psychedelic-assisted therapy for Methamphetamine use disorder, delivered by Māori using a Māori rongoā treatment model. The Health Research Council continues to fund psuedo-science faith healers and naturopathy under the politically correct “rongoa” label.  A quarter of a million for faith healers dispensing magic mushrooms to treat meth.  What could possibly go wrong?

• $407,980 for a “culturally appropriate model that rangatahi can use to describe their hauora, that also accommodates different ages, cognitive and learning abilities, will improve health outcomes.”  This project reflects deep concern the HRC is funding projects that go over the same ground as previous studies have.  An inexhaustive search revealed 16 previous projects worth $6.8 million related to rangatahi and is not cognitive and learning abilities related more to education? 

• $101,050 for reconceptualising musculoskeletal care from a Māori worldview.  At first this sounds legitimate until you read the lay summary: “The health system of Aotearoa, New Zealand is not meeting the needs of Māori. The injury and rehabilitation realm of health is no exception. It is a responsibility enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and national legislation such as the Pae ora (Healthy futures) Act 2022 to provide equitable, culturally appropriate and responsive health services…. to explore how best indigenous practices such as rokoā, and a western practice such as physiotherapy, can better support injury prevention, care and rehabilitation..” A shorter summary is six figures decolonising physio using Māori pseudo science (rokoā).  Fantastic and just what Dr Reti did not want to see.

The Health Research Council continues to fund on the basis of race with roughly half going for Māori /Pasifika and the balance on ‘medical research’ that you and I naively think ought to be its priority.  As many of the grants go over the same ground as previous ones, the HRC is using our money to reinvent the wheel delivered by academics that is not the real world.   

The way forward for Dr Reti and for Nicola Willis is clear.  That is to follow what Judith Collins is doing with the Marsden Fund. If those handing out tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers money can;’t be trusted to reflect government priorities, then you just have to remove their discretion – or abolish them.

I want taxpayer money for health research to go on treatments for cancer, not fighting “colonial capitalist ideologies” on food.