The full list is here. The titular honours are:

DNZM

To be Dames Companion of the said Order:

Ms Theresa Elizabeth Gattung, CNZM, of Auckland. For services to women, governance and philanthropy.

Mrs Joan Withers, of Auckland. For services to business, governance and women.

KNZM

To be Knights Companion of the said Order:

Mr Peter Joseph Beck, of Auckland. For services to the aerospace industry, business and education.

Professor Peter John Hunter, MNZM, of Auckland. For services to medical science.

CNN reports:

Harvard University announced Tuesday it will no longer weigh in on public matters that don’t impact the Ivy League school’s core function, a shift that follows a historic period of turmoil at the storied university.

A major change, and a good one.

“The university and its leaders should not, however, issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function,” the working group said in its report.

The report went on to warn that the “integrity and credibility of the institution are compromised when the university speaks officially on matters outside its institutional area of expertise.”

NZ universities take note.

The Herald reports:

Labour’s sports and recreation spokesman Peeni Henare is calling on the Government to show leadership over the New Zealand Rugby (NZR) civil war.

Eight months on from the Pilkington Review’s damning report, rugby’s warring factions appear no closer to reaching a unified solution on the best way to tackle the game’s many pressing and vexed problems. …

“If there was a role for the Government to perhaps play as an arbitrator or as a medium between the two factions – but more importantly where if the Government provides direction for the future of the way it looks towards sport and recreation that might go some way to making sure [how] rugby and other sports see themselves in our future.”

The Government should do absolutely nothing. It is not the job of taxpayers to try and direct or negotiate in a disagreement between provincial rugby unions and the NZ rugby union.

Robert Macculloch writes:

The latest 2024 edition of QS World University Rankings features 1,500 institutions across 104 locations, and ranks Otago in 206th place (https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings) Yet Otago University explicitly claims that these QS rankings put it in “the top 1% of universities in the world”. They certainly do not. When will Otago withdraw its false advertising claim?

The top 1% of QS rankings would be in places 1 to 15.

I suspect what Otago is doing is comparing universities who get a QS ranking with all the so called universities in the world, to back their claim up. But it is misleading at best as they are including basically any institution anywhere that calls itself a university, or a tertiary institute.

There are almost 9,000 universities in Indonesia and India. So I’m guess Otago is boasting they are better than 99% of Indonesian universities that few have ever heard of.

A number of websites refer to there being 23,000 universities in the world, but when you look at details they list 55 universities in NZ, so they are obviously including technical institutes.

There are three main global ranking organisations. None of them rank more than 2,000 institutions.

So the Otago University claim is very dubious and misleading.

Simon O’Connor writes:

When I think of the various protest, or activist, movements of late one deeply troubling observation is becoming abundantly clear – there are those in New Zealand who genuinely believe that violence is acceptable when it comes to their cause.  The classic, ‘the end justifies the means’.

This is the belief of zealots, fundamentalists, and of course, terrorists.  Such people and groups are so morally certain of their position that they consequently feel enabled to act against all and any who oppose them.  Those who disagree with them are so wrong, so in error, that removing them by force is appropriate.  Naturally, this is a mindset at odds with a properly functioning democracy. …

More locally in the Pacific, we see the same justifications arising with the violence now occurring in New Caledonia.  Activists here in New Zealand are saying that the violence, looting, and intimidation are ok because it is rebellion against a colonial power.  Put aside the complete inaccuracy of such statements, because the situation again simply illustrates that there are New Zealanders who think violence is ok.

Right here at home, last year, we had the violent protests in Albert Park.  A few days back I met one of the women assaulted, Judith.  She was punched multiple times and yet there are still those here that believe the violent suppression of speech was acceptable.  Her and others view was supposedly so wrong, that violence was seen as the right response by those protesting.  Mainstream media too sadly played it’s part in all of this, encouraging the protest and consequently diminishing what occurred.  Implicitly, some commentators reinforced that violence was an acceptable response to this group of women seeking to meet and talk.

Ultimately, we all hold strong views on various matters.  But for most of us, our convictions on such matters manifest in robust discussion, debate, or the pursuit of legislative change.  We do not, and never will, turn to violence.

Violence can only be justified if the Government is non-democratic and repressive.

Andrea Vance reports:

A Te Pāti Māori MP and the marae she once ran are at the centre of claims that private information collected during the census was used for political campaigning.

Stats NZ, the Government’s official data agency, is now investigating after a whistleblower from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) came forward with a series of allegations relating to Manurewa Marae.

The whistleblower also laid a complaint with police last week.

Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp stood down as the marae’s chief executive last year after narrowly beating incumbent Labour MP Peeni Henare by only 42 votes in the election’s Tāmaki Makaurau race.

The probe comes as a number of former marae workers have alleged that:

• Hundreds of census forms collected by marae staff were photocopied and retained; and data from the forms such as personal contact details, household occupancy and birth dates was entered into an online database and sent to the Waipareira Trust. Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere runs the social services charity and is chief executive of Whānau Ora, and denies this.
• They believe that information was then used to target Māori electorate voters in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate.
• They also allege that Marae staff who delivered census forms also included enrolment forms for voters to change from the general to the Māori roll.

Further allegations are that:

• Participants were given $100 supermarket vouchers, wellness packs or food parcels to induce them to complete the forms.
• Visitors to the marae last year were also given $100 supermarket vouchers when they completed the forms to switch rolls.
• Attempts were made to alert Stats NZ and MSD, but neither agency acted.

Tamihere strenuously denied that census information was collected and misused. He said the allegations were driven by complainants with a gripe.

They are just allegations, but they are incredibly serious. They appear to involved Stats NZ, MSD and the Electoral Commission. Rather than each investigate their silo, maybe there should be an official inquiry by a QC into them?

Haimona Gray writes:

Too Maori for some, not Maori enough for others. I knew that old blind before I could read.

I was raised with eyes forced wide open. Like the protagonist, Alex, in A Clockwork Orange. Eyes unable to look away from the horrors of the world.

My parents met while working at an international aid organisation that no longer exists because, according to academic research which analysed changing public sentiment towards it, it became dominated by a self serving Maori elite whanau who sought to move it away from providing aid to war torn countries and towards a type of culture war we’re seeing re-emerge. 

I was also told, at a very young age, an anecdote about a former colleague of my parents, the daughter of Titewhai Harawira who was also a colleague and who shared this sentiment as well, just not so graphically. 

She explained to my mother that my being of mixed race was a stain on my mother’s Maoridom, and that I should be aborted – violently, down a flight of stairs, if required. 

During that same year, 1988, two of Titewhai Harawira’s children were convicted of assault. This wasn’t an entirely idle threat.

When, years later and as an MP, Hone Harawira said he wouldn’t want his children to have pakeha partners, I believed him. That is how he was raised, and how he was raising.

I shouldn’t be glad anyone is dead, it is not a decent way to think about another human being and goes against my values. 

But I’m glad Titewhai Harawira is dead. I don’t feel good about this, I hope to get over this one day, but I am. 

To her ilk I am a mistake, a blemish on our entire race. Not because of any crap about not being raised in Te Ao Maori, it’s never been about that, but because I am pakeha at all. 

I was born with an original sin, one I will never be absolved of. …

My hate for these people fuels me. The knowledge that there are people out there who hate you for just ‘being’ brings out powerful feelings of spite. 

This is why I see the appeal of hate, but it is not conducive to being a happy person or creating a healthy society. Hate is toxic. 

Sadly, when it comes to this important debate around how Maori children being abused should be handled, hate and personal animosity are overpowering adults from acting in these children’s best interests.  

We’re seeing and hearing nasty divisive things when we should be trying to find practical solutions. 

It is bitterly ironic that the disappointing people leading the former Maori Party are the ones most championing racial division. 

This is a party Dame Tariana Turia founded to fight against the divisive anti-Maori rhetoric she was seeing at the time. It is a denigration of her legacy that the current co-leaders are now using this party to cut people out of Maoridom. 

To divide us, not unite us. 

When people say children deserve to understand their whakapapa and the beauty of their Maoridom, I see it. Up to a point. 

When people say children deserve safety above all else, that good intentioned and harmless upbringing, I see that too. None of this should be an either/or proposition, and yet it is being framed as such. 

The way Karen Chhour has been treated disgusts me, but it doesn’t surprise me. I can relate to what she’s going through, and what she’s likely gone through her whole life. 

It’s a pity that this story is only on Substack, not covered by legacy media.

An excellent presentation made to an e-cigarette summit in Washington DC. The comparison between Australia and NZ is especially interesting.

So smoking rates were similar up until 2018 in NZ and Australia, but we have dropped much lower. Why?

The NZ Government position is that vaping is less harmful than smoking, while the Australian Government sees it as a major threat and requires people to have a prescription to vape, which has resulted in the black market forming 92% of the vaping market.

The advertising campaigns are diametrically different.

And it is people who are most deprived who continue to have much worse smoking rates in Australia.

Now you might wonder who the author of this presentation is. Is he a shrill for Big Tobacco? A front person for Vaping?

No, he is the Director of ASH (NZ).

The NY Post reports:

Bone-chilling new footage shows a Hamas terrorist and his teenage son casually telling Israeli interrogators how they took turns raping a woman, then executed her during the Oct. 7 terror rampage. …

Jamal described finding a woman who was “screaming” and “crying” in a house at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community near the Israel-Gaza border,

“I did what I did, I raped her,” he said nonchalantly.

“I threatened her with my gun to take her clothes off, I remember she was wearing jean shorts, that’s about it,” he added.

Jamal claimed that he did not know what happened to the woman after the rape, but his teen son told the interrogator that his father killed the desperate victim.

“My father raped her, then I did and then my cousin did and then we left but my father killed the woman after we finished raping her,” Abdallah said in his own interview tape.

Watch the video, as they describe it so cooly.

A guest post from a reader:

I’m a naturalized citizen in NZ. Meaning my kids are aware of and somewhat interested in their American heritage as well as their NZ history. So my daughter’s school was having a Diversity Day where students from different backgrounds were encouraged to show off parts of their culture. Parents were invited to see the event and explore what diverse cultures were at the school. My daughter decided that since most Kiwis are exposed to a huge amount of American culture on a routine basis she would team up with her friend from an Asian country to showcase her culture instead. They worked on a couple of ways to do this, demonstrating the writing and language as well as showing off clothing and some food. They worked hard on this over a few days.

So Diversity Day comes and the students who were doing projects such as my daughter were invited to set up stands in a couple of classrooms almost an hour and a half before the parents were supposed to be there. There were lots of cultures, Turkish, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, South African, Indian, Vietnamese, Maori, French and Russian. Then students from about half the classes in school were invited to tour around and explore the stalls and see what was there. 30 minutes later it was all done, students to clean up and go to workshops. No parents to see what had been worked on and what amazing things the children had done. 

What did happen was the students were sent off to study diverse arts and crafts in workshops set up by the school and helpers. The workshops covered such a wide range of topics as various Maori arts and crafts, Kapa haka, Maori singing, Maori language, Maori cooking, Maori myths and history and then there was an Aboriginal face painting class. At the end of this time the students were ushered into the hall for the public celebration of Diversity by the school. This was a showcase of the range of diverse cultures made up of the school Kapa haka group, The Maori dance troup, the Kapa haka groups from 2 other schools and a Pasifika performing arts group performance. 

My daughter came home in tears. She said she worked so hard on everything and it was all shoved aside to make room for more time for the same kapa haka groups that perform at every school function, every event and that get special showcases at the school once a term. Multiple students were upset over the fact that they didn’t get to show their parents how their stations looked and to show off to other parents as well. My daughter said she never wants to bother working on anything culture related at school again as this is a similar occurence to how the primary school dealt with the diversity situation.

As far as I’m concerned the school is working to alienate students and tell people from other cultures that they don’t matter, don’t count and that they will not be given the time to express themselves or showcase their varying culture or history within the NZ system. That as far as education is concerned there are 2 cultures: Maori, then everything else. While I want to emphasize the importance of promoting Maori culture as it is a uniquely NZ culture and worthy of preservation I find it hard to support the method of doing that by squashing and essentially insulting every other culture that has arrived here. I have faced similar culture disparities in various training classes and instructional environments but am able to deal with them in my own way as I was an adult before I moved here so will always have an element of ‘outsider’ to my thinking. To have that feeling put in to my daughter’s mind while she has lived her entire life here enrages me to a point I don’t want to think about. It reinforces the attitudes that I faced when I was told that it was acceptable for Maori students to not call me by my first name as English wasn’t their first language (spoiler: it was their first language) but that it was racist and I could be given written warnings if I got their names wrong despite attempting to learn Maori as my 4th language.

To all those who think any kind of monoculture can mean Diversity:

“You keep using that word, I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

The Herald reports:

A woman was dragged naked from her Raglan home before her partner poured a jug of boiling hot water over her, leaving with her burns to 12 per cent of her body and some of her skin peeling off.

But the victim’s pain didn’t end there, as her surgical treatment involved the burned area being debrided – in which the skin was removed and dressed – as she recovered in Waikato Hospital.

The man responsible, Simon Terence Hamiora Kereopa, was today jailed for the incident, his ninth conviction against the victim during their 20-year-plus relationship.

Nine convictions for domestic violence is hideous. He will kill eventually. He should be on his third strike and getting the maximum sentence without parole.

He also noted Kereopa’s 17 family violence convictions, eight of which were against the current victim.

17!

On a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to injure, Kereopa was jailed for three years and one month.

Under a good three strikes law he would be getting ten years without parole. That would keep him from further victimising.

Labour MP Ginny Andersen writes:

We have a major problem in New Zealand with family violence. Far too many cases, too many lives destroyed and for far too long.

Like a lot of things with this coalition Government, it is going to take us backwards on the prevention of family violence. You would think that for a Government that campaigned so hard on reducing crime would have more interest in measuring family violence as one of the main causes of crime in New Zealand.

Let’s see what data we have on how family violence went under the last Government.

Police data shows 36,697 family violence crimes in 2018 and 53,302 in 2020. That’s an almost 50% increase. Great job.

The latest Police annual report also has a 49% increase in family violence investigations since 2017. The reoffending rate for family violence has gone up from 62% to 67%.

Please carry on lecturing us.

Stats NZ reports:

all territorial authorities (cities and districts) saw growth in their population, except Wellington city and the Chatham Islands territory

Wow that is almost unprecedented. Large cities almost always grow in population. To have no growth (in fact a small decline) over five years suggests things are very wrong.

Here’s the five year growth rates for other capital cities.

• Canberra +5.6%
• Ottawa +5.4%
• London +6.2%
• DC +0.3%
• Dublin +5.7%
• Wellington -0.0%

Might help if rates were not rising at 15% per annum!

The Herald reports:

The Reserve Bank (RBNZ) is upping the ante, trying to quash the narrative its approach towards regulating banks is hampering competition.

The Herald understands RBNZ governor Adrian Orr wrote to the bosses of the bigfour Australian-owned banks late last week, using rather colourful language to defend the amount of capital the regulator requires banks to hold.

Orr is believed to have sent the chairs and chief executives of ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac letters replicating the letter to the editor he sent the Herald in response to an opinion piece written by Roger Partridge, the chair of the partially bank-funded think tank, The New Zealand Initiative.

“The author lays blame for the lack of competition in the New Zealand banking sector at the feet of the Reserve Bank’s capital requirements and credit risk weights for retail banks,” Orr said.

“This is tired, misleading, and needs to be called out.

“I am unsure what to be most concerned about: that the retail banks who are members of the NZ Initiative believe this? Or, they don’t, but are still willing to sponsor this?”

This type of bullying behaviour is incompatible with the role of Reserve Bank Governor.

Having the NZ Initiative and the Reserve Bank Governor disagree on an area of banking regulation is not particularly noteworthy or unusual.

Having the Governor write to banks and say he is concerned that they are members of the NZ Initiative is an attempt to bully them into withdrawing their memberships. It is a classic bullying attempt to shut down dissent.

What makes this worse is that the Reserve Bank Governor has enormous powers over banks. He registers them, can impose conditions on their registration, approve ownership changes, investigate a bank, give directions to a bank, impose policies on capital and lending etc. So to have someone with such enormous power over banks, to write to them and effectively warn them against membership of a think tank that disagrees with the Reserve Bank is extremely problematic.

The Reserve Bank Board should be acting to make clear this is unacceptable. And if they don’t, then maybe some new Directors are needed.

A guest post/analysis from the Taxpayers’ Union:

Income Tax:

The government intends to reduce income taxes by adjusting tax brackets upwards slightly. This is how the changes would look: 

These changes would see the average earner on $66,196 paying around $15.30 less tax each week. This is topped up by an additional $10 a week with the Independent Earner Tax Credit being extended to anyone earning less than $70,000.

The income tax changes only return taxes to 2021 levels. 

There has been no commitment to regularly adjust tax brackets for inflation meaning ongoing stealth tax hikes will continue that see workers paying an increasingly high proportion of their income in tax. 

Key New Spending Initiatives: 

• $1.8 billion more for Pharmac to fund drugs
• $14.9 billion more for hospitals and health providers
• $2.7 billion more for schools
• $270 million more for tertiary education providers
• $190 million more for early childhood education
• $570 million more for the NZ Defence Force 
• Continuing $2.6 billion of climate change initiatives previously funded from Emissions Trading Scheme revenue.
• $1.1 billion in additional disability funding
• $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund
• $650 more for the police
• $181 million more for film and TV subsidies, along with a continuation of the gaming subsidy

New Revenue Initiatives 

• Removing the ability for the ability to deduct depreciation as an expense on commercial buildings – $580 million per year
• Taxing online casino operators – $50 million per year
• Increasing immigration levies – $130 million per year
• Digital Services Tax – $320 million over three years from 2025

Key Fiscal Indicators:

• Core Crown Expenses are expected to be $138.3 billion for the year from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. This is up significantly from $127.5 billion the year prior. Core Crown Expenses are expected to continually rise to $156.3 billion 2028 but will shrink as a proportion of GDP after this year as economic growth boosts the economy as a whole. 
• Net Core Crown Debt is still on the up with no sign if it dropping in the forecast period. By June this year, it will be $178 billion and by 2028 it will reach $209 billion. 
• The Government isn’t projecting a surplus until 2028 where it is projected to be just under $1.5 billion. For the next two years, the government deficit will be larger than under Grant Robertson’s final three years as Finance Minister. 

Analysis:

Any hopes of unwinding the eye-watering growth in spending under the rein of Grant Robertson are long gone. Nicola Willis’s Budget today is promising to spend more both in real terms and as a proportion of the GDP. 

The Government has included in its tax relief the Independent Earner Tax Credit in its tax calculator to pump up the amount those earning under $70,000 will earn, without the financial cost of reducing taxes for those on higher marginal tax rates. 

Nicola Willis was careful to emphasise the fact that David Seymour played a significant role in identifying savings. This is likely an attempt to placate the ACT leader who no doubt would have wanted the Government to go further and faster in cutting spending. 

New Zealand First’s $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund will be a big win for their base. Framing the fund as one focused infrastructure investment appears to be attempt to differentiate it from the Provincial Growth Fund when the party was last in Government which saw widespread criticism as being a ‘slush fund’.

The continuation of corporate welfare in the film and gaming sectors will be a bitter pill to swallow for ACT who have campaigned against handouts to special interest groups. The funding is time limited until June 2026 to, presumably to keep the door open to scrapping it at a future budget. 

The increased investment in a number of areas like Pharmac, health and education will largely go down well, but for some targeted criticism where the increases in certain areas is less than had been forecast, even if not funded, by Labour.

Overall, there won’t be too many who are happy with today’s Budget. Those on the left will criticise the Government for the scale of the cuts while those on the right will condemn the projected increases in spending and debt for not going far enough. 

DPF: Just adding my 2c on, I think when both sides are unhappy, that shows the balance is not bad. Willis has delivered the first tax cuts in 14 years, and the first significant backroom spending cuts in many years, which are both significant achievements. Unfortunately the inherited structural deficit and recession means that the tax take is well down, and the deficit and debt tracks are higher than desired. This means that fiscal restraint can’t just be for this budget, but ongoing.

A jury of 12 has unanimously found Donald Trump guilty.

They have returned guilty verdicts on all 34 counts.

Liam Hehir provides an excellent factual take of what Labour claims is a tax cut for landlords. Read the whole thing. Some extracts:

What’s this “tax cut for landlords” business that I keep hearing about?

The coalition government promised to restore interest deductibility for residential property investors. This allows them to deduct mortgage interest expenses from their taxable rental income This is in line with general taxation principles for most businesses. 

Will all landlords benefit from the move?

No. The extent to which landlords benefit depends on their individual financial situations, such as the size of their mortgage and the interest rates they pay. Those with mortgages will be able to deduct their interest costs when working out their taxable income. Landlords without mortgages (for example, Christopher Luxon) will see no benefit from this policy change.

Does this mean landlords are getting a tax cut?

No, landlords are not receiving a tax cut. Restoring interest deductibility allows landlords to deduct mortgage interest expenses from their taxable rental income, aligning with standard business practices. This deduction acknowledges that interest is a legitimate business expense, ensuring landlords are taxed on their true net income.

But they’ll be paying less tax won’t they?

Yes, many landlords will pay less tax as a result of restoring interest deductibility, but this does not equate to a tax cut in the traditional sense. It is instead recognition of the cost of financing business operations, ensuring taxes are assessed on true economic income. That is why it is a standard feature in most tax systems.

Isn’t that just a semantic quibble?

It may seem that way, especially to those unfamiliar with tax details. However, the distinction is crucial. Calling it a “tax cut for landlords” has Trump-like, populist appeal but implies undue favouritism. In reality, landlords are currently subjected to unfair treatment, and the reform will simply restore equal tax treatment, aligning them with other businesses.

He also does a good analogy:

Okay, so how much will tax revenues be reduced as a result?

The restoration of full interest deductibility for landlords will reduce tax revenues by $2.9 billion over four years. This cost is $800 million higher than originally planned due to an accelerated implementation agreed upon by National and Act. 

Is that material in the scheme of things?

The $2.9 billion cost of restoring full interest deductibility for landlords over four years is significant but manageable in New Zealand’s overall fiscal context. It’s a fraction of the total budget. However, it is notable given the deficit and overall economic pressures, the government will need to balance this policy with its broader fiscal strategy to get debt under control.

Can you explain this in rugby terms?

The team is trailing by 27 points. Banning interest deductibility is like cheating to get a penalty kick. At best it closes the gap by 3 points, which is noticeable but not game-changing move. 

Allowing interest to be deducted means playing fairly according to accepted standards of conduct but missing out on the 3 points as a result. The team needs to find other ways to make up the difference.

What Labour did would be equivalent to National passing a law saying that organic farmers can’t claim staff costs off tax.

This table shows how much of a tax cut earners get at each income level. Those on $60,000 do best with an 8% reduction in the tax they pay. Those earning over $150,000 get only a 2% reduction, and those over $230,000 a 1% reduction.

The Taxpayers’ Union released:

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that taxpayers are forking out at least $871,484 each year for MBIE staff to do union work on taxpayer time.

The secretive arrangement – the creation of which MBIE did not have any correspondence with Ministers – includes two full-time roles paid at least $101,911 each and 125 other roles where employees are able to take between 8 and 64 hours a month off work for union activities.

Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“This is nothing short of a scandal where taxpayers are being forced to fund the operations, and growth, of one of the country’s most powerful lobby groups that regularly engages in overtly political campaigning.

“If the Government was found to be giving paid government positions to groups pushing for smaller government and less wasteful spending the unions and opposition parties would rightly be in uproar. Taxpayers should not be paying for the government to lobby itself.

“If a PSA union membership offers worthwhile benefits to its members, they should have no issue with funding their operations solely from membership dues – instead taxpayers are being forced to pick up the tab to fund the union’s dirty work.

This is outrageous. Taxpayers fund union staff through their taxes. This gives the union more money to fund the CTU and this gives the CTU more money to run campaigns against the Government.

It’s bad enough that MBIE has handed over more than $600,000 to the CTU directly to engage them on various projects, but now they are also paying for PSA staff to work for the PSA but be funded by taxpayers.

Chris Bishop released:

The coalition Government is investing in social housing for New Zealanders who are most in need of a warm dry home, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.

Budget 2024 will allocate $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places to be provided by Community Housing Providers (CHPs), not Kāinga Ora, thanks to savings found by ending the First Home Grant.

The First Home Grant subsidises buyers, and hence increased demand. This in turn will increase prices.

On the other hand, increasing the supply of houses will reduce pressure on house prices.

So a much better policy.