NZ Politics

Councils in cyclone-hit regions staring down a decade-long roading recovery say they simply cannot afford it.

Emphasis mine.

The duration of the remedial works is the problem more than the cost.

If it takes a decade to recover from an event that is likely to reoccurr more frequently then it's a losing game.

It's a shame that local and central government in NZ just can't/won't maintain infrastructure.

"I think it's very clear when you call 111 with a physical health crisis [currently] you get a health response. When you call 111 with a mental health crisis in New Zealand you get a criminal justice response.

"I think most people are saying it would be better if we had mental health professionals turning up to 111 calls when there is a mental health crisis response needed, and that's what I would support as the new mental health minister."

Where a person's life was at risk, police should be responding alongside mental health professionals, but a police presence would not be needed in every case, he said.

Doocey has requested that Health NZ, the police and the Ministry of Health look at a five-year rollout of a mental health co-response team programme.

If we do go with bilingual signs, I really hope we get a better design than what we currently have.

The Expressway signs of are a classic example, is Te Ara Puke the name of this expressway, or the name for an expressway? The sign doesn't provide that information.

The minimum wage will increase by 2 percent, from $22.70 to $23.15, from 1 April.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment recommended in its review that the wage be increased by 4 percent to $23.60, ...

ACT's campaign promises for a three-year freeze on the minimum wage, reversing new sick leave entitlements, and the scrapping of the 2 January public holiday did not make it into the party's coalition agreement with National.

National campaigned on a proposal to adjust the existing tax thresholds, but as part of coalition negotiations with ACT last year, it agreed to consider whether the "concepts" of ACT's tax policy could be incorporated "subject to no earner being worse off than they would be under National's plan".

In simple terms, ACT would immediately axe the lowest tax threshold of 10.5 percent, meaning the government would collect more revenue from all income earners.

Some of that extra revenue would then be returned to low-and-middle income earners through a targeted tax credit to ensure they were not worse off.

The money left over would allow the government to reduce the higher tax rates at the top of the income scale - dropping the 33 percent rate to 30, and the 39 percent rate to 33

I thought this was incredibly fucked up. Parliament seems like a pretty toxic workplace, but put constant threats in too of that and its not hard to see how it could affect a person.

Shaw said that Parliament was a stressful place for anybody.

"However, Golriz herself has been subject to pretty much continuous threats of sexual violence, physical violence, death threats since the day she was elected to Parliament and so that has added a higher level of stress than is experienced by most Members of Parliament.

"And that has meant, for example there have been police investigations into those threats almost the entire time that she has been a Member of Parliament, and so obviously if you're living with that level of threat in what is already quite a stressful situation then there are going to be consequences for that," Shaw said.

Problem solved.

Apparently two incidents, and $15k taken according to the Herald.

NZ herald has more details

I feel so sorry for James Shaw.

Does anyone know what the procedure is here if Golriz needs to step down permanently? Does she stay a member until the next election, does the next person on the list step up?

The government has announced it plans to urgently repeal legislation which would have required Inland Revenue to report on the tax system's equity, efficiency and certainty.

The party of choice is going to force people to have to drive to get around by ensuring there are no viable alternatives. Worst government in a generation by far.