NZ Politics

562 readers

1 users here now

Kia ora and welcome to the NZ Politics community!

This is a place for respectful discussions about everything that's political and kiwi

This is an inclusive space where diverse opinions are valued, but please don't be a dick

Other kiwi communities here

Banner image by Tom Ackroyd, CC-BY-SA

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

Dave

RaoulDuke

National plans to gut Kainga Ora (www.stuff.co.nz)

submitted 1 year ago by rimu to c/politics

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The National Party is promising to axe swathes of jobs and “clean out” Kāinga Ora, the Government’s social housing landlord and developer.

When asked if there will be job losses at the agency, he said: “Hope so”.

Kāinga Ora was set up four years ago, and derailing it now would be “stupid”, Bill McKay, a senior lecturer in architecture and planning at the University of Auckland, explained.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Dave 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

”I think certainly Kāinga Ora could continue to learn a bit more from experts, but not from politicians. Lurching from one thing to another is not helpful when we are dealing with big problems."

On the spot, I can't think of anything we can learn from politicians. But the more policies National releases, the more I feel they don't put thought behind their policies. Someone said they didn't like something so they promise to get rid of it.

[–] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You've always got such a brilliant perspective on things, I love it

The only things we can really learn from politicians is what not to do. And even then if one has decency it wouldn't be required

[–] TagMeInSkipIGotThis 2 points 1 year ago

I think we have to change the lens we use to think about some parties; National in particular. Unlike Act who are full on true-believers that legitimately think making a whole department redundant and shutting it down will magically make NZ better a big part of National doesn't really have an ideology anymore.

They're a party (like Labour in many ways - though they already did this) that are past their use by date and should have splintered and reformed into 2-3 other parties by now. But because they haven't National's main ideology is that National should be the government.

So when it comes to winning this election they probably feel that to a degree all they need to do is try to exploit the zeitgeist that Labour = cause of all the bad things and shut their mouths about most anything else.

In many other ways the bulk of the National party (ie the non-MP parts) really is the big C conservative - they don't want anything to change. And a big chunk of them are older and Pākehā so in particular any change that improves the situation for people who are not old and Pākehā is opposed.

What happens with National is that the MP and leadership bits are a lot more ideology driven - some of that is the Key sort of give rich people more riches, or the English side where he probably really did believe in trickle down stuff. And that's why when they actually have power they can have such an impact on the state of public infrastructure & services or the lives of poor people I guess even if their membership probably doesn't directly support a lot of it.