Gone By Lunchtime: New Zealand bestrides the globe, punching above our tightrope
Around the world, the flames of aggression and instability are burning. As Christopher Luxon arrives in China his immediate challenge is to douse the alarm from several former politicians and ensure that the relationship with leaders in New Zealand's biggest export market are sweet.
From there, the New Zealand prime minister is off to Europe and another guest spot at Nato, who are meeting in the Hague. In a new episode of Gone By Lunchtime, Toby Manhire, Ben Thomas and Annabelle Lee-Mather chew over the shifting global dynamic he'll encounter, with escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Trump quitting G7 early and ongoing devastation in Ukraine and Gaza.
More prosaically, will Luxon welcome a chance to stride the international stage after a bit of a media flub on sick pay just before he left? Plus: a word on a sweary scrutiny week.
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NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
Letters: Our public sector rot, and a wonderful response from the community to find a missing woman
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth. Public sector rot Sadly for the sake of our grandchildren, the demise of our once world-class public service began with the introduction of the State Sector Act 1988. This act compromised the independence and integrity of our public service. Most permanent heads were placed on three-year contracts. Their focus changed to ensure renewal of their contracts. Thank you for nothing Messrs Douglas, Prebble, Palmer, Lange and co. Bruce Tubb, Devonport. NCEA Following on from the report on NCEA (July 20), I must agree that it has been abused extensively and must be replaced by something meaningful, may I suggest School Certificate. NCEA credits have been issued for such menial tasks that demean the education system, so tinkering with it will be meaningless. But the part of the report I take most exception to is the comments by Labour leader Chris Hipkins. His comment that NCEA Level 1 is necessary for apprenticeships is totally derogatory of the trades. His comments are taking things back to the time Helen Clark was in charge stating everybody needed a degree to get a job, and funded bums on seats at universities while the trades never got apprentices, leading to our shortage of tradesmen. Trades are not secondary to academia but are equal and need the same level of education to excel at. Trevor Green, Matamata. Joseph Parker v Oleksandr Usyk Joseph Parker is absolutely dreaming if he thinks he can outbox the Ukrainian world champ. If the fight does go ahead it will be a set-up, with Joe given a few rounds before 'goodnight nurse'. Joe has shown he doesn't have the hitting power to put a good opponent away. Jock MacVicar, Hauraki. Quiet choppers Wouldn't you have thought the helicopter owners could scramble a few billion dollars together to create a quiet helicopter? Technology is so advanced these days that it surely would not be impossible to add blades or vibrational techniques that cancel out the awfully disturbing noise a 'modern' helicopter transmits in residential areas. So, here's a challenge to the Mowbray couple if they want to stay popular in their community, perhaps. René Blezer, Taupō. Nato and the UN I cannot agree with Jock MacVicar (July 20). Nato is a defence pact; the hardware belongs to its member states. Without Nato I would have the Soviet red star on my lapel and so would have four million other Europeans. As for cost, Nato is cheap compared to a Russian invasion. Also, the UN is doing exactly what it was set up to do: serve as a platform where diplomats can lie, cheat, blockade and hurl insults at one another. K H Peter Kammler, Warkworth. Defence spending Your reader Bernard Walker (July 20) gets letter of the week for suggesting we don't need a credible defence force because of our isolation from the rest of the world. It seems reasonable until you look at the facts regarding defence spending. First, we would be considered bludgers by our current allies the US, Australia, the UK and the South Pacific nations. Second, being considered bludgers, we would certainly lose any credibility in trade negotiations and thereby lose huge amounts in exports to two of our largest customers. Third, if other world leaders were invited and came here to avoid a potential World War III, this is considered desertion, an offence punishable by a death sentence. Remember the previous world wars, where soldiers were shot dead for desertion by their commanders? Obviously, it is a proposal which was not to be taken seriously and should have never been published. Bruce Woodley, Birkenhead. Sunday television Sunday night TV1 viewing is these days a heartwarming, New Zealand-centric experience. With the long-running Country Calendar leading at 7pm, this television icon is followed half an hour later by Moving Houses hosted by the likeable Andy Ellis. It is delightful to have primetime viewing that showcases our own heartland places and people. Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Civil contracting future ‘bright', PM Christopher Luxon tells Tauranga conference
'Another half a billion dollars worth of local government projects are also getting under way this year, including five projects here in Tauranga,' Luxon told the conference. He said the national infrastructure pipeline showed planned future projects across central and local government, and the private sector, totalling $207b. This was nearly $40,000 per person and $116,000 per household. 'For every $1b of infrastructure investment per year, that generates about 4500 jobs.' He said as work got under way on these projects, there would be 'real jobs and real opportunities' for thousands of Kiwis, and added momentum for economic recovery. 'We have turned the corner and the future for civil construction in New Zealand is bright.' Luxon said this was great news for the civil construction sector. 'We need the work to get done. We need action, we need shovels in the ground.' He did not give details of the five Tauranga projects when asked by the Bay of Plenty Times after his speech and said the Government would talk about these 'in due course'. He said a number of projects in Bay of Plenty were 'on the fast track'. Twelve Bay of Plenty projects have been listed to follow the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 process. Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford (left), Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Civil Contractors Conference. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell Luxon said growth problems had been challenging for Tauranga. 'It's a region that should do exceptionally well with a Government that wants to streamline the resource management process and get fast-track projects up and running.' Tauranga was a growing economic powerhouse for New Zealand. 'That growth needs to have quality, modern and reliable infrastructure around it as well.' Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced at the conference that half a billion dollars worth of local government projects will be under way this year, including five in Tauranga. Photos / Kaitlyn Morrell Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale addressed the conference and said Tauranga continued to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. He said a well-formed regional deal should be a game-changer, not just for the Bay of Plenty but as a model for others across the country. 'We are investing heavily to keep pace with growth.' He said the current long-term plan included $500m in annual capital expenditure for the next 10 years. Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale is looking forward to faster, more efficient consenting for projects. Photo / Alisha Evans 'A significant proportion of this is dedicated to horizontal infrastructure.' He was encouraged by the Government's work to reform the Resource Management Act (RMA). 'Faster, more efficient consenting is something we can all look forward to and it will help bring costs down.' Developments in the Bay of Plenty included the Takatimu North Link, SH29 Tauriko-Ōmanawa Bridge and Te Tumu new housing area in Pāpāmoa East. Drysdale said the SH29 project would unlock industrial land, enable4000 new homes in the medium-term and support about 3000 new jobs. 'Infrastructure is too expensive in this country and we need to find ways of delivering more for less.' Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) president David Howard said the past year in the infrastructure industry had not been easy. 'I feel it's been a bit of a triple-whammy with central government cutting costs, new regulations coming in and councils rethinking their funding.' He said he remained hopeful that CCNZ had worked hard to get in front of the right decision-makers to explain the industry's needs. 'It's not easy to get Government attention, but we've made progress.' Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
MPs challenged to rely on public health system, drop private insurance
The group's spokesperson, Northland cardiologist Marcus Lee, said the public deserved leaders who were so committed to public healthcare that they were willing to stake their family's wellbeing on it. 'Essentially, we want fair and transparent leadership with integrity. We want people who have skin in the game.' The test was whether politicians were 'comfortable and confident' enough to rely on the public health system for their families, he said. 'If it's good for them, it's good for us. If it's not good enough for them, it shouldn't be good enough for anyone.' The letter asks MPs to consider questions like: 'Would I be comfortable with my child waiting six months for this procedure?' 'Is this emergency department adequate for my elderly parent?' 'Are these staffing levels sufficient for my family's safety?' Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not believe having private health insurance meant he was out of touch with the problems besetting the public system. 'I think we're well aware of the challenges in the healthcare system, which is why we've put a record amount of investment in,' he said. 'We inherited again a botched merger that just created a layer of bureaucracy and we've put the money in, we're hiring more people, we've got clarity on the targets. 'We're starting to see some stabilisation of those targets and in some cases improvements on those health targets. 'But we now need a high-performing Health NZ, and that's what we're fixated on.' Prime Minister Christopher Luxon does not believe having private health insurance meant he is out of touch. Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall said MPs with private health insurance were 'betting their own money against the public system'. 'Ministers of Health should place a bet on the public health system succeeding and meeting New Zealanders' needs. Having private health insurance is a sign that you're not willing to place that bet.' Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall says MPs with private health insurance are "betting their own money against the public system". Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins – a former health minister himself – took a less hard-line approach. 'I got health insurance 20 or 30 years ago as a union membership benefit and I've kept it since then, although I'm fortunate I haven't really had to use it. 'I'm not going to begrudge people who have it, but I want to make sure that if you haven't, you still get the standard of care you deserve.' Health Minister Simeon Brown said he did not have private health insurance, but he would not impose that choice on anyone else. 'Ultimately, there's a large number of New Zealanders who use health insurance, that's a fantastic part of our health system, and ultimately people make individual choices.' Brown said his focus was on timely access to quality healthcare for New Zealanders, which included making better use of the private sector. 'We will work with private hospitals to unlock capacity, publicly funded [patients] but in private hospitals to speed up access.' Simeon Brown confirmed he doesn't have private health insurance but wouldn't impose that on others. Photo / Mark Mitchell Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Education Minister Erica Stanford both have private health insurance. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey does not, saying he is 'happy using the public health system'. Other National MPs were more coy. Minister of Climate Change, Energy, Local Government and Revenue, Simon Watts: 'I won't answer that, it's a personal question.' Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Disability Issues, Social Development and Employment, Louise Upston: 'That's not a question in the public interest.' Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford: 'I'm not interested in talking about that. It's not necessary for people to know – I don't go out into the general street and ask people about their health insurance.' Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March said it was 'quite rich' to see politicians not being worried about the state of the public healthcare system, when they had the means to pay for private insurance or private care. 'That is why we are really concerned with the Government's flirtation with privatising more of our public healthcare system, which will ultimately see our poorest less able to access basic healthcare.' Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March slammed politicians for ignoring public healthcare issues while pushing privatization that harms the poor. Photo / Mark Mitchell For some Labour MPs, it was a matter of principle. Kelston MP Carmel Sepuloni: 'I believe as politicians if we're going to be working to ensure the healthcare system works for everyone, we should be reliant on it too.' Nelson MP Rachel Boyack: 'My father was a public health chief executive so I've always had a strong belief in the public health system, and that the health system should be available to all New Zealanders, and that includes me as an MP.' Mt Albert MP Helen White could understand why some people opted to have it, but it was not for her: 'I just think that I should live by my principles. Also, I probably couldn't afford it. I know I'm on a decent salary, but it's a lot of money.' Labour MP Ginnie Andersen said health insurance was not in her budget: 'By the time I pay my mortgage and my insurance and my rates and feed my children.' Act Party leader David Seymour, who is also the Associate Health Minister, said the health workers made 'an interesting argument' – but in his view, MPs should come from a broad range of backgrounds. 'I don't think you should have to fit into a sort of ideological straight-jacket to do that.' The health workers behind the letter said MPs who refused to give up their private safety net would be revealing 'exactly what they really think about our healthcare system'. 'We'll be watching to see who has the courage to put their family where their policies are.'
