Business of Tech: Labour's new spokesman for tech Reuben Davidson on ‘crisis that's been created'
Reuben Davidson, Labour's new spokesman for science, innovation, technology, broadcasting and the creative economy, isn't shy about the scale of the challenges facing New Zealand's high-value sectors or the damage he says the current Government is doing.
In this week's episode of The Business of Tech, the former TV producer, who won the Christchurch East seat in the 2023 general election, is scathing of the coalition Government's approach to science and innovation, particularly funding cuts, redundancies and the 'rolling change' that's left researchers and innovators in limbo.
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1News
40 minutes ago
- 1News
Healthworkers want MPs to waive private healthcare while in office
A group of healthworkers — including specialists, GPs, nurses and paramedics — have signed an open letter to MPs asking them to waive private healthcare during their time in office. Politicians making critical decisions about the public health system system — to cut funding, defer maintenance, or implement restructures — should not be allowed to "insulate" themselves against the consequences, they write. Their prescription? All MPs — and the families of Cabinet ministers — should rely on the public system. 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. ADVERTISEMENT "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." Nicola Willis and Simeon Brown in 2020 (Source: Getty) The letter asks MPs to consider questions including: 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. ADVERTISEMENT "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." 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 health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins — a former health minister — 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." ADVERTISEMENT Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Education Minister Erica Stanford both had private health insurance. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey did 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. ADVERTISEMENT "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." 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." Mt Albert MP Helen White says she probably couldn't afford health insurance. (Source: 1News) Labour MP Ginny 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." ADVERTISEMENT ACT Party leader David Seymour, who is also the Associate Health Minister, said the healthworkers 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 healthworkers 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."
NZ Herald
6 hours 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.
Scoop
7 hours ago
- Scoop
Melser Announces Re-Election Bid With Focus On Youth And Climate
Singer, activist and Whanganui councillor Charlotte Melser has announced she will stand for a second term in October's local body elections. Melser will campaign on four pillars: enabling the youth sector, climate and environment, community cohesion, and business and innovation. The former restaurant owner – at 37 one of the council's youngest elected members – launched her first term in local government in 2022. 'The reason I initially stood hasn't changed – the importance of broader representation. For people to want to engage in democracy they need to see people they feel represent them and their values.' It had been a challenging three years and big issues lay ahead. 'It's been an absolute baptism by fire. The complexities of local government are growing and we've been through pretty tough economic times. 'I've worked hard to learn the mechanisms and different parts of council, to understand how our town works, and the levers we can pull to connect people and make it better. 'There are pieces of work I've spent a lot of time and energy on, which I would love to see through, particularly in the youth space.' During long-term plan deliberations, the council decided to dissolve its youth council. Responding to a 'huge' outcry of public support for youth representation, Melser asked for a $10,000 youth initiatives budget, which councillors not only backed but increased to $40,000. 'We're now looking at something pretty cool that could elevate and enable the sector. 'Across the board, the challenges are marketing, networking and reaching the youth that organisations are specifically trying to target. We are looking at ways to fill those gaps and connect the sector.' A key focus in the new triennium would be change within local government, including potential amalgamation. 'The writing is on the wall – things are changing. A lot of conversations need to be had to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of local government. 'Water reform is part of it, the first tranche of change. We're walking down another road of pretty big reform beyond water services. 'A lot of councils, including our own, are working together to find efficiencies like shared service arrangements, which makes sense.' An advocate for environment, biodiversity and climate strategies, Melser gained her qualification as a Resource Management Act (RMA) hearings commissioner during the term and sees RMA reform as another big council workstream. She is concerned about lack of clarity and guidance from Government on climate resilience and adaptation. 'RMA reform is surely the opportunity to start seriously talking about climate change adaptation. 'We're getting major weather event after major weather event. We have MPs talking about where the liability lands in terms of home ownership and buy-outs, and in the meantime we're having insurance payouts fixing these homes up and selling them on, so where's the liability? 'Where is the conversation about managed retreat? We need continuity around the country in terms of what that looks like, and that needs to come from the top.' Whanganui could not on its own fund the managed retreat of vulnerable areas such as Anzac Parade, Pūtiki and along parts of the Whanganui River. 'Our communities deserve to have certainty and clarity, and we as a district deserve to have direction on what that looks like.' Melser has been an active opponent of proposed seabed mining off South Taranaki. 'I've been working very hard on that in my own time. It's at a crucial point as the fast-track approvals process is stood up. 'Opposition is massive and growing. You've got the fishing industry, farmers, environmentalists, scientists, politicians, businesses, iwi. Never have I seen such unity among communities on a single issue.' Melser's promise to advance community cohesion rests on her experience in Castlecliff, where she lives and once owned The Citadel restaurant. She cites the Castlecliff Rejuvenation Project partnership with the council as an important insight into the growth and activation that could be achieved through the power of community. Whanganui could develop as a thriving hub of business and innovation, logistics and manufacturing, Melser said. 'It's about looking outward regionally, where the opportunities are. Our airport and port developments put us in a really strong position to be innovative and connected in logistics, and we have incredible manufacturers here in all sorts of industries.' The mother of young twins has also worked to support the introduction of Whanganui's first Māori seats this year. 'My sense of justice and fairness kicked in and I just got to work. I think it's going to be a game-changer.' Melser will confirm her second-term campaign on Friday with a fundraising event at Amdram Theatre, supported by Castlecliff Lights. A singer-songwriter herself, Melser will also perform. Her second single Down To Me will be released on 16 August.
