The Government has completed its 100 Day Plan.
Here is an update on what it has done - in its words:
1. Legislation to give effect to the Families Package – passed on 14 December
2. Extension of Paid Parental Leave - legislation passed 29 November
3. Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill setting minimum standards for rentals - legislation passed 29 November
4. Ban on overseas speculators buying existing houses - legislation introduced December 14
5. Fees free for post-secondary school education or training for first year from 2018 - announced 5 December
6. Issue directive to Housing New Zealand stopping the sell-off of state houses – issued on December 20
7. Student allowances and living cost loans to increase by $50 from 1 January 2018 - announced 21 November
8. Begin work to establish the Affordable Housing Authority and KiwiBuild programme – announced December 19
9. Tax Working Group - Terms of Reference announced and Chairman appointed 23 November
10. Restart contributions to the Super Fund – First payment made on December 15
11. Pike River Recovery Agency – agency opened on January 31
12. Legislation to provide greater fairness in workplace – Employment Relations Act amendment announced January 25
13. Minimum wage to rise to $16.50 to take effect from April 2018 – announced on December 22
14. Introduce legislation to set a child poverty reduction target and to change the Public Finance Act so the Budget reports progress on reducing child poverty - Child Poverty Reduction Bill introduced 31 January. Government targets announced 31 January.
15. Legislation to make medicinal cannabis available for people with terminal illnesses or in chronic pain – Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill passed first reading 30 December
16. Set up an inquiry into the abuse of children in state care – announced 1 February
17. Set up a Ministerial Inquiry in order to fix our mental health crisis – TOR and members announced January 23
18. Set zero carbon emissions goal and begin setting up independent Climate Commission – Interim Climate Change Committee announced 18 December.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says: “The 100 day plan was just the beginning. There’s a lot left to do to restore the public services that keep us connected and strong, and to build a sustainable, growing economy, that works for everyone.”
97 Comments
They are indeed worthy aims.
But the fact that an aim is worthy, doesn't mean that any actions taken to achieve it are also worthy. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and in this case the actions proposed are economically illiterate, irresponsibly wasteful and likely to deliver more harm than good
The key word there is 'likely', thats your forecast into the future. You do not know.
Now look back at Nationals government and how NZ has become unaffordable for the average NZer. That is the reality of the NZ we live in thanks to this National government, that look after the few.
Spock says, “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
Wish National watched Star Trek. Instead they watched Wall Street.
"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind."
Thats how a few sound on here, me me me, and greed is good.
Hey I love money as much as the next person, but I still have drive through the traffic, I still walk on the streets of Auckland where there are homeless people, I still buy beer thats 10 bucks a small bottle, my kids still go to hospitals, my kids will need to buy their first house which are equivalent to New York and London prices on pathetic wages, in Auckland. New Zealand has gone to places where I never thought it would go under Nationals watch.
Are you from the UK Sentinel? If so I can guess our low population attracted you here. Most NZers have zero interest in being like the UK. We used to be able to drive around our cities at anytime of the day. When National won power from Labour we had just 9 billion of dept and on similar wages houses cost 1/2 as much. Immigrants have enriched our culture but not added to our export earnings.
The UK is overflowing with traffic jams in all parts of the country, rubbish on the beaches, train journeys that can be full to the rafters, air pollution that cause sickness, towns that are unrecognisable from 50 years ago, a NHS that cant cope. That list goes on.
I am a kiwi who has also lived in the UK. From my experience getting around the UK was much easier than getting around NZ as it has a comprehensive motorway system and rail network, both of which are missing in NZ. Auckland traffic is horrendous and has been since the mid 90s. In the UK my healthcare was free and despite what the media would have you believe, the NHS is not on the verge of collapse. The service I received from the NHS was brilliant and cheaper than the service I receive here in NZ. But back to my first point, do you really, honestly believe that NZ is full?
A not to shabby performance if I say so myself. Labour, after spending three terms in opposition, tirelessly kept to their promises and left the opposition wanting a real leader to match Ardern. Good luck finding one.
I suggest three terms in the wilderness should help them reflect on their nine years of ineptitude.
What kind of distribution did you expect the delivery of new houses to follow? I'd have thought a linear delivery starting on day 1 would be extremely unlikely, but clearly that's the model you're working to. May need some refining to properly hold the target to account.
Maybe i have too many expectations from the new Government.
This was one of their key issues during the election.If they have sat on their hands for nine years knowing full well that this was going to be an election issue then shame on them.
Surely consultation with councils building suppliers etc could have taken place prior to election and then launch into it right away..Might sound to simple to be achieved,maybe Govt will just continue to move slowly.
They have purchased a sizeable chunk of land in the Auckland CBD on which they plan to build affordable apartments. Not something I would want for myself, but nevertheless, I'd say that is a bit of a coup just 3 months in, which included a long Xmas New Year break.
like the increase in living supplements which enabled landlords to raise rents to gobble it up.
Student allowance boost blamed for rent spikes
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/100485600/student-allowance-b…
Yes he will, obviating the need for us to repay his student loan in the way we've done for his sibling. Why a household with our income gets this break is beyond me. As for minimum wages, his sibling was only on minimum wages for a year, the rest have been above that based on ability and simple things like the willingness to work weekend shifts without no shows or turning up for work impaired.
National did their best within the tenets of a right leaning party to resolve the housing issues. In fact I think they went too far in some cases e.g. joining the fight against residents in Three Kings and threatening compulsory purchase of land. All the current lot have done is make noises and now excuses. Friends who work in the property sector laugh at the affordable homes promise. Time will tell who is right, but I’m betting it won’t be the current government. Your view will no doubt differ. Why, I’m not sure because I can’t see what you are hanging your hats on. It’s not as if this lot have a track record in any solving any problem of a similar magnitude.
National sometimes denied the Auckland housing crisis, at other times they celebrated the hyperinflation of house prices claiming kiwi home owners were celebrating their house hike.
Labour had the courage to expose the flood of offshore money pouring into Auckland - at considerable political risk.
Does NZ want to face the truth?
I'll always remember the time Nick Smith told FHBs to just give up and go die in a ditch. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist. He was lucky not to have been strung up from a lamppost, but certainly would have alienated a lot of young professionals who would otherwise have been natural National supporters.
And good on him for doing so. Do you really expect him to hop into a cosy arrangement with a party that tried to destroy him by releasing private information into the public domain just before an election? They deserved what they got! You can gnaw on that bone for the next 3 years, hopefully more, but it still does not change the fact that the Nats and NZF could not come to an agreement but Labour and NZF could. Get over it, okay, the left will always two choices as long as there is a Green Party and one day, maybe not too far away, they will form a coalition. Maybe next time, because I am not sure that NZF will survive past Winston, don't think I am alone in that.
Ex Expat, ... some people are hoping (and quite convinced ) that these inspiring goals and promises are the breakthrough for better and rosy future .....I can't blame them , They might be right - as "anything is possible" logic is back in fashion! -- to the point that a minimum wage job could become an achievement !!
Like yourself, I cannot see what they are hanging their hats on either ... this pixie dust will be blown away in due course and all the naked swimmers will then blame the low tide for their exposure ...so will their cheerleaders waiting on the beach.
I keep pushing my contacts in the building industry periodically for progress or the possibility of building the 100,000 affordable homes intime to make a dent in the market... So far they collectively believe it is a laughable matter !! .."Ask us again end of the year" is the most polite reply I got.!..
This would have been the only good idea that Labour & Co. could have accomplished ( if implemented as promised) from their long useless list of Money Spending, Tree Hugging, and Unions Satisfying lolly scramble.list...I suspect that it will also be the anchor that will sink this coalition boat in 3 years time, I guess National will be blamed for that too.
Time will tell - meanwhile, we keep watching the tide.
On the positive side, their likely inability to do anything of note means there will be less to clean up when they are voted out. Odds on WP will be gone before 2020 and we’ll be left with two political blocks to fight it out. When the swing voters realise that they’ve been had, we can get back to making the pie bigger rather than redistributing it to buy votes, witness the fee free tertiary policy.
Free stuff and Perks is all Labour has been doing, read the list again. It's a lolly scramble designed to entrench poverty and the entitlement mindset, ensuring a future crop of captive voters who can't survive without a government that takes from the motivated and hardworking, to give it to the lazy and stupid.
I've been trying to work out whether you're more angry about the possibility you and yours might end up being net consumers of services (e.g. reducing student fees), or net contributors of revenue. A tricky balancing act on occasion.
I must say, though, with your stated political leanings I would've thought ACT might be a better match for you. National's basically become as socialist as Labour, these days, what with WFF, accommodation supplement, increasing benefits, subsidies to farmers etc.
I’m very much aligned to ACT values (I particularly liked the transferable education funding policy), but I figured a vote for them might allow the Left in, so I don’t think I ever voted for them (might actually be wrong there as I recall an early 90s election where I may have given them my Party vote).
There is no such thing as a free education - just a question of who pays.
A free education simply means higher taxes to fund this initiative. That's where the previously legislated tax cuts went.
It also provides an incentive for everyone - including those that don't have the capability to attend high quality tertiary education when they would often be better off in trade employment.
Nothing labelled free is generally valued - while it may be a populist approach - a so called free education makes no sense whatsoever and cannot stand up to rigorous logical analysis.
It also provides an incentive for everyone - including those that don't have the capability to attend high quality tertiary education when they would often be better off in trade employment.
Nothing labelled free is generally valued - while it may be a populist approach - a so called free education makes no sense whatsoever and cannot stand up to rigorous logical analysis.
However, it hasn't devalued degrees in places such as Germany. As opposed to having lax academic and entrance standards and using expensive fees to discourage some from university, why wouldn't it be more beneficial to a country to invest in funding tertiary education but have high academic and entrance standards?
Let's use rigorous logical analysis.
Using only the cost of a degree to discourage participation doesn't seem the best approach...Especially while we're likewise devaluing the value of degrees by trying to turn our institutions into international businesses, and are passing people we shouldn't be in order to get those dollars.
What motivates higher fees apart from the desire for lower taxes for oneself? Seems to be the primary motivation for those who benefited from free or low cost university to now demand young people pay much higher fees. Which while logical for the one benefiting from both free/low cost education and lower taxes, is a bit naff of them.
That's very generous of you DGZ and it's my favorite too. Though you do realize the whole point of that ledgestlation is to reduce property prices so they'll become more affordable (Particularly for central Auckland) to local buyers who aren't as cashed up as foreign buyers.
it wont affect it to much now, the increases were more about money supply, cheap credit, AML with huge holes in it, NZ's advantage to own property over other forms of investment, and our wide open tiny market..
it should have been closed years ago but when your donors are the big RE agents and your own MP's are in on the racket it was never going to happen until a change of party in charge.
either we were lied to or the same officals that told labour how to do it so as to not effect the FTA's kept quiet.
i know which one i believe. in saying that i am not sure this government will reduce immigration by much so will be looking for there spin on that issue
unless you have a magic ball, how do you know its only 4%, the form national created only measures tax , not who owned what as they did not want us to know.
as for this government why have they not put a register in place so we really know who owns what and where.
as an example queenstown would have a very high proportion of overseas owners, is that a bad thing, for houses yes, for serviced apartments no, as one takes away stock for housing locals and workers while the other supplies stock for visitors.
so how do you frame policy without knowing the real picture
True, mine too DGZ... But Alas, it might not even fly properly.... I suspect they will pass a very diluted version of it, Full of holes, as usual just for the sake of keeping it in the scorecards .... It comes at a time when the investment environment has changed and money now is girated towards growing US and emerging markets ...
Update 10.20am : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=119…
I am watching the progress on the 100,000 Affordable Kiwi build .... and will start counting the spins on that one. Hope the committee of "Experts" won't take too long in "Evaluating" the current market Needs and produce their report before the end of this year !!
notaneconomist has no understanding of the scientific process or what theories are. Everything in science is a theory. Those theories that survive investigation are the ones considered to be correct or reasonably correct.
Gravity is just a theory, but there's so much evidence supporting it's existence you'd have a difficult time disproving it, or at least you would need to provide an overwhelming body of evidence.
I've spent time dealing with explaining atmospheric chemistry and concepts from spectroscopy to people. It's quite interesting as climate change deniers have no understanding of these fields or any other field relating to climate change.
I recommend ignoring notaneconomists statements as he is just spouting neoliberal beliefs rather than anything evidence based.
Until we see an acceleration of the inter-glacial warming it remains a theory. A 1.5 Trillion/year gravy train theory - but still a shaky unproven theory.
Warming rate 1860-1800 0.16 deg. C/decade
Warming rate 1910-1940 0.15 deg. C/decade
Warming rate satellite era 0.13 deg. C/decade
Temps in the Southern Hemisphere have barely budged in the satellite era.
"Out of the 470 month satellite record, the 0.38 deg. C one-month drop in January tropical temperatures was tied for the 3rd largest, beaten only by October 1991 (0.51 deg. C drop) and August, 2014 (0.41 deg. C drop).
The last time the Southern Hemisphere was this cool (+0.06 deg. C) was July, 2015 (+0.04 deg. C).
The linear temperature trend of the global average lower tropospheric temperature anomalies from January 1979 through January 2018 remains at +0.13 C/decade."
Good old steady inter glacial warming.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8511670.stm
https://www.nsstc.uah.edu/climate/2017/december/GTR_DEC2017.pdf
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2015/07/30/377086.htm
Well then Mr Dictator playing devils advocate with language for manipulation purposes I'm sure.
Lay term the word "Theory" suitable explains a persons personal theory on something rather than scientific theory so don't go deliberately confusing the two as they are as different as Scientific Law and Scientific Theory!
No scientist would ever be so crude and rank to ever state that something is set in concrete.
""All scientists should be skeptics. True skepticism is, as [Carl] Sagan described it, the 'self-correcting machinery' of science," ......climate change supporters fail in their lack of skepticism....hardly a healthy approach to science as a whole.......maybe you should also understand there is a difference between skepticism and obstinance. .........so put up your supporting science and lets be really honest and see if it stands proper scrutiny.......
Action to improve health provision, assist people into education and so on is laudable and there’s no doubt there’s good intention here. However, the unintended side effects of labour’s work so far is a concern. Two examples - 1. Minimum wage. In a country where the average business employs 5 people, businesses will make an affordability decision and employ fewer people unless their existing people become more productive which they won’t unless they are better educated / better skilled = Better education which won’t get fixed overnight. So we could end up with more unemployment. 2. Ban on foreign buyers. The new legislation will stop foreign capital in housing in its tracks just when it’s needed the most to assist in supplying new housing. So supply and hence affordable housing will remain hopes not realities.
#5 Free fees. This is an opportunity for investors owning student accommodation to significantly increase the rents. Not only will there be higher demand for accommodation due to higher numbers taking up post-secondary education but also they'll have significantly more disposable income.
Hot Off the press....
http://www.sharechat.co.nz/article/2b5d7324/nz-consumer-confidence-rise…
Certainly a novelty this last week to see a bunch of people suddenly feeling great urgency about the government hurrying up and getting things done in the first 100 days, vs. the last nine years of excusing inaction and things not getting done.
A sudden new-found interesting in accountability, refreshing to see.
I'm actually conflicted. I want them to do nothing, because there will be less to reverse and fix when National are back in power. However, their time in power will be shorter the more chance that they have to show their ineptitude, which requires that they do something.
Given their ability to obfuscate and delay I'd say that 2018 will be full of pregnancy, birth and WP PM headlines while the numerous committees work on coming back to tell us what we already knew.
That leaves 2019 and 2020 to actually do something. I expect things will start to be done 2019, however in 2020 they will tell us that the results wont have time to show by the election so have faith.
2020 will be WP's retirement year, perhaps earlier if the Big C scuttlebutt is true.
Meanwhile the SS NZ wanders rudderless and Property threads continue to be whack a mole opportunities.
Heh. I dunno, mate, it sounds like you're just ignoring National's performance over the last nine years.
Pumping up immigration to chase nominal GDP growth rather than chasing the productivity they'd campaigned on. Perpetuating and increasing the "communism by stealth" they railed against in opposition. Campaigning on the housing crisis then pretending for nine years that it didn't exist. Holding funding for NZ's services to the point Judith Collins as Minister of Police calls her own leadership out publicly for not providing funding.
Heck, openly citing house price increases and soaring immigration as their positive economic record. (On The Nation, last year, Bill English.)
National - I've come to realise from the last nine years after voting them in - is not by nature a party who will address problems with action. Even NZ's economic liberalising was done by Labour when Muldoon was content simply to carry on and let problems build.
And Working For Families is signal enough that they won't undo a whole lot either. Conservative by nature if not by policy, they'll carry on the status quo seemingly no matter what it is.
We need to maintain some grounding here.
Rick, I need no grounding whatsoever. Of the two major parties I have no doubt that the National Party was the best to lead us through the GFC and more than a few earthquakes without forgetting the social responsibility and keeping the tax payers in mind.
It absolutely amazes me that any of you see Taxinda as the way forward. She has done nothing notable in her 37 years. Anyone who has undertaken behavioural interviewing would never give her the job as she would struggle to point to any examples of leadership apart from the socialist youth group . She reminds me of a few primary school teachers I had the misfortune to have to spend time with each school report season. How you all believe she is the best person out of 4,500,000 people in this country to lead us is beyond belief.
"She has done nothing notable in her 37 years. "
I would take that over a party that has presided over the worse homelessness that has ever occured in NZ, property prices out of reach of average incomes, rampant immigration, traffic chaos in a city where we had none 10 years ago, education rorts that allow all and sundry in, low wage inflation for average workers, ques for hospitals, closing of schools, calling our youth druggies instead of setting up training and allowing even more unskilled people in.
Its all rosy for some at the top, but if your the average punter and your young they are going to struggle to get ahead and on the property ladder.
Copy and paste from Trademe
Announced a target for reducing child poverty that would be less than National achieved since 2011
Killed off the Kermadecs marine sanctuary
Delayed fishing monitoring which protects Maui’s dolphins
Jeopardised EU trade deal with move towards a deal with Russia
Introduced a law to allow party leaders to expel MPs from Parliament
Refused a law change to allow parents to share paid parental leave
Appointed fewer women Ministers than under National
Undermined Stats NZ neutrality
Upset Australia on Manus Island
Gossiped about Trump creating global headlines
Lied over the Speaker’s election
PM said capitalism was a blatant failure
Appointed a Minister for Children who is pro smacking
Appointed a Minister of Defence who wears unauthorised medals, even after being told not to
A Deputy PM who is suing media for exposing his welfare overpayments
Police Minister announced then backtracked on recruiting foreign police
Revenue Minister announced then backtracked on GST on small imports
Government claimed credit for ISDS exemption in TPP which actually were negotiated by National
An Acting PM unable to answer questions in House, and who is now hidden from public view
A Government that had to filibuster their own bills as they have no legislation ready
Just imagine how much more they can achieve in the next 100 days!"
I am hoping that they will actually do something useful, but I suspect it will be by accident.
Helen Clarks's great achievement was keeping us out of Iraq. Going along with setting up Jim Anderton's Kiwibank was also a success. Apart from that, nine years of stagnation:
Nationwide house price rise of 100%.
Population 3,8411,000 to 4,269,600, increase of 8.9%.
Household debt rises from $60,567,000,000 to $159,972,000,000. An increase of $99,405,000,000 or 164%.
Consistently negative current account balance, we are living off of borrowed money and selling our assets.
National, nine years of stagnation:
63% nationwide house price rise.
Population 4,269,600 to 4,817,600, an increase of 12%.
Household debt rises from $159,972,000,000 to $240,464,000,000. An increase of $80,492,000,000 or 50.3%.
Consistently negative current account balance, we are living off of borrowed money and selling our assets.
Take your pick really. Politicians and their bureaucrat lick-spittles are not really particularly successful at actually changing things for the better, despite our passionate but irrational belief in their magical abilities. Perhaps I am being unfair, I mean after they all they all seem so keen and hard working, but the results suggest it is make work projects that keep themselves employed, not actual real progress.
https://www.interest.co.nz/charts/population/population
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/key-graphs/key-graph-current-account
https://www.interest.co.nz/charts/credit/housing-credit2
Think you will find house prices during the Clarke regime came off quite a low prior, something that was not the case when the Key govt came in, so much so that part of Key's election platform of 2008 was addressing high house prices. Oh, he sure dealt to that alright, didn't he?
Exactly, both parties have been pretty hopeless. I should have adjusted household debt for the change in government debt really, as the raw figure makes Labour look worse than they were, but I'm not getting paid so I did a sloppy job there. My point is that both parties continue with the shareholder dilution business model, not that one party did better than the other. They were equally pathetic.
National also sat on information that could have helped local councils make much better decisions regarding our rising seas, which as we have now seen so clearly can be devasting when added to our ever more volatile weather. I quote, "(T)hese developments weren’t breaking any rules, or even going against best practice guidance, because the advice to factor in 1.9m higher seas was held back by the previous government until after the election."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/12/11/67374/drowning-dreams-billions-at….
We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.
Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.