They really cannot stand people to have govt provided housing. They claim there won't be wholsesale selling off of state housing but  that seems unlikely.

This is a bit lengthy but an interesting piece about Masterton & social housing being removed altogether from there for some time,until Kieran McaNulty managed to get it back. Eventually.
(At about 20-21)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajy5DnY-Lso

Helicopter crash apparently.
https://apnews.com/live/helicopter-irani...dent-crash

Twelve people including former PM John Key have been named in a class action which alleges insider trading.

Obviously he says its all bollocks & can't comment further since its before the courts...


https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/202...wsuit.html



https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/20/sir-j...ding-case/

Interesting that while Chloe waits for him to finish what he's saying before commenting, he doesn't show her the same courtesy. I've noticed  him that with other people too.


https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/...ation.html

Quote:ACT leader David Seymour has stood by his apology to Destiny Church that it should have had a charter school six years ago. 
Seymour gave a speech on Parliament grounds back in 2018 where he said Destiny should have had a charter school. 
The controversial religious group had multiple bids to set up a charter school blocked by the Ministry of Education over fears students could be pressured into joining the church. 
You applied for your excellent, independent school in South Auckland to become a charter school and we said no because the authorities, because the establishment against that was too strong," Seymour said in 2018. 
"I want to say to you today I'm sorry for that decision, that was wrong. Destiny should have had a charter school and I want to take this opportunity to tell you that." 
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki posted the speech on social media after last week's announcement that the Coalition Government would bring back charter schools. 
He said he expects Seymour to be true to his word and Destiny Church's application should be the first one approved. 
"I have to say that in the years since that clipÔǪ Having seen Destiny people protest and rev their motorbikes outside a constituent of mine that had cancer and basically refused to take that into account, I have a much dimmer view of them these days."┬á
Seymour said any applications to become a charter school would be taken on merits and whether the school can make a difference for students. He said Destiny Church, as it is today, "might face some challenges with that". 
In response to Seymour's comments on Monday, Tamaki said the ACT Party's damage control was "kicking in" and Seymour was "trying to backpedal at rapid pace."

McDonalds not wanted - well, not in Orakei amyway.

Can't say I blame them really, I'm not  fan of theirs..but it does seem a  bit precious.


https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/35028003...ant-orakei

Marama Davidson, co leader of the Green party. There's more on the link.

To be fair these are politicians & politicians tend towards making wild promises in order to gain support. That said, being more mindful of our environment & the effect we have on it, & free dental care & decent income support does make very good sense, as do some of the rest of their ideas.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/...e8uVXDiG0u

Quote:Davidson delivered the speech to a packed audience of Greens supporters in Auckland's Wynyard Quarter.
Speaking alongside Chl├Âe Swarbrick, the pair called on the Government to prioritise people and the planet over profit as Budget 2024 edges closer.
Ten─ü koutou, t─ôn─ü koutou, t─ôn─ü t─ütou katoa.
Sixteen million dollars.
ThatÔÇÖs how much the coalition parties raised to win last yearÔÇÖs election.
Ten million for National.
Four million for Act.
Just under two million for New Zealand First.
Sixteen million dollars.
From property developers and business tycoons who have built their wealth by exploiting our natural environment.
To companies who profit from digging up our whenua and overfishing our oceans - activities that cause significant harm to our precious ecosystems.
Sixteen million dollars helped to put this government into power.
And in a little less than two weeks, the coalition government will unveil its first budget.
It has clearly been difficult for them to put it together.
To the right, Act is trying to fire all the people who make our public services work, while in their own cooker corner New Zealand First hoards 1.2 billion dollars for hand-chosen pet projects.
The Coalition has found half a billion dollars for new defence spending, but cancelled projects to improve buses and trains in Auckland and Wellington.
TheyÔÇÖre borrowing billions to cover the cost of cutting taxes for wealthy property investors, because theyÔÇÖve realised that the promises they made during the election campaign were slapdash and expensive.
Meanwhile, people with the least face ever higher costs.
Rents continue to rise, while the government is giving tax breaks to landlords instead of investing in more public housing.
So on Budget Day, when we see what the coalition has been able to cobble together, I want you to remember: sixteen million dollars.
WhatÔÇÖs in the Budget for the people who paid for NationalÔÇÖs election campaign?
And what could have been in the budget instead if Aotearoa had a Government that prioritised people and planet?
Because I am not here for the relative few who donated those sixteen million dollars.
I am here for the many, including the 330,000 people who trusted the Green Party with their votes last year.
And I want to thank you all once again.
If the Greens were delivering this yearÔÇÖs budget, IÔÇÖll tell you what would be in it.
An income guarantee, so no matter what, everyone has what they need to live a decent life.
We could lift every family in Aotearoa out of poverty, and give people the peace of mind that theyÔÇÖll be supported if they fall on tough times.
More support for students and people out of work, extra help if youÔÇÖre sick or disabled, and simple payments for families so all kids can thrive.
Free dental care.
Successive governments have let basic dental healthcare get so expensive, that forty percent - forty percent! - of people avoid going to the dentist.

And not before time, either. She's done astounding work with music as therapy for sick kids.


https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/18/dame-...20language.


https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/5171...ll-of-fame

My summer garden did well this year - too many tomatoes, and then that rain came and they all went rotten. The grapes gave a good first crop...the raspberry got carried away, but hardly any fruit at all. They are a couple of metres apart, but there was a real battle going on over control of the fence/trelllis. I have a crop of pumpkins I never ate - do these things mutate in my compost ?

Digging up a few weeks ago to put in some winter leafies, I found long thin roots meandering through my garden. The grape, raspberry and blueberry are a couple of metres away, but I think they went looking, and found some good dirt in my vege garden.

Shrinkflation is happening in NZ as well, Government is doing nothing.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/france-vs-shri...rs-1724667

This describes how Luxon is being led by the nose by a minor part lead by a cooker who is well and truly past his used by date. https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/16/health-negotiators-told-to-prioritise-sovereignty-over-stopping-pandemics/