It’s about time the truth came out about who got to the top of Everest first, Hillary would never had made it without her help and then he took all the glory. I must say Hannah looks awfully young for her age. She also invented Ivermectin while on holiday in Japan back in the seventies, the only reason the government banned it was they didn’t want to pay her royalties. Typical of those colonial bastards. I think she should join TOP.
Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa.
Half discovered, half wild, fertile and naturally Beautiful!
Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe.
Well-developed and open to trade, especially for someone of real value.
Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain.
Very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.
Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece.
Gently ageing but still a warm and desirable place to visit.
Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain.
With a glorious and all-conquering past.
Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel.
Having been through war, doesn’t make the same mistakes twice, and takes care of business.
Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada.
Self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.
After 70, she becomes like Tibet. Wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages. An adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN
Between 1 and 100, a man is like North Korea and Russia: Ruled by a pair of nuts.
Compulsory 12% KiwiSaver’s a bad idea, despite what the chattering classes say – Simon Bridges
For some time, the top concerns for New Zealanders in any poll have been cost of living and the economy. That’s why it’s a surprise to me that there’s near consensus among our chattering classes that raising KiwiSaver contributions to 12% is a great idea.
The money men and women who’ve lobbied for it love it, of course. Why wouldn’t they? They have to build a fund, and it grows bigger and faster and they clip the ticket on it, getting richer themselves through the process.
Granted as well that on the National Party’s recently well-received announcements, the 12% doesn’t fully come into effect until 2032.
But 12% is very high. And the old chestnut that this change will turn us into Australia is superficially facile. Australia is a significantly higher-income country today, largely on account of its scale and digging stuff out of the ground that sells very well around the world. No doubt, their retirement policies will have helped. But they’re down on the list compared to petroleum and minerals.
At one level I agree with more ambition when it comes to superannuation. It will be nation building. My point is that at 12% it will be tough.
The NZ Society of Actuaries Retirement Income Interest Group (who sound like an exciting bunch of characters, by the way) say at rates of 6% plus 6% (from the worker and the employer) people may have more money to spend when they are retired than when working. On that basis, this dynamic bunch – who I’m sure charge significant fees before one can belong to them, a bit like the Northern Club – say five plus five would be better.
Surely, they are right. If you earn an average income, do you really want to slog your guts out in your working years so you’re much comfier financially when you’re old and decrepit and can’t enjoy it as much? No holidays for the fam on the Gold Coast while you’re working but plenty as soon as you stop.
Indeed, the nub of the issue is that we just aren’t a high-income economy today and I don’t see a clear path to make us one by 2032. AI tells me the average annual salary in New Zealand is $81,484 and the median, probably a better figure to use, is only $69,836. That’s hardly champagne living, and becomes five grand less at an average salary or $4,000 less at the median rate for the employee once their 6% is taken out, not to mention the 6% the boss also has to find.
But the figure that I can’t get out of my head is from Westpac data earlier in the year. More than one in three Kiwis today has less than $500 in savings. That’s a definition of poverty. Crash your uninsured car and you’re in a dreadful financial spiral. No wonder, according to another recent report, this time from the Helen Clark Foundation, only a third of us feel financially secure.
Twelve per cent might make for a stronger collective future. However, it would also make things much tougher for a heap of Kiwis until they retire – employees as well as for SME owners, a much-neglected collection of businesspeople, who’ve survived – just – a torrid few years, but still aren’t finding it easy. If it’s a choice for them between paying off bills, keeping their businesses going, handling their mortgage repayments, or 12% more into KiwiSaver, I reckon I know what the majority would choose.
And this talk of mortgages segues me rather conveniently to another much more pressing matter; the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s desire to lift the Official Cash Rate and therefore mums’ and dads’ interest rates, meaning even more cost-of-living struggles.
I accept our economy is a hard thing to generalise on. The South Island and our farming friends seem to be in clover. Yet that’s not true in major cities, namely Auckland and Wellington for the most part.
Additionally, it hasn’t been all the members of RBNZ who are entirely frisky for rate rises. The fulltimers at the bank were less enthusiastic than the independent members who presumably don’t run a small business at the current time, have paid off their mortgages and still take regular holidays to Australia.
Yes, inflation is a thing that can at times be a wretched beast. But during the height of the Middle East war I couldn’t for the life of me understand how restricting more cash in a stalled recovery was a good idea. Especially when the big driver of this was foreign oil, which we’ve less control over than our teenage children’s social media usage.
Today as – touch wood – the war is over, more traffic is heading through the Strait of Hormuz. On this basis, the arguments for holding rather than raising become even stronger. Petrol prices are down a little and some commercial banks are saying therefore that the RBNZ will slow its hawkish push down and rates will stay lower longer.
I certainly hope so. We aren’t high income in New Zealand, and we badly need an economic uptick. One word matters more than KiwiSaver, more than inflation, or any other for that matter. It’s growth.
Simon Bridges is the chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber and was the leader of the National Party from 2018 to 2020.
The only thing I would change is the last word. Productivity rather than growth.
his business mates dont like the idea of having to pay staff more.
raise the employer contribution to 6 or 9% leave employee contribution at 3%… then eventually do away with it and employer pays the full 12%… do away with total remuneration contracts too or at least make ks exempt from them.
that negates soimons concerns 🙂 im sure the employees not being able to have a gold coast holiday is his real and genuine concern… itll also shut up rol and his concerns below, exvept he’ll screech unfair cuz he doest do ks (neither do i)
but seriously be like aus, lump it all on the employer. kiwi employers are notoriously shit at looking after staff and payrises etc.
Nothing stops people from having their own super scheme, so what you say is just bullshit. The point mostly is that unless you force people to do so they don’t.
In aussie you can manage your own scheme.
You still dont get it ,the 6% employer contribution is your contribution it just came out of you pay 15 seconds before the 6% did ,that you think is your only contribution. The only difference is how the ird and your employer treat it . The biggest risk of naming it all employer contribution is it lets governments steal it more easily if they going broke.
thats because youre a scum employer that deducts it from your employees pay via total remuneration contract… ditch them.
are you saying if an employee dosent have ks you would pay them that extra 3% you supposedly contribute… 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 keep that one for april 1st mate
as i said lets make it easy, 12% contribution rate which is entirely on the employer ON TOP of salary/ hourly rate.
if you want to advertise your job position with 12% less pay then normal then go for it mate, punjab singh will happily take the job while the half decent worker takes the better deal elsewhere.
so many of my fellow workmates in nz got a shock when it wasnt explained to them their contract ment their takehome pay actually put them on below minimum wage due to scum employers screwing them over with john keys loophole. time to end that scum practice. waaaaaaah goes dougal, “but i want to treat my employees like utter shit and pay as little as possible”
You just dont understand math , and i dont employ anyone else dick head , if you spend sometime thinking about it while going back and forward on auto steer rather than wanking you may understand it by 2030.
I used to , but most long term tractor seat jockeys have a chip on their shoulder ,and think that they would be a better boss than the boss but wont front up with the capital to give it a go themselves.
I agree. I don’t have Kiwi saver, mostly because it was a Labour idea, and becuase I don’t like anyone telling me how and when I can use my money. Some say I am an idiot and have lost out on thousands in contributions. But I paid off my mortgages by never reducing the amount going in when rates dropped. I now have about 2mil on 2 properties, mortgage free. I’d rather be in this position than have a mortage and about $200,000 in Kiwi saver. One generates passive income, and theoretically both will increase in value over time. Did I make the right decision? Don’t know, and now its too late to change or cry.
Labor made an entire industry on free money forcibly removed from wage slaves who have bugger all control of their money after been it has been lifted. With bugger all control of the wide boys, it was money made in heaven for them! Anyone would think that Cunt Cullins thought it up
At least in Australia you can control you own superannuation scheme, if you desire.
The Minister of Justice has demanded an explanation from officials after learning an ex-Lotto presenter has been on leave from the Ministry of Justice with full pay for five years after being arrested in a major FBI sting.
Russell Harrison was arrested five years ago after delivering gold bullion to a Comancheros gang boss in Turkey, but continued receiving a full government salary until he pleaded guilty to money laundering two weeks ago and was fired, according to Stuff.
Do you know more?
He had just started working at the ministry the month before his arrest.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge Today he was “shocked” and had only learned of the matter in the past couple of weeks.
“Obviously it’s a matter for the chief executive, and so I’ve asked for an explanation as to how it could possibly happen,” he said.
Asked if the salary could be paid back, Goldsmith said that was “an employment relations matter”.
Harrison worked in the Justice Ministry as a Kaiārahi – Family Court navigator in Rotorua. Stuff reported the Justice Ministry confirmed the former Lotto frontman was put on leave with full pay until he pleaded guilty a fortnight ago.
At that point he lost his job and the payments stopped.
His LinkedIn profile shows he started work at the ministry in May 2021. The arrest took place in June 2021.
t was part of an international operation “dubbed sting of the century” with the FBI developing its own fake phones and encrypted messaging service, ANOM.
Operation Trojan Shield culminated in coordinated raids across 16 countries, including New Zealand, resulting in more than 800 arrests, tons of drugs seized, and millions in cash uncovered.
Kiwi police officers carried out raids across the North Island, resulting in 35 arrests, including senior members of the Comancheros, Mongrel Mob and Head Hunters gangs. More than 900 charges were laid.
Indeed and I have just mentioned that on the taxpayers union website, describing her as an expatriate from a high place. Which Police Minister and police chief was involved?
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)’s next multimillion-dollar IT project has failed to meet its first stage goals.
The $336 million Our Future Services (OFS), a seven-year visa processing rebuild, began last year.
But it ran into problems with group visitor visas which, according to its business plan, had been due for completion between June and December last year.
The immigration and finance ministers are getting quarterly updates on the project’s progress, and Cabinet is being briefed every year. Last month, a Public Service Commission assurance review was also ordered, following the axing of the $35m Biometric Capability Update amid allegations that officials had misled ministers and a select committee.
Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said it would be checking the advice Erica Stanford had received about Our Future Services was “accurate and can be relied on”.
The project’s first phase deliverables were due this week and included moving 31 visa types on to its new platform – students, relatives of temporary visa holders and group visitor visas.
Future Services’ acting general manager Jaci Barnes said the latter was now “expected to occur in the coming weeks”.
Group visitor visas account for about 60,000 applications a year.
OFS’ first phase included decommissioning legacy systems and ran from February 2025 to last month.ore public service Failure.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)’s next multimillion-dollar IT project has failed to meet its first stage goals.
The $336 million Our Future Services (OFS), a seven-year visa processing rebuild, began last year.
But it ran into problems with group visitor visas which, according to its business plan, had been due for completion between June and December last year.
The immigration and finance ministers are getting quarterly updates on the project’s progress, and Cabinet is being briefed every year. Last month, a Public Service Commission assurance review was also ordered, following the axing of the $35m Biometric Capability Update amid allegations that officials had misled ministers and a select committee.
Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said it would be checking the advice Erica Stanford had received about Our Future Services was “accurate and can be relied on”.
The project’s first phase deliverables were due this week and included moving 31 visa types on to its new platform – students, relatives of temporary visa holders and group visitor visas.
Future Services’ acting general manager Jaci Barnes said the latter was now “expected to occur in the coming weeks”.
Group visitor visas account for about 60,000 applications a year.
OFS’ first phase included decommissioning legacy systems and ran from February 2025 to last month.
Another hugely expensive information technology failure.
I may sound like a religious nutter but here goes.
I think the IT industry was invented by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because he wanted real estate agents to look honest.
Regional Council — 14 iwi agreements rushed through in secret?
Waikanae watchers Avatar
By Waikanae watchers on July 2, 2026
Local councils across New Zealand are quietly locking ratepayers into long-term co-governance arrangements without any honest conversation about the final bill. This week at Horizons Regional Council, councillors are being asked to progress 14 separate Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements under the Resource Management Act. These deals require staff, lawyers, consultants, and ongoing administration potentially forever, yet councils are treating basic financial questions from elected members as a problem.
We look at the growing culture of information overload inside local government, where massive agenda papers are dumped on councillors right before a vote. With major central government reforms coming to replace the RMA framework, rushing these commitments through on the hoof makes no sense. Ratepayers deserve to know where their money is going, especially when every dollar spent on bureaucracy is a dollar not spent on fixing roads and upgrading infrastructure.
Big Pharma and the International oligarchs. I would argue that even the wars currently ocurring are all in some way being controlled by these “Puppet Masters”. Ukraine, Iran Congo, Sudan, Somalia, they all small fry, pawns in a greater game. And New Zealand? Completely and utterly irrelevent and inconsequential.
I don’t care who’s at the top as long as nobody else prevents me from getting there. And in NZ, nobody does. The only thing stopping me from getting to the top is I can’t be arsed working that hard or taking on that much risk. I’d rather take my time and smell the roses along the way. And that’s pretty much why we’re all where we are.
I hate aristocrats but I want families to accumulate intergenerational wealth so that they (instead of the State) can fund the education, welfare, medical care, and retirement of their members.
Wealth taxes and death duties throttle this accumulation of intergenerational wealth, making families more and more dependent on government hand-outs.
I just had a conversation with a 70 plus woman who is going to vote green. Apparently they aren’t communist and there’s no communism in the world anymore. Completely delusional. Gaslit white liberal women are a significant problem.
“Greg Dixon’s Another Kind of Politics: Luxon admits he didn’t know there were people who weren’t financially ‘sorted’”
Now if you were to drill into this and were a Listener subscriber, you’d discover this is satire. But damage done. They’re just low-life trash.
The Opportunity Party (formerly The Opportunities Party or TOP) treats climate change as an urgent environmental and economic priority, advocating for a transition to an emissions-free economy. They emphasize nature-based solutions, renewable energy expansion, and targeted incentives for clean technology. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Climate Policies
Emissions Pricing: They support strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and including agricultural emissions while excluding new exotic pine plantations. [1]
Abundant Energy: Their renewable energy plan aims to add massive capacity to the grid by 2050 and ringfence government profits from power generation to reinvest in renewables. [1]
Clean Transport: The party proposes providing free public transport to under-30s, offering credits for e-bikes and e-scooters, and transitioning all urban bus fleets to electric by 2030. [1]
Nature Restoration: They advocate for carbon sequestration through wetlands and soil restoration rather than broad pine forestry. They also promote phasing out synthetic fertilizers to transition to regenerative agriculture. [1, 2]
ROL, this is just Labour in Drag. Their Emissions Policy on Agriculture for example is exactly the same. Labour’s Clean Transport Policy is only marginally different, max $20 per week otherwise stuff all different.
TOP Policy as per your Post. “Emissions Pricing: They support strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and including agricultural emissions while excluding new exotic pine plantations.”
Labour Policy. “Agricultural Emissions: Labour supports bringing agriculture into an emissions pricing regime.”
I know full well how how this ended up T, as I used to do all the Ship Chartering for the Ceylon Tea Corporation, in particular Chartering Vessels for all the Potash out of Russia.
The TOP, Labour, & Green parties will believe that NZ will not starve.
More than enough meat, plus enough land could be turned over for a crop like cabbages, carrots, mung-beans, etc..
What they miss out on was the Ceylon- (changed to the cursed) Sri Lanka did not produce enough tea for profitable export, to pay for its imports, particularly gas, kerosine for cooking, and other fuels for even necessary cartage of goods.
Then other necessities, like medicines.
Besides after being selfsufficient in rice, then also had to import it,
Hence the noticiable long queues on the highways waiting to refill, which then lead to major protests.
March 2022 …. involving severe inflation, daily blackouts, and a shortage of fuel, domestic gas, and other essential goods. …. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragalaya#:~
I see that protests have been continuing in Sri Lanka to this day.
It would seem in part to now the high cost of fertiliser and fuels, Straits of Hormuz as the recovery is fragile.
It would be nice to think that the fuel that couldn’t be shipped over the last 3 months has been turned into fertilizer because you cant turn off the wells, but it was probably just poured out onto the desert.
People are asking where their money is coming from. Join the dots —James Shaw left Parliament to work for Infratil. Infratil are BIG on renewables, they are Greenies.
They can be blamed for closing Marsden Point –they wanted to sell the Z Energy chain of petrol stations and Ampol ( Australia) said OK but Marsden Point must be closed as it competes (somehow) with their refinery. At the time the refinery industry was in a down turn (it is quite a cyclical business). So as a shareholder Infratil must have persuaded the other shareholders to close it.
So my guess is they are big funders of TOP. It is effectively like a reverse takeover of a business except in this case it is a political party which if successful can further their business goals.
All politicians are the same Giorgia Meloni visits one of the poorest towns in Basilicata and asks the mayor what the three priorities are to revitalize the area.
“The first is the hospital: it’s there, but there are no doctors.”
She pulls out her cell phone, talks for a couple of minutes, and then announces:
“Done. The doctors will arrive within a week.”
“The second is water: it’s there, but a mine upstream has polluted the aquifers.”
She picks up the cell phone again, a couple more words, and says:
“Done. Within a month, the aquifers will be cleaned up, and the owner will compensate the residents.”
I would like to congratulate 80 year old Winston Peters for injecting some much-needed young blood into New Zealand First with his appointment of 71 Year Old Michael Laws
An appointment that speaks to a wider youth movement that has been on full display with the other recent candidates.
By the time the election comes around, his deputy leader Shane Jones will be 67.
And if that isn’t a sign of a vibrant, youthful reset for the party,
look no further than Alfred Ngaro and Stuart Nash, who will be 60 and 59 respectively
Practically spring chickens in the ranks of New Zealand First.
It is clear from looking at this lineup that the light that represents NZF’s future is looking bright
Now, all these candidates need to do is make they don’t don’t step into that light.
See less
Laws has his faults but being mealy mouthed is not one of them. Already he has expressed an interest in the Broadcasting portfolio & his suggestions for change are eminently sensible:
#. “Speaking separately on his Platform show, he suggested that if he was put in the role, “first on the chopping list – and this is some sort of wish fantasy of mine – would be Radio New Zealand, they don’t require their existence”.
#. “if RNZ wanted to compete with Newstalk ZB “but you’re still going to use the same management, the same hosts, the same tired left-wing liberal lovies to carry that enterprise, can I say Brent, yes, you probably need a new job”.
From a comment:—- The Death Wish movie from the 70’s also made observations about good & evil, society vs agents of chaos. •this movie may not be elegant but it is as relentless as No Country for Old Men.
Yet the establishment try to suppress, censor this, when worst things happen to, & in front of the public.
NZ’s second-largest apple grower finally collapses owing IRD $19m: https://hubs.la/Q04nqrXG0
A key subsidiary of Kiwi Crunch, owned by Auckland businessman Wade Glass, has been placed in liquidation by the IRD.
Western Australia Police Force · Follow
The Western Australia Police Force has arrested 18 people across Perth in the first week of deployments for the trial of Overt Live Facial Recognition (OLFR) technology.
During this period, more than 131,000 faces were scanned, generating 33 alerts and resulting in 18 arrests, including 16 people wanted on outstanding warrants and two individuals breaching Short-Term Exclusion Orders within the Perth-Northbridge Protected Entertainment Precinct.
The technology also helped officers identify and engage with 21 registered sex offenders and locate two people to check on their welfare.
With only one false positive alert recorded, the trial demonstrated a high level of accuracy.
The trial highlights how technology can enhance policing capabilities and contribute to keeping the community of Western Australia safe.
For more infomation head to https://www.wa.gov.au/…/live-facial-recognition-technology
…..”With only one false positive alert recorded, the trial demonstrated a high level of accuracy.”…..
One person doorstepped, interrogated & probably the target of a kicking down at the local station out of 33? The WA Police & I obviously differ on what the definition of ‘a high level of accuracy’ actually is.
You often get blindsided when you have kids. One Sunday afternoon about fifty years back I was having a quiet beer on the front verandah when out elder daughter asked what the strange thing hanging down from under the stallion in the paddock next door was.
I carefully told her it was the horse’s penis.
“But Mummy said it was nothing,” she replied.
Later I was able to inform Mrs Nasska that 1) she shouldn’t dodge awkward questions & 2) she was spoiled. 🙂
i rekon that stupid tpm bitch will take credit for ending the iran war.
Did you miss this?
Today President Trump would like to give thanks to NZ for allowing Hana help him negotiate a piece deal in the Middle East…
Trump says he knows how busy her work schedule is so he’s eternally grateful…
Was this before she invented Hooters?
Brown Hooters Rule!!!
Brown Boobies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_booby
It’s about time the truth came out about who got to the top of Everest first, Hillary would never had made it without her help and then he took all the glory. I must say Hannah looks awfully young for her age. She also invented Ivermectin while on holiday in Japan back in the seventies, the only reason the government banned it was they didn’t want to pay her royalties. Typical of those colonial bastards. I think she should join TOP.
TOP – Mt Everest. Marvellous 👏👏
she also split the atom aswell
Taught Jacinda all she knew too, which wasn’t much!
That klutz couldn’t even learn to swing poi 🤤
Perfect qualification for TPM. Surprised she isn’t leader yet.
What in the world are they unleashing on the West
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VOzvd7f9mno
A barbarian out and about in the UK
short
No use calling the police either, they no longer have to speak English.
https://youtube.com/shorts/lz9x1muEuqc?is=0tryVr4Y-uVzd4uT
The time of the CV is fast approaching.
Do th in training in his lingo, co h cunt can’t speak English.
I’m honestly not sure who is more unhinged, the guy on the side of the road or the one screeching from the car.
Yes, I noted that. The driver wasn’t intending on getting out of that car.
The dark bloke may be innocent but past behaviour of similar ilk dictates being vigilant is the right instinct.
Is it true that Toni of the TOP is Chippys partner?
It’s all. Ok cos he doesn’t know what a woman is! She might go cluck cluck or. Oink oink.
Yes, a cozy relationship, isn’t it.
James Shaw ex green and Ian Lees-Galloway, ex Labour too.
The new leader ‘face’ of TOP is a corporate greenie ring-in appointed.
I posted this the other night. Do you see any similarities to WG’s point about the ring-in?
https://joehoft.com/elon-musk-shares-that-aoc-is-actress-how/
The geography of a woman as she ages…
Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa.
Half discovered, half wild, fertile and naturally Beautiful!
Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe.
Well-developed and open to trade, especially for someone of real value.
Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain.
Very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.
Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece.
Gently ageing but still a warm and desirable place to visit.
Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain.
With a glorious and all-conquering past.
Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel.
Having been through war, doesn’t make the same mistakes twice, and takes care of business.
Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada.
Self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.
After 70, she becomes like Tibet. Wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages. An adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN
Between 1 and 100, a man is like North Korea and Russia: Ruled by a pair of nuts.
A really good article from Simon Bridges today.
Compulsory 12% KiwiSaver’s a bad idea, despite what the chattering classes say – Simon Bridges
For some time, the top concerns for New Zealanders in any poll have been cost of living and the economy. That’s why it’s a surprise to me that there’s near consensus among our chattering classes that raising KiwiSaver contributions to 12% is a great idea.
The money men and women who’ve lobbied for it love it, of course. Why wouldn’t they? They have to build a fund, and it grows bigger and faster and they clip the ticket on it, getting richer themselves through the process.
Granted as well that on the National Party’s recently well-received announcements, the 12% doesn’t fully come into effect until 2032.
But 12% is very high. And the old chestnut that this change will turn us into Australia is superficially facile. Australia is a significantly higher-income country today, largely on account of its scale and digging stuff out of the ground that sells very well around the world. No doubt, their retirement policies will have helped. But they’re down on the list compared to petroleum and minerals.
At one level I agree with more ambition when it comes to superannuation. It will be nation building. My point is that at 12% it will be tough.
The NZ Society of Actuaries Retirement Income Interest Group (who sound like an exciting bunch of characters, by the way) say at rates of 6% plus 6% (from the worker and the employer) people may have more money to spend when they are retired than when working. On that basis, this dynamic bunch – who I’m sure charge significant fees before one can belong to them, a bit like the Northern Club – say five plus five would be better.
Surely, they are right. If you earn an average income, do you really want to slog your guts out in your working years so you’re much comfier financially when you’re old and decrepit and can’t enjoy it as much? No holidays for the fam on the Gold Coast while you’re working but plenty as soon as you stop.
Indeed, the nub of the issue is that we just aren’t a high-income economy today and I don’t see a clear path to make us one by 2032. AI tells me the average annual salary in New Zealand is $81,484 and the median, probably a better figure to use, is only $69,836. That’s hardly champagne living, and becomes five grand less at an average salary or $4,000 less at the median rate for the employee once their 6% is taken out, not to mention the 6% the boss also has to find.
But the figure that I can’t get out of my head is from Westpac data earlier in the year. More than one in three Kiwis today has less than $500 in savings. That’s a definition of poverty. Crash your uninsured car and you’re in a dreadful financial spiral. No wonder, according to another recent report, this time from the Helen Clark Foundation, only a third of us feel financially secure.
Twelve per cent might make for a stronger collective future. However, it would also make things much tougher for a heap of Kiwis until they retire – employees as well as for SME owners, a much-neglected collection of businesspeople, who’ve survived – just – a torrid few years, but still aren’t finding it easy. If it’s a choice for them between paying off bills, keeping their businesses going, handling their mortgage repayments, or 12% more into KiwiSaver, I reckon I know what the majority would choose.
And this talk of mortgages segues me rather conveniently to another much more pressing matter; the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s desire to lift the Official Cash Rate and therefore mums’ and dads’ interest rates, meaning even more cost-of-living struggles.
I accept our economy is a hard thing to generalise on. The South Island and our farming friends seem to be in clover. Yet that’s not true in major cities, namely Auckland and Wellington for the most part.
Additionally, it hasn’t been all the members of RBNZ who are entirely frisky for rate rises. The fulltimers at the bank were less enthusiastic than the independent members who presumably don’t run a small business at the current time, have paid off their mortgages and still take regular holidays to Australia.
Yes, inflation is a thing that can at times be a wretched beast. But during the height of the Middle East war I couldn’t for the life of me understand how restricting more cash in a stalled recovery was a good idea. Especially when the big driver of this was foreign oil, which we’ve less control over than our teenage children’s social media usage.
Today as – touch wood – the war is over, more traffic is heading through the Strait of Hormuz. On this basis, the arguments for holding rather than raising become even stronger. Petrol prices are down a little and some commercial banks are saying therefore that the RBNZ will slow its hawkish push down and rates will stay lower longer.
I certainly hope so.
We aren’t high income in New Zealand, and we badly need an economic uptick. One word matters more than KiwiSaver, more than inflation, or any other for that matter. It’s growth.
Simon Bridges is the chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber and was the leader of the National Party from 2018 to 2020.
The only thing I would change is the last word.
Productivity rather than growth.
his business mates dont like the idea of having to pay staff more.
raise the employer contribution to 6 or 9% leave employee contribution at 3%… then eventually do away with it and employer pays the full 12%… do away with total remuneration contracts too or at least make ks exempt from them.
that negates soimons concerns 🙂 im sure the employees not being able to have a gold coast holiday is his real and genuine concern… itll also shut up rol and his concerns below, exvept he’ll screech unfair cuz he doest do ks (neither do i)
but seriously be like aus, lump it all on the employer. kiwi employers are notoriously shit at looking after staff and payrises etc.
Nothing stops people from having their own super scheme, so what you say is just bullshit. The point mostly is that unless you force people to do so they don’t.
In aussie you can manage your own scheme.
You still dont get it ,the 6% employer contribution is your contribution it just came out of you pay 15 seconds before the 6% did ,that you think is your only contribution. The only difference is how the ird and your employer treat it . The biggest risk of naming it all employer contribution is it lets governments steal it more easily if they going broke.
thats because youre a scum employer that deducts it from your employees pay via total remuneration contract… ditch them.
are you saying if an employee dosent have ks you would pay them that extra 3% you supposedly contribute… 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 keep that one for april 1st mate
as i said lets make it easy, 12% contribution rate which is entirely on the employer ON TOP of salary/ hourly rate.
if you want to advertise your job position with 12% less pay then normal then go for it mate, punjab singh will happily take the job while the half decent worker takes the better deal elsewhere.
so many of my fellow workmates in nz got a shock when it wasnt explained to them their contract ment their takehome pay actually put them on below minimum wage due to scum employers screwing them over with john keys loophole. time to end that scum practice. waaaaaaah goes dougal, “but i want to treat my employees like utter shit and pay as little as possible”
You just dont understand math , and i dont employ anyone else dick head , if you spend sometime thinking about it while going back and forward on auto steer rather than wanking you may understand it by 2030.
no chance, im like an eraser mate… always rubbing it out.
i dont know what math gymnastics youre doing mate but its fucked. probs a good thing you dont employ anyone tbh.
I used to , but most long term tractor seat jockeys have a chip on their shoulder ,and think that they would be a better boss than the boss but wont front up with the capital to give it a go themselves.
dont employ irish or germans then
Too busy telling everyone else how to do it?
I agree. I don’t have Kiwi saver, mostly because it was a Labour idea, and becuase I don’t like anyone telling me how and when I can use my money. Some say I am an idiot and have lost out on thousands in contributions. But I paid off my mortgages by never reducing the amount going in when rates dropped. I now have about 2mil on 2 properties, mortgage free. I’d rather be in this position than have a mortage and about $200,000 in Kiwi saver. One generates passive income, and theoretically both will increase in value over time. Did I make the right decision? Don’t know, and now its too late to change or cry.
Same 2 million in extra asset value way more than a measly govt contribution to kiwi saver.
Labor made an entire industry on free money forcibly removed from wage slaves who have bugger all control of their money after been it has been lifted. With bugger all control of the wide boys, it was money made in heaven for them! Anyone would think that Cunt Cullins thought it up
At least in Australia you can control you own superannuation scheme, if you desire.
fuck this country is as bad as America.
The Minister of Justice has demanded an explanation from officials after learning an ex-Lotto presenter has been on leave from the Ministry of Justice with full pay for five years after being arrested in a major FBI sting.
Russell Harrison was arrested five years ago after delivering gold bullion to a Comancheros gang boss in Turkey, but continued receiving a full government salary until he pleaded guilty to money laundering two weeks ago and was fired, according to Stuff.
Do you know more?
He had just started working at the ministry the month before his arrest.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge Today he was “shocked” and had only learned of the matter in the past couple of weeks.
“Obviously it’s a matter for the chief executive, and so I’ve asked for an explanation as to how it could possibly happen,” he said.
Asked if the salary could be paid back, Goldsmith said that was “an employment relations matter”.
Harrison worked in the Justice Ministry as a Kaiārahi – Family Court navigator in Rotorua.
Stuff reported the Justice Ministry confirmed the former Lotto frontman was put on leave with full pay until he pleaded guilty a fortnight ago.
At that point he lost his job and the payments stopped.
His LinkedIn profile shows he started work at the ministry in May 2021. The arrest took place in June 2021.
t was part of an international operation “dubbed sting of the century” with the FBI developing its own fake phones and encrypted messaging service, ANOM.
Operation Trojan Shield culminated in coordinated raids across 16 countries, including New Zealand, resulting in more than 800 arrests, tons of drugs seized, and millions in cash uncovered.
Kiwi police officers carried out raids across the North Island, resulting in 35 arrests, including senior members of the Comancheros, Mongrel Mob and Head Hunters gangs. More than 900 charges were laid.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/paul-goldsmith-demands-answers-after-ex-lotto-presenter-gets-taxpayer-funded-wage-for-five-years-while-on-leave/AZ6G24UV2JFQDGZHRPMKPZ7MWY/
What other sams and benefits did he get in that time, and where were the HR people?
Asleep under the judge’s table?
I think Ardern’s part time shag was mentioned in that operation and then hushed up….
Feck it would be funny if he got 501ed out of aussie
Indeed and I have just mentioned that on the taxpayers union website, describing her as an expatriate from a high place. Which Police Minister and police chief was involved?
you can also read it here.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361001245/ex-lotto-presenter-suspended-full-taxpayer-funded-salary-five-years-after-global-fbi-sting-arrest
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)’s next multimillion-dollar IT project has failed to meet its first stage goals.
The $336 million Our Future Services (OFS), a seven-year visa processing rebuild, began last year.
But it ran into problems with group visitor visas which, according to its business plan, had been due for completion between June and December last year.
The immigration and finance ministers are getting quarterly updates on the project’s progress, and Cabinet is being briefed every year. Last month, a Public Service Commission assurance review was also ordered, following the axing of the $35m Biometric Capability Update amid allegations that officials had misled ministers and a select committee.
Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said it would be checking the advice Erica Stanford had received about Our Future Services was “accurate and can be relied on”.
The project’s first phase deliverables were due this week and included moving 31 visa types on to its new platform – students, relatives of temporary visa holders and group visitor visas.
Future Services’ acting general manager Jaci Barnes said the latter was now “expected to occur in the coming weeks”.
Group visitor visas account for about 60,000 applications a year.
OFS’ first phase included decommissioning legacy systems and ran from February 2025 to last month.ore public service Failure.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)’s next multimillion-dollar IT project has failed to meet its first stage goals.
The $336 million Our Future Services (OFS), a seven-year visa processing rebuild, began last year.
But it ran into problems with group visitor visas which, according to its business plan, had been due for completion between June and December last year.
The immigration and finance ministers are getting quarterly updates on the project’s progress, and Cabinet is being briefed every year. Last month, a Public Service Commission assurance review was also ordered, following the axing of the $35m Biometric Capability Update amid allegations that officials had misled ministers and a select committee.
Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said it would be checking the advice Erica Stanford had received about Our Future Services was “accurate and can be relied on”.
The project’s first phase deliverables were due this week and included moving 31 visa types on to its new platform – students, relatives of temporary visa holders and group visitor visas.
Future Services’ acting general manager Jaci Barnes said the latter was now “expected to occur in the coming weeks”.
Group visitor visas account for about 60,000 applications a year.
OFS’ first phase included decommissioning legacy systems and ran from February 2025 to last month.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/eyes-turn-to-immigrations-new-it-project-after-it-misses-first-milestone/XHITT2JGDZF7TERVJPBLSHRQUA/
Another hugely expensive information technology failure.
I may sound like a religious nutter but here goes.
I think the IT industry was invented by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because he wanted real estate agents to look honest.
Bless you my son. 🙂
Oi, stay out of my patch…
Who and how many got the sack?
Been Public Service, bet they got a promotion and pay rise!
Regional Council — 14 iwi agreements rushed through in secret?
Waikanae watchers Avatar
By Waikanae watchers on July 2, 2026
Local councils across New Zealand are quietly locking ratepayers into long-term co-governance arrangements without any honest conversation about the final bill. This week at Horizons Regional Council, councillors are being asked to progress 14 separate Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements under the Resource Management Act. These deals require staff, lawyers, consultants, and ongoing administration potentially forever, yet councils are treating basic financial questions from elected members as a problem.
We look at the growing culture of information overload inside local government, where massive agenda papers are dumped on councillors right before a vote. With major central government reforms coming to replace the RMA framework, rushing these commitments through on the hoof makes no sense. Ratepayers deserve to know where their money is going, especially when every dollar spent on bureaucracy is a dollar not spent on fixing roads and upgrading infrastructure.
Do you feel that NZ society is becoming more polarized?
The trouble with meritocratic hierarchies is that there are always fewer at the top. Eventually, people lose hope and start looking for scapegoats.
Who are the people at the top? Are they playing fair? Are they suppressing those below them?
Who are the people near the bottom? Do they deserve to be where they are?
Who are the disruptors? What is their agenda and why do they act in this way?
Bonus question for the tinfoil hat brigade: who are the puppet masters?
Big Pharma and the International oligarchs. I would argue that even the wars currently ocurring are all in some way being controlled by these “Puppet Masters”. Ukraine, Iran Congo, Sudan, Somalia, they all small fry, pawns in a greater game. And New Zealand? Completely and utterly irrelevent and inconsequential.
Someone once said that believing that Big Pharma wanted you to be healthy was like believing that Las Vegas wanted you to win money.
True
I don’t care who’s at the top as long as nobody else prevents me from getting there. And in NZ, nobody does. The only thing stopping me from getting to the top is I can’t be arsed working that hard or taking on that much risk. I’d rather take my time and smell the roses along the way. And that’s pretty much why we’re all where we are.
Or join the Labour Pardy. //
(You’d probably be weeded out of selection for being competent)
I hate aristocrats but I want families to accumulate intergenerational wealth so that they (instead of the State) can fund the education, welfare, medical care, and retirement of their members.
Wealth taxes and death duties throttle this accumulation of intergenerational wealth, making families more and more dependent on government hand-outs.
Perhaps this is the intention.
Q: How did NZ’s tiny population before the 1970’s manage to fund, on budget, and build the infrastructure the country had?
We didn’t have a bunch of subversive communists cocking up the system on purpose.
So many left-wing parties in this country.
Which parties are committed to shrinking the size of government and empowering people to take personal responsibility for their own lives?
Is ACT up to the job? (Very few voters say they will vote for ACT. Around 8%.)
Such a high proportion of voters say they favor Big Government.
Japan is more honest. It has its own Communist Party (Japanese Communist Party | 日本共産党) Here in New Zealand there are the Greens!
I just had a conversation with a 70 plus woman who is going to vote green. Apparently they aren’t communist and there’s no communism in the world anymore. Completely delusional. Gaslit white liberal women are a significant problem.
My mate dates women in Wellington in their 60s and up. Without exaggerating, about 1 in 100 isn’t a Labour or Green supporter.
The normal ones are probably still happily married…
NZ was the first in the world to give white liberal women the vote. How has that worked out?
//
This is a headline in the NZH today.
“Greg Dixon’s Another Kind of Politics: Luxon admits he didn’t know there were people who weren’t financially ‘sorted’”
Now if you were to drill into this and were a Listener subscriber, you’d discover this is satire. But damage done. They’re just low-life trash.
Anyone thinking of voting Opportunity, read this:
The Opportunity Party (formerly The Opportunities Party or TOP) treats climate change as an urgent environmental and economic priority, advocating for a transition to an emissions-free economy. They emphasize nature-based solutions, renewable energy expansion, and targeted incentives for clean technology. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Climate Policies
ROL, this is just Labour in Drag. Their Emissions Policy on Agriculture for example is exactly the same. Labour’s Clean Transport Policy is only marginally different, max $20 per week otherwise stuff all different.
TOP Policy as per your Post.
“Emissions Pricing: They support strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and including agricultural emissions while excluding new exotic pine plantations.”
Labour Policy.
“Agricultural Emissions: Labour supports bringing agriculture into an emissions pricing regime.”
Their agriculture policy, getting rid of fertilizers in particular has been tried in Sri Lanka – it didn’t end well.
I know full well how how this ended up T, as I used to do all the Ship Chartering for the Ceylon Tea Corporation, in particular Chartering Vessels for all the Potash out of Russia.
The TOP, Labour, & Green parties will believe that NZ will not starve.
More than enough meat, plus enough land could be turned over for a crop like cabbages, carrots, mung-beans, etc..
What they miss out on was the Ceylon- (changed to the cursed) Sri Lanka did not produce enough tea for profitable export, to pay for its imports, particularly gas, kerosine for cooking, and other fuels for even necessary cartage of goods.
Then other necessities, like medicines.
Besides after being selfsufficient in rice, then also had to import it,
Hence the noticiable long queues on the highways waiting to refill, which then lead to major protests.
March 2022 …. involving severe inflation, daily blackouts, and a shortage of fuel, domestic gas, and other essential goods. ….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragalaya#:~
I see that protests have been continuing in Sri Lanka to this day.
It would seem in part to now the high cost of fertiliser and fuels, Straits of Hormuz as the recovery is fragile.
It would be nice to think that the fuel that couldn’t be shipped over the last 3 months has been turned into fertilizer because you cant turn off the wells, but it was probably just poured out onto the desert.
Are they going to have two bus fleets EV for the young and luvies and young and old diesel buses for us oldies.
People are asking where their money is coming from. Join the dots —James Shaw left Parliament to work for Infratil. Infratil are BIG on renewables, they are Greenies.
They can be blamed for closing Marsden Point –they wanted to sell the Z Energy chain of petrol stations and Ampol ( Australia) said OK but Marsden Point must be closed as it competes (somehow) with their refinery. At the time the refinery industry was in a down turn (it is quite a cyclical business). So as a shareholder Infratil must have persuaded the other shareholders to close it.
So my guess is they are big funders of TOP. It is effectively like a reverse takeover of a business except in this case it is a political party which if successful can further their business goals.
TOP are like the frog party: green on the outside but red on the inside.
In this way, they resemble the Green party (aka, the watermelon party).
UK Labour punishing non-left voters
https://rumble.com/v7c3iju-this-is-fcking-terrifying.html?e9s=rel_v3_rs
This Is F*cking Terrifying
Paul Joseph Watson
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DsGewCySlV8
Not a fan of the “Nob of the North”
short
Chippy didn’t see this coming
https://x.com/actparty/status/2072576028027883989?s=20
Does not log in, but squeezes past on this link
https://nitter.net/actparty/status/2072576028027883989?s=20
45 secs : plus comments
All politicians are the same
Giorgia Meloni visits one of the poorest towns in Basilicata and asks the mayor what the three priorities are to revitalize the area.
“The first is the hospital: it’s there, but there are no doctors.”
She pulls out her cell phone, talks for a couple of minutes, and then announces:
“Done. The doctors will arrive within a week.”
“The second is water: it’s there, but a mine upstream has polluted the aquifers.”
She picks up the cell phone again, a couple more words, and says:
“Done. Within a month, the aquifers will be cleaned up, and the owner will compensate the residents.”
“And the third?” she asks.
“The third is cell phones,” the mayor replies.
“Nothing works here.”
I would like to congratulate 80 year old Winston Peters for injecting some much-needed young blood into New Zealand First with his appointment of 71 Year Old Michael Laws
An appointment that speaks to a wider youth movement that has been on full display with the other recent candidates.
By the time the election comes around, his deputy leader Shane Jones will be 67.
And if that isn’t a sign of a vibrant, youthful reset for the party,
look no further than Alfred Ngaro and Stuart Nash, who will be 60 and 59 respectively
Practically spring chickens in the ranks of New Zealand First.
It is clear from looking at this lineup that the light that represents NZF’s future is looking bright
Now, all these candidates need to do is make they don’t don’t step into that light.
See less
Laws has his faults but being mealy mouthed is not one of them. Already he has expressed an interest in the Broadcasting portfolio & his suggestions for change are eminently sensible:
#. “Speaking separately on his Platform show, he suggested that if he was put in the role, “first on the chopping list – and this is some sort of wish fantasy of mine – would be Radio New Zealand, they don’t require their existence”.
#. “if RNZ wanted to compete with Newstalk ZB “but you’re still going to use the same management, the same hosts, the same tired left-wing liberal lovies to carry that enterprise, can I say Brent, yes, you probably need a new job”.
Red Radio. Gone by lunchtime. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/658049/former-mayor-broadcaster-michael-laws-to-stand-for-nz-first-in-upcoming-election
Maybe they should have hunted down Benjamin Doyle hes young and available///
The best part of Citizen vigilante
https://x.com/atensnut/status/2072812935664070890?s=20
No need to log in,
May take a moment, then may need a refresh;- ready to roll.
Maybe a warning for some, as “graphic” justice being served up dead cold.
A great tidy up.
https://xcancel.com/atensnut/status/2072812935664070890?s=20
5 mins 38 secs
From a comment:—-
The Death Wish movie from the 70’s also made observations about good & evil, society vs agents of chaos.
•this movie may not be elegant but it is as relentless as No Country for Old Men.
Yet the establishment try to suppress, censor this, when worst things happen to, & in front of the public.
Because my DOB is the wrong way around, I have to log in. Not just now, thanks.
Age discrimination from x.
?
Age restricted adult content.
Log into view!
S1 to the rescue for us non-X’ers.
Thanks S1. The movie covers the problems Britain and Europe have experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5juMT-a2qCc
PBD gives his views and recommendation on CV
NZ’s second-largest apple grower finally collapses owing IRD $19m: https://hubs.la/Q04nqrXG0
A key subsidiary of Kiwi Crunch, owned by Auckland businessman Wade Glass, has been placed in liquidation by the IRD.
Ouch! Why did IRD let it get to $19m?
Re the hooters delivery.
2.25 ml and 5 seconds? Hunty begs to differ…. And his exes can confirm this….
Some would call it premature ejaculation. Hunty prefers to cover it under the heading of ‘efficency’.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1699366871285448
Western Australia Police Force · Follow
The Western Australia Police Force has arrested 18 people across Perth in the first week of deployments for the trial of Overt Live Facial Recognition (OLFR) technology.
During this period, more than 131,000 faces were scanned, generating 33 alerts and resulting in 18 arrests, including 16 people wanted on outstanding warrants and two individuals breaching Short-Term Exclusion Orders within the Perth-Northbridge Protected Entertainment Precinct.
The technology also helped officers identify and engage with 21 registered sex offenders and locate two people to check on their welfare.
With only one false positive alert recorded, the trial demonstrated a high level of accuracy.
The trial highlights how technology can enhance policing capabilities and contribute to keeping the community of Western Australia safe.
For more infomation head to https://www.wa.gov.au/…/live-facial-recognition-technology
…..”With only one false positive alert recorded, the trial demonstrated a high level of accuracy.”…..
One person doorstepped, interrogated & probably the target of a kicking down at the local station out of 33? The WA Police & I obviously differ on what the definition of ‘a high level of accuracy’ actually is.
Wear a hat when you’re out and about. 🧢🕶️ 👀
Kid with diarrhea.
Mum I need some viagara
Mum, what the hell do you need viagra for?
Isn’t that what you give daddy when his shit won’t get hard?
You often get blindsided when you have kids. One Sunday afternoon about fifty years back I was having a quiet beer on the front verandah when out elder daughter asked what the strange thing hanging down from under the stallion in the paddock next door was.
I carefully told her it was the horse’s penis.
“But Mummy said it was nothing,” she replied.
Later I was able to inform Mrs Nasska that 1) she shouldn’t dodge awkward questions & 2) she was spoiled. 🙂