Health Officials say Casey Costello's Advice is "Crap" & Luxon Refuses To Protect Infants in Gang Raids

Ngā mihi maioha. A tremendous thank you to all who commented, supported and read my recent post. In appreciation.

First, an update on the Prime Minister’s press conference yesterday with Stanford - rounding up the 3 key messages you may have missed.

1. ERICA STANFORD FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF NZ SPREADS MISINFORMATION

Education Minister Erica Stanford released a government communication repeating Luxon’s narrative that only 22% of Year 8 students in NZ satisfied the maths curriculum.

In August, 1News noted that this statistic was “misinformation” and “misleading” because the curriculum has never been taught in NZ.

Christopher Luxon was asked about this misrepresentation in August but doubled down.

It was disturbing to see a Government of NZ Minister again intentionally use this number to represent education in their official press release yesterday:

Of note - 46 year old Erica Stanford was considered the star political performer in the NZME “Mood of the Boardroom” survey which canvasses opinions from CEOs about politicians.

She comes across as poised and seemingly sincere.

But, with so much action and controversy under the new National-ACT-NZF government, Stanford has largely been able to fly under the radar.

It’s important to note her record:

1. Stanford broke her promise to help schools fund learning aides as the need in NZ increases - a decision principals and teachers called “tragic”. When in opposition, Stanford said if she was in government, she would throw “all of my support” to learning aide support.

2. Stanford did not deliver on the learning support programs she promised - but after the budget made it appear she did by taking the work of the last government and creating a new web page.

3. She is ignoring critical signals in education. Teacher enrolments have fallen by a third and experienced teachers and principals are choosing to opt out and/or signal significant issues over the rushed rollout of a new NCEA program.

4. She stopped 350 school builds early in the year while sincerely claiming it had nothing to do with the government’s cost cutting

5. Stanford has seen changes or axing of up to 176 school bus routes in rural zones leaving parents and students stranded in some areas - some questioning whether they could continue their education

6. Allowed David Seymour to belittle teachers’ unions, set charter school rules that force public school teachers to convert or resign, and stood silently while Simeon Brown overrides schools’ wishes to retain lower speed limits - despite the clear evidence lower speed limits protects children.

2. PM LUXON REFUSES TO SAY POLICE WILL NOT LEAVE TODDLERS AND BABIES UNATTENDED FOR HOURS DURING POLICE RAIDS

It’s hard to watch Prime Minister Luxon talk about the impacts of his tough on gangs approach because this is where he appears most openly authoritarian and also, ironically, most natural.

He echoes a sentiment of loathing and authority that I expect is well supported by focus groups - especially among National and ACT supporters.

Gangs, according to Luxon, cannot be comfortable and removing their insignia is a first step to that, among his other plans. (I wonder if it helps that Luxon has removed a clear and obvious marker to identify gangs)

In the press conference, Luxon parried calls from the media gallery about a 3 year old that was left alone crying and screaming during the recent Opotiki police raids.

Extended family members tried and failed to reach the lone crying child. For hours.

Luxon remained confident and steady in the face of the questions - begrudgingly saying it wasn’t acceptable, while in the same breath saying it was up to police and what happened was ultimately “good for New Zealand.”

He refused to say it would never happen again - nor would he do anything to try to avoid a similar situation.

This is the same man who stood with Erica Stanford a number of months ago claiming he had genuine compassion for gang members who entered gang life after many suffered serious sexual and physical abuse in state and faith based care.

And when it came to children or collateral damage, Luxon placed the blame squarely on gangs.

Again - the Prime Minister would not even entertain the concept of protection of innocents.

But even as Luxon talks a big game about gangs, statistics show that despite gang numbers being artificially culled off the list, their numbers continue to climb while police numbers continue to fall.

And despite paying $3.6mn to set up an “advisory group” to talk about crime - led by dairy crime spokesperson Sunny Kaushal - rendering him off camera ever since - the reality is not improving.

In addition, violent crime has been increasing across the country under National’s tenure: 30,000 more reported incidences. And that’s despite National changing the statistic to measure crime once they got into government.

I can’t help at this point but wonder why National intentionally cut customs front line staff earlier in the year, including paedophile hunters, and customs dog trainers - when illicit drugs and other illegal substances come through this channel.

• Does that help gangs or not?

I can’t help but wonder why Luxon publicly took the side of gun lobbyist Nicole McKee over the Police Association - which represents 98% of uniformed police officers who simply wanted a say over gun reforms. Seemingly fair given police are the ones with their lives on the line. Does this help police morale?

• Does that help gangs or not?

I can’t help but wonder why Mark Mitchell and Luxon made an initial police pay offer that was lower than what Labour proposed in 2023, and then returned with a clear 1-0 win over police in pay arbitration - even as Australia was recruiting some of our most experienced officers overseas.

• Does that help gangs or not?

Only Luxon and Mark Mitchell - who is due to resign any day soon - can answer that question on their own conscience.

And their conscience must include treatment of babies and toddlers during police raids on gangs.

Watching the press conference, it’s hard not to conclude that Luxon (and Mitchell) appear to feel Māori children do not appear to deserve empathy or protection. Was it a mindset like this that originally contributed to abuse in care, I wonder?

3. LUXON DEFENDS CASEY COSTELLO (AGAIN) AFTER HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY COSTELLO’S ADVICE IS “CRAP”

It turns out that Health NZ’s chief advisor of epidemiology emailed colleagues to say that Casey Costello’s justifications to use and promote Heated Tobacco Products is “crap” and some of it is clearly guided by tobacco company talking points.

Internal emails, reported by 1News reveal the correspondence:

"It’s not so much that all of the studies are crap…"

"It’s more that it is a small number of selective research, not up to date, and certainly don’t form any sort of robust evidence review and don’t represent current evidence."

She was critical of one opinion piece presented by the minister.

"The author conflates e-cigarettes with tobacco products like snus and heated tobacco products… with no justification. There is no evidence the snus or heated tobacco products are used of effective for smoking cessation."

Callaghan pointed out some of the data cited in one study was provided by the tobacco company Philip Morris.

This publication has covered the Casey Costello saga in detail over the last many months - as well as heated tobacco’s ineffectiveness against smoking is well documented.

Unfortunately for our Health Officials, we have a government, Ministers, and Prime Minister that appear close to emulating play for pay at this point, and evidence and research are not high on the agenda. [They are cutting more science positions - another 51 jobs to go at the Institute of Environmental Research and Science and this is not a new trend.]

On heated tobacco research, even a random Substack publication easily confirms the Chief Advisor’s notes on HTP.

So why can’t Associate Health Minister Casey Costello get it right?

And why does she have an affinity to tobacco, Philip Morris’ in particular, words and apparent wishes?

Christoper Luxon backed Costello again in the press conference and reverted to form by attacking Health NZ officials when he could not respond credibly to their claims.

And no, this is no longer incredulous - but rather, business as usual under the right wing coalition government in NZ.

EXTRAS

Here is a video of Mr Luxon calling Kiwis “customers” and failing to answer the question of how he is living what he once claimed as his values:

And here is a video of Labour’s Kieran McAnulty calling BS on Nicola Willis’s health system claims:

Finally, last week Mr Luxon talked up the sale of Kiwibank as good for New Zealand.

It’s hard to see how turning a NZ owned bank into a caricature of a fully for-profit Australian owned bank will benefit NZ but perhaps that’s secondary anyway.