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Yin and Yang

Willis and Luxon doubled down on their decisions to fund tax cuts as Health NZ and other government agencies languish
11
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There was a lot to see and hear from yesterday’s press conference. Willis declared proudly: “This government has your back.”

I felt that needed a response, so put together a quick, and probably clumsy, little video in response.

I think my favourite part of the press conference was when a journalist asked PM Luxon if he felt comfortable giving out $12bn in borrowed tax cuts at a time when agencies like Health NZ are struggling.

Specifically, when Luxon claims Health NZ is problematic, he and Willis are simultaneously clamping down on their funding and freezing roles. And until Levy goes through all the money with a fine tooth comb, they don’t really want to invest any more into it.

Never mind that National-ACT-NZ First are spending the lowest per capita on health - in the entire century. Or that they’ve already been freezing hires, stopping nurse graduate intakes, cutting health technology investment, cutting funding and delaying hospital renovations they once said were critically urgent while they were in opposition. That’s all just water under the bridge now.

Feel free to share as information is power. Mountain Tui is a full reader supported publication too. I do what I do for Kiwis and hope it helps in some small way.

Doctors and nurses have been sounding the alarm warning people will die as a result of the budget cuts, but they aren’t worth listening to, right, Luxon and Willis?

When National starve our public services, it’s called good governance. When anyone else does it, it’s bad government. The standards are always the same.

Naturally, we saw Luxon 'fire up’ again when asked how he could square his $12bn borrowed tax cuts with it all. I find he always fires up when asked a question he doesn’t have a genuinely good answer for.

For example: “PM, regarding boot camps, the Chief Children’s Commissioner says there shouldn’t be anything military with youths. What do you have to say to that?”

The eyes narrow, the stance solidifies, the eyes glare, the tone stiffens, and out comes Lecturer Luxon, invariably raving on about the “last government” and how “damnit, we’re going to do something” as if he is haunted by Ardern’s ghost at all times, and needs to exorcise those demons continually.

This time, he shot back with “No disrespect, but good governments can actually deliver tax relief to New Zealanders after 14 years.”

Did that answer the question?

While he claims that everything he didn’t touch is a “mess,” his decisions are impacting hospitals, doctors incl. GPs, nurses, ambulances, police, teachers, schools, ferries in a sink or swim battle under his executive eye.

That money, plus interest, could be invested back into our key public services like health (to take care of Kiwis), police (to combat crime and make Kiwis safer), schools (whanau and tamariki,) infrastructure (like ferries, public transport, rail) to build for tomorrow, and structural productivity gains through science and technology.

Oh that’s right, most science fundings were slashed by them too. Bravo, National-ACT-NZ First.

Instead, the money is not going into investment - it’s scattered like the wind out to Kiwi families, to be eaten back up by higher fees implemented by this SAME government - prescription fees, higher GP fees due to them underfunding , high fuel taxes come 2027, increased car rego fees, more tolled roads, higher freight costs given the shambles that is Kiwirail, higher insurance costs as they actively increase emissions, no access to Warmer homes subsidies, cut food banks and budgeting services etc.…

Do Luxon and Willis not realise management is about dependencies and sequencing? Did they really think that slashing and burning was some type of unique genius in the field of government that will render good results?

Didn’t the kids show us yet?

Building up well and sustainably is hard, demolishing is easy, and guess where our government seems to excel to date.

Once again, we saw the authoritarian, stern Luxon arise - and I do have to wonder what school of management he went to. There is a type of manager that looks down on the others and says, “You’d better do what I asked or you’re out” to ensure their own survival. Or maybe they think that’s what being a boss is about. Old school, ya know?

Yet there are others who understand leadership, and will work with their people to challenge them where necessary, but also support them to where they need to go. Everything is in the relationship and to get good outcomes, a brave manager is not afraid to get down and dirty to deliver results and to help their people navigate challenges.

Luxon seems more interested in being a position where he can point fingers, and cast blame. Hardly a team person and unlikely to be one that instills loyalty or confidence in those he leads.

Note to New Zealand: Maybe the Air NZ CEO wasn’t the best choice.

Management is a skill, and not for the first time I wonder if Luxon understands what being a Prime Minister is about anyway. It’s not a management job, Sir, it’s a public service role. Where you serve the people and country.

Anyway, the media were much more animated yesterday and many pressed Luxon and Willis on the very strange tale that is Health NZ.

After Luxon admitted last week that he knew about the $130mn deficit in October 2023, Willis suggested it wasn’t the case, and they all only found out this year.

I wrote about it at length yesterday so won’t duplicate those chips, but it’s all very strange, not least because they are keeping the CEO on, and if what they said is even mildly true, it would be a CEO who would rightly fall on their sword. They’re hardly the compassionate type, so the whole story gets stranger by the day.

How to reconcile the very different accounts from last week, a month ago, the Health Minister’s different statements, the PM’s different statements etc? Labour’s Verrall is calling for Health NZ to open their books and it wouldn’t be a bad idea at this point.

Anyway, it was good to see a more animated media throng trying to get questions from Mr Luxon and Ms Willis.

Regardless of it all, what is clear is that hospitals are operating without doctors. Medical staff in the North have been warning since December that delays to the Whangarei hospital build, cost cuts, and frontline services are risking lives and patient care.

Yesterday, RNZ reported that Dargaville hospital is operating on telehealth and someone with a heart attack would then have to be transported to Whangarei, which was also struggling with patient capacity. There’s a lot more.

The signs have been there for a while though, it’s just what floats to the top of the media pile -

This all brings me to the wondrous news today that the National - ACT - NZ First government kindly set aside $216 million for the cut in tobacco excise - which pretty much only benefits Philip Morris, Bishop’s ex-employer.

Verrall has been doing good work interrogating that lately, and so too RNZ. Tobacco companies fund Taxpayers Union and Atlas Network. This government’s ties are deep.

I recall an article by Chris Trotter once that said the left was too focused on Atlas Network. Well, I see what you mean, but if the shoe fits, sometimes you just have to say yes it does. It does match.

$216 million back to Philip Morris - it pays to invest, just not in health outcomes for Kiwis.

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