Bracing myself to explain that the reason that Wellington usually has a lower unemployment rate is because govt jobs are usually fairly stable, and creating public sector instability freaks economies out...

Explaining that not all 63 657 public service employees work in Wellington, but that, as 42.6% of them do, significant job cuts will still fuck Wellington. That's the same Wellington that is already fucked by previous cuts.

And making your capital city look bleak, poor, and scabby, really doesn't do much for investor confidence

Two months ago, I returned a fertile #kakapo egg (Whetu-A3) to the nest and tried to remove another infertile egg from beneath her. She wouldn't let me take the egg, so I offered her the new one. Tricky to do that with one hand while using my phone to see what I was doing! Luckily she took the egg!

The govt *says* it's wrecking the public service to save money. They aren't. Between redundancies and all the other costs involved, it won't save money. What they want to do is smash the publish service to pulp and then use the consequences (poor service) to justify cutting further. #nzpol

Wellington (and wherever else in the country the civil servants are going to get shafted) I am so sorry. This is a nightmare #nzpol

The Bat #batman #dccomics #digitalart

Willis out here claiming the govt is gonna be run by AI when I can't even book a winz appointment without calling and talking to someone. #nzpol

Encountering somebody who sucks up everything Luxon says is a fucking nightmare. They all seem to be devoid of empathy, compassion and critical thinking abilities AND they're proud of it.💩🥚 #OneTermGovernment #nzpol

"In any other job, if you sexually harassed a colleague by sending emails full of unsubstantiated sexual rumours, you'd expect to be fired. Instead, incoming Mayor Andrew Little appointed Ray Chung to the chair of an influential committee..."😡 ...which didn't end well.😒 #nzpol

New Spiderhoof video Breaking down some recent news events #nzpol youtu.be/xsbw3lRJEPw?...

“When ordinary people finally manage to get their concerns before a judge, the government can simply change the rules midstream to ensure the case never reaches a conclusion.” — Mike Smith on the government’s intention to override the Supreme Court. #nzpol e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-...

NCEA Connect The Dots Game: 1. John Key & Beaton are business partners in Crimson, a National Party business donor 3. Beaton criticises NCEA on Q&A 9 months ago 3. Very next day, Erica Stanford announces an NCEA overhaul 4. Crimson Education also spin up the ads at same time to sell the vision

We should all aim to be like Finland. It leads the world in 2 things: education and frequently #1 for happiest place on earth. Only 2% private schools, no Standardized Testing until teenagers, free meals, highly educated teachers, all have masters. I am sure teachers are highly paid too!

#nzpol Sigh, yet another totally misleading headline☹️😠. 'Saving' is purely financial, NOT economic. The 'cost' of * lost workforce capability * strained mental health wellbeing * fractured community cohesion & social contract * stressed legacy for next generation will dwarf "$bn" savings. 🙏🏾.

Funny to think the govt spent ANOTHER $30 million on a second Covid-19 Royal Commission to try to nail Labour, and all they got was this Lowest death rates, positive health outcomes overall, & Ministers who did well & prudently under a rapidly evolving situation. But Simeon blaming Labour again

For $1.4b more, 2 hybrid, future proofed interislander ferries we got for 40%-60% off market price would be here & 2 seismic upgraded ports designed for the long haul & safety Instead, National & NZ First threw $1b away & ordered 2 lower spec ships & less quality ports as portside costs "swell"

A comment by Cam Slater reminded me of Jenna Lynch story about Tamatha Paul. Paul never said she wanted to defund police & Lynch took it out of context. I know because I wrote about it and posted the full video. Soon after Stuff released it too but not before misrepresenting Paul & Greens #nzpol

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says Govt. spent $3 million bringing Robbie Williams to NZ, as Labour leader Chris Hipkins accuses ministers of using the major events fund as a “slush fund” to subsidise their “favourite band or sports team” The worst part is: Williams comes to NZ anyway

Wellington needs to rely less on the government which is based in wellington lmao are you fucking high

It’s so embarrassing when these people are like we won’t deliver basic services like adequate healthcare and education. Like you are the government. Can’t show my face outside of NZ. So humiliating.

Daily bunny no.3323 tells stories about the land

Daily bunny no.3322 is getting dizzy

Those who know me know that the only thing I really yearn to do in superhero comics (apart from all the covers I am doing) is Spider-Man romance. Like. That’s it. That’s what I care about. Maybe a teeny-tiny other thing here and there, but I NEED to do Spider-Man romance

Clearly they're just fans of the illuminating sci-fi novel "Don't Turn the Country into a Torment Nexus"

thinking about how NZ turns up in multiple sci fi canon as a “penal colony” and cant help but think it really does feel like the goal of the far right project to get us there asap

Putting aside the heartbreak i'm feeling - this is a plan that will not work. This is why it would be quite a good strategy not to be at war with your public service. They got rid of pay parity & now this & none of it has or will work. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

The man behind the Eisner-winning Bitter Root, designer for the Spiderverse, teacher at Benedict College, and so much more. Discussing the history and techniques of Sanford Greene, especially in Bitter Root! youtu.be/sSOcgbi66dI?...

This (and the thread above). No real confidence the new approach will be better - and having experienced the previous system myself it wasn't better for a *lot* of kids - but NCEA has never quite stuck together. & has generally served kids doing further study poorly.

We’ve had a dreadful run the past 18 months with staff, I have 20 this term to do the work 14 did in term 4. We have someone sick tomorrrow and can’t cover them (Its a regular occurrence but if I hire more staff at the moment there are not permanent hours for them). Anyone up for some work?

Also note that this announcement is being made in Auckland; Nicola Willis's utter lack of willingness to face the people of her home town whose lives she's ruining extend beyond being too cowardly to run in an electorate here to not even making an announcement where a Wellingtonian might see her.

I don't think there's a magical right size for the public service, it may indeed be that it should be smaller than it is now. But the consultancies the govt trusts to tell them the right size don't understand the public service, & the CEs tasked with cuts oversaw it growing to its current size so 🤷.

But fwiw this is indicative of something that has been driving me nuts about "literary" prose in recent years. Goopy, purple syntax, clogged with mixed metaphors. It's bad writing, but in an era of declining literacy, we seem to think more words=better words.

People respond to AI because it flatters them. It's trained to reinforce what you already believe to be true and tell you how wonderful and correct you are. Literati are no more immune than lonely incels who fall in love with chatbots

I think this is less a press gallery thing than it is just a "politics is hard and lots of people are innumerate" thing We see the reverse from Labour-led govts when they talk about increasing funding of various initiatives, as if the spending is the point, even when the outcomes do not follow

But this is *incredibly obviously* not universally true. One easy example, as a pro sports team you reduce wage bills sacking players. But the impact of sacking your best, highest paid player on your organisation is obviously much more than sacking your worst scrub, despite on its face 'saving' more

There IS such a thing as poor quality or poorly-controlled spending. This is what we have the auditor-general for. There ARE people employed in large orgs (both public & private sector) whose roles are poorly defined or for reasons of competence or fit do a poor job & removing them would save $.

Cut primary healthcare and in the medium term health will cost you WAY more. If spending on M. Bovis elimination had been slashed & it failed, the cost to the country would've been astronomical. Fire the only expert on a critical topic in a public body & resulting bad policy will be hugely costly.

One of the worst things about our press gallery is almost without exception - and please, point me to any that don't do this so I can give credit! - they accept completely uncritically the framing that "cuts = savings". Which *extremely obviously* are concepts which are not 1:1 equivalents.

Part of it is the abject neoliberalism of it all, the selling out and the rigging of the game *even further*, but there's also an angle in Wellington specific of a weird little clique getting incredibly hung up on achieving specific numbers for a thing just because they like the feel of it.

Here's some detailed analysis of why the proposed conservation reforms in New Zealand are going to end badly for conservation #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/melanien...

Oh no, am I gonna have to send a postcard in response to a 40 year old letter to the editor? AGAIN?

Strands #807 “On the rise” 💡🔵🔵🔵 💡🔵💡🔵 🟡🔵🔵

Please provide a detailed list of these claimed duplications. #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Great that the big story about Labour is that they've said they don't know what their policy will actually be until after the election, this is some elite tier opposition work. Three years, same leader, policy not ready for an election. FUCKEN magic. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

nicola willis is a fucking lunatic. forcefeeding AI into public service isn't a reason to cut jobs, especially when the GOVERNMENT refuses to legislate it in any way to make sure it's safe and secure. #nzpol

Resign you money grubbing politician. People starve because of you. People spend their lives looking for non-existent jobs when they should be retired BECAUSE OF YOU. #NZPOL

This will save how much, when you calculate the benefits people will be entitled to when they are thrown out of work? HOW MUCH LADY?? Stop moving the fiscal goalposts you harridan. #nzpol

Someone give me the figures of benefits to be paid out for the people who thrown on the scrapheap (no-one is employable over 30 right now - true story) How much will this cut into your 'savings'? Come on National quantify the amount of benefits you will need to pay. #nzpol

We will math our way to elections, Earthlings!!!! Thanks @sassypolitico.bsky.social for sharing #nzpol