651 days ago

Same Old.......Same Old

Marie from Waikanae

I firmly believe there is nothing new under the sun. In 2012, following the Christchurch earthquakes, the then National government introduced "zero budgets" with a focus on "getting better value from public spending".
Sound familiar? We heard a lot about curbing public spending in the lead up to the last election. Unfortunately, the austerity measures haven't stopped there. As we come to the end of the government's anti-Labour 100 day rampage (arguably the biggest waste of public money I have seen in a long time), prices in the supermarket continue to rise, week on week, despite claims that inflation is easing.
(Well.... it might be, but greedflation is still rampant). We find we are in for more expense for car registration, road user charges have been introduced for electric vehicles and schools will be eating into their operating budgets (literally) to feed hungry children. A UN expert in the UK recently stated that austerity policies were directly linked to a rise in poverty. No surprises there either.

But isn't it ironic that, as a direct result of cancelling all road maintenance during the last round of RONS, the National government is now introducing a special dedicated "pot hole fund" Monty Python couldn't have done it better. Will we be shortly forced to eat hot gravel?

But all is not lost. Despite my Superannuation being cut by $30 this week, for no apparent reason, there's an outside chance I might get it back in the annual CPI adjustment (something the government is legislatively required to do fortunately) And apparently we are still in line for a tax cut sometime in the near future. When is it Tricola? We wait in hope.......

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More messages from your neighbours
20 hours ago

Poll: Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In The Post’s opinion piece on the developments set to open across Aotearoa in 2026, John Coop suggests that, as a nation, we’re “allergic to exuberance.”

We want to know: Are we really allergic to showing our excitement?

Is it time to lean into a more optimistic view of the place we call home? As big projects take shape and new opportunities emerge, perhaps it’s worth asking whether a little more confidence (and enthusiasm!) could do us some good.

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Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝
  • 41.9% Yes
    41.9% Complete
  • 31.7% Maybe?
    31.7% Complete
  • 26.4% No
    26.4% Complete
356 votes
5 days ago

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Vincent from Paraparaumu

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6 days ago

Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

How many balls of string does it take to reach the moon?

(Peter from Carterton kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Peter!)

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

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