Giving any credit to the Doctor is wrong - his financial interests in private health care cancel any sympathy in my book. When you add on his 15 months of gaslighting, torching the Hippocratic oath, sacrificing Māori health etc it is good to see him go
Reti was underperforming, but more money and a less punitive cost cutting environment would have helped. Changing the personnel will not help manage this portfolio with out a large injection of extra funding and engaging with people who actually know the health environment.The idea of an activist antiabortionist as Health Minister in New Zealand in 2025 is astonishing and I mean astonishingly bad.
Gosh. So the all important business of running what's left of the health service into privatization falls to a fourteen year old who thinks 'god' actually exists.
This whole cabinet reshuffle thing to me is a PM who is failing at this PM gig and he needs to show he's taking some sort of action, but what he's actually doing is screwing things up even more by giving ministers portfolios they are severely unqualified for.
I did however feel a tiny bit sorry for Shane Reti. Not because I think he was doing a good job, because he absolutely wasn't, but imo he was just doing what his masters were telling him to do.
Holding this portfolio, he's done incredible damage to Māori particularly with the dis-establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, which maybe he wasn't entirely comfortable doing.
I tautoko your comment. As the months went on you could see Dr Reti being interviewed was visibly uncomfortable. I think both as a Māori and a Doctor having to do what he was told to do which included cutting $'s $'s, $'s in clearly a wellbeing portfolio screaming out for more - his conscience must have suffered.
Reti def looked uncomfortable the last few months. Whereas Lester Levi doesnt give a sh$t. He is payed the big money to eat dead rats. I actually thought Levi was the patsy, but maybe that is for another time.
If my local MP Mark Mitchell is classified as a heavy hitter, the Nats ranks are even lighter than I thought.
Without funding for Vote Health,Simeon will crash and burn. Which in a Machiavellian way, is what I suspect Luxon wants. He can’t have competency around him. It would show him up. Simeon, competent, are you sure (ed?)
With Willis in total control of all things economic, Barbara Edmonds and the team need to go all attack dog.
Wish I shared GA's optimism. An ‘evidence-based guy’ would not have worked for Phillip Morris to oppose the (National party’s) plans to increase tobacco excise and introduce plain packaging and flipped to support them when selected by National.
It’s a huge worry that our struggling health system, which has been starved of funding and adequate staffing, is now in the hands of a young punk who is anti-abortion, only knows about pot holes, is a dubious Christian, has cancelled cycleways and footpaths, thinks only speed matters, a roadster who cares not a whit about our watery highway across the Strait, is now free to wreck havoc on our precious public health care to drive it into private hands. This must not happen.
I must say my first thought on hearing the news of Reti‘s demotion and the name of his substitute , I thought how does experience in filling potholes make a suitable preparation for repairing the terrible holes in our health situation?
Wait. He actually LED with the words “double-down”? Cluelessness. History will look back on this lot and be astonished at how simple, fundamental and otherwise unavoidable our errors were.
Terrific writing there Nick you made me laugh a couple of times, no mean feat given the grim topics. This whole reshuffle reeks of desperation from this desperately unfit prime minister with his shallow talent pool of ministers. Seeing Luxon feigning confidence and joie de vivre on the news last night I remembered a fitting comment of my great friend and mentor Marg, John Fahey then premier of NSW was on the news ... she turned to me and said "if I had a dog with eyes like that Vick I wouldn't turn my back on it for a minute!" .... Luxon has the same effect on me, he exudes falseness, his smiles never reach those cold eyes and I sense nastiness is just a hair's breadth away. As for Simeon Brown as Health Minister! bloody hell that's as bizarre and dangerous a pick for health as trump's is with anti vaccine weirdo RFK Jnr ... just what we need - NOT - a God bothering anti-abortion numpty with nothing at all medical in his CV! The clusterfuck of Luxon and cabal rumbles on :/
My mouth literally dropped open when I read that Brown was the President of ProLife at Auckland University. FFS - when will all this stop!??? How do we get people to vote these weasels out? The problem with them is that they don't give a damn about what people say or think in opposition - look at the snide and condescending reaction to the Hikoi and the Prime Minister's constant avoidance of hard questions. And (sorry for turning on the team...) where is Chippy and our opposition showing a bit of mongrel?
🤷As pointed out often, "Chippy and our opposition" do a lot more "opposing" & "mongrel" than the media bothers to report, so if you don't watch Parliamentary proceedings where they do their best work & by-pass media incompetence, then it seems they are being quiet - they are not 🤷 We need an alternative source to make a YouTube channel with clips of these or if one exists then it needs to be shared so we can watch when we have time - I know BHN shows clips on THEIR channel of some fiery take-downs by the opposition MPs, but if anyone knows where else??? ⁉️👀
Cindy Gerard Otto on FB posts frequent clips of Parliament goings on and like Nick has excellent commentary on politics .... https://www.facebook.com/gerard.otto
Reti is the scapegoat for failed policies and NZers know it. Luxon shifting his cabinet responsibilities doesn’t change the direction they’re going in. This is a knee jerk reaction to the shit hitting the fan re poll results. He couldn’t demote Acts ministers as it would be the end of the coalition. This reshuffle only shows us that there isn’t any talent in Luxon’s caucus. As for Simeon Brown he’ll be changing into white gumboots in his new role!
Marilyn I don't believe Reti is a scapegoat, he's part of the problem. He appears to have no backbone or integrity. He did not stand up against any of the health decisions - which as Minister of Health he could actually have led. Nor did he decry the changes to smoking legislation, dismantling Maori Health ministry, disabilities decisions, school lunches, changes that worsen poverty (benefits, taxes)etc. And he certainly hasn't supported the southern Dunedin hospital build. And he would have voted for the Treaty Principles bill. He's a disgrace to the medical profession. Being Māori has nothing to do with anything. He's a pretender.
Fully agree with you Bronwyn. Reti’s lust for power and greed - he stands to benefit from privatisation and his sheer willingness to crap on Maori AND his Whangarei community makes him a complete traitor who was and remains complicit not a scapegoat. No tears wasted for him.
It's terrifying to see Simeon in Health. We can only assume the atlas minders need someone who can lie more convincingly and talk loudly over dissenters. Which simeon does well. He's a small man with a small mind who can speak loudly, lie easily and follow instructions well. Willis also has this skill. I think they must have some of those chanting sessions like they used to do for the cold calling teams, like Tony Robbins brain washing crap - " Everyday, in everyway, I am getting better and better' - yes, they are getting better and better ... sadly at being deceitful, self serving and dogmatic.
Raewyn you've summed it up well. Simeon acted like a bully when in the Transport and LGovernment portfolios. I forsee a doctor and nurses' and allied health protest March or six or strikes in the near future when health is in even more of an uproar.
Yes! so true. Total bully, who would not listen to anyone else. He's a good little boy who does as he's told. And coupled with the snake tongued Brooke van Velden and her partial strike Bill, things will get messy.
They're doubling down on their obvious plan to privatise our health system. Reti would have gained from that but maybe he still had a wee bit of health professionalism in him and just couldn't stomach what was happening .. the start of privatisation. Simeon doesn't have a Christian bone in his body (neither does luxon) and is just the guy to ensure that privatisation is done quick sticks.
Brown's "performance"?? Performative only. Lots of announcements, no actual outcomes. He's going to be diabolical in Health. He strikes me as the nasty, vindictive type who, being inferior in skills and intellect to those he has been put in a position of power over, will destroy people and careers. Daddy has given him the company and he is oblivious to reality, only his ego and blind self importance is visible to him.
Giving any credit to the Doctor is wrong - his financial interests in private health care cancel any sympathy in my book. When you add on his 15 months of gaslighting, torching the Hippocratic oath, sacrificing Māori health etc it is good to see him go
Agree, but WTF for a replacement???! What is the equivalent of cycleways in medicine...
Bowel screening?
Reti was underperforming, but more money and a less punitive cost cutting environment would have helped. Changing the personnel will not help manage this portfolio with out a large injection of extra funding and engaging with people who actually know the health environment.The idea of an activist antiabortionist as Health Minister in New Zealand in 2025 is astonishing and I mean astonishingly bad.
Yes it’s horrendous!
Gosh. So the all important business of running what's left of the health service into privatization falls to a fourteen year old who thinks 'god' actually exists.
What could possibly go wrong?
Yeah he'll tell us all to pray for our health 😂🤣😂🤣
This whole cabinet reshuffle thing to me is a PM who is failing at this PM gig and he needs to show he's taking some sort of action, but what he's actually doing is screwing things up even more by giving ministers portfolios they are severely unqualified for.
I did however feel a tiny bit sorry for Shane Reti. Not because I think he was doing a good job, because he absolutely wasn't, but imo he was just doing what his masters were telling him to do.
Holding this portfolio, he's done incredible damage to Māori particularly with the dis-establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, which maybe he wasn't entirely comfortable doing.
I tautoko your comment. As the months went on you could see Dr Reti being interviewed was visibly uncomfortable. I think both as a Māori and a Doctor having to do what he was told to do which included cutting $'s $'s, $'s in clearly a wellbeing portfolio screaming out for more - his conscience must have suffered.
Reti def looked uncomfortable the last few months. Whereas Lester Levi doesnt give a sh$t. He is payed the big money to eat dead rats. I actually thought Levi was the patsy, but maybe that is for another time.
A couple of thoughts.
Greater Auckland are hoping Bishop will bring a modicum of sanity to the transport portfolio.
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2025/01/20/can-we-have-a-normal-minister-of-transport-now/
If my local MP Mark Mitchell is classified as a heavy hitter, the Nats ranks are even lighter than I thought.
Without funding for Vote Health,Simeon will crash and burn. Which in a Machiavellian way, is what I suspect Luxon wants. He can’t have competency around him. It would show him up. Simeon, competent, are you sure (ed?)
With Willis in total control of all things economic, Barbara Edmonds and the team need to go all attack dog.
Wish I shared GA's optimism. An ‘evidence-based guy’ would not have worked for Phillip Morris to oppose the (National party’s) plans to increase tobacco excise and introduce plain packaging and flipped to support them when selected by National.
It’s a huge worry that our struggling health system, which has been starved of funding and adequate staffing, is now in the hands of a young punk who is anti-abortion, only knows about pot holes, is a dubious Christian, has cancelled cycleways and footpaths, thinks only speed matters, a roadster who cares not a whit about our watery highway across the Strait, is now free to wreck havoc on our precious public health care to drive it into private hands. This must not happen.
So the Natz seem to have made a new years resolution, "To stop blaming Labour and to blame each other" for their train wreck
Teeheehee - well-spotted!! Love it.
I heard simeon pretty much say it was labour's fault. On RNZ midday news today.
I must say my first thought on hearing the news of Reti‘s demotion and the name of his substitute , I thought how does experience in filling potholes make a suitable preparation for repairing the terrible holes in our health situation?
"Reckon" based decision making is easy in any context.
Don’t think you need to let the bullying of Claire go - it was beyond disgraceful
Thanks, Rosemary; I agree; it was a repugnant thing for one human being to do to another and then boast about it.
Wait. He actually LED with the words “double-down”? Cluelessness. History will look back on this lot and be astonished at how simple, fundamental and otherwise unavoidable our errors were.
Terrific writing there Nick you made me laugh a couple of times, no mean feat given the grim topics. This whole reshuffle reeks of desperation from this desperately unfit prime minister with his shallow talent pool of ministers. Seeing Luxon feigning confidence and joie de vivre on the news last night I remembered a fitting comment of my great friend and mentor Marg, John Fahey then premier of NSW was on the news ... she turned to me and said "if I had a dog with eyes like that Vick I wouldn't turn my back on it for a minute!" .... Luxon has the same effect on me, he exudes falseness, his smiles never reach those cold eyes and I sense nastiness is just a hair's breadth away. As for Simeon Brown as Health Minister! bloody hell that's as bizarre and dangerous a pick for health as trump's is with anti vaccine weirdo RFK Jnr ... just what we need - NOT - a God bothering anti-abortion numpty with nothing at all medical in his CV! The clusterfuck of Luxon and cabal rumbles on :/
🎯🎯🎯🎯
My mouth literally dropped open when I read that Brown was the President of ProLife at Auckland University. FFS - when will all this stop!??? How do we get people to vote these weasels out? The problem with them is that they don't give a damn about what people say or think in opposition - look at the snide and condescending reaction to the Hikoi and the Prime Minister's constant avoidance of hard questions. And (sorry for turning on the team...) where is Chippy and our opposition showing a bit of mongrel?
🤷As pointed out often, "Chippy and our opposition" do a lot more "opposing" & "mongrel" than the media bothers to report, so if you don't watch Parliamentary proceedings where they do their best work & by-pass media incompetence, then it seems they are being quiet - they are not 🤷 We need an alternative source to make a YouTube channel with clips of these or if one exists then it needs to be shared so we can watch when we have time - I know BHN shows clips on THEIR channel of some fiery take-downs by the opposition MPs, but if anyone knows where else??? ⁉️👀
Cindy Gerard Otto on FB posts frequent clips of Parliament goings on and like Nick has excellent commentary on politics .... https://www.facebook.com/gerard.otto
👍🏾
Reti is the scapegoat for failed policies and NZers know it. Luxon shifting his cabinet responsibilities doesn’t change the direction they’re going in. This is a knee jerk reaction to the shit hitting the fan re poll results. He couldn’t demote Acts ministers as it would be the end of the coalition. This reshuffle only shows us that there isn’t any talent in Luxon’s caucus. As for Simeon Brown he’ll be changing into white gumboots in his new role!
Marilyn I don't believe Reti is a scapegoat, he's part of the problem. He appears to have no backbone or integrity. He did not stand up against any of the health decisions - which as Minister of Health he could actually have led. Nor did he decry the changes to smoking legislation, dismantling Maori Health ministry, disabilities decisions, school lunches, changes that worsen poverty (benefits, taxes)etc. And he certainly hasn't supported the southern Dunedin hospital build. And he would have voted for the Treaty Principles bill. He's a disgrace to the medical profession. Being Māori has nothing to do with anything. He's a pretender.
Fully agree with you Bronwyn. Reti’s lust for power and greed - he stands to benefit from privatisation and his sheer willingness to crap on Maori AND his Whangarei community makes him a complete traitor who was and remains complicit not a scapegoat. No tears wasted for him.
Agree 💯 & a gutless wonder
It's terrifying to see Simeon in Health. We can only assume the atlas minders need someone who can lie more convincingly and talk loudly over dissenters. Which simeon does well. He's a small man with a small mind who can speak loudly, lie easily and follow instructions well. Willis also has this skill. I think they must have some of those chanting sessions like they used to do for the cold calling teams, like Tony Robbins brain washing crap - " Everyday, in everyway, I am getting better and better' - yes, they are getting better and better ... sadly at being deceitful, self serving and dogmatic.
Raewyn you've summed it up well. Simeon acted like a bully when in the Transport and LGovernment portfolios. I forsee a doctor and nurses' and allied health protest March or six or strikes in the near future when health is in even more of an uproar.
Yes! so true. Total bully, who would not listen to anyone else. He's a good little boy who does as he's told. And coupled with the snake tongued Brooke van Velden and her partial strike Bill, things will get messy.
They're doubling down on their obvious plan to privatise our health system. Reti would have gained from that but maybe he still had a wee bit of health professionalism in him and just couldn't stomach what was happening .. the start of privatisation. Simeon doesn't have a Christian bone in his body (neither does luxon) and is just the guy to ensure that privatisation is done quick sticks.
Brown's "performance"?? Performative only. Lots of announcements, no actual outcomes. He's going to be diabolical in Health. He strikes me as the nasty, vindictive type who, being inferior in skills and intellect to those he has been put in a position of power over, will destroy people and careers. Daddy has given him the company and he is oblivious to reality, only his ego and blind self importance is visible to him.