59 Comments
User's avatar
Darien Fenton's avatar

What people never get is that nurses and doctors have to provide life saving services during a strike under the Code of Good Faith enacted by Labour. Today is personal for me. Someone very close to me is having an op as we speak and am waiting to hear how it went. There will be doctors and nurses caring for her and all the others that support critical care. Will say more later.

John Draper's avatar

I needed to take my partner to A & E and Christchurch Hospital this morning. The people were great and I wished them all the best.

Kim Shaw-Williams's avatar

I took my father there to die, in 2020, all the way from Reefton, because he hated the Greymouth Hospital (my mother had died there thirty years before, and he hated the way his family members were treated as being in the way). The staff at Christchurch were absolutely brilliant with us, provided us with a small room and bed all to ourselves, and he passed very peacefully....

Maggie Hillock's avatar

Don't know why they bother to interview Luxon. His replies are always out of touch and mindless. It seems that inadequate health and education systems are a problem in many countries - whether it's insurance based (US) or universal health care. No country seems to factor in increasing population growth impacts on health and education services (as well as other infrastructure). The Natz government rattles on about growth, growth, growth; but cut, cut, cut on services. There's no joined up thinking there.

Keith Simes's avatar

Despite rehashing the same old lines I sense a touch of panic in Luxon’s body language (and eyes) - possibly more to do with the risk of being rolled as leader, than taking the motu down the wrong track

Jeremy Coleman's avatar

We live in hope Keith🤞

Robin Capper's avatar

'What I'd say to you is', I think you're right

Roger's avatar

What I say to you is what Crosby Textor instructs me to say to you...

Cindy's avatar

Pretty sure there ARE countries "factoring in increasing population growth impacts" ⁉️ I'm sure I've read articles but currently monitoring wind & damage where I am so can't look up right now...

Kim Shaw-Williams's avatar

All I've gathered is that the NHS in the UK was absolutely brilliant until Brexit happened

Anita Taylor's avatar

Enough is enough! I support all workers striking today for better and safer work conditions and fair pay. I support a living wage. I support pay equity. Let the government get back to the negotiating table with fair offers to counter their mismanagement of the economy. Remove the Public Service Commissioner for his blatant politicisation of these issues. Kia kaha to all who stand tall today!

Cindy's avatar

✔️💯 Couldn't put it better 💪

Fran Hazid's avatar

I agree with you 💯 %!

Mac Stevenson's avatar

Absolutely in full support of all these workers and their quest to be recognised for the skilled professionals they are and to be rewarded and resourced appropriately. So very pleased I never had to be on any staff that Luxton would have overseen. It must have been agonising to work for such a twat if his Parliamentary question time performance is any indication. All spin no direction.

Phil Gates's avatar

Well, as they say, "actions speak louder than words".

This government managed to give themselves a pay rise two years in a row, when most of us probably think all pollies deserve a pay cut. They also managed to give landlords (a role most of our MPs fulfill in the background) a massive tax break.

I guess there are times for action and times for words. Not a hard one to figure out.

Nick Rockel's avatar

Some photos that came up in my feed from the mega-strike:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D3dxZ1ZR8/

John Farrell's avatar

Unseat the government? What a bloody good idea!

Darien Fenton's avatar

Update ; surgery completed. Now in recovery. Long road ahead. I am so grateful to the Drs, Nurses and Allied Staff caring for her. Meanwhile fantastic support today ; Rally in Queen Street is HUGE. I loved they had Grant from the Maritime Union kicking off and then Moana as MC.

David Rees's avatar

Good to know Darien, I rate the hospital medical profession highly. My partner has ended up in ED with stress related chest pains a couple of times recently and the response we got was absolutely top class with very thorough testing carried out.

Kate's avatar

Holy F**k, how low can he go, legal action against paying his rates? He's only a team player when the team are even worse than him.

Diana Coleman's avatar

He’s not the only one, a number of property owners in the same area are questioning the valuations by council as being too high. Ironic really as I suspect they would be quite happy to sell their properties for considerably more.

Kate's avatar

My brother has been regaling me for years with tales of entitlement from his contact with Waiheke taxi passengers

Annie Blackwell's avatar

Hi, Kate. Yes, I've heard some of those tales second-hand over the years. I will miss them.

Kate's avatar

Yes indeed, Anna is such a loss to so many.

Annie Blackwell's avatar

You might like this short story. And the previous one we wrote together. ... https://annieblackwell.substack.com/p/through-the-stones?r=32kvo6

[PS I am 'other Anna']

Kim Shaw-Williams's avatar

Ah so he's perched on Waiheke Island where he gets to be hob-knobbing (knobbing being the operative word!!) with Peter Thiel....that explains everything about his "laser-focussed" performance to me....!

MsP's avatar

Damn he is a detestable piece of vermin

willy de wit's avatar

You included a photo of Christopher' I-own-7-properties-and-you-don't-Luxon this morning and it reminded me of the joke: there's a chicken and an egg lying in bed. The egg is smoking a cigarette, the chicken looks pissed off. The egg says turns to the chicken and says " well I guess it solves that age old question''.

The tide has well and truly turned Prime Minister, your dingy has a huge leak whilst Gerry Brownlee is trying to take one. Simeon 'man/child' Brown went overboard 30 minutes ago and drowned standing up. Then the dingy was launched.

And now you're floating passed Feces Creek. Good luck with that one. I would be there today marching in solidarity with these amazingly dedicated human beings, but my broken body curtails that idea. Refute, deny all you want to Christopher, but deep down you know...and FYI, you were both the chicken AND the egg.

David Rees's avatar

Lol I had to read that joke a couple of times - bit slow today!

willy de wit's avatar

me too, it took me 2 days to write it, so I'm even slower !

Janet Peters's avatar

GO THE STRIKERS!!!!!

Sally's avatar

It beggars belief that MPs get a 10% pay rise for creating such misery and havoc and yet the strike stands up for all those slaves on the ground trying to survive food, rent, rates increases but I’m sure the warlord Collin’s and her new dept of war will put pay to that just like her American idol. Maybe the militarisation of NZ is to keep the kiwis under control so those “in charge” can get on with their agenda with warp speed🤔

I celebrate the strikes. All power to you. If we’re going to die then I’d rather see kiwis go down fighting👍👍👍👍👍

Don's avatar

I lived in the South West Pacific Islands. Polynesians in concert all say if there is rain for any event it is a sign of Blessing. On the other hands with cyclones and very high damaging winds the leader of the nation should be killed or at least banished. What I wonder is the Maori line?

Kate's avatar

I'm totally on board with both actions

Annie Blackwell's avatar

The bow-tie man will be a policy wonk out of the government offices building, given the filming location. So someone who works for one of the CoC, ay?! He has a (well-paid) job, so he's sorted! They're the only ones wearing bow ties these days, unless it's a gala.

Jeremy Coleman's avatar

There was a great example of Simeonocity during question time in Parliament yesterday when he was asked about nurses safety in the workplace. He was asked three times, and three times looked at and read proudly from a page he’d prepared earlier about how this government had hired 2000 nurses, blah blah. Nurses safety(?) It wasn’t until the third time that he almost answered the question. I fact checked his repetitive statement and discovered that Te Whatu Ora had indeed hired 2000 nurses, in June 2024. This was disputed by the NZ Nurses Organisation and found to be incorrect and misleading. I suggest that if Simeon wants to try fooling all the people all the time he could at least keep the bullshit he spouts up to date.

Kim Shaw-Williams's avatar

Thanks for the info Jeremy....he is such a bumbling ineffectual prat he must be NACT1st's political 'sacrificial lamb'....

Jeremy Coleman's avatar

That thought has crossed my mind Kim. It’s well known in the business world that incompetent staff are promoted to a level that they can’t execute well so are deemed expendable and sacked. Simeon has shown us all that he qualifies perfectly as one of those. The only problem is how much damage he will cause on his way out the door?

Kim Shaw-Williams's avatar

Jeremy, just did not want to mention/start exploring the possibly 'socially battering' 'ram'ifications of that next thought at present...have a good day, eh...!

Jan Kearvell's avatar

The woman who was worried about the nurse’s starting pay could have been even more concerned had she known that the teachers, who train for a year longer, actually start on $13,000 less than the nurses.