(23-05-2025, 03:20 PM)kiwimade64 Wrote: I do like that you can start saving in Kiwisaver at 16 years old now.  Seemed silly if a 16 year old has started work, they couldn't start a kiwisaver account.  And the rates rebate has been lowered for gold card owners.  Nicola Willis refuses to call it an austerity budget.  I'll happily disagree with her.  Yes, we had to borrow BUT National also knew that and agreed to it.  Labour didn't just go out and borrow the money, they knew times were unusual and checked in with National.  And yes, we knew there would be belt tightening because of it.  But this is ridiculous and mean.  But at least we aren't the USA with their massive debt.  I read their debt to GDP is something like 128%.  And we don't have the orange clown.  Mind you, we seem to have our own clowns at times. *looks at Shane Jones*  Oh, and National blaming Labour for everything is wearing very thin.  They have been in government for 18 months now, time to give that cliche a rest.

(23-05-2025, 03:56 PM)Lilith7 Wrote:

(23-05-2025, 02:38 PM)Oh_hunnihunni Wrote: I bought sunflower marge this week for the first time for years. Sad, but $9 for 500grams for NZ made butter is just plain silly. Fonterra is having a laugh at our expense. Soon it'll be cheaper to buy the cream and make our own again, easy enough with a food processor. Just a pain...

One of my butterflies as broken out of its chrysalis, a boy, wings pumped up nicely and it looks healthy, so that is a special pleasure. And the builders have carted down the old rimu pelmet from the refurbed flat for me, after I mentioned I could use it for garden edging. They're a nice bunch this time round, no portaloo and very considerate of us lot with their noisy tools. Now I just need the seedling grass to get a bit stronger so I can put the edging in on one side, it'll replace a rather warped board I put there seven years ago and stop my spent potting mix donations cascading downhill.

Scavenging pays around there, lol!

And Jan? About the budget, are the Nats trying to grow the prison industry or what? More beds and ppp developments of new prisons? That works soooo well overseas... (???)

When times are tough, crime goes up. And rather than look at other means, they build prisons...

(23-05-2025, 06:19 PM)Praktica Wrote: Saying that means testing will catch only the well off is all very well, but ignores the difficulties which the Ministry of Social Deveoplment put in the way of almost all beneficiaries (except pensioners). There will be many families whose young people are entitled to a benefit, but who are unable to claim it...quite deliberately, as a way for the government to save money.

(23-05-2025, 04:07 PM)Jan Wrote:

(23-05-2025, 03:20 PM)kiwimade64 Wrote: I do like that you can start saving in Kiwisaver at 16 years old now.  Seemed silly if a 16 year old has started work, they couldn't start a kiwisaver account.  And the rates rebate has been lowered for gold card owners.  Nicola Willis refuses to call it an austerity budget.  I'll happily disagree with her.  Yes, we had to borrow BUT National also knew that and agreed to it.  Labour didn't just go out and borrow the money, they knew times were unusual and checked in with National.  And yes, we knew there would be belt tightening because of it.  But this is ridiculous and mean.  But at least we aren't the USA with their massive debt.  I read their debt to GDP is something like 128%.  And we don't have the orange clown.  Mind you, we seem to have our own clowns at times. *looks at Shane Jones*  Oh, and National blaming Labour for everything is wearing very thin.  They have been in government for 18 months now, time to give that cliche a rest.

The borrowing was completely necessary but I absolutely object to still subsidising the greedy bloody banks 5 years later - 9 billion is a lot of money don’t care which govt was responsible- 
Speaking of the orange clown - not sure if it’s true but probably is - everytime Trump makes an outrageous statement and the stock market drops way down his kids buy billions of dollars of shares while the price is rock bottom then flick them when the price increases -making an obscene amount of money - probably true and deliberate

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(23-05-2025, 03:56 PM)Lilith7 Wrote: When times are tough, crime goes up. And rather than look at other means, they build prisons...

It’s only rich kids who aren’t going to get the dole - I don’t mind that at all - they won’t end up in prison Mum and Dad will hire them a lawyer ! Actually I don’t mind income and asset testing at all - I know I am weird

(24-05-2025, 11:18 AM)Oh_hunnihunni Wrote: The changes they are making affect far more people than we think. For instance, the social housing subsidy is ending. That's the one that keeps my rent affordable. As a legacy tenant my rent will not be affected, but my landlords have to change policy in order to remain financially viable. So, they are changing the criteria for new tenants, by removing some of the restrictions. Competition for flats will increase, Winz will no longer be the referral body, it will be open to the general public. And rents will reflect that. So, we might get neighbours far better off than us, paying more, but homeless oldies will have fewer options. More competition. Can't blame the housing providers, they can't do it on hot air.

Imagine being in your late 70s and living in a car because you're divorced, or estranged from family, or have health issues, or whatever. It can happen to anyone, it happened to us. But we were lucky.