Sure, the cost of motoring has surged, but Sepuloni wants you to know about all the good things the govt is doing
Motorists were bracing for a sharp rise in fuel prices late last week, ahead of the government reinstating the fuel tax and full-priced public transport fares from 1 July. They were grumbling about government unfairness, too, as they queued to fill their tanks before the new charges kicked in.
But hey – were those moaners unaware of the great things the government is doing to help them deal with the cost-of-living crisis.
To refresh them on the matter, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni drew attention to “a suite of targeted measures and practical supports” that took effect from 1 July.
These would help Kiwis into work, bring down the cost of living, and put more money into the pockets of 41,500 sole parents, she crowed.
Her statement highlighted:
These would help Kiwis into work, bring down the cost of living, and put more money into the pockets of 41,500 sole parents, she crowed.
Her statement highlighted:
- The end of the $5 prescription co-payment;
- Public Transport changes which make travel free for under 13s and half priced for under 25s and over 1 million low-income Kiwis;
- The “Child Support Pass On” changes which put more money into the pockets of 41,500 sole parents;
- The Flexi-Wage available for people aged 65 years and over;
- Funding for driver licence support services to help remove barriers to obtaining a licence.
- How is the government spending (or misspending) our money today?
“At least” suggests the total has not been tallied or more funding will be provided if needed.
The package includes $517,000 in baseline funding for Rural Support Trusts, plus $1.9 million to support recovery efforts from the North Island weather events.
The extra funding will help the Northland, Waikato-Hauraki-Coromandel, and East Coast Rural Support Trusts, and the organisation’s national council.
This support follows the $35.4 million in Budget 2023 to support the recovery of rural communities affected by North Island weather events in 2023, including Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Rural Support Trust is a collective of 14 regional trusts which deliver “free” and confidential assistance to farmers and growers facing personal, financial, or climate-related challenges.
Second, it is giving $1.9 million over three years through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund to the Nuka Charitable Trust to establish a pilot plant producing ‘liquid smoke’ and juice from kānuka.
Associate Agriculture Minister Jo Luxton said the funding aims to turn locally grown kānuka into high-value gourmet products, bringing new jobs to Ruatōria and giving a boost to the local economy.
“There’s a huge opportunity to start a new industry for Aotearoa, provide jobs, and contribute to the local economy in Ruatōria,” Jo Luxton said.
The kānuka will be sourced from the more than 15,000 hectares of Māori-owned land in Tairāwhiti.
The project’s researchers from the University of Auckland have already developed laboratory-scale technology to extract juice from kānuka. The next stage is to test and optimise the process for production at scale.
The project will set up a mobile pilot plant at the University of Auckland initially, under the expert supervision of University of Auckland researchers, with the aim of achieving consistent production.
Whether this publicly funded technology will be made available beyond the Nuka Charitable Trust was not mentioned.
- Whatever happened to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner?
And so the new Children and Young People’s Commission opened for business on Saturday, replacing the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and taking on the challenge of standing up for and advocating for the rights of children and young people.
This followed a controversial law change last year on oversight of Oranga Tamariki facilities which took sole responsibility away from the independent Children’s Commissioner.
The current Children’s Commissioner, Judge Frances Eivers, has been appointed Chair and Chief Commissioner until 31 October. Dr Claire Achmad, who will assume the position of Chair and Chief Commissioner from 31 October 2023, will hold the role of Deputy Chair until then.
- What is being done for our hard-working nurses?
First, the government is adding 830 additional clinical placements for nursing students, to help address shortages in the nursing workforce.
Clinical placements are a requirement of the Nursing Council of New Zealand and an integral part of their nursing practice education.
Second, the government has added $1.5 billion to an interim pay equity settlement that – if accepted – will result in nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora receiving additional increases to pay rates and a lump sum payment to address back pay issues.
More than 30,000 nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora will soon vote on a pay equity rate and backpay offer following an agreement on the proposed terms of a settlement that have been reached between Te Whatu Ora, New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), and the Public Service Association (PSA).
The latest offer would bring the total value of the pay equity settlement to $4 billion.
Latest from the Beehive
The Government is backing Rural Support Trusts to provide more help to farmers and growers affected by severe weather events in the North Island with at least $2.4 million in funding for the 2023-24
Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Merepaia King (Ngāti Māhanga/Ngāti Te Wehi – Tainui) as a permanent Judge of the Employment Court.
The Government has added $1.5 billion to an interim pay equity settlement that if accepted will see nurses employed by Te Whatu Ora receive additional increases to pay rates and a lump sum payment to address back pay issues.
The Government is taking action to grow New Zealand’s future nursing workforce by adding 830 additional clinical placements for nursing students.
A new Government-backed project aims to turn locally grown kānuka into high-value gourmet products, bringing new jobs to Ruatōria and giving a boost to the local economy.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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