Richard Prebble: The Future Never Comes

New Zealand First’s big promise this election is a Future Fund.

The Future Fund looks like a recycled version of the Provincial Growth Fund, but this time on steroids.

The Provincial Growth Fund was to be a $3 billion fund for “regional development”. Regional development turned out to include refurbishing 347 marae.

It also included $52 million for the loss-making Whakatōhea mussel farm in Ōpōtiki.

David Farrar: The Government is a terrible bank

The Herald reports:

The Government’s flagship regional development body has more than half of its loan book flagged as at risk after recording a surge in impairment write-offs over the past year.

Crown Regional Holdings (CRH) warehouses government regional development initiatives and manages hundreds of millions of dollars in loan and equity funding provided to businesses.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Capital Markets - The missing piece in New Zealand’s growth puzzle

Prime Minister Luxon has declared 2025 ‘the year of growth’, making economic expansion his government’s top priority.

This ambition is laudable, and the government has initiated many important reforms that will help. Changes to education, liberalising foreign investment rules and reforming resource management legislation all aim to enhance our economic performance. These reforms deserve support and, in time, should yield benefits.

Point of Order: Encouraging economic signs for new government

But what role will Peters choose to play?

As the new Luxon-led government prepares to take office, with the nation now waiting anxiously on what shape it will take, the big question is whether it can restore confidence so that the economy doesn’t sink into recession.

Already encouraging signs have been detected, reinforced by commodity price rises in October after they lifted the previous month from depressed levels.

Roger Partridge: Where to wield the knife for spending cuts

Retirement spending and the size of the public service as two obvious areas for expenditure cuts. Significant savings are available from the reform of retirement income policy.

Reforms should include: (a) Abolishing subsidies to KiwiSaver; (b) Amending indexation of NZ Superannuation and raising the age of eligibility by two years, linking further changes to health-adjusted life expectancy; (c) Suspending NZ Super Fund contributions (and ideally winding up the fund and using the proceeds to repay government debt).

Bob Edlin: NZ First pumps PGF millions into Maori projects in Northland – then accuses Bridges of politicking at Waitangi

No-one  should have been astonished to learn from a Newsroom headline that  Political sparks fly at Waitangi as PM promises ‘more mahi’

The report began by noting

There was a sharper, election-year edge to proceedings at this year’s Waitangi pōwhiri. Simon Bridges and Winston Peters clashed, while Jacinda Ardern made the case for why Māori should have patience with her Government…

The report observed that National leader Simon Bridges’ speech seemed to be addressed not to those on the paepae, but for the New Zealanders who would be following events at Waitangi from home.

Bob Edlin: $13m granted to teach Siri to speak Te Reo

The Taxpayers Union promptly picked up on the spending of millions of dollars of public money, almost beating the Point of Order Trough Monitor to sound an alert.

The union focussed on just one of four projects to be funded from a trough labelled “Strategic Science Investment Fund”.  This project – to receive $13 million of taxpayers’ money – aims to teach Siri to speak Te Reo.

Clive Bibby: “Hang on a minute mate” - Half time in the Provinces.

I hope the late Barry Crump won't be too concerned if l flog the title of one of his best works. It seemed like an apt description of the current political scenario in this country.

Last week's public demonstration of unity (or lack of it) within the governing coalition gave indications of what we might expect during the remainder of this parliamentary term.

Most experienced political observers will say that the chaos was bound to occur given the lack of experience amongst those chosen to be in cabinet although they might have been surprised at how quickly the incompetency of some was exposed.

Clive Bibby: The Forestry Industry - Saviour or Scourge

I have never claimed to be an authority on anything much but, just like a number of this column's readers, l have endured many experiences over a varied career that have helped to fashion some of the more informed opinions l now hold.

It is also true that my most strongly held convictions are based having had the opportunity to witness all sides of an issue, argument, event - call it what you will.

That is as it should be.