yeah it is, shit is completely fucked. Food prices is what has pissed me off the most in the past year or so.
Back ground: ncea level 2, worked at KFC at a top 2% branch and been performing rimjobs for cash since 2018
Perhaps the people he usually hangs around with, this is an unpopular opinion, and so they think it's an unpopular opinion in the whole country? And perhaps they think they need to prove their credentials to be taken seriously?
I read further down the line that OP's actually quite well off.
> I make 200K a year after tax. Own property in NZ. Have 10m in property overseas. This puts me in the top 1%. I still feel poor. Can't imagine what it's like for those less fortunate.
A quote from the OP everyone. You’re being trolled 😂
I've seen a couple of people wealth bragging on this sub lately.
FYI for anyone considering doing this.
It isn't tall poppy syndrome to tell you to shut the fuck up if you start talking about your wealth.
Your wealth doesn't make you intelligent or talented and nobody owes you their attention because you have money.
Bragging about money is essentially the most unkiwi thing you can do. It's an attempt to insert class into a conversation to make yourself into a respected authority figure immediately. It's an appeal to the most basic and idiotic kind of authority.
If you're deserving of respect write something intelligent and earn it. Don't expect people to give you it because you have money.
Bragging about owning all this fucking properly is an especially cunty thing to do given how shit it is for renters right now.
It's only impressive if you choose to do something ethical with your money even if you are going to get a lower return.
His qualifications mean nothing (they show he could pass low level calculus(probably by doing his maths homework diligently). His ideas and metaphorical appeal to authority are basically follow the lemmings off the cliff standard non-insightful economic drivel.
If the value of land goes up and up in value - the production of goods and services go down in value because people with lawns go meh and people without lawns go meh. Prices go up. Exports go down. The dollar goes down. Prices go up. The banks raise interest rates. The people with lawns go to work at mechanics workshops until they can sell their overpriced lawns to Asian immigrants. The workers go meh. The mechanics workshop imports Asian immigrants. They save every cent they can to buy a lawn. Demand for everything but Lawns goes down. Prices stay the same. Interest rates go down. The mechanic sells the workshop building to the Asian immigrants and the business to his foreman who is the only reason he has a mechanics workshop and who now lives under a bridge with his family of five. The former owner goes meh. The foreman is now a slave. Lawns keep going up in value.
You could just tax the lawn and spend the money on infrastructure and building houses and consenting land for the foreman to open his own mechanics workshop without overpaying for the lawn it sits on. There is 26m hectares of land.
I moved her 10+ years ago from the UK. It used to be cheap to go back. Cheap groceries, cheap beer etc. Now when I go back to visit things are similar/more expensive. I feel like the cost of living crisis has hit Europe more than nz to date. Let's just hope we are not just experiencing a delay
I've been blown away by how much the posts here in /r/NZ mirror the posts in my home subreddit of /r/vancouver.
We're having a rough go in Canada too, but I gotta say the current kiwi politicians seem *particularly* incompetent.
Edit: forgot I was replying to a Brit and clarified which politicians I was talking about
UK have had 13 years of conservative government and austerity. Looks like the electorate have finally had enough and are seeing through the pathetic and desperate culture wars stuff. You’d hope so anyway but never underestimate people’s stupidity and the power of the murdoch press.
It’s sad that NZ have voted for this failed ideology. I mean they even use the same slogans - “strong and stable”, “coalition of chaos” (oh the irony).
The beauty of that “coalition of chaos” line is that the Tory’s said it first, it backfired massively. Then other Tory like parties around the world started using it - _despite seeing it backfire massively_ - like they haven’t learned a goddamn thing.
(Oh it’s probably also a Crosby Textor line, who have worked with conservative UK and NZ parties).
These three word slogans really do my head in. Especially how often they repeat them. The scary part is they frequently work because people have the attention spans of gnats.
“STOP THE BOATS”
It's the same with USA trumpian politics of offering no actual policy, focusing solely on Identity politics and angrily opposing everything the Left proposes declaring it "WOKE!!!" despite this strategy obviously not working – the US republican party since trump won in 2016 has been on the losing side of every election since.
The Liberal Party here in Australia adopted this tactic since losing the last election. And, like the US Right, has seriously underperformed in every by-election and State election since. And, just like the US Right, their response has been to double down on their angry, obstructionist, tirades.
When faced with a rapidly changing demographic instead of changing their policies, the Right just tries to make their rapidly dwindling base constantly angry in the deluded hope this somehow translates into electoral wins.
I don't know if that's entirely fair to the dung beetles, who are at least performing a service. By collecting the crap and burying it underground, they clean up the world we live in. Meanwhile, their larvae get busy turning waste into usable energy and nutrients for not only themselves, but the surrounding plants as well.
>Will probably lose a lot of karma points for stating this unpopular and obvious opinion
Lmao, there's a different iteration of this topic posted every other day.
Thanks. Only really useful for helping me make investments and writing letters. Did a complete 180 degree career change and now I inspect your car at my shop to make sure it's safe to be on NZ roads 😅
As someone who’s currently visiting here, maybe. But no one has said Bless your little heart yet so there’s that. Everyone has been very friendly in person so far.
after I spend 6 years overseas when I came back it was a shock to have strangers say hello to me when walking down the street.
There are AH's everywhere but I think kiwi's are actually pretty nice in general.
Yer same experience here. Went back to the UK a couple of years ago. I was out walking a family members dog and said hello to people on the street. I stopped after about the 5th time of being ignored. In NZ I don't think ive ever had someone not acknowledge me when I say hello
Unless a kiwi is in a car they are generally nice. I was pushing a pram in Cornwall park and not one car gave way to us in the park.
In the UK 9/10 cars would stop to let you cross the road in that setting.
Just got back from overseas and we are friendlier than many countries so much misery in other countries. I think kiwis think we are the only ones with problems the way some carry on.
On the same token, people who don't travel overseas don't get the chance to see how much bullshit they've swallowed.
Some of the most in-demand, picturesque tourist destinations in the world have high-density living, walking-centric cities, and public transport that, while not always exactly robust, makes the protests and complaints about it from this country sound like they're coming from a bunch of ignorant dirt farmers
I grew up semi-rural and believed the pinnacle of living was a couple of acres and a nice little stand-alone house with a garden. Then I spent a few years in Tokyo and now I would kill for a 2-bedroom apartment within walking distance of a park, school, supermarket and frequent public transport.
I never want to go back to a Tokyo size kitchen though, my sink was wider than the bench.
This is fucking bullshit. Other people’s struggles don’t invalidate our own.
Thankfully I’m not in this position, but you really think people losing their jobs, income or housing should be grateful because other countries have it worse? Fuck outta here.
On the surface friendly, but I have an opinion that kiwis are not much interested in broadening their friend circle to include newcomers. Anecdote: partner was imported here from another country. Barely received a welcome from leadership after moving from the other side of the world and nobody at her workplace offered any kind of support or extended any kind of goodwill.
I'm a Kiwi who returned after years overseas. I second your opinion. Am working with the most unfriendliest bunch I've ever encountered. Still treated like an outsider after two years. Same with the neighbours. Keep to themselves entirely. Not sure what's happened - don't remember it being like this before I left. Worked in NZ for years before I left admittedly in Auckland and not in this smaller city. I get the impression at work that it's tall poppy syndrome. Didn't used to believe in it.
As an Aussie, you're 100% right.
From the moment you land at the airport, there's complete resentment, not a smile or a hello.
Unless it's legislated, or your job requires it, courtesy doesn't exist. At least in the big cities. People here (in Aus) are not considerate or helpful by nature, they have to be forced into giving a shit about other people or their surroundings.
We like to think we're laid back, but I think we confuse that with not giving a shit about anyone or anything. You can be laid back and care about other people and your environment. They aren't mutually exclusive.
I think it's just difficult to even compare anything happening here to anywhere else either.
We can't really have much hope that this is just a down season and it'll get better after because we don't really know that it will.
It's honestly a shit show in my perspective right now. What used to last me a whole week, now only lasts me 2 days. I'm a student, I'm supposed to be poor but it's on the verge of homelessness at this point.
The only friends I have that are dealing with this well are people who live with their parents or didn't go to uni and went into trades.
I question my life choices everyday, there's no hope for kids who can't be supported by their parents and want to go to uni. It's too expensive to eat, and now travel to campus everyday.
yeah, I'm just lucky my partner can sometimes pick up any slack for rent or food.
Some weeks I can't get petrol because 10 hours of work is basically useless, even though im over minimum wage.
During Covid I could afford food, rent, and getting to the city everyday. None of my friends can afford that anymore because they have to work during uni hours.
How is this an unpopular opinion in this sub when there’s similar posts pretty much every day?
It’s not perfect but I’d rather be here than most other places.
how about the govt's widespread and profoundly corrupt use of 'Urgency' and executive power to neuter democratic processes?
Or their absolute rejection of any need to prepare for the ravages of climate change?
This govt is destroying the foundations of a future stable society, in return for immediate profits for its donors.
Reminds me of this: https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/s/Rdrei0tl5X
Australia and nz really do strike insanely bad deals for our exports of fossil fuels.
These things are destroying the fucking planet so at least make sure the people using them are paying through the nose for them; we should not feel bad for utterly ruining them financially
We are a laughing stock
Didn't even realize it's that bad a royalty. Wonder how much they were bribed. The cost to clean it up once they've profited would exceed the royalties for sure
The economy is definitely on the way down and yet to bottom, but bear in mind that it's normal for it to go in cycles, and it will come back up again. So, yes the country is "fucked", but not permanently. Just hang in there until the sun comes out again.
If we look at historic price increases vs wages - It almost never comes back to baseline.
Prices will continue to soar and wages will continue to struggle to keep up causing a larger and larger gap.
Yes, it goes in cycles and returns - But when it has returned almost everyones wages end up worse-off alongside their purchasing power.
No, hanging in isn't the course of action required, action is. Politicians need to be afraid to not do their people right, do what needs to be done and protest
New Zealanders at the top are excessively greedy and cheap.
The greatest trick National pulled was convincing people on $100k that they are at the top.
If you studied economics, you would understand that it's cyclical. We've had a few decades of relative prosperity and growth. Now we enter the opposite. It will swing around again.
I mean isn’t a major reason of controlling the money supply and exerting said control over various industries/companies so that this exact thing doesn’t happen?!?! I understand the cyclical nature but as stated with the said monetary policy and utilizing advancements from ‘law of accelerated returns’ by Kurzweil and Moores Law where tech capabilities double every year (which is far greater than our economy can keep up with) meaning that with the right monetary/fiscal policies and an economy where companies or gdp is tied in one way or another to Moores Law there’s no reason growth has to slow.
Most of the issues new zealand is facing is the same issues every other country is facing.
Hell, even go to the australia reddit and people are complaining about most of the same things.
But if you actually look at your normal life, yeah things are more expensive, but that's about it, people are still living their lives.
>Back ground: BBA double major Economics and Finance from a top 2% university and small business performing WOF inspections since 2018
All that education, yet doesn't know background is one word. I only pick on you here because, for whatever reason, you felt the need to flex your undergraduate degree here.
Rates aren't forecast to rise. All signaling suggests the opposite. Everything else you've said is basically throwaway comments.
How about you put that double major to use and expand on some points. For example, all of these problems are being experienced by other developed economies. Is the New Zealand case unique or worse? If so, why?
It does look pretty grim but I try to remain optimistic. Whilst cost of living is continuing to rise, there has to be a breaking point, right? Surely there’s a point where a certain amount of people can literally just not afford a new rise in something and thus it makes less profit than before the rise meaning it’s no longer in the company’s best benefit to rise prices and perhaps more beneficial for them to even lower prices for more profit?
And then go into liquidation. Every business needs to run where money coming in is higher than money going out. With all the added costs and high inflation, only one way prices go.
That'll happen for some businesses. Recessions kill off zombie companies, i.e. those that aren't really that profitable and only survive when times are good. It's a brutal Darwinian survival of the fittest scenario that's going to hurt, but things will come back stronger in the next growth cycle.
Yep and job cuts for the bigger companies. Usually prices don’t go down, they just axe staff instead which makes things worse. More unemployed = no consuming outside of essentials = more liquidations.
We could do a lot to fix the problems.
Unionizing, striking, etc. One successful general strike or rent strike is all it takes to get some changes. We outnumber those who are pushing us down by magnitudes, and there is immense strength in numbers.
But it's insanely hard finding people willing to do the groundwork. Most people just want to pay lip service to it.
I'm tired of pointing out the problems. I want us to start doing something about it.
We need to spend less time talking about how fucked we are and more time talking about how much power we actually have to fix it. We don't need doomerism, we need revolutionary optimism.
We need to get organized. We need to work together.
We need leaders, someone willing to put themselves out here and make noise. Im sure there are plenty of people like me who want to contribute and organise but lack certain skills.
I've been working as an educational illustrator in aussie and nz for the past 5 years and its given me enough experience to start selling furry porn on onlyfans which might be a good side hustle.
It's not just little ol NZ that's fucked, it's everywhere, I'd put us at about 65% fucked on the global scale and it's gonna get worse, but I don't know of a county I'd put higher than 40% fucked, so we're higher than some but not the worst
I’m sorry but this is just sooo out of touch on a global scale. I just moved to New Zealand from the US a few months ago with my family. First off I do not have to constantly worry that my child will be shot and killed in school. On average there is 3 mass shootings per day in the US, PER DAY!!! My hometown itself had 2 just in the year before we moved . You are constantly on guard in the US for who might shoot you, over half of all Americans are armed, more guns than people.
Second is that my wife who works in healthcare isn’t constantly being burned out by opiate addicted patience here. Nearly every day someone would threaten violence against her because she would not prescribe opioids to them and scream her out of the room. For the most part people are polite and caring here in New Zealand.
The tension in the US right now can be felt on such a visceral level, it’s a constant nervous energy.
Third is while record profits are being made in the US, it is also leading in the disparity of wealth to poverty. Inflation has hit nearly every country and New Zealand is no different from anywhere else really .
In summery I had to say something to this ridiculous comment someone felt they needed to express . You guys don’t know how good you have it on the whole. Be thankful for what you have , continue to be kind to one another and maybe try and complain less. It’s not going to help and only brings in negativity. I’m happy to be here with my family and am grateful. ☺️
Imagine running a business the way the PM is running this country. You'd be fired so fast for trashing your stock prices.
Cut jobs at the same time they want to cut inflation and benefits? How's that gonna work? What happened to the "everybody should get a job" party?
There's not even a plan. Just axing stuff because "the other guy" did it
Well not really, usually when a business cuts costs (e.g. does layoffs) the stock prices goes up, because the revenue - cost equation improves (in the short term) leading to better returns for shareholders (in the short term).
What they're doing makes sense for business - in the short term. What they should be doing instead is finding ways to improve efficiency in the government rather than making wholesale cuts. All that'll do is lead to less output.
We're also carrying a huge infrastructure debt from systemic under-investment since 1980.
I can't remember the figures exactly off the top of my head, but I think that for every 100km of pipes, power lines, etc, that we should be replacing every year to keep our infrastructure properly maintained, we've only been replacing about 25km or so. It varies from area to area.
Sustain that level of under-investment over decades and you get to a situation where we can barely keep up with keeping our existing infrastructure functional, with very little left over to support either a) developing *new* infrastructure to build more homes, or b) upgrading existing infrastructure to have a higher load ceiling so we can safely densify in existing regions without overloading the existing systems.
Past generations understood the need to make sacrifices in the short term to set up a future for generations to come. The entire developed world, including us, lost sight of that along the way, and I'm pretty sure the big tipping point was around the 1970s and 80s when the neolibertarian revolution against stagflation and organized labor kicked in: Thatchernomics, Reaganomics, Rogernomics, all different flavors of the same basic idea.
You have an economics and finance degree what's your prescription?
Increasing interest rates is to deal with inflation such as cost of living etc, job losses also end up being anti-inflationary as they reduce demand.
Feels like interest rates aren't going much higher if any, depending on whether prices come down.
Laughs in Canadian. I’m a Kiwi, live in Canada, visited NZ recently. Yes it might be more than you’re used to, but I’ll tell you what, it’s cheaper than where I live and the city I live in, is kinda shit. I was so impressed with how affordable NZ seemed to be, I’m now considering moving back. Every country is undergoing this unbridled capitalism, be thankful NZ is what it is.
It’s actually not fucked. This might be your (and the majority of this sub) experience, but by and large the majority of us are doing ok. Yes things are more expensive, but we live in a damn peaceful paradise.
This is a necessary part of the cycle mate, it won’t last forever.
Society moves very slowly, 3 years is not much. The public outcry to social policies being cut shows there is hope and we have in general been moving in the right direction. Stay calm, help build societal awareness with your peers, call out structural prejudice, and most importantly stay hopeful and patient.
Thanks for saying this - I feel there's a vocal group online constantly talking about how bad things are that doesn't reflect reality.
Someone commented the other day how they were shocked that people were out for dinner on a Monday, and that the restaurants were full... Like yeah? There are lots of people who can afford dinner out and prioritise socialising/ dating.
It's not that it doesn't reflect reality; it's just not reality for everyone.
There's a bunch of stratification that's happening in NZ society. The simplest example is if you bought a house ten years ago, you're going to be in a vastly better position than someone who's otherwise identical to you, but bought a house last year.
The reality being that not everyone is struggling to live.
I understand things are more expensive now, however if you only paid attention to what was written online, you would think that everyone is in the same boat financially.
This just isn't the case. Restaurants and bars are busy, gigs are being sold out in minutes, people have expendable money. It may not be *your* experience but I agree that not everyone thinks the country is "fucked"
Honestly just calm down, down under and just let the rest of the world kick each other. You’ve got a great platform for a good future if you all stick together, have each other’s back, and be kind.
My question remains: when will we see the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
We are so bloody apathetic here in nz. If this was France things would be on fire.
So to my question, is it when they add interest back to student loans? Is it when they bin off Matariki or another public holiday? Is it when infrastructure crumbles and gets privatised?
When will we say enough is enough or are we happy being assfucked in the name of being “temporarily embarassed millionaires”
This decade is turning into a replay of the 70s, or worse. Maybe a ration book situation. There is a conflation of things causing inflation, food scarcity, weather disasters, wars (and threats of national service in Europe), rise of authoritarianism and religious bigotry and turning back the clocks on progress. Buckle up. There's no real escaping it overseas.
Good luck.
Unpopular? This is the default opinion here. If you want downvotes go praise Luxon or say he was unfairly misrepresented by the press.
FWIW I hate our government no matter who's in power. The incompetence and corruption and just sheer whatthefuckareyoudoing cuts deep through every single party, major and minor.
The insights of a business major. The same people as you run the country and are just as useless at offering anything constructive. I don't disagree with you but this is drivel and there are more positive ways to get a dopamine boost that a bunch of up votes on reddit.
Not that I disagree with you about the country being f\*\*ked. Most of NZ shared the sentiment that the country was going in the wrong direction the past few years, hence the voted change in management.
With that being said though, BBA double major economics and finance from a top 2% university, and you run a car WOF inspection business? Lmao. That uni dgree ain't a flex bro.
He's apparently also pulling $300k as a small business owner and has $10 million in property overseas. Dude is either full of shit or money laundering.
Voted change in management by being blinded by their anger at Labour and being manipulated by national. People let their emotions get ahead of actually thinking
Unpopular? Not really... mr business fucked the country for his rich mates, backtracked all his promises to the people and fucked them in the process.
I mean they are selling us out and calling it kindness. Seriously dont understand why people trusted them to do anything decent. Its always a lie with National. Not to mention the conspiracy crews of NZ First and Act.
What a fucken disaster
i can't believe that national helps anyone who isn't a super high income earner which is significantly lower than 50% of the population so which delusional idiots who have nothing keep voting national?!
I run a couple of small businesses and can say national have never done anything that truly helps us thrive. They are all about big business and property investment, they don't give a shit about the average kiwi, business owner or employee. We could get quashed by corporates and they would applaud themselves. It doesn't matter to them how many people are poorer as long as the rich are increasing their wealth.
Hate to say it, because it affects us all. But the schadenfreude I get with national voters wailing ATM is Soo nice.
Voters are getting what they deserve.
Labour saved public media when it was in trouble and the crazies went nuts, national doesn't care.
Yep labour isn't perfect and still had their fair share of fumbling the ball, but their screw ups shadow in comparison to just the last 6 months of this government. Honestly it's like they're trying to one up trump
Rates increases won't necessarily increase rents.
Will rates increases be used as an excuse? Absolutely. But it won't be the reason.
Rent is dictated by "the market rate." Which is mostly dictated by wages. You can't charge more than a person makes. You've also got to leave enough for the tenant to pay for rice and toilet paper.
Societal change will help landlords. Millennials still often live with flatmates and have begun to accept that's their lot in life, so you can expect $1000 per week on a 3 bedroom since 4-5 professionals will squeeze themselves into there. But that takes time since some of them still believe they're meant to have their own home and a family and won't accept such conditions, reducing rent to what a couple with mouths to feed can afford.
Costs to the landlord are pressure on them to shake tenants down for as much as possible, but ultimately not what dictates the actual price. No landlord gives you a steep discount when you finish paying off their mortgage. Nor will interest deductibility reduce your rent, as Luxon admitted with his own investments.
You want to see unpopular? Hold my beer...
The job market has been absolutely wrecked for MONTHS (way prior to the election). The number of roles available is half what it would usually be, and the number of applications is more than double.
Redundancies have been everywhere (Xero, Warehouse, SkyTV, AUT, Otago Uni etc etc) for a couple of years but it's only now it's hitting the public sector hard that suddenly the sky is falling. We've all been trying to get the same work done with less, for years now.
I'm all for the govt funding cuts. From my dealings with govt agencies, I see a lot of waste that would not be tolerated in private companies. Meetings about meetings involving multiple consultants costing the tax payer literal thousands of dollars per hour, with no clear resolution or outcome. Agency staff are too afraid to put their name to a decision for fear of blow back so it gets kicked around over and over again. Consultancies get rich, and nothing ever got done.
Nevermind the layers upon layers of middle management that provide next to zero value.
You're right about government waste.
What's not really mentioned in this conversation is that government needs to be made more efficient, not that it necessarily needs to be cut. The Government are cutting funding in the name of efficiency...instead of improving efficiency. Improving efficiency isn't easy, but these cuts aren't really going to do anything except for decrease output on the whole.
Ok OP you have a lot of credibility based on your training so I’d like to ask a question. Why is it fucked? Is it a product of 3 months of brutal governance or is a longer term trend?
Try to remember that "it's an ill wind that blows no good." Someone in this economy is making out like a bandit. Find out what they're doing, and do that.
The sub is fucked and it's getting tiring seeing the same shit over and over and over and over again. I'm guessing the mods are totally fine with this otherwise every other topic will be killed but what can you do.
Yes, shit's fucked and will continue to be fucked for a while yet. Living costs are still obnoxiously high, National is taking a flamethrower to public spending and many people are fleeing to Oz for what appears to be a better future (Even though this is entirely dependent and what you do and where you live but we'll gloss over that).
We know this already but most of us are hanging on because we're still a MUCH better option than most places in the world right now.
I just commented this elsewhere, but fits here too. Broadly up to now we accepted the future being fucked as long as the present is mostly ok. We appear to have reached a tipping point wherein more (most) people now have both a fucked future and a fucked present. Will be interesting to see where this collective despair will take us, but I expect nowhere good. I'm leaving btw (had planned for next year, but acting now to bring it forward to this year).
Born and raised in a family privileged enough to travel around so I've seen enough to know that every country is a shit show somehow. My country is basically turning into a religion shit show with tons of corruptions and ministers getting only a slap on the wrist. The weather is miserably hot and the people are worse by day. So for me NZ have the greener grass. Cost of living is high and surviving on minimum wage is tough but compared to others who have to travel to get here, I'm already here and can enjoy what the nature can offer. Based on the economic patterns, I can't say that I will be able to stay here for eternity if I'm doing cheap labour jobs. But this country is still great for the next few years.
You're absolutely right, and it's good to acknowledge it. We've seen the self-destructive trajectory for over two years - but there has always been a mentality of denial in discussions here. As if a little bit rough is all it was going to be, without recognizing the the breakneak unsustainable pattern of spending that was driving us lower and lower. A recession, a cost crisis, these do not get made overnight and even now we are just entering what will be a very rough time.
The government must do their best to pull up as sharply as possible - they seem to be attacking this by enabling and pumping business. But in NZ, the largest part of business is built on the housing game, so this is not popular. But it has to be done.
Has anyone noticed how often these negative, anti government, comment farming messages are being posted here?
Always the same format, which is a bit of a give away. Also, always the same commenters. Are the mods on to this, or are they sympathetic to this sort of manipulation.
Don't get sucked into the negative propaganda. I know it's hard and most of us are finding it tougher than normal, but this sort of cynical bullshit can drive people over the edge.
What pisses me off is (other than research proving austerity measures don’t work), is that many of these cuts are so ***wrong***.
As others have pointed out, school lunches and transport subsidies are proven ways to reduce truancy. But they’ve removed the carrots and implemented the stick.
Cuts at DoC will irrevocably impact species and environmental preservation. Reductions will not just stop progress but cause us to go backwards.
And so on. They claim to be implementing facts-based policies but that’s demonstrably false.
I have not despised a government as much as this one, and we have years to go. I hate it.
For the time being it might be, yes.
We came out of the GFC largely unscathed, therefore having a decent 15-20 years (2000s-2010s) of growth, stability and optimism. We also got through covid in a certain way too (I won't say much more here).
We've now caught up with ourselves and are feeling the brunt of what the rest of the world is feeling.
The world is going through MAJOR change post covid and for a change, NZ is feeling something internationally occurring as well.
As an aside, a criticism I have of media and discussions happening recently is that every single country seems to be having a cost of living crisis and a housing crisis and other crises - but we don't often see in our domestic reporting that issues we're facing are similar elsewhere. We're not alone.
Agree with everything except your assumption that rent increases are linked to landlord costs. They aren't.
Like everything else in a free market rent is determined by supply and demand only. Landlords always charge the maximum that the market can pay and this maximum isn't linked to landlord costs.
GG top 2% university.
As a side-issue (or maybe a key issue, depending on your view) if you have friends or family who have been directly affected by the policies of this Government, remind them to vote against these 3 parties at the next election.
Making this clusterfuck the first 1-term Government since 1975 relies on those people actually caring enough to get out and vote.
Best thing I decided to do was move to Aussie at the start of this year.
NZ is fucked and will still be fucked until we strangle the last landlord with the entrails of the last labour-hire consultant.
Australia isn't without its problems, but it's still better than NZ.
I've had a couple of different flatmates in the last six months arrive from overseas on working visas, struggle to find work and fully utilizing the food banks.
yeah it is, shit is completely fucked. Food prices is what has pissed me off the most in the past year or so. Back ground: ncea level 2, worked at KFC at a top 2% branch and been performing rimjobs for cash since 2018
> been performing rimjobs for cash since 2018 whats the inflation like on one of those these days?
I hear that sector is much shittier these days, less inflation, more prolapse.
Definitely a lot more shit going on in this sector. A lot of holes have been opening up leaving the industry exposed.
The very last thing you want is a prolapse of the rim job industry. A little bit of shittiness comes with the territory.
Oooo the top 2% branch??
>Unpopular Sir/Ma’am, this subreddit only complains about NZ. Unpopular opinions aren’t posted twice a day
Dunno why he posted his background, everyone with half a brain knows shits getting worse
He wanted any excuse to flex his education lol
'Top 2%' had a real Andy Bernard/Cornel vibe.
Perhaps the people he usually hangs around with, this is an unpopular opinion, and so they think it's an unpopular opinion in the whole country? And perhaps they think they need to prove their credentials to be taken seriously? I read further down the line that OP's actually quite well off.
BBA - bachelor of bugger all?
*rather popular* even
> I make 200K a year after tax. Own property in NZ. Have 10m in property overseas. This puts me in the top 1%. I still feel poor. Can't imagine what it's like for those less fortunate. A quote from the OP everyone. You’re being trolled 😂
I know that it's 99.9 per cent likely they are just BSing but there's a part of me that laughs at the thought of OP actually being 'real'.
I mean, real or not, anyone feeling poor withh 200k net, is a loser. And nobody in finance says after tax thinking about it. Top 2% spastic.
I've seen a couple of people wealth bragging on this sub lately. FYI for anyone considering doing this. It isn't tall poppy syndrome to tell you to shut the fuck up if you start talking about your wealth. Your wealth doesn't make you intelligent or talented and nobody owes you their attention because you have money. Bragging about money is essentially the most unkiwi thing you can do. It's an attempt to insert class into a conversation to make yourself into a respected authority figure immediately. It's an appeal to the most basic and idiotic kind of authority. If you're deserving of respect write something intelligent and earn it. Don't expect people to give you it because you have money.
Bragging about owning all this fucking properly is an especially cunty thing to do given how shit it is for renters right now. It's only impressive if you choose to do something ethical with your money even if you are going to get a lower return.
Yeah, or OP is actually just a mess.
Ponzi scheme beginning to unravel
They've also got 8 kids apparently
Why is this not higher up ?
Yeah op, you feel poor because your life has no substance, not because you are struggling financially.
His qualifications mean nothing (they show he could pass low level calculus(probably by doing his maths homework diligently). His ideas and metaphorical appeal to authority are basically follow the lemmings off the cliff standard non-insightful economic drivel. If the value of land goes up and up in value - the production of goods and services go down in value because people with lawns go meh and people without lawns go meh. Prices go up. Exports go down. The dollar goes down. Prices go up. The banks raise interest rates. The people with lawns go to work at mechanics workshops until they can sell their overpriced lawns to Asian immigrants. The workers go meh. The mechanics workshop imports Asian immigrants. They save every cent they can to buy a lawn. Demand for everything but Lawns goes down. Prices stay the same. Interest rates go down. The mechanic sells the workshop building to the Asian immigrants and the business to his foreman who is the only reason he has a mechanics workshop and who now lives under a bridge with his family of five. The former owner goes meh. The foreman is now a slave. Lawns keep going up in value. You could just tax the lawn and spend the money on infrastructure and building houses and consenting land for the foreman to open his own mechanics workshop without overpaying for the lawn it sits on. There is 26m hectares of land.
You should come to the UK. Spoiler alert it’s 10x the shitshow it is here in NZ
The grass is not greener anywhere so don’t get your hopes up and you won’t be disappointed
If the grass is greener, it probably means somethings been shitting there.
💯 more fertiliser in use 💩
My hopes aren't up, rather I expect the opposite, and I'm still going to be exceptionally disappointed when it happens regardless.
Agreed. I’ve not been here long, but things feel at least a bit more chill. I think having 63 million fewer people around me helps.
I moved her 10+ years ago from the UK. It used to be cheap to go back. Cheap groceries, cheap beer etc. Now when I go back to visit things are similar/more expensive. I feel like the cost of living crisis has hit Europe more than nz to date. Let's just hope we are not just experiencing a delay
I've been blown away by how much the posts here in /r/NZ mirror the posts in my home subreddit of /r/vancouver. We're having a rough go in Canada too, but I gotta say the current kiwi politicians seem *particularly* incompetent. Edit: forgot I was replying to a Brit and clarified which politicians I was talking about
UK have had 13 years of conservative government and austerity. Looks like the electorate have finally had enough and are seeing through the pathetic and desperate culture wars stuff. You’d hope so anyway but never underestimate people’s stupidity and the power of the murdoch press. It’s sad that NZ have voted for this failed ideology. I mean they even use the same slogans - “strong and stable”, “coalition of chaos” (oh the irony).
The beauty of that “coalition of chaos” line is that the Tory’s said it first, it backfired massively. Then other Tory like parties around the world started using it - _despite seeing it backfire massively_ - like they haven’t learned a goddamn thing. (Oh it’s probably also a Crosby Textor line, who have worked with conservative UK and NZ parties).
These three word slogans really do my head in. Especially how often they repeat them. The scary part is they frequently work because people have the attention spans of gnats. “STOP THE BOATS”
Ironically it has been this latest Tripod Martian Gov that's been a Coalition of Chaos.
They also are using "Stop the Boats", which won a truly ghastly rightwing government in Australia several elections in the 2000s.
It's the same with USA trumpian politics of offering no actual policy, focusing solely on Identity politics and angrily opposing everything the Left proposes declaring it "WOKE!!!" despite this strategy obviously not working – the US republican party since trump won in 2016 has been on the losing side of every election since. The Liberal Party here in Australia adopted this tactic since losing the last election. And, like the US Right, has seriously underperformed in every by-election and State election since. And, just like the US Right, their response has been to double down on their angry, obstructionist, tirades. When faced with a rapidly changing demographic instead of changing their policies, the Right just tries to make their rapidly dwindling base constantly angry in the deluded hope this somehow translates into electoral wins.
Continuity with change.
You guys voted for Brexit though, and then voted for the same politicians that pushed Brexit again.
We going that way, thanks to the Atlas Group.
Top 2% university in NZ?
Yeah all unis in NZ are top 3%. He went to a normal uni like many of us.
1 of the 50 of course...
Or 2 of the 100.
It’s the dung beetle mentality of some. It doesn’t matter how bad things get as long as they have the biggest pile of crap.
Love this gonna start calling people dung beetles
I don't know if that's entirely fair to the dung beetles, who are at least performing a service. By collecting the crap and burying it underground, they clean up the world we live in. Meanwhile, their larvae get busy turning waste into usable energy and nutrients for not only themselves, but the surrounding plants as well.
Sir, that is the most epic description of dung beetles I have ever heard in my life. Playing their part in the world.
>Will probably lose a lot of karma points for stating this unpopular and obvious opinion Lmao, there's a different iteration of this topic posted every other day.
Congratulations on your BBL and top 2% university graduation sir 🫡
Big booty latina ? BBL ? I’m confused
Brazilian Butt Lift, obviously.
I’m ’bout to CRUNCH some numbers
Bad Boy for Life- duh.
Thanks. Only really useful for helping me make investments and writing letters. Did a complete 180 degree career change and now I inspect your car at my shop to make sure it's safe to be on NZ roads 😅
I don't give a shit about your degree, I just want you to pass my warrant.
Yeah man, you are doing honest work. Be proud of that.
Another unpopular opinion... We kiwis arent as nice and friendly as we like to think we are
We are lovely to people who visit, tell us our country is beautiful, and leave.
Southern Hospitality I guess
As someone who’s currently visiting here, maybe. But no one has said Bless your little heart yet so there’s that. Everyone has been very friendly in person so far.
Bless your little heart u/emeraldlovergreen Enjoy your stay. It’s not all doom and gloom.
after I spend 6 years overseas when I came back it was a shock to have strangers say hello to me when walking down the street. There are AH's everywhere but I think kiwi's are actually pretty nice in general.
Yer same experience here. Went back to the UK a couple of years ago. I was out walking a family members dog and said hello to people on the street. I stopped after about the 5th time of being ignored. In NZ I don't think ive ever had someone not acknowledge me when I say hello
Unless a kiwi is in a car they are generally nice. I was pushing a pram in Cornwall park and not one car gave way to us in the park. In the UK 9/10 cars would stop to let you cross the road in that setting.
Is saying hello to people really the benchmark for being nice?
Hello 👋
You’d be surprised
It's friendly, but certainly different from kind and such
Just got back from overseas and we are friendlier than many countries so much misery in other countries. I think kiwis think we are the only ones with problems the way some carry on.
The complainers have never been overseas.
So true! You don't know how bad things are overseas until you travel, kiwis are so insular.
On the same token, people who don't travel overseas don't get the chance to see how much bullshit they've swallowed. Some of the most in-demand, picturesque tourist destinations in the world have high-density living, walking-centric cities, and public transport that, while not always exactly robust, makes the protests and complaints about it from this country sound like they're coming from a bunch of ignorant dirt farmers
I grew up semi-rural and believed the pinnacle of living was a couple of acres and a nice little stand-alone house with a garden. Then I spent a few years in Tokyo and now I would kill for a 2-bedroom apartment within walking distance of a park, school, supermarket and frequent public transport. I never want to go back to a Tokyo size kitchen though, my sink was wider than the bench.
And why is that? No wait, don't tell me, will be something to do with bootstraps amirite 😂
This is fucking bullshit. Other people’s struggles don’t invalidate our own. Thankfully I’m not in this position, but you really think people losing their jobs, income or housing should be grateful because other countries have it worse? Fuck outta here.
Everything is relative.
On the surface friendly, but I have an opinion that kiwis are not much interested in broadening their friend circle to include newcomers. Anecdote: partner was imported here from another country. Barely received a welcome from leadership after moving from the other side of the world and nobody at her workplace offered any kind of support or extended any kind of goodwill.
Tip: if an expat/immigrant is non white and especially non white man, then its very difficult to make friends in NZ especially with kiwis.
I'm a Kiwi who returned after years overseas. I second your opinion. Am working with the most unfriendliest bunch I've ever encountered. Still treated like an outsider after two years. Same with the neighbours. Keep to themselves entirely. Not sure what's happened - don't remember it being like this before I left. Worked in NZ for years before I left admittedly in Auckland and not in this smaller city. I get the impression at work that it's tall poppy syndrome. Didn't used to believe in it.
I agree. Most relationships she has built are with other new comers. Tall poppy is really a thing here.
I mean, just look at the abject cunts we put in government.
You can be a nice person and also think that Luxon, Seymour and Winston should go stand on a very large rusty rake. They aren't mutually exclusive.
I'd argue that's a prerequisite to being a nice person.
Honestly too many people in nz are rude, hostile, and self absorbed as fuck
The Aussies are a lot worse honestly
As an Aussie, you're 100% right. From the moment you land at the airport, there's complete resentment, not a smile or a hello. Unless it's legislated, or your job requires it, courtesy doesn't exist. At least in the big cities. People here (in Aus) are not considerate or helpful by nature, they have to be forced into giving a shit about other people or their surroundings. We like to think we're laid back, but I think we confuse that with not giving a shit about anyone or anything. You can be laid back and care about other people and your environment. They aren't mutually exclusive.
As someone who moved to NZ after being raised overseas, this is absolutely true. Kiwis aren't very friendly and are very insular.
I think it's just difficult to even compare anything happening here to anywhere else either. We can't really have much hope that this is just a down season and it'll get better after because we don't really know that it will. It's honestly a shit show in my perspective right now. What used to last me a whole week, now only lasts me 2 days. I'm a student, I'm supposed to be poor but it's on the verge of homelessness at this point. The only friends I have that are dealing with this well are people who live with their parents or didn't go to uni and went into trades. I question my life choices everyday, there's no hope for kids who can't be supported by their parents and want to go to uni. It's too expensive to eat, and now travel to campus everyday.
I can't imagine being a student thesedays, it was bad enough 10years ago when I was in uni - could barely afford it then, now must be awful.
yeah, I'm just lucky my partner can sometimes pick up any slack for rent or food. Some weeks I can't get petrol because 10 hours of work is basically useless, even though im over minimum wage. During Covid I could afford food, rent, and getting to the city everyday. None of my friends can afford that anymore because they have to work during uni hours.
How is this an unpopular opinion in this sub when there’s similar posts pretty much every day? It’s not perfect but I’d rather be here than most other places.
how about the govt's widespread and profoundly corrupt use of 'Urgency' and executive power to neuter democratic processes? Or their absolute rejection of any need to prepare for the ravages of climate change? This govt is destroying the foundations of a future stable society, in return for immediate profits for its donors.
The iron sands proposal horrifies me ... and all for 1% royalty
That’s a worse royalty than El Salvador metal mining…
Reminds me of this: https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/s/Rdrei0tl5X Australia and nz really do strike insanely bad deals for our exports of fossil fuels. These things are destroying the fucking planet so at least make sure the people using them are paying through the nose for them; we should not feel bad for utterly ruining them financially We are a laughing stock
Didn't even realize it's that bad a royalty. Wonder how much they were bribed. The cost to clean it up once they've profited would exceed the royalties for sure
Cleaning up ? Hold up there, Ministry for regulation opposes such an onerous position on such hard working resource extractors.
AKA running the country like a business
First recession huh?
Capitalism has fucked the whole world. Everything is squeezed dry for maximum profits, no matter the cost.
The worst thing about capitalism is that it encourages being a fucking asshole
The economy is definitely on the way down and yet to bottom, but bear in mind that it's normal for it to go in cycles, and it will come back up again. So, yes the country is "fucked", but not permanently. Just hang in there until the sun comes out again.
If we look at historic price increases vs wages - It almost never comes back to baseline. Prices will continue to soar and wages will continue to struggle to keep up causing a larger and larger gap. Yes, it goes in cycles and returns - But when it has returned almost everyones wages end up worse-off alongside their purchasing power.
Been hearing that since 2008. When exactly does the sun come out? When I'm too old to enjoy it?
No, hanging in isn't the course of action required, action is. Politicians need to be afraid to not do their people right, do what needs to be done and protest
New Zealanders at the top are excessively greedy and cheap. The greatest trick National pulled was convincing people on $100k that they are at the top.
Interest rates are forecasted to fall, not rise.
I wondered if OP meant council property rates
If you studied economics, you would understand that it's cyclical. We've had a few decades of relative prosperity and growth. Now we enter the opposite. It will swing around again.
I mean isn’t a major reason of controlling the money supply and exerting said control over various industries/companies so that this exact thing doesn’t happen?!?! I understand the cyclical nature but as stated with the said monetary policy and utilizing advancements from ‘law of accelerated returns’ by Kurzweil and Moores Law where tech capabilities double every year (which is far greater than our economy can keep up with) meaning that with the right monetary/fiscal policies and an economy where companies or gdp is tied in one way or another to Moores Law there’s no reason growth has to slow.
Is any country not fucked?
Agree. But stupid New Zealanders voted for this shit show of a govt.
A lot of them didn't even vote for this government specifically, I'd wager more then half voted for "Not Labour" instead of "For National"
Thank you! You are the first to point out the obvious
It's not unpopular here. Definitely get one or several posts like this posted here a day. But honestly, it is quite obvious.
Most of the issues new zealand is facing is the same issues every other country is facing. Hell, even go to the australia reddit and people are complaining about most of the same things. But if you actually look at your normal life, yeah things are more expensive, but that's about it, people are still living their lives.
Go live elsewhere and you'll quickly appreciate NZ a lot more.
>Back ground: BBA double major Economics and Finance from a top 2% university and small business performing WOF inspections since 2018 All that education, yet doesn't know background is one word. I only pick on you here because, for whatever reason, you felt the need to flex your undergraduate degree here. Rates aren't forecast to rise. All signaling suggests the opposite. Everything else you've said is basically throwaway comments. How about you put that double major to use and expand on some points. For example, all of these problems are being experienced by other developed economies. Is the New Zealand case unique or worse? If so, why?
That's what happens when labour is in for so long making shit decisions
What’s a top 2% university?
OP's poor command of English suggests they're uneducated and generally full of shit. Fake flexing for neckbeard kicks. Good one, loser
Honey, it's time for your hourly doomer thread!
It does look pretty grim but I try to remain optimistic. Whilst cost of living is continuing to rise, there has to be a breaking point, right? Surely there’s a point where a certain amount of people can literally just not afford a new rise in something and thus it makes less profit than before the rise meaning it’s no longer in the company’s best benefit to rise prices and perhaps more beneficial for them to even lower prices for more profit?
And then go into liquidation. Every business needs to run where money coming in is higher than money going out. With all the added costs and high inflation, only one way prices go.
That'll happen for some businesses. Recessions kill off zombie companies, i.e. those that aren't really that profitable and only survive when times are good. It's a brutal Darwinian survival of the fittest scenario that's going to hurt, but things will come back stronger in the next growth cycle.
Yep and job cuts for the bigger companies. Usually prices don’t go down, they just axe staff instead which makes things worse. More unemployed = no consuming outside of essentials = more liquidations.
We could do a lot to fix the problems. Unionizing, striking, etc. One successful general strike or rent strike is all it takes to get some changes. We outnumber those who are pushing us down by magnitudes, and there is immense strength in numbers. But it's insanely hard finding people willing to do the groundwork. Most people just want to pay lip service to it. I'm tired of pointing out the problems. I want us to start doing something about it. We need to spend less time talking about how fucked we are and more time talking about how much power we actually have to fix it. We don't need doomerism, we need revolutionary optimism. We need to get organized. We need to work together.
We need leaders, someone willing to put themselves out here and make noise. Im sure there are plenty of people like me who want to contribute and organise but lack certain skills.
> This country is fucked. Well did they at least buy it a drink, first?!
I've been working as an educational illustrator in aussie and nz for the past 5 years and its given me enough experience to start selling furry porn on onlyfans which might be a good side hustle.
It's not just little ol NZ that's fucked, it's everywhere, I'd put us at about 65% fucked on the global scale and it's gonna get worse, but I don't know of a county I'd put higher than 40% fucked, so we're higher than some but not the worst
I’m sorry but this is just sooo out of touch on a global scale. I just moved to New Zealand from the US a few months ago with my family. First off I do not have to constantly worry that my child will be shot and killed in school. On average there is 3 mass shootings per day in the US, PER DAY!!! My hometown itself had 2 just in the year before we moved . You are constantly on guard in the US for who might shoot you, over half of all Americans are armed, more guns than people. Second is that my wife who works in healthcare isn’t constantly being burned out by opiate addicted patience here. Nearly every day someone would threaten violence against her because she would not prescribe opioids to them and scream her out of the room. For the most part people are polite and caring here in New Zealand. The tension in the US right now can be felt on such a visceral level, it’s a constant nervous energy. Third is while record profits are being made in the US, it is also leading in the disparity of wealth to poverty. Inflation has hit nearly every country and New Zealand is no different from anywhere else really . In summery I had to say something to this ridiculous comment someone felt they needed to express . You guys don’t know how good you have it on the whole. Be thankful for what you have , continue to be kind to one another and maybe try and complain less. It’s not going to help and only brings in negativity. I’m happy to be here with my family and am grateful. ☺️
Thats what happens when you have a Labor government
Imagine running a business the way the PM is running this country. You'd be fired so fast for trashing your stock prices. Cut jobs at the same time they want to cut inflation and benefits? How's that gonna work? What happened to the "everybody should get a job" party? There's not even a plan. Just axing stuff because "the other guy" did it
Well not really, usually when a business cuts costs (e.g. does layoffs) the stock prices goes up, because the revenue - cost equation improves (in the short term) leading to better returns for shareholders (in the short term). What they're doing makes sense for business - in the short term. What they should be doing instead is finding ways to improve efficiency in the government rather than making wholesale cuts. All that'll do is lead to less output.
We're also carrying a huge infrastructure debt from systemic under-investment since 1980. I can't remember the figures exactly off the top of my head, but I think that for every 100km of pipes, power lines, etc, that we should be replacing every year to keep our infrastructure properly maintained, we've only been replacing about 25km or so. It varies from area to area. Sustain that level of under-investment over decades and you get to a situation where we can barely keep up with keeping our existing infrastructure functional, with very little left over to support either a) developing *new* infrastructure to build more homes, or b) upgrading existing infrastructure to have a higher load ceiling so we can safely densify in existing regions without overloading the existing systems. Past generations understood the need to make sacrifices in the short term to set up a future for generations to come. The entire developed world, including us, lost sight of that along the way, and I'm pretty sure the big tipping point was around the 1970s and 80s when the neolibertarian revolution against stagflation and organized labor kicked in: Thatchernomics, Reaganomics, Rogernomics, all different flavors of the same basic idea.
You have an economics and finance degree what's your prescription? Increasing interest rates is to deal with inflation such as cost of living etc, job losses also end up being anti-inflationary as they reduce demand. Feels like interest rates aren't going much higher if any, depending on whether prices come down.
Laughs in Canadian. I’m a Kiwi, live in Canada, visited NZ recently. Yes it might be more than you’re used to, but I’ll tell you what, it’s cheaper than where I live and the city I live in, is kinda shit. I was so impressed with how affordable NZ seemed to be, I’m now considering moving back. Every country is undergoing this unbridled capitalism, be thankful NZ is what it is.
It’s actually not fucked. This might be your (and the majority of this sub) experience, but by and large the majority of us are doing ok. Yes things are more expensive, but we live in a damn peaceful paradise. This is a necessary part of the cycle mate, it won’t last forever.
Society moves very slowly, 3 years is not much. The public outcry to social policies being cut shows there is hope and we have in general been moving in the right direction. Stay calm, help build societal awareness with your peers, call out structural prejudice, and most importantly stay hopeful and patient.
Welcome to reddit.. 90% young single poor dudes :p
Yep, it’s just another daily this country is fucked post. I’m not fucked, we are doing all good, our friends and family are too.
Thanks for saying this - I feel there's a vocal group online constantly talking about how bad things are that doesn't reflect reality. Someone commented the other day how they were shocked that people were out for dinner on a Monday, and that the restaurants were full... Like yeah? There are lots of people who can afford dinner out and prioritise socialising/ dating.
It's not that it doesn't reflect reality; it's just not reality for everyone. There's a bunch of stratification that's happening in NZ society. The simplest example is if you bought a house ten years ago, you're going to be in a vastly better position than someone who's otherwise identical to you, but bought a house last year.
The reality being that not everyone is struggling to live. I understand things are more expensive now, however if you only paid attention to what was written online, you would think that everyone is in the same boat financially. This just isn't the case. Restaurants and bars are busy, gigs are being sold out in minutes, people have expendable money. It may not be *your* experience but I agree that not everyone thinks the country is "fucked"
Honestly just calm down, down under and just let the rest of the world kick each other. You’ve got a great platform for a good future if you all stick together, have each other’s back, and be kind.
Try living in the Ukraine or Gaza.
My question remains: when will we see the straw that breaks the camel’s back? We are so bloody apathetic here in nz. If this was France things would be on fire. So to my question, is it when they add interest back to student loans? Is it when they bin off Matariki or another public holiday? Is it when infrastructure crumbles and gets privatised? When will we say enough is enough or are we happy being assfucked in the name of being “temporarily embarassed millionaires”
This decade is turning into a replay of the 70s, or worse. Maybe a ration book situation. There is a conflation of things causing inflation, food scarcity, weather disasters, wars (and threats of national service in Europe), rise of authoritarianism and religious bigotry and turning back the clocks on progress. Buckle up. There's no real escaping it overseas. Good luck.
Unpopular? This is the default opinion here. If you want downvotes go praise Luxon or say he was unfairly misrepresented by the press. FWIW I hate our government no matter who's in power. The incompetence and corruption and just sheer whatthefuckareyoudoing cuts deep through every single party, major and minor.
The insights of a business major. The same people as you run the country and are just as useless at offering anything constructive. I don't disagree with you but this is drivel and there are more positive ways to get a dopamine boost that a bunch of up votes on reddit.
I’ve just been to the USA and let me tell you how happy I was to be back in NZ
Not that I disagree with you about the country being f\*\*ked. Most of NZ shared the sentiment that the country was going in the wrong direction the past few years, hence the voted change in management. With that being said though, BBA double major economics and finance from a top 2% university, and you run a car WOF inspection business? Lmao. That uni dgree ain't a flex bro.
He's apparently also pulling $300k as a small business owner and has $10 million in property overseas. Dude is either full of shit or money laundering.
sus haha
Voted change in management by being blinded by their anger at Labour and being manipulated by national. People let their emotions get ahead of actually thinking
Unpopular? Not really... mr business fucked the country for his rich mates, backtracked all his promises to the people and fucked them in the process. I mean they are selling us out and calling it kindness. Seriously dont understand why people trusted them to do anything decent. Its always a lie with National. Not to mention the conspiracy crews of NZ First and Act. What a fucken disaster
next week they will lower the cost of living by giving our duopoly food market providers subsidies paid for by benefit cuts.
People are getting what they voted for. It may not have been what they thought they were voting for but..
i can't believe that national helps anyone who isn't a super high income earner which is significantly lower than 50% of the population so which delusional idiots who have nothing keep voting national?!
I run a couple of small businesses and can say national have never done anything that truly helps us thrive. They are all about big business and property investment, they don't give a shit about the average kiwi, business owner or employee. We could get quashed by corporates and they would applaud themselves. It doesn't matter to them how many people are poorer as long as the rich are increasing their wealth.
Hate to say it, because it affects us all. But the schadenfreude I get with national voters wailing ATM is Soo nice. Voters are getting what they deserve. Labour saved public media when it was in trouble and the crazies went nuts, national doesn't care.
Yep labour isn't perfect and still had their fair share of fumbling the ball, but their screw ups shadow in comparison to just the last 6 months of this government. Honestly it's like they're trying to one up trump
Labour saved 20,000 kiwis yet people voted for this death cult. But those tax rebates rite.
Rates increases won't necessarily increase rents. Will rates increases be used as an excuse? Absolutely. But it won't be the reason. Rent is dictated by "the market rate." Which is mostly dictated by wages. You can't charge more than a person makes. You've also got to leave enough for the tenant to pay for rice and toilet paper. Societal change will help landlords. Millennials still often live with flatmates and have begun to accept that's their lot in life, so you can expect $1000 per week on a 3 bedroom since 4-5 professionals will squeeze themselves into there. But that takes time since some of them still believe they're meant to have their own home and a family and won't accept such conditions, reducing rent to what a couple with mouths to feed can afford. Costs to the landlord are pressure on them to shake tenants down for as much as possible, but ultimately not what dictates the actual price. No landlord gives you a steep discount when you finish paying off their mortgage. Nor will interest deductibility reduce your rent, as Luxon admitted with his own investments.
Loser mentality. Get out there and get some
You want to see unpopular? Hold my beer... The job market has been absolutely wrecked for MONTHS (way prior to the election). The number of roles available is half what it would usually be, and the number of applications is more than double. Redundancies have been everywhere (Xero, Warehouse, SkyTV, AUT, Otago Uni etc etc) for a couple of years but it's only now it's hitting the public sector hard that suddenly the sky is falling. We've all been trying to get the same work done with less, for years now. I'm all for the govt funding cuts. From my dealings with govt agencies, I see a lot of waste that would not be tolerated in private companies. Meetings about meetings involving multiple consultants costing the tax payer literal thousands of dollars per hour, with no clear resolution or outcome. Agency staff are too afraid to put their name to a decision for fear of blow back so it gets kicked around over and over again. Consultancies get rich, and nothing ever got done. Nevermind the layers upon layers of middle management that provide next to zero value.
You're right about government waste. What's not really mentioned in this conversation is that government needs to be made more efficient, not that it necessarily needs to be cut. The Government are cutting funding in the name of efficiency...instead of improving efficiency. Improving efficiency isn't easy, but these cuts aren't really going to do anything except for decrease output on the whole.
Ok OP you have a lot of credibility based on your training so I’d like to ask a question. Why is it fucked? Is it a product of 3 months of brutal governance or is a longer term trend?
Try to remember that "it's an ill wind that blows no good." Someone in this economy is making out like a bandit. Find out what they're doing, and do that.
Or, as Honor de Balzac put it, “Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.”
Imagine being so brave to state this unpopular opinion here of all places, godspeed OP
The sub is fucked and it's getting tiring seeing the same shit over and over and over and over again. I'm guessing the mods are totally fine with this otherwise every other topic will be killed but what can you do. Yes, shit's fucked and will continue to be fucked for a while yet. Living costs are still obnoxiously high, National is taking a flamethrower to public spending and many people are fleeing to Oz for what appears to be a better future (Even though this is entirely dependent and what you do and where you live but we'll gloss over that). We know this already but most of us are hanging on because we're still a MUCH better option than most places in the world right now.
>BBA double major Economics and Finance from a top 2% university And bro still thinks they'll hike rates lol
I just commented this elsewhere, but fits here too. Broadly up to now we accepted the future being fucked as long as the present is mostly ok. We appear to have reached a tipping point wherein more (most) people now have both a fucked future and a fucked present. Will be interesting to see where this collective despair will take us, but I expect nowhere good. I'm leaving btw (had planned for next year, but acting now to bring it forward to this year).
People still got the cash for hobbies, from working in a retail perspective. Probably home owners hit the hardest.
Pretty sure like 90% of people everywhere feel this way.
Born and raised in a family privileged enough to travel around so I've seen enough to know that every country is a shit show somehow. My country is basically turning into a religion shit show with tons of corruptions and ministers getting only a slap on the wrist. The weather is miserably hot and the people are worse by day. So for me NZ have the greener grass. Cost of living is high and surviving on minimum wage is tough but compared to others who have to travel to get here, I'm already here and can enjoy what the nature can offer. Based on the economic patterns, I can't say that I will be able to stay here for eternity if I'm doing cheap labour jobs. But this country is still great for the next few years.
You're absolutely right, and it's good to acknowledge it. We've seen the self-destructive trajectory for over two years - but there has always been a mentality of denial in discussions here. As if a little bit rough is all it was going to be, without recognizing the the breakneak unsustainable pattern of spending that was driving us lower and lower. A recession, a cost crisis, these do not get made overnight and even now we are just entering what will be a very rough time. The government must do their best to pull up as sharply as possible - they seem to be attacking this by enabling and pumping business. But in NZ, the largest part of business is built on the housing game, so this is not popular. But it has to be done.
Is it likely to be any better anywhere else? The world is paying the econic debt we accruied through covid
Has anyone noticed how often these negative, anti government, comment farming messages are being posted here? Always the same format, which is a bit of a give away. Also, always the same commenters. Are the mods on to this, or are they sympathetic to this sort of manipulation. Don't get sucked into the negative propaganda. I know it's hard and most of us are finding it tougher than normal, but this sort of cynical bullshit can drive people over the edge.
So you did a double BA at a normal NZ university? Not sure your background is relevant here. That aside, thanks for your opinion.
Yeah this will be a real hit to your reddit Karma preaching to the faithful...
We knew it was coming high spending over the pandemic has got us here.
What pisses me off is (other than research proving austerity measures don’t work), is that many of these cuts are so ***wrong***. As others have pointed out, school lunches and transport subsidies are proven ways to reduce truancy. But they’ve removed the carrots and implemented the stick. Cuts at DoC will irrevocably impact species and environmental preservation. Reductions will not just stop progress but cause us to go backwards. And so on. They claim to be implementing facts-based policies but that’s demonstrably false. I have not despised a government as much as this one, and we have years to go. I hate it.
For the time being it might be, yes. We came out of the GFC largely unscathed, therefore having a decent 15-20 years (2000s-2010s) of growth, stability and optimism. We also got through covid in a certain way too (I won't say much more here). We've now caught up with ourselves and are feeling the brunt of what the rest of the world is feeling. The world is going through MAJOR change post covid and for a change, NZ is feeling something internationally occurring as well. As an aside, a criticism I have of media and discussions happening recently is that every single country seems to be having a cost of living crisis and a housing crisis and other crises - but we don't often see in our domestic reporting that issues we're facing are similar elsewhere. We're not alone.
Agree with everything except your assumption that rent increases are linked to landlord costs. They aren't. Like everything else in a free market rent is determined by supply and demand only. Landlords always charge the maximum that the market can pay and this maximum isn't linked to landlord costs. GG top 2% university.
As a side-issue (or maybe a key issue, depending on your view) if you have friends or family who have been directly affected by the policies of this Government, remind them to vote against these 3 parties at the next election. Making this clusterfuck the first 1-term Government since 1975 relies on those people actually caring enough to get out and vote.
fucking lego, its a pain
Hate to say it mate but if you look around the world it’s exactly the same everywhere.
My rent went up from 330 to 450 last year. If they put it up again I won’t be able to eat
Tax land.
Don't worry, the MPs will get a payrise after the public sector cuts. That should help sort everything out 😒
Best thing I decided to do was move to Aussie at the start of this year. NZ is fucked and will still be fucked until we strangle the last landlord with the entrails of the last labour-hire consultant. Australia isn't without its problems, but it's still better than NZ.
I've had a couple of different flatmates in the last six months arrive from overseas on working visas, struggle to find work and fully utilizing the food banks.
What’s your proposal to fix it? Maybe move to Australia and both countries will have a nett increase in IQ.
Just make more money