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Categories under health

How not to make friends and influence people

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, November 28th, 2023 - 130 comments

An increase in lung cancer rates and a decrease in the amount that working families receive so that tax credits for landlords can be put in place tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of this Government.  Your blood should be boiling by this stage and it is only two days in.

Highlights quoted out of the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, November 25th, 2023 - 73 comments

Some of the more unusual policies from the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement.

The weird and wacky 2023 election campaign

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, October 4th, 2023 - 30 comments

In a week of weird events National’s decision not to debate Labour in the Press’s leader’s debate has been a massive own goal because the country will be able to see how toxic David Seymour’s and Winston Peters’ relationship is.

Tax or quality public services – which is more important to NZ voters?

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 pm, September 27th, 2023 - 16 comments

Earlier this year Andrew Marr wrote in the New Statesmen, that Britain’s problem was that it wanted Scandinavian levels of Public Services and North American levels of taxation. His view was that Britain was overdue for an honest debate about tax and public spending. In New Zealand, there is a similar challenge.

Cookers of the world unite

Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, September 18th, 2023 - 26 comments

Ryan Hamilton, National’s Hamilton East candidate, has had social media released suggesting that he is against flouridation of water, opposed covid mandates and thinks that covid death numbers were inflated, is vehemently opposed to cycleways and thinks that poor people only drink Raro.

Labour’s Women’s Manifesto

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, September 18th, 2023 - 65 comments

“A re-elected Labour Government will continue its proud tradition of advancing women’s health, employment, and legal rights Spokesperson for Women Jan Tinetti said.”

Labour pledges free cervical screening 

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, September 12th, 2023 - 9 comments

“Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers and regular screening saves lives, so it is critical cost isn’t a barrier to accessing early detection”

NZ First and Winston seek anti vax vote

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 14th, 2023 - 53 comments

Winston Peters clearly hopes that enough of us have short memories. He was an integral part of the 2017 Government whose Covid policies saw our death rate from the disease amongst the lowest in the developed world.  But now his party is clearly courting the anti vaccination community.

Greens: free dental care for all

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, August 7th, 2023 - 75 comments

“Under our plan, everyone will be able to keep their teeth healthy, and access treatment when they need it through a new community-based New Zealand Dental Service.”

A letter to Chris Hipkins

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, July 30th, 2023 - 31 comments

My 2c on what I think Chris Hipkins needs to do to win this year’s election.

Winning ugly

Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, June 21st, 2023 - 146 comments

luxon sheep

Another week and another example of National using dog whistle racism to stir up hatred and try and gain political advantage. This time it is to attack the notion that our health system should be seeking to look after those most in need.

Luxon Aeterna

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, June 16th, 2023 - 48 comments

luxon sheep

Ad reports on Christopher Luxon’s meeting in Wanaka.

National thinks tax cut good, reduction in Government charges bad

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, May 19th, 2023 - 77 comments

National has promised to reverse the removal of prescription charges even though it has a strong policy support and is an example of the state taking less of individuals’ private wealth.

Natural disasters test new leaders in New Zealand – some did better than others.

Written By: - Date published: 4:48 am, February 19th, 2023 - 1 comment

After the Auckland flood, Wayne Brown’s election will now be viewed as a cautionary tale. What can happen when someone who is inexperienced and unsuited to political office is elected to important political leadership roles. The blowback of this on the New Zealand right should not be understated, it is bad news for them.

What repeat covid infections do to the human body

Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, January 6th, 2023 - 28 comments

There’s bad news, but there is also hope and opportunity.

New Zealand is in a terrible state *

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, January 6th, 2023 - 116 comments

* or is it?

The kind, caring tobacco companies

Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, December 14th, 2022 - 15 comments

Kim Hill vs Tobacco Company PR Guy.

Labour’s big reset

Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, December 13th, 2022 - 77 comments

New Zealand politics is at an interesting stage.  With announcements about Ministerial futures pending and with a review of all current projects to occur over Christmas Jadinda Ardern is planning to repurpose Labour to have its best chance in the election next year.

Medical gender transition in New Zealand: How common is it really?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, November 25th, 2022 - 42 comments

Laura López decided to explore and analyse the available evidence on medical transition in New Zealand.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Pause With Map In Hand and Scratch Their Heads

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 13th, 2022 - 19 comments

If 2020 was the worst year in my lifetime how does 2022 compare?

The right is weirdly gleeful about the end of the mask mandate

Written By: - Date published: 6:59 am, September 14th, 2022 - 40 comments

National MPs and their supporters have been celebrating the removal of the mandate with weird levels of glee.

Covid review due today

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, September 12th, 2022 - 45 comments

The Government is to make an announcement today on the future of covid mandates and the traffic light system.  With infection numbers and hospitalisation and death rates plummeting it appears likely that these measures will not be renewed.

Re-Nationalise Electricity Generators Now

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 8th, 2022 - 60 comments

This COVID era is the decade in which the state is back, bigger and faster than ever before. But the one area this government won’t let the state expand again is the one area in which New Zealand is the most vulnerable: electricity generation. It needs to change.

Labour’s Ardern and Democrats’ Biden: Learnings

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, August 28th, 2022 - 47 comments

For those fishing around for a progressive playbook in this fractious world, Biden and Ardern are pretty similar. But Biden appears to be turning the fortunes of the Democrats around but Ardern is currently unrewarded. Is there anything to learn?

The Conversion Practice Prohibition Act: what does it mean for counsellors, parents and teachers?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 26th, 2022 - 3 comments

Will the Act catch counsellors or parents who don’t offer automatic affirmation for a young person who declares a gender identity?

Notes from the CATA Conference: keynote address by Stella O’Malley

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 12th, 2022 - 3 comments

The Child and Adolescent Therapists Association hosted a conference recently on children, adolescents and gender identity.

Was This The Change We Needed?

Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, August 9th, 2022 - 11 comments

Crises that profoundly test a small developed state like New Zealand have required huge growth in state strength and policy power. But was it the change we needed?

Should therapists and counsellors speak about the medicalisation of gender non-conforming children?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 4th, 2022 - 48 comments

Is there a connection between the closure of the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service in the UK, and a conference being held 12,000 miles away in Nelson, Aotearoa?

Chris Bishop supports AND opposes vaccine mandates

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, August 3rd, 2022 - 51 comments

Remember when National’s Chris Bishop thought that Labour was not being staunch enough of mandates?  He now thinks that Labour is being too staunch.

Wear your #$%^& mask properly

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, July 16th, 2022 - 90 comments

Although we still compare favourably to the vast majority of Western nations in terms of our Covid response our performance has been eclipsed by Japan and Singapore, two nations which strong mask mandates and cultural norms supporting the wearing of masks.

Luxon is still struggling to understand Mask rules

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, July 14th, 2022 - 28 comments

During January of this year Christopher Luxon described the traffic light system as confusing.  This week he described it as “very, very confusing”.  It is of concern that he appears not to have learned about what the rules require in the meantime.