Actual policy changes then...

So we're getting:
-A privatised ACC
- Deeper tax cuts, particularly at the middle and top brackets
- Privatised prisons
- DNA capture and storage for people charged, not convicted of a crime
- Parole-less sentences for repeat violent offenders
- Greater use of private hospitals and more money for elective surgery
- Government-directed medical spending decisions from Pharmac re Herceptin (and I think a bigger budget?)
- Fully funded Plunketline
- 3 days in hospital for new mothers
- National Standards for reporting in schools

What else?

ACC isn't getting privatised, they're removing the monopoly it holds.

Monopoly on what exactly ?

Injury insurance right?

Sure, should technically read competition for workplace accident insurance.

Despite the fact analysis has shown it's the best system possible?

It has been proven time and time again that a single state insurance provider is vastly better than numerous smaller ones... hell even my Macro 101 lecturer agreed

Fuck, i got such better service under private cover those years ago.

But yes is the efficiency/profit trade off worth it? Theres no reason a hard nosed govt cant get the same performance as a private company but few lack the balls to do whats required.

At auckland? wasnt he a raving lefty? Maybe that was earlier.

national did this before, it was a mess, they'll do it again, and it'll be a mess again.

Labour will again have to fix up that mess, and it once again will be a waste of tax payer money because national wants to fuck with something that isn't broken because of their ideology..

bob, PWC's full review of ACC quite clearly stated that it was one of the most efficient accident insurance schemes in the world (both competitive and not) and that it's outcomes were of much higher quality. So there is no efficiency/profit trade-off (as I read your comment)

I do recall under a private scheme a family member briefly (until the policy disappeared) saving $10,000 a year in personal premiums... just because he worked on a fishing boat.

National doesn't have ideology

That is Labour's area of expertise

I'm sure there will be more

I believe John Key's bland smiling face is a Trojan Horse for a fairly extreme right-wing agenda

I hope that I am proved wrong

one of the reasons the Maori party remains relevant as king maker to National is as a backstop to ACT's ambitions

That was my view and I really hope so or massive...

Also getting

- 40% of the super fund invested in NZ
- Srapping of the plan to insulate houses over 10 years


The first sounds good on a populist level but to my mind essentially means the Super fund will no longer be run to create wealth by investing in the highest performing assets and is perhaps going to be used to prop up lower performing areas of the NZ economy that it otherwise wouldn't have merited investment?

The second I think is a opportunity missed, as it would have had multiple payoffs by creating jobs, improving health, improving energy efficiency and decreasing energy costs/emissions.

why the hell are they scrapping initiative 2?

that law is WELL overdue

socially irresponsible

yes I don't understand their resistance to the insulation subsidy

our housing stock is woefully inadequate in too many cases and this is reflected in our respiratory illness statistics

in any discussions with the Maori party I hope the bro's first make this a central plank for discussion as too many of their electorate fall into the category of need in this instance

Yup, good points.
Also:
- Remove employer tax credit from Kiwisaver
- Drop employer's contribution to 2%
- Let employer's pay people NOT in Kiwisaver differently (i.e. practically, within 2 years there will effectively be no employer contribution and it will be 4% from employees)
- Some kinda concept on anti-gangs but I haven't seen how they intend that to work


Not trying to be too anti here, trying to get a list of what changes are going to happen...

It's only anti if you're not a National supporter. 45% of New Zealanders think the above are good ideas

Whilst I respect the democratic decisions of NZers I'm not convinced that they all do - how many times did you hear anyone say "I'm voting for National because of policy X".
I don't think National were voted in on a wave of support for their policy platform - it was so badly covered by the media and non-existent in their campaigning. I honestly believe there will be a few folks that voted for National who may be surprised at some of the policy responses they get. That's partly the gist behind this thread - what are we actually going to get here now.

And just as a disclosure, I really don't think NZ is now off to hell in a right-wing handbasket. If Key sticks to the tone of his campaign the differences will be relatively minor for a complete shift in Govt.

45% of new zealanders is a bit of an overstatement. Wasn't the turn out below 60%? Or did I read that wrong

45% of new zealanders is a bit of an overstatement. Wasn't the turn out below 60%? Or did I read that wrong

as far as I'm concerned if you don't vote you don't count so 45% of New Zealanders is alright with me

Well the people who didn't vote don't get to complain. Labour squeaked in last election on less.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-election-2008/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501799&objectid=10542287

In Manurewa, where the election-day turnout plunged from 27,111 voters in 2005 to 22,441 on Saturday, Labour MP George Hawkins said the worst declines were in the strongest Labour polling booths in low-income areas such as Clendon.

"They were usually Labour, but for various reasons they didn't want to vote for us. But they didn't want to vote National so they stayed at home," he said.

"People thought they had been shamefully treated by the Government that they brought back into power [in 2005]. They thought they were treated with disdain and arrogance," he said.

For the sake of accuracy in the above post, it should be noted that George Hawkins didn't just abuse his own party. Though such comments would liven up the leadership contest. The second quote (naturally) came from the Nats candidate for Manurewa.


National candidate Cam Calder, a doctor who campaigned fulltime in Manurewa for the past six months and has been elected as a list MP, said the biggest concern in the area was crime.

"People thought they had been shamefully treated by the Government that they brought back into power [in 2005]. They thought they were treated with disdain and arrogance," he said.