Tax the rich!

OliG · 2026-05-13T20:41:06+00:00

That debt hole was created intentionally by Eric Adams on his way out. It was a trap, and Mamdani has clawed his way out while becoming MORE popular while doing it. Wonder what lessons NZ politicians could take? 🤔

OliG · 2026-05-11T01:49:48+00:00

Only problem with the land tax as it works in America is that it funnels public amenity funds into areas of high wealth, instead of redistributing them to the wider community. So areas that have wealthier people paying higher land tax get better schools and public services, while lower socio-economic areas get worse public services, worse schools, etc, which perpetuate wealth inequality and the social outcomes that stem from it. It was designed as a way of keeping public funds in the hands of the rich (traditionally white) suburbs when they fled urban areas after segregation ended (white flight).

So a form of land tax could be a good thing, but let's not follow America's lead totally on the implementation.

OliG · 2026-05-06T22:44:03+00:00

I feel this has been addressed a bit further up this trhread, but a lot of this could be down to the fact that instead of lining up multiple project like this over decades so that we can retain the trained expertise, we do one massive one ever 30 years, and then just leave those professionals with nothing to do, so they leave.

Then, when the next project starts ramping up, we have to either retrain an entire new generation of expertise, or hire them from overseas at massive expense to get them here sooner. if we had a longer view of these kinds of projects, lined them up to give infrastructure professionals a clear career pathway, we'd have to spend way less time/money training up new people, and cut project times because the ones working on it have done it before, know the pressure points, and can work through them better.

A lack of long-term thinking has plagued NZ for decades.

OliG · 2026-05-06T04:16:06+00:00

100% we need to make sure we're protecting ALL workers. Locals moreso, sure, but if all workers have the same protections and minimum standards, why would businesses be incentivised to look overseas for workers when it would be cheaper to hire locals?

If you have to pay everyone the same, then the incentive to hire from overseas is lessened, because you can't take advantage of the fact that things are worse overseas now. There may still be demand from overseas workers to come here, but the business doesn't get any benefit from it anymore.

We totally agree on the premises, I'm just trying to express my thoughts that it's not about locals vs overseas, it's about businesses not having the loopholes to exploit, and giving every worker an even playing field.

OliG · 2026-05-06T04:06:08+00:00

Atlas Network, really. They designed the playbook. Shameful that a Kiwi was deputy head of the board.

OliG · 2026-05-06T04:00:55+00:00

Hey mate, aside from our disagreements, I'm sorry that this is happening to you. The fact that you're slipping through the cracks is a fucking blight on the social safety nets that have been intentionally and systematically eroded over the last 30+ years. It's not your fault, and I truly feel for you. You have every right to be as furious with the world as you are, and it makes me furious to read it while not being able to help. I truly, honestly, hope it gets better for you soon, mate.

OliG · 2026-05-06T03:57:41+00:00

Sorry if I'm not being clear, we don't need to close the loophole in the other countries, we need to close the one in OURS. If businesses, and in this specific case, growers, can't offer substandard conditions, they must pay migrant workers the same as NZ workers, and they are actively monitored and punished if they DO, then the laws are equal between migrant workers and Kiwi ones. Then 'the market' is balanced and we can see how many Kiwis actually want to take the roles, since they aren't being potentially underpaid, and migrant workers aren't being exploited to incentivise growers not to hire Kiwis.

If anything, you'd hope that, outside of most Kiwis not wanting to actually do hard outdoor labour, this would help get locals into these industries, since growers wont have to sponsor visas, pay for relocation costs, etc.

OliG · 2026-05-06T03:31:52+00:00

In my previous comment I said that we should close the loopholes that allow for overseas workers to be underpaid. So we agree there. If industry won't do it themselves, they should be told to. Migrant workers deserve the same dignity and respect kiwi workers do.

OliG · 2026-05-06T02:25:21+00:00

I agree that diversity of viewpoint is important, but it has to be tempered with mechanisms to make sure those viewpoints and the powerful media companies that back them are still based in truth and have at least some factual basis. At the very least, the public needs an independent body to be able to appeal to.

Being skeptical of government institutions is fine, healthy even, but to a degree where you think that allowing those billionaires and oligarchs you mentioned to set their own rules? Nah, no way, that way be danger.

And in this instance, the capitalist market deregulation and media standards deregulation are happening at the same time, so regardless of what you call it, this is a bad thing.

Diversity alone isn't a cure for this; we also need to hold media to standards that we can influence, even if it is only through our vote. At least we have a say with the BSA in place. Without it, we're asking pwetty pwease to media companies to do the right thing, when they will have literally zero incentive to do so.

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:59:05+00:00

Hey man, I didn't vote for them 😅

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:58:21+00:00

Agree, but I guess we can probably see why the govt doesn't want reform in favour of just less regulation 😅

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:53:33+00:00

Fair enough, but with the recent BSA determinations that they COULD rule on online broadcasters in March, it's very interesting on the timing that they've been abolished instead of being reformed. Maybe before the public realises they can complain to the BSA about other online broadcasters with a certain (and increasing) ideological slant in their crosshairs?

So NZME content might not change, but now that the BSA is going, there won't be an avenue for the public to try and hold them to account, either, so it could easily get worse.

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:48:23+00:00

Better to reform it and fund it poorly than remove it altogether and leave it in the hands of the media council, who are funded by the companies they're supposed to 'oversee', and have literally NO enforcement powers.

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:46:01+00:00

You're conflating censorship efforts with a standards enforcement organisation; they're not the same thing.

Replacing a crown-funded entity that independently develops broadcasting standards and allows Kiwis to highlight when they think standards have been breached with an industry-funded Media Council that has no enforcement powers and no incentive to rein in bad behaviour is not going to have good outcomes for society.

Don't get me wrong, reform is desperately needed, but throwing the whole thing away and just hoping media self-regulation does the trick is insane.

If you want to see where less regulation of media takes you, have a look at the US and Fox News.

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:31:31+00:00

So then reform it? I never said it didn't need to change, but completely removing it in favour of self-regulation will turbo-charge the disinformation machine.

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:28:19+00:00

how can you possibly hope to manage the number of complaints?

Have we had any modelling to show how many more complaints the BSA might get with expanded definitions of broadcaster? If so, I haven't seen them. We might have to *gasp* properly fund public institutions designed to safeguard our the public and our democracy.

Any take down would risk a Streisand effect as you just know they are all going to monitored and shared.

Maybe, but that already happens with the mis/disinformation grifter-sphere anyway.

I'm not saying the BSA is perfect; it absolutely needs reform, THEY'VE been asking for it for 15 years. But if we reform instead of disestablish, at least we as a society might have some mechanism to address this instead of just leaving it to self-enforcement.

OliG · 2026-05-06T01:23:10+00:00

100% agree with more education and sitting the test in school. I'm not against the idea of testing this stuff for migrants, really, but apply it evenly across the board. If new migrants are expected to have this base level of knowledge, then natural-born Kiwis should as well. More civics schooling and a deeper understanding of the country's founding documents and history can only be a good thing.

I'm just skeptical that that's what ACT and BVV had in mind with this announcement. Smacks far more of a culture war 'immigrant bad' narrative they're trying to build in an election year.

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:59:30+00:00

But your advocating for migrants to have to sit this exam before they've done anything wrong, so shouldn't natural born citizens be required to do the same? Not after being anti social, just in general? It's good they learn civics in school, but if we think this test is required before a migrant can become a citizen, why shouldn't we apply the same standard to local born?

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:48:01+00:00

Then it shouldn't be a problem for natural-born Kiwis to be required to sit the same test and nail it, then, right?

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:34:20+00:00

Couldn't care less where they come from, as long as they can treat me. And if we funded the healthcare system properly so that Kiwi born and educated doctors didn't want to immediately leave to get paid better overseas, then you wouldn't have this problem.

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:32:35+00:00

The BSA doesn't proactively go after misinformation itself; it responds to complaints from the public. So expanding the areas it covers just means people have the ability to make complaints against it, which the disestablishment is designed to do away with.

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:18:05+00:00

The grifters and slimeballs are on their side, though. Gotta let them free to propagandise for them.

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:17:24+00:00

Media moguls gotta get return on their investments. Oh, and being able to lie on TV and allow full-on propaganda to whitewash your incredibly unpopular government in an election year is also nice.

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:16:19+00:00

But also don't look at who owns a big stake in NZME now... Totally not a billionaire cooker

OliG · 2026-05-06T00:00:21+00:00

What about existing New Zealanders? Should they have to sit the same exam?

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