Have you noticed what used to be paid for in full by the govt needs to be topped up by yourself or the community now? Things like schooling, parents are constantly asked to fund raise for their schools and in some cases it is just to keep the school going and keep things like the pool compliance up to date, field trips or a better playground. then there is health care, how often do we get called or emailed about supporting starship or other health care facilities or organizations, while they are very good causes, we already pay tax that should cover these sorts of things and then we are asked to pay again and again.
Luxon simply works for us and we simply need to fire him by voting him out.
Spending that sort of money on Kapa Haka is sickening for those struggling or even dying because the Govt won't fund their medication.
There will be plenty of other examples of what the Govt falls short on so if you get a chance please expose them.
You’re right, the community is always chipping in for school trips. Kids have to sit outside the Warehouse or Bunnings doing sausage sizzles just to raise a few hundred dollars. I’m not knocking that, it’s great they learn business skills, but it’s crazy they even have to. Meanwhile, kapa haka gets $48 million for a bit of foot stomping.
Well spoken Matua. Well worth an email to those representing the very left leaning Centre Right. My ears resound with the ringing of the head fellow traveller and his (less than convincing) finance spokesperson bleating out the same order song, 'we need to get the 'country back on track', and another tax paid representative who spouts on about ' we are one people, one country'. And yet another centre left, i mean centre right (not) who say they want to curb unwarranted government spending.What next Pacifica, Buddist or more likely Diwali after the shameful dancing fool exhibition. Unfortunately the word right should be struck from the political vocabulary. All parties in NZ are left wing, it is just a matter of degrees from the centre.
National are just as bad as Labour when it comes to handing out endless money to Māori grifts. Both parties talk tough about fiscal responsibility, yet the moment iwi or Māori interests are involved, the chequebook flies open without a second thought.
"Left" and "Right" have no meaning in politics anymore - they are all a "Unipaarty" aiming at feathering their own nests and their sponsors pockets, any other ideology is just a ruse to get followers to fleece
200k to running the kapa haka, 47.8mil koha gravy train distributed to iwi bros via dubious and creative invoicing.
imo ALL recipients of govt funding over a certain threshold (5mil?) should be subject to oia and able to produce a full breakdown of allocation of those funds... a safe bet we would save many billions of dollars if the threat of scrutiny and accountability looms. consultants esp take the piss and over charge by magnitudes.
I’d like the names of the politicians who would be directly accountable for this decision, I’d like to tell them about my dear friend languishing in hospital without the most basic of care while these jackasses jump about on stage pretending to be ‘warriors’ at my bloody expense. This is beyond ridiculous. 16% of the population expects to be treated with kid gloves, given $$ hand over fist while the rest of us struggle with financial uncertainty. This has gone way way too far. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, now we have to make use of this information
Yes, Simeon Brown could donate some of his over $400k salary package, with a guaranteed 10% pay rise this year, towards actual ethically caring for his constituents?
Thanks again for your work on this. Don’t expect too much change in this grift so long as the idiot PM jets these people around the world on his gauche “promo tours”.
The last one was here in Taranaki. There was much talk amongst the apologists about what a commercial boom it would be. I went and wandered around town including New Plymouth city centre and asked retailers as I often do, how was business?
The universal reply was flat….there was small trickle of Polynesian families wandering aimlessly around doing nothing much and a mountain of illegally parked cars, blocking driveways etc outside Pukekura park.
Oh, and some pretty ugly posters of large people with tatoo striking ugly poses. I’ve been to these Māori music festivals in the old days before large amounts of money was stuffed into Māori grifters pockets and they were beautiful, humorous and heartfelt events. Money corrupts.
Morning David, yeah I can imagine they’re not putting much into the local economy. I doubt they’ll be booking a stay at your luxurious accommodation anytime soon. Most of the food they buy will probably be the overpriced stuff at the festival, and I bet plenty of them will be sleeping in their cars after blowing most of their weekly pay just to get to the Naki.
No, the motels were full and there were notices on the wall asking guests to kindly refrain from cooking seafood in the units. You can imagine! And PS I do have a story of a fairly hefty woman from, you guessed it, Massey and a stay here….
Hah! Hopefully she didn’t try cooking any ‘kaimoana’ in her room at your place. When I had my place listed on Airbnb, I could’ve written a whole Substack just about the guests who came through. I did write one about the vegan lefties who travel from one pride festival to the next. There are plenty more stories though and I’m sure you’ve got a few of your own.
Interestingly, during Covid, when NZ's doors were shut to only those who jumped through hoops to get in, my son knew of a young Maori guy from his university who had given up on medicine (and yes, he got in through the 'Special Maori Gateway' knocking other non-Maori off the ladder) to travel around doing kapa haka etc. Anyhow, this dance group went off to Dubai (I vaguely recall) to attend some sort of festival/conference (??), all paid for by the long suffering Kiwi tax payer, and slots were made available for this group to waltz back in. Off the top of my head it was late 2021 to early 2022. Just unbelievable!
When your household expenses exceed your income, normal people stop doing the frivolous/unnecessary things to bring things in line. It makes sense. SO, why are we not binning any funds to anything that isn't necessary: Kapa Haka, Diwali etc and focus on what is really bloody important: health, education, roading etc.
Back in the sanity days I think the NZ Symphony Orchestra used to get some government grant but I don’t recall it being in the millions? I didn’t see the point then or now. I had to check to see if it was Saturday
Good morning Wendy, I just had a quick Google and saw that the government provides a baseline operating grant to the NZSO. For the 2024/25 financial year, it was $17.768 million. I actually thought it would be higher, given how many overheads they must have compared to kapa haka.
Ticket prices and stall holders should pay for the majority and the costs and yep, ok, maybe the government could top up / help out from there. It’s not like they have to pay millions for the performers…or do they? Aside from accommodation, veeery little money filters into the community.
Exactly! Basic economics go out the window when the iwi starts getting involved. 48 million is a lot of bloody money to throw at kapa haka. The performers probably pay an entry fee!
Uh oh, better watch out. You said ‘mumbo jumbo’! They’re after Sean Plunket for saying that. The BSA will be after you next.. (even if this bullshit really is mumbo jumbo…. Ooops…)
Is it possible that all transport and accommodation costs are covered for all participants - and their supporters. Possibly not just for the finals, but the regional contests as well? You are right, it is a huge budget. I noticed this year that TV1 covered the finals - and someone said it was daily. There's every chance TVNZ charged for that coverage - the same way they 'sell' airtime on Seven Sharp but lack the honesty to tag their 'magazine' story 'Advertisement'. But even that would still only be a fraction of $49m, which would fund 4,080 hip replacements.
Who are these morons who shell out this sort of money. I agree anyone who gets our money should be held accountable and surely we can come up with a system that stops the blatant and colourful theft. Think ill apply for a pakeha grant so i can continue to live
I’m not in principle opposed to some funding of this festival - we have had involvement in the past in the audio visual side (decade ago?) but why can’t they Maori economy that is booming pay the majority of the cost? The excess is ridiculous - so much is paid for that we never see reciprocated for other non Maori cultural events. Kaumātua are waited on hand and foot and the food is generous indeed.
What many may be unaware of is the months and months of school education time spent on preparation for these events (that’s education time lost) - the kids love it but…at what cost to literacy and numeracy? We have gone from sublime to ridiculous- the cost of costumes is outrageous!
An audit would be good - I’d love to see fiscal responsibility here (ha!) but $49million??!!!
Meanwhile my pale face is still awaiting surgery…beds are short - it just seems criminal….
Have you noticed what used to be paid for in full by the govt needs to be topped up by yourself or the community now? Things like schooling, parents are constantly asked to fund raise for their schools and in some cases it is just to keep the school going and keep things like the pool compliance up to date, field trips or a better playground. then there is health care, how often do we get called or emailed about supporting starship or other health care facilities or organizations, while they are very good causes, we already pay tax that should cover these sorts of things and then we are asked to pay again and again.
Luxon simply works for us and we simply need to fire him by voting him out.
Spending that sort of money on Kapa Haka is sickening for those struggling or even dying because the Govt won't fund their medication.
There will be plenty of other examples of what the Govt falls short on so if you get a chance please expose them.
You’re right, the community is always chipping in for school trips. Kids have to sit outside the Warehouse or Bunnings doing sausage sizzles just to raise a few hundred dollars. I’m not knocking that, it’s great they learn business skills, but it’s crazy they even have to. Meanwhile, kapa haka gets $48 million for a bit of foot stomping.
And tongue poking. And don’t understate the constipated face scrunch. We’re talking quality culture here…
Well spoken Matua. Well worth an email to those representing the very left leaning Centre Right. My ears resound with the ringing of the head fellow traveller and his (less than convincing) finance spokesperson bleating out the same order song, 'we need to get the 'country back on track', and another tax paid representative who spouts on about ' we are one people, one country'. And yet another centre left, i mean centre right (not) who say they want to curb unwarranted government spending.What next Pacifica, Buddist or more likely Diwali after the shameful dancing fool exhibition. Unfortunately the word right should be struck from the political vocabulary. All parties in NZ are left wing, it is just a matter of degrees from the centre.
National are just as bad as Labour when it comes to handing out endless money to Māori grifts. Both parties talk tough about fiscal responsibility, yet the moment iwi or Māori interests are involved, the chequebook flies open without a second thought.
"Left" and "Right" have no meaning in politics anymore - they are all a "Unipaarty" aiming at feathering their own nests and their sponsors pockets, any other ideology is just a ruse to get followers to fleece
200k to running the kapa haka, 47.8mil koha gravy train distributed to iwi bros via dubious and creative invoicing.
imo ALL recipients of govt funding over a certain threshold (5mil?) should be subject to oia and able to produce a full breakdown of allocation of those funds... a safe bet we would save many billions of dollars if the threat of scrutiny and accountability looms. consultants esp take the piss and over charge by magnitudes.
Exactly what I was thinking!
I’d like the names of the politicians who would be directly accountable for this decision, I’d like to tell them about my dear friend languishing in hospital without the most basic of care while these jackasses jump about on stage pretending to be ‘warriors’ at my bloody expense. This is beyond ridiculous. 16% of the population expects to be treated with kid gloves, given $$ hand over fist while the rest of us struggle with financial uncertainty. This has gone way way too far. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, now we have to make use of this information
Yes, Simeon Brown could donate some of his over $400k salary package, with a guaranteed 10% pay rise this year, towards actual ethically caring for his constituents?
Thanks again for your work on this. Don’t expect too much change in this grift so long as the idiot PM jets these people around the world on his gauche “promo tours”.
The last one was here in Taranaki. There was much talk amongst the apologists about what a commercial boom it would be. I went and wandered around town including New Plymouth city centre and asked retailers as I often do, how was business?
The universal reply was flat….there was small trickle of Polynesian families wandering aimlessly around doing nothing much and a mountain of illegally parked cars, blocking driveways etc outside Pukekura park.
Oh, and some pretty ugly posters of large people with tatoo striking ugly poses. I’ve been to these Māori music festivals in the old days before large amounts of money was stuffed into Māori grifters pockets and they were beautiful, humorous and heartfelt events. Money corrupts.
Morning David, yeah I can imagine they’re not putting much into the local economy. I doubt they’ll be booking a stay at your luxurious accommodation anytime soon. Most of the food they buy will probably be the overpriced stuff at the festival, and I bet plenty of them will be sleeping in their cars after blowing most of their weekly pay just to get to the Naki.
No, the motels were full and there were notices on the wall asking guests to kindly refrain from cooking seafood in the units. You can imagine! And PS I do have a story of a fairly hefty woman from, you guessed it, Massey and a stay here….
Hah! Hopefully she didn’t try cooking any ‘kaimoana’ in her room at your place. When I had my place listed on Airbnb, I could’ve written a whole Substack just about the guests who came through. I did write one about the vegan lefties who travel from one pride festival to the next. There are plenty more stories though and I’m sure you’ve got a few of your own.
There would be a fine book in it especially as my wife cannot stand the sight of 99.5% of guests....a truly monty python arrangement.....
Haha!
Interestingly, during Covid, when NZ's doors were shut to only those who jumped through hoops to get in, my son knew of a young Maori guy from his university who had given up on medicine (and yes, he got in through the 'Special Maori Gateway' knocking other non-Maori off the ladder) to travel around doing kapa haka etc. Anyhow, this dance group went off to Dubai (I vaguely recall) to attend some sort of festival/conference (??), all paid for by the long suffering Kiwi tax payer, and slots were made available for this group to waltz back in. Off the top of my head it was late 2021 to early 2022. Just unbelievable!
When your household expenses exceed your income, normal people stop doing the frivolous/unnecessary things to bring things in line. It makes sense. SO, why are we not binning any funds to anything that isn't necessary: Kapa Haka, Diwali etc and focus on what is really bloody important: health, education, roading etc.
Back in the sanity days I think the NZ Symphony Orchestra used to get some government grant but I don’t recall it being in the millions? I didn’t see the point then or now. I had to check to see if it was Saturday
Good morning Wendy, I just had a quick Google and saw that the government provides a baseline operating grant to the NZSO. For the 2024/25 financial year, it was $17.768 million. I actually thought it would be higher, given how many overheads they must have compared to kapa haka.
Ticket prices and stall holders should pay for the majority and the costs and yep, ok, maybe the government could top up / help out from there. It’s not like they have to pay millions for the performers…or do they? Aside from accommodation, veeery little money filters into the community.
Exactly! Basic economics go out the window when the iwi starts getting involved. 48 million is a lot of bloody money to throw at kapa haka. The performers probably pay an entry fee!
How can we ensure that the Still Are Warriors genetic gene is encouraged to develop unless them we train them at the impressionable young age?
I'll be boycotting this festival of mumbo jumbo and using the time to write letters to whichever politicians approved this waste of tax payers' money.
Uh oh, better watch out. You said ‘mumbo jumbo’! They’re after Sean Plunket for saying that. The BSA will be after you next.. (even if this bullshit really is mumbo jumbo…. Ooops…)
Is it possible that all transport and accommodation costs are covered for all participants - and their supporters. Possibly not just for the finals, but the regional contests as well? You are right, it is a huge budget. I noticed this year that TV1 covered the finals - and someone said it was daily. There's every chance TVNZ charged for that coverage - the same way they 'sell' airtime on Seven Sharp but lack the honesty to tag their 'magazine' story 'Advertisement'. But even that would still only be a fraction of $49m, which would fund 4,080 hip replacements.
Who are these morons who shell out this sort of money. I agree anyone who gets our money should be held accountable and surely we can come up with a system that stops the blatant and colourful theft. Think ill apply for a pakeha grant so i can continue to live
I’m not in principle opposed to some funding of this festival - we have had involvement in the past in the audio visual side (decade ago?) but why can’t they Maori economy that is booming pay the majority of the cost? The excess is ridiculous - so much is paid for that we never see reciprocated for other non Maori cultural events. Kaumātua are waited on hand and foot and the food is generous indeed.
What many may be unaware of is the months and months of school education time spent on preparation for these events (that’s education time lost) - the kids love it but…at what cost to literacy and numeracy? We have gone from sublime to ridiculous- the cost of costumes is outrageous!
An audit would be good - I’d love to see fiscal responsibility here (ha!) but $49million??!!!
Meanwhile my pale face is still awaiting surgery…beds are short - it just seems criminal….
Precisely. Surely ticket sales will cover costs?