DANGEROUS, DISASTROUS & TERRIFYING
Wellington Mayor, Tory Whanau says a National-ACT -NZ First coalition government would be "dangerous, disastrous" and that she would be "terrified" of this happening.
So it is a given that a National-ACT Gov will emerge in two weeks and the possibility of NZ First getting in on the act is fairly high.
I too feel that Whanau, a left wing Green Party advocate, is right in one particular way. National and ACT are committing to taking millions of funding dollars away from the civil services and divesting them of thousands of jobs. This would affect not only Wellington but the local region as a whole. Government and quasi Government departments and organisations is the backbone of the Wellington region and its economic health and well being.
National have done it before more than once and it has taken a Labour Government each time to revitalise departments like Conservation to allow the likes of them to get to a point of achieving what is being attempted.
This time round, the National Party has also gotten into a bind - promising too much in tax cuts with one of the only ways to meet the tax cut costs is by shedding millions from the civil services.
There is a hope that should NZ First get a share of the Government benches, they can trim National-ACT plans in respect to our civil services otherwise Whanau will be right. I suspect Whanau has other reasons also for her rather unstateswoman pronouncement as Mayor of a leading city of what seems certain to occur.
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
-
40.8% I avoid spending money on coffee
-
49% I still indulge at my local cafe
-
10.2% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Loading…
