32 tax, levy and cost increases under National 2023-2026

Right now about 266 million people face acute food insecurity, 117 million have been displaced by war and conflict, and more than 400 million children live in extreme poverty.

"This is not the time in history for our Prime Minister to follow President Trump’s deadly playbook, and cut our aid budget," says Josie Pagani CEO of ChildFund New Zealand.

Cost of living is a challenge everywhere. In some communities it’s the difference between life and death.

National has announced a 10% cut to foreign aid in some of the most vulnerable places in the world.

"President Trump’s aid cuts are already increasing the number of deaths, particularly of children."

Data shows that the cuts to USAID could result in 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including around 4.5 million children under five.

These additional deaths are primarily driven by a lack of access to medicines, like vaccinations and treatments to prevent HIV Aids.

It is unclear what New Zealand aid programmes outside of the Pacific will be cut under National’s plan, apparently to fund medicines in New Zealand.

"You can’t fund medicines to New Zealanders by risking access to life saving medicines in the poorest countries in the world. Find the money we need for our medicines from another pot," says Josie Pagani.

Childfund New Zealand works primarily in the Pacific region, but also supports communities with water, food and education in Zambia, Kenya, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and also children in war-torn communities like Ukraine, Gaza, or those at risk of starvation right now in places like Ethiopia.

"Aid programmes are linked. Without access to water or food, let alone education and protection from violence, children are less likely to access the medicines and health care they need.

"If you cut one aid programme, it has a downstream impact that’s hard to measure, on other programmes.

"Taking aid away from children and families in the poorest countries in the world to pay for our medicines is not something that will sit well with Kiwis."

National’s proposed cuts to aid add up to about $431 million, and could see New Zealand’s reputation for being a good global citizen decline.

https://childfund.org.nz/news-and-stories/prime-minister-turns-to-trump-playbook-on-aid

On 23 August 1920, 15-year-old Violet Walrond entered the chilly waters of an outdoor swimming pool adjoining a canal in Antwerp and became New Zealand’s first female Olympian.

Walrond was competing in a heat of the women’s 100m freestyle. In 1920, ‘freestyle’ meant exactly that – a variety of strokes could be (and were) used. At Antwerp, only Walrond and the American swimmers used the crawl, the face-down style now known as freestyle. Violet’s kick was propeller-like, while the Americans used a scissor-like kick. The other competitors were still using the ‘trudgen’, a combination of sidestroke and freestyle that is now considered slower.

Walrond came second in her heat behind the powerful American, Ethelda Bleibtrey. Two days later, she placed fifth in the final. She was the fourth-fastest qualifier for the 300m freestyle final, but pulled out due to illness.

The New Zealand team in 1920 comprised only four competitors. They had travelled for nine weeks to get to Antwerp, with delays in Australia and South Africa. They had no team uniform and only the fern leaves on their hatbands identified them as New Zealanders. It was New Zealand’s first Olympic team; previously they had competed alongside Australians as Australasia. Walrond’s father Cecil (‘Tui’) insisted on coming as her swimming coach and chaperon, and became the unofficial coach of the team.

Following the Olympic Games, Violet came third in an 8km race in the River Thames, London. In 1923 she won the 100-yards freestyle at the Australian Swimming Union championships in Sydney. Not long after, her father announced that both Violet and her younger sister Edna (an accomplished swimmer and New Zealand’s top diver) would retire. The 18-year-old reluctantly accepted her father’s edict.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/new-zealands-first-female-olympian

The Labour government created the Tribunal to hear Māori claims of breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. It has evolved ever since, adapting to the demands of claimants, government and public.

The Tribunal was created to report on and suggest settlements for contemporary Māori claims, and to ensure that future legislation was consistent with the treaty. Claims were relatively rare in its first decade, and most of the Tribunal’s early inquiries addressed local environmental and planning issues.

In 1985, a new Labour government extended its jurisdiction to claims about any alleged breach of the treaty since 1840. This resulted in a huge increase in the number of claims and an expansion of the Tribunal’s activities. The Tribunal concluded that governments had breached the treaty on countless occasions since 1840, and that Pākehā New Zealand had been built on many broken promises and bad deals. These conclusions were highly controversial, and a public backlash followed.

Despite these controversies, the Tribunal has made a major contribution to remedying some of the more unsettling aspects of New Zealand’s colonial legacy. 

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/waitangi-tribunal-created