The DSS Bill consumed my week, but others had time and were keeping watch on what else was going on. Here's some of the writing that deserves your time (and a big thanks to everyone for your support)
More power to your arm Dr Bex. I've made submissions more this year than ever before.also written to local mp, who doesn't answer and the Upston person.
I recall being asked by WINZ to provide a certificate from her doctor that my daughter still had Down syndrome. (A while ago but true)
That silence of patients voices is also notable in the State health system.
Some of the other nZ health advocates have noted how the system went downhill after the 90s when the govt started managing the hospitals(DHBs new contracts with confidentiality ) and ACC started denying medical treatments.
This changed the system into through unconscionable contracts having an unhealthy Dr-Govt-pateint relationships.
Disabled accident injury claimants were unlawfully knocked off the ACC books by being turfed onto the MSD (now its automated routine for ai driven ACC to deny medical treatments) .
The State govt (as it contracts the economy and cuts jobs) is targeting the disabled and vulnerable, its like a 1942 redux . Its a regression.
Thank you for spreading awareness Bex as its going to be all of us that change it (Gps and drs too) and not the politicians that are pushing a policy regression and unneeded suffering.
In a world that seems to be getting meaner every parliamentary session it is uplifting to see so many capable communicators stepping up to highlight what this coalition is doing - ngā mihi to you and the other SubStackers for doing what msm seems too busy to do
Thank you, Dr Bex. I hope you are able to take some time to recover. It has been a shattering couple of weeks, testing our resilience, but ultimately leaving us, as you say, both proud and humbled.
I completely agree with your words:
"The silver lining from the past couple of weeks has been the solidarity, care, and checking in that people have done. We’ve supported each other, seen each other, encouraged each other and cared about what is happening. There is power in this care for each other, our collective refusal to go along quietly, and the solidarities we are showing. This generosity and care leaves me feeling both proud and humbled."
Thank you, too, for the shout out to my own Substack. I had made a pact with myself not to write another article this week. But then we had another ACT of cruel rhetoric, pun intended, which made me break that pact.
It is hard to switch off at present. But I do hope you give yourself a virtual, as well as real, bouquet, and find some time for yourself and your whānau as we head into the weekend.
Theres a long list of repeals Labour/Greens will have to deal with. I'm starting to make a list. Pleased about the DSS bill and also the TORT bill which Labour says they will repeal.
🫂💐 There are valid criticisms of the SUBSTACK model in platforming LITERAL Nazis (or functionally indistinguishable therefrom 🤬) and I also abhor that side of it, BUT the Aotearoa writers & many international ones that I CHOOSE to follow, provide information & insight from independent sources that are largely or completely ignored by main stream media. Not sure if I should be grateful because of the time spent doing Submissions etc that I would otherwise be blissfully unaware of, and under-informed about potential fish-hooks & unintended/intended detrimental consequences to our land & our people 😁 But in the end, being informed and actively pushing back is both my duty as a citizen and empathetic human being not directly affected in some cases, plus that affirming sense of community you mentioned Dr Bex 🤗
The comments sections give us space to agree, disagree, vent about cruel/stupid/evil/dishonest etc etc politicians & others like some in media-adjacent spaces, and encourage us to feel we are not alone - I believe some of the delays and changes to legislation in recent times is a) because of concerted & informed pushback and b) because it is election year and the polls are not trending well & NACTLast are hopeful they can scrape through again as a coalition and then unleash even worse for the following 3 years 🙇
Tis all too much today! What with pressure being put on parents to send sick children to school, by the truancy people in the face of most primary practices having to prioritize GP appointments, some have over a week's wait at best for a 'non-urgent' appointment. Go-figure the implications for parents caught in the 'disability' diagnosis and specialist wait list grey zone... which the current DSS shake up brings with it. What's in the pipeline for these families- a reality of threats around Oranga Tamariki monitoring? [which was formally the domain of stressed mothers juggling navigation of social inspired 'back to work' programs while parenting alone] Hmmmm -And Re; "Bryan Bruce highlighted the multiple failures of Seymour’s school lunch scheme, as raised by the Auditor General:" At the outset part of the early counter-narrative against supplying onsite food services in NZ schools was a shock-horror-probe 'narrative' suggesting that fast food giants like Mc'Donalds and KFC would compete for onsite school service contracts... few parents actually took this seriously. They were too stressed with the situations they were managing at home being forced to work within a domestic demographic routine that, such as politically correct critique by vested interests of all stripes and colors monitoring the contents of student lunches and other nonsensical rubbish, Meanwhile in some schools the school tuck shop sporadically ran on volunteer labour, supplying the usual fare- meat pies sandwiches, and 'culinary gravel based' muslei bars supplied in enough bowel distressing quantities to keep the school ablutions block active all afternoon, and anguished over supplies of cordials home made muffins or cream buns... Hmmmm- what could possibly get worse...? Looking at the current debate, letting the school lunch contracts to KFC and McDonalds- or even the local supermarket deli looks like the superior option.....
I would suggest when you write to the Crown NZ Govt( State) you turn it into a Notice and address it To (the minister name) with your name and address on the bottom of the notice.
( no full stops until you are finished, In legal notices it is recommended to drop full stops )
"The word "submit" functions as a verb with two primary meanings: presenting something for review or yielding to authority. It can mean "to hand in" an application or proposal, or "to give in" to the control and power of someone else."
The State( govt's) legalese was designed for public control , for legislative agreement you do in "submitting" to them
Even those that dont consent are unknowingly agreeing by submitting.
(The State govt is targeting us disabled people while it contracts jobs and the economy , its like a 1942 redux).
And isnt it telling of a govt when it targets, bullies and harms the most vulnerable part of society.
More power to your arm Dr Bex. I've made submissions more this year than ever before.also written to local mp, who doesn't answer and the Upston person.
I recall being asked by WINZ to provide a certificate from her doctor that my daughter still had Down syndrome. (A while ago but true)
yeah shows exactly how medically qualified these people are to educate our children.....
That silence of patients voices is also notable in the State health system.
Some of the other nZ health advocates have noted how the system went downhill after the 90s when the govt started managing the hospitals(DHBs new contracts with confidentiality ) and ACC started denying medical treatments.
This changed the system into through unconscionable contracts having an unhealthy Dr-Govt-pateint relationships.
Disabled accident injury claimants were unlawfully knocked off the ACC books by being turfed onto the MSD (now its automated routine for ai driven ACC to deny medical treatments) .
The State govt (as it contracts the economy and cuts jobs) is targeting the disabled and vulnerable, its like a 1942 redux . Its a regression.
Thank you for spreading awareness Bex as its going to be all of us that change it (Gps and drs too) and not the politicians that are pushing a policy regression and unneeded suffering.
In a world that seems to be getting meaner every parliamentary session it is uplifting to see so many capable communicators stepping up to highlight what this coalition is doing - ngā mihi to you and the other SubStackers for doing what msm seems too busy to do
Thank you, Dr Bex. I hope you are able to take some time to recover. It has been a shattering couple of weeks, testing our resilience, but ultimately leaving us, as you say, both proud and humbled.
I completely agree with your words:
"The silver lining from the past couple of weeks has been the solidarity, care, and checking in that people have done. We’ve supported each other, seen each other, encouraged each other and cared about what is happening. There is power in this care for each other, our collective refusal to go along quietly, and the solidarities we are showing. This generosity and care leaves me feeling both proud and humbled."
Thank you, too, for the shout out to my own Substack. I had made a pact with myself not to write another article this week. But then we had another ACT of cruel rhetoric, pun intended, which made me break that pact.
It is hard to switch off at present. But I do hope you give yourself a virtual, as well as real, bouquet, and find some time for yourself and your whānau as we head into the weekend.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.
Arohanui.
Well said Paul 🙏 Thank you also for your tireless mahi and commitment to hold the government to account.
Theres a long list of repeals Labour/Greens will have to deal with. I'm starting to make a list. Pleased about the DSS bill and also the TORT bill which Labour says they will repeal.
🫂💐 There are valid criticisms of the SUBSTACK model in platforming LITERAL Nazis (or functionally indistinguishable therefrom 🤬) and I also abhor that side of it, BUT the Aotearoa writers & many international ones that I CHOOSE to follow, provide information & insight from independent sources that are largely or completely ignored by main stream media. Not sure if I should be grateful because of the time spent doing Submissions etc that I would otherwise be blissfully unaware of, and under-informed about potential fish-hooks & unintended/intended detrimental consequences to our land & our people 😁 But in the end, being informed and actively pushing back is both my duty as a citizen and empathetic human being not directly affected in some cases, plus that affirming sense of community you mentioned Dr Bex 🤗
The comments sections give us space to agree, disagree, vent about cruel/stupid/evil/dishonest etc etc politicians & others like some in media-adjacent spaces, and encourage us to feel we are not alone - I believe some of the delays and changes to legislation in recent times is a) because of concerted & informed pushback and b) because it is election year and the polls are not trending well & NACTLast are hopeful they can scrape through again as a coalition and then unleash even worse for the following 3 years 🙇
Tis all too much today! What with pressure being put on parents to send sick children to school, by the truancy people in the face of most primary practices having to prioritize GP appointments, some have over a week's wait at best for a 'non-urgent' appointment. Go-figure the implications for parents caught in the 'disability' diagnosis and specialist wait list grey zone... which the current DSS shake up brings with it. What's in the pipeline for these families- a reality of threats around Oranga Tamariki monitoring? [which was formally the domain of stressed mothers juggling navigation of social inspired 'back to work' programs while parenting alone] Hmmmm -And Re; "Bryan Bruce highlighted the multiple failures of Seymour’s school lunch scheme, as raised by the Auditor General:" At the outset part of the early counter-narrative against supplying onsite food services in NZ schools was a shock-horror-probe 'narrative' suggesting that fast food giants like Mc'Donalds and KFC would compete for onsite school service contracts... few parents actually took this seriously. They were too stressed with the situations they were managing at home being forced to work within a domestic demographic routine that, such as politically correct critique by vested interests of all stripes and colors monitoring the contents of student lunches and other nonsensical rubbish, Meanwhile in some schools the school tuck shop sporadically ran on volunteer labour, supplying the usual fare- meat pies sandwiches, and 'culinary gravel based' muslei bars supplied in enough bowel distressing quantities to keep the school ablutions block active all afternoon, and anguished over supplies of cordials home made muffins or cream buns... Hmmmm- what could possibly get worse...? Looking at the current debate, letting the school lunch contracts to KFC and McDonalds- or even the local supermarket deli looks like the superior option.....
Dr Bex and everyone commenting here is creating a much stronger bond than those who seek to divide & conquer us.
Arohanui Dr Bex. So grateful for you and all you do for our communities. Kia kaha 🥰❤️
I would suggest when you write to the Crown NZ Govt( State) you turn it into a Notice and address it To (the minister name) with your name and address on the bottom of the notice.
( no full stops until you are finished, In legal notices it is recommended to drop full stops )
"The word "submit" functions as a verb with two primary meanings: presenting something for review or yielding to authority. It can mean "to hand in" an application or proposal, or "to give in" to the control and power of someone else."
The State( govt's) legalese was designed for public control , for legislative agreement you do in "submitting" to them
Even those that dont consent are unknowingly agreeing by submitting.
(The State govt is targeting us disabled people while it contracts jobs and the economy , its like a 1942 redux).
And isnt it telling of a govt when it targets, bullies and harms the most vulnerable part of society.