Talk About Underperforming and Underwhelming
Childish and churlish: that’s the calibre of the man who wants to resume the prime ministership come November.
Lindsay Mitchell
Latest Benefit Numbers – Beware the Spin
What really matters is the year-on-year comparison.
RNZ Catches up on News Reported Here Over a Month Ago
Let’s hope if the coalition survives the 2026 election, ACT gets to exercise far more influence in this area. Two forgotten words desperately in need of rehabilitation – Personal Responsibility.
Get Rid of the Sole Parent Benefit
Get rid of the sole parent benefit. Lift aspirations for those mothers and better outcomes for their children will follow.
Sallies Are Now Part of the Problem
While it’s true that they provide much-needed emergency services, they also fight against reforms that try to place at least some responsibility back on the shoulders of people receiving benefits.
A Way Forward
Don is reluctant to “kill what we have built up over the last few years” and has suggested that we continue the blog under the title of Brash & Mitchell.
This Is a Litany of Excuses
In the face of this report, the best response the government could make is to defund the Salvation Army for being part of the problem.
Who Is To Blame for the State of Some School Entrants?
No, the benefit itself isn’t causal. It’s the lifestyle the benefit enables that does the damage. When will a future government recognise and act on this reality?
This Is Just Replacing Action With a Hollow Gesture
We mere mortals can picture the adult histories and households that bring newborns into precarious environments BUT officials have the confirming data. Is it acted on? No.
This Is a Bad Idea
If being born onto welfare and staying there long-term is a risky business for children, why would any government want to encourage this?
Some People May Have Children to Gain Income Support
The reality is this: it is cruel and callous to incentivise the birth of otherwise unwanted children. And it is a cruel and callous person who produces a child purely for their own monetary gain.
Latest Benefit Data and Three Observations
At 411,012 in October 2025, New Zealand has the highest absolute number of beneficiaries ever.
It Is the Same-Old, Same-Old
If you thought the public service was going to look or behave any differently under a National government, you will be disappointed. Indications are that the propagandist public service is just marking time till a left-wing administration is restored.
What an Effective Welfare System Might Look Like
The welfare system has evolved from providing a safety net for those genuinely unable to provide for themselves to offering an alternative lifestyle to paid employment.
A Good Example of National’s Problem
Reform can’t wait for who looks the part and how ‘kind’ it will be. It’s urgent. Now.
Who Moves From Welfare to Super?
Welfare is like an iceberg. The visible tip gets all the attention – the young and unemployed. But below the surface is a very large group of people for whom welfare is a way of life – whether they chose it or not.