The first 6 months of 2026 saw 1,411 businesses liquidated, up from 1,296 last year and putting NZ on track for the worst year in almost two decades. 97% of NZ businesses are SMEs: tradies, cafés, retailers and family businesses doing the heavy lifting. This is who Luxon is telling to grow up.

I don't wish ill on many people, but don't watch videos in waiting rooms.

I was referred to gynaecology outpatients on the 30th. I'm seeing them today. 🤯 Go Hutt Hospital!

Your Monday Transformation Affirmation A new affirmation to guide you through your week with intention. Pause. Breathe. Read the words. Speak them aloud. Embrace them. Step into your story. Choose to Live Mythic.

On the women's health bus, they can run the sample the same day and get people in remote areas back same day for further tests. www.womanshealth.nz

"Disability Support Services Bill: Return of submission, and opportunity to resubmit" Apparently my submission was defamatory. 👀😕👀

And this applies to cis people as well. Just because the "truly knowing yourself" isn't as obvious or pronounced for you as trans people... You've still gotta do it. You've got to be able to see yourself, face yourself, all of yourself. You've got to know who you are, beneath all the stuff.

Jokes aside, I see people go "I think I'm trans but I'm not gonna address it because of all the difficult stuff, what would I get out of it?" And the answer is true joy. That's what you get out of it. Unless you face yourself, fully and completely, and know who you are, you will never find true joy.

Jay Hulme@jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 4d ago

"Being trans is sad Being trans is horrid." Shut up. Being trans is great. Look. I've got inner peace and a fucking scythe.

Hey, Trash Panda Gang, can you help support Bec’s family? They‘ve been left without her and need some community uplift: givealittle.co.nz/cause/please...

Please help support Becs and her beautiful family

Supporting Becs Flanagan's family by easing the financial burden during this heartbreaking time.

givealittle.co.nz

🦝 Pepper Raccoon: Trash Priestess 🦝@pepperraccoon.com · last wk.

One of my kindest and best customers died this week. No warning, she was young, I didn‘t know her personally that well, but we were in the DMs often and she was always so lovely. Life is strange, death is sudden. 💔

In times like these, it’s important to pay attention to the grand unifying narratives ideas are hooking on to. Like that children are there to be controlled by adults, like babies and birth are commodities to be controlled by the state, like citizenship is a state more valuable than non-citizenship.

Ugh, I have the sads. And annoyingly I don't know what triggered it. Ah well... I'll try and do the "sit in the feels" thing.

As an adult teacher I have been punched, kicked, spat at, hit by a chair, bitten by children between the ages of 5 and 12. Children. These are children. The government should not empower teachers, who have in loco parentis duties of care for these children, to use physical force at any point.

China has lodged a formal complaint after New Zealand’s top diplomat on Wednesday told a Chinese-born lawmaker to “go back to your own country.” His comment has also prompted calls in New Zealand for the minister’s dismissal.

Beijing Protests After New Zealand Minister Insults Chinese-Born Lawmaker

The foreign minister, Winston Peters, who leads a populist party, has refused to back down after telling the member of Parliament to “go back to your own country.”

trib.al

Who could possibly have known that the same people who were consistently absolutely consumed with rage over Ardern’s success on the world stage and for being beloved outside NZ would now consistently be on the world stage for being racist, misogynist, clueless, elitist or some combination thereof 🤔

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4d ago

China has lodged a formal complaint after New Zealand’s top diplomat on Wednesday told a Chinese-born lawmaker to “go back to your own country.” His comment has also prompted calls in New Zealand for the minister’s dismissal.

'Children only get one chance at childhood. A baby hospitalised this winter cannot wait for a stronger economy. A child growing up in poverty cannot pause their development until political consensus emerges.' - Claire Achmad. #NzPol

The plight of our children can't wait for politics

Children can't vote but inherit the consequences of government and societal failures for the longest time, writes outgoing Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad in a final plea

newsroom.co.nz

I dont know if they knew what neurodivergent was in the 70s, I sure didnt, and I didn't know that I was until last year. I couldn't tell you how many times i got caned in school, but it was in the many hundreds, it didnt fix me, but it made me fucking hate school. This is a very bad policy.

Stephanie Rodgers 🍉@bootstheory.bsky.social · 4d ago

This policy would directly lead to physical abuse of disabled and neurodivergent children. Tell your friends. I'm absolutely serious.

Interesting take about uses for data centers. Not benign.

I would like to propose a members bill banning male politicians telling us to have babies.

ACT are deliberately targeting disabled children in this and other policies. ACT want to enact harm upon our kids, freely and without recourse. ACT want to siphon money to overseas profiteers via institutionalisation and prisons. They will leave the rest of us all the poorer for it.

The majority of these kids have disabilities, are non speaking, developmentally delayed, etc. Neither schools nor parents are getting the funding they need for adequate interventions, training, or support. Fining parents exacerbates the financial strain. Manhandling kids leads to abuse. #nzpol

Cam Bennett@cambennett.bsky.social · 4d ago

Always punitive with the right. They haven’t met a problem that can’t be solved by simply adding more punishment. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

And as a business owner in Wellington who has been affected by public sector layoffs and people leaving the region, I am really really concerned about the water bills that people have just been sent. They are the equivalent for some households of swimming lessons for their kids for a year for a 1/4.

The joy* of being defined by: whether you've got a uterus whether the uterus 'works' or not whether you already birthed a child or children and therefore 'done your part' in a heterosexual, monogamous relationship or not *sarcasm

CEO Johnny Cans@oldmatecans.bsky.social · 4d ago

Women! Your job is Make Babies. Winston Peters will pay you 5k tax free per year for the first three years of three babies lives! The party of "defending women" needs you to Make Babies to replace the population. Only open to Citizens. No foreigns.

I was trying to work out why a missing person photo was pinging a "I know him" vibe. I ran through all the possibilities - it was Tinder.

“Watching Winston Peters shout at Lawrence, his face seemed like the face of every person who has yelled the same words at migrants of colour, repeating the same racist imperative. It is the face of a society that has enabled and normalised racism. It is old skin that refuses to shed.” #nzpol

Why we call Winston Peters ‘Lao Pi’ | E-Tangata

“Mandarin-speaking communities are so familiar with Winston, we have nicknamed him 'Lao Pi'. Lao Pi is like that grumpy neighbour everyone knows is a problem. Except he’s not a random neighbour. He is...

e-tangata.co.nz

A person enjoying a park isn't really impeding other people from enjoying a park. And all of us benefit from children having access to education, whether we have kids or not. A person storing a car on the street is, in fact, impeding that space from being used by other people and for other things.

David Dilbert@candyman718.bsky.social · 4d ago

Some people don’t use the parks but also pay taxes to maintain them. Some people don’t have children in public schools but pay taxes to fund them. That’s how it works.

I took myself out for a walk in the sun. It's a gorgeous day today.

Brazil got the message

Why yes, yes I do. Plus, it’s always the male politicians telling us to have more babies… easy enough for them to say it 😐

Zoë Irene 😷❤️🦈@getcaughtliving.bsky.social · 4d ago

Does anyone else get filled with HATE towards any politician saying "have more babies"? Just that on its own is so rage fuelling... But it's SO MUCH WORSE when it's coupled with removing/cutting public services & benefits, anti-immigration, destroying economy, & increased poverty. Like FUCK OFF!!!!!

Today is a good day to enjoy a little treat FOR MORALE To play music loudly To shake your body until it makes you giggle To be weird and loud and spread shenanigans You deserve the good vibes.

I’ve actually felt quite sick with the fact that Peters has got away with his racist bullshit AGAIN! This shit cuts deep, right across the Asian diaspora here. Why the fuck would we recommend our Asian whānau to invest in New Zealand when the government sees this as acceptable behaviour?? #nzpol

Tze Ming Mok 莫志明@tzemingdynasty.bsky.social · 5d ago