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The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Health
- The Spinoff
When immunisation is a health target, why isn't the flu vaccine free for kids?
Although it's a common illness, the flu can be very serious – even in healthy and active young people. Many adults can access the vaccine for free, or have it reimbursed by their employer. Why don't we offer the same for pēpi and tamariki? On a Saturday in the July school holidays, Katie Iti died at Hutt Hospital from complications of Influenza B. Katie was 15 years old, in year 10 at Naenae College and loved drag racing. Speaking to Radio New Zealand, her dad Shayne described Katie as a 'sister to everyone' in the close-knit drag racing community. He said her flu symptoms were routine – body aches, a runny nose and a cough. He also urged whānau to get vaccinated against the flu. Immunisation is a health target and has been in the sights of the coalition government since the beginning of the term. The ink was drying on the coalition agreement in December 2023 when then minister of health Shane Reti announced $50 million to help Māori health providers lift immunisation rates. He noted that low immunisation rates put pēpi and tamariki at particular risk of life-threatening illnesses. 'It protects them from serious but preventable disease and reduces the risk of hospitalisation or worse – something that no parent wants to face.' In Aotearoa, the National Immunisation Schedule details the vaccines babies and children receive through infancy and childhood, and boosters available for adults. The schedule includes vaccines against serious infectious and life-threatening illnesses such as pneumococcal disease, diphtheria and measles. Schedule immunisations and their administration are free, regardless of visa or citizenship status, given the benefits of high herd immunity within populations. Despite being listed on the schedule and recommended annually for anyone aged over six months, the flu vaccine is less accessible. The flu vaccine is not free for babies and children unless they meet certain criteria for being at higher risk of serious illness. This includes having a long-term health condition like asthma, diabetes or a heart condition, or having been hospitalised previously for a respiratory illness like pneumonia, bronchiolitis or Covid-19. There are clear and obvious benefits to providing free vaccines to those most at risk. However, there are also clear and obvious benefits to providing a vaccine to anyone who wants it, if vaccination can prevent serious and life-threatening complications should a person contract an infection. The flu vaccine falls into this category. It is recommended by the immunisation schedule and strongly supported by clinical evidence. Many adults can access it for free, or have it reimbursed by their employer. Why don't we offer the same for pēpi and tamariki? For a brief two-year period recently – we did. Uptake of the flu vaccine for under-fives tripled once universal funding was introduced in 2022. Writing in May 2024, once the funding was cut, authors Samantha Marsh, Janine Paynter, Peter McInytre and Rajneeta Saraf noted: 'Focusing flu vaccination funding only on those at the highest risk is a step backwards for New Zealand and will likely reduce uptake. In contrast, Australia has funded flu vaccines for all children aged six months to five years since 2019.' Marsh et al go on to cite a report from the Child and Youth Epidemiology Service that influenza accounted for 56% of all preventable hospitalisations in children in Aotearoa – more than varicella, measles, whooping cough and meningococcal disease combined. Knowing that influenza can be serious, I had decided my son should receive the flu vaccine prior to starting daycare earlier this year. I had thought we could receive our shots at the same time from our local pharmacy – perhaps the start of an annual tradition. I was aware he would require two doses, four weeks apart, as it was his first flu vaccine. I wasn't aware that our local pharmacy didn't have a vaccinator who could vaccinate a baby under one, meaning we would have to make an appointment with the GP nurse instead. I also wasn't aware that each dose of the vaccine would cost $45. The Kids Health website advises each shot could be between $25 and $45, depending on the clinic – similar to the price for an adult, but $50-$90 in total if it is your child's first vaccine. Multiple children requiring two initial doses would quickly add up – putting this very basic protective health measure out of reach for many whānau. Although it is a common illness, the flu can be very serious, requiring hospitalisation, and in rare and tragic cases, cause death – even in healthy and active young people. If a vaccine is clinically sound, evidence-based, and recommended by the Ministry of Health in the National Immunisation Schedule – such as in the case of the influenza vaccine – it should be free for everyone, especially pēpi and tamariki.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
NZ weather events prompt rethink of housing protections
The New Zealand government is considering ending bailouts for homeowners affected by floods and landslides as it develops a framework to address the impact of climate change. The government has often stepped in after natural disasters to buy properties, spending billions of dollars in recent years as climate change-driven severe weather events increase in intensity and frequency. The government "won't be able to keep bailing out people in this way", New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Radio New Zealand this week. "We need to find a way to manage these events going forward and who takes responsibility and is there a shared responsibility." Policymakers, researchers and property experts both in New Zealand and Australia have for some time warned climate change is a risk that home buyers have not priced in. His comments come as parts of the South Island start cleaning up after floods this month, which affected roughly 800 homes, according to local authorities. The government on Wednesday announced $NZ600,000 ($A550,403) in compensation for flood-affected farmers, growers and forestry owners. By 2060 at least 14,500 homes worth approximately $NZ12.5 billion ($A11.42 billion) could suffer at least one damaging flood, around 300 to 400 homes annually, according to Climate Sigma research. Climate Minister Simon Watts said in an email that the government has been working to get bipartisan support on a national adaptation framework to give New Zealand certainty. "This is a complex and challenging work," he said. "It is important that any change is enduring." Any policy changes would likely be introduced slowly. A recent independent report released by the Ministry of Environment suggested a transition over 20 years to allow pricing to adjust as expectations of government bailouts are tempered. The independent report released by the Ministry of the Environment recommended including the need for more information about the potential impact of natural hazards so owners can make their own decisions about whether to move or stay and bear the costs of that decision. Property records in New Zealand increasingly note whether there is a flood or landslide risk or history of either and homeowners in vulnerable areas are worried their houses will become less valuable.
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
New Zealand floods prompt rethink of government housing protections
By The New Zealand government is considering ending bailouts for homeowners affected by floods and landslides as it develops a framework for addressing the impact of climate change. The government has often stepped in after natural disasters to buy properties, spending billions in recent years as climate change-driven severe weather events increase in intensity and frequency. The government "won't be able to keep bailing out people in this way", New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told state-owned Radio New Zealand this week. "We need to find a way to manage the events going forward and who takes responsibility and is there a shared responsibility." His comments come as parts of the South Island start cleaning up after floods this month affected roughly 800 homes, according to local authorities. The government on Wednesday announced NZ$600,000 (R6.4m) in compensation for flood-affected farmers, growers and forestry owners. By 2060 at least 14,500 homes worth approximately NZ$12.5bn (R133.13bn) could suffer at least one damaging flood, around 300 to 400 homes annually, according to Climate Sigma research. Climate minister Simon Watts said in an e-mail the government has been working to get bipartisan support on a national adaptation framework to give New Zealand certainty. "This is a complex and challenging work. It is important that any change is enduring," he said. Any policy changes would likely be introduced slowly. A recent independent report commissioned by the ministry of environment suggested a transition over 20 years to allow pricing to adjust as expectations of government bailouts are tempered. For Graham McIntyre the problem of flooding is immediate, with water surging through his property when it rains heavily. "It is like a wave that comes through," he said, explaining the land he bought 25 years ago north of Auckland has three rivers running through it. He wants authorities to buy his house in Taupaki and to relocate the nearby town centre. His home and the town centre were flooded in 2023. Policymakers, researchers and property experts in New Zealand and Australia have for some time warned climate change is a risk home buyers have not priced in. The ministry of environment report recommended including the need for more information about the potential impact of natural hazards so owners can make their own decisions about whether to move or stay and bear the costs of that decision. Property records in New Zealand increasingly note whether there is a flood or landslide risk or history of either and homeowners in vulnerable areas are worried their houses will become less valuable. "You can't do anything," McIntyre said. "You can't sell up. You can't change it." Kelvin Davidson, chief property economist at Cotality, said it was difficult to gauge the impact of growing climate risks on property prices due to limited data on events such as flooding and varying acceptance of risk by buyers. He said: "The rubber is not hitting the road in terms of pricing." Reuters
Scoop
10-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Public Debt, Japan, And Wilful Blindness
I just heard on Radio New Zealand a claim by a British commentator, Hugo Gye (Political Editor of The i Paper), that the United Kingdom (among other countries) has a major public debt crisis, and that if nothing is done about it (such as what Rachel Reeves – Chancellor of the Exchequer – is wanting to do), then in 2070 the public debt to GDP ratio would reach an 'extreme' level of 270% of GDP (gross domestic product). He added for good measure that no country in the world has public debt at a level anything like that. (Refer UK: Macron meets the King, RNZ, 10 July 2025.) So I checked the International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025, and found the following about Japan, the world's fourth-largest national economy, looking at years from 2010 to 2024, with respect to government gross debt and general government financial deficit: minimum debt 206% (in 2010) maximum debt 258% (in 2020) average debt 234% current debt 237% (in 2024) projected debt 232% (in 2030) minimum deficit 2.3% (in 2023) maximum deficit 9.1% (in 2010) average deficit 5.3% current deficit 2.5% (in 2024) projected deficit 5.3% (in 2030) Advertisement - scroll to continue reading Japan does not have a 'cost of living crisis'. Below is a list of Japan's interest (source: and inflation rates (again the reference period is 2010 to 2024): Japan is a prosperous country, with high life expectancy (85, the highest in the world for large economy nations), a very high ratio of retired people to working-age people, low inflation, and low interest rates. It was able to host the Olympic Games in 2021 without any financial fuss, and is about to host World Expo 2025. It has some of the world's most sophisticated infrastructure. Despite its high government debt – actually, to a large extent because of its high government debt – Japan's is a creditor economy. Japan is not in debt to the rest of the world. Japan's national debt is non-existent. Japan's government debt is widely acknowledged, however, to be the world's highest. Too many commentators – using wilful laziness – conflate national debt with government debt. Japan's is the world's most successful twenty-first century large economy. It operates by Japanese savers lending much of their savings to their government at very low interest rates; those savers prefer to lend to their government rather than to pay high taxes to their government. Prosperous Japanese people are not greedy in the way that many rich westerners are. Their mantra is 'private wealth, public wealth'; not 'private wealth, public poverty'. Japan's is not a zero-sum economy; in a zero-sum economy the prosperity of some comes at the expense of the impoverishment of others. Hugo Jye was negligently dishonest – a case of wilful blindness or ignorance – in claiming that no countries had anything like 270% of GDP government debt. Western economists and financial commentators are likewise wilfully negligent in failing to alert their countries' governments that there is an alternative – in plain sight – to our woeful policies of financial suffocation. Note about three other economies Within the European Union, it is rare for professional commentators to sing the praises of Spain and Italy. Spain, with 101% public debt, is enjoying a low inflation economic boom. It has a life expectancy of 83, higher than all European Union countries other than Malta and Luxembourg. Spain has had only government budget deficits since the surpluses of the years leading up to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (a crisis which hit Spain particularly badly). Despite – no, because of – these accumulated deficits, Spain's public debt (as a percent of GDP) has been falling since 2020; the deficits stimulated GDP. Spain had one year of high inflation (8.3% in 2022; the next highest since 2020 were 3.05% in 2011 and 3.0% in 2021); it recovered very quickly from that one year. Spain's current interest rate is 2.15%. Italy had 135% government debt to GDP in 2024. Its people's life expectancy is high, marginally lower than Spain's and slightly higher than New Zealand's; significantly higher than Germany, Netherlands and the United States. Italy's economy has been growing faster than the European Union average. Its public debt (compared to GDP) has been falling despite government deficits. Spain and Italy are doing relatively well despite having among the highest older-person to younger-person age ratios in Europe. Spain is pro-actively utilising immigrant labour, whereas Northern Europe is scapegoating immigrants. And Spain, unlike most of Europe, is not looking to its 'Defence' budget to boost future growth. Türkiye's public debt has fallen from a high (since 2006) of 40% in 2021 to under 30% in 2023. This is despite double-digit inflation since 2016 and an average budget deficit since 2011 of 5.3%. While high inflation has benefitted Türkiye by bringing about negative real interest rates (meaning interest payments effectively flow from richer to poorer, generally benefitting indebted Turkish businesses and households), current interest rate settings look like suffocating for Türkiye for the remainder of the 2020s. (This monetary policy of suffocation is also true for Australia in 2025, with its particularly hawkish Reserve Bank at present.) Despite challenging geopolitical and climatic circumstances, Türkiye has, at least until 2024, managed to achieve rising living standards for a substantial majority of its people. Unlike the United Kingdom and some northern European countries, Türkiye has not been a crisis economy despite (or because of) a reputation for unsound public finance. ------------- Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Keith Rankin Political Economist, Scoop Columnist Keith Rankin taught economics at Unitec in Mt Albert since 1999. An economic historian by training, his research has included an analysis of labour supply in the Great Depression of the 1930s, and has included estimates of New Zealand's GNP going back to the 1850s. Keith believes that many of the economic issues that beguile us cannot be understood by relying on the orthodox interpretations of our social science disciplines. Keith favours a critical approach that emphasises new perspectives rather than simply opposing those practices and policies that we don't like. Keith retired in 2020 and lives with his family in Glen Eden, Auckland.
Newsroom
09-07-2025
- Science
- Newsroom
Book of the Week: Nadine vs impatient Pākehā climate change activists
I find myself instinctively reaching for the new essay collection Slowing the Sun by Nadine Hura on two significant occasions. The first was under the blanket of Mount Manaia, the mountain on my Ngāpuhi side, the night before mum received her moko kauae. Mum is the first in six generations to bring the moko kauae back into our whakapapa. The second was on the dawn of Matariki, before welcoming in the new year with whānau from Ngāti Te Ata, on our whenua in Waiuku. Like a companion, Slowing the Sun travelled with me over the last few months. Not just through physical places, but transporting me back to moments and seasons of my own life. The way I was drawn to Nadine's words during these moments is not a coincidence. It is a testament to her gift as a writer, the ability to ground the reader while moving through sacred moments. In a Radio New Zealand interview with Mihingarangi Forbes, Nadine spoke about how climate change is always discussed as an issue of emissions. But in a Māori worldview, nothing is separated. We are deeply in relationship with one another. Slowing the Sun speaks to this, inspired by the overwhelming complexity of climate change. In the opening chapter, we meet Hank Dunn. I really like Hank. Hank has survived five shipwrecks. Hank has had scraps with Tangaroa. Hank and Nadine find each other at a swanky climate change conference full of scientists and researchers. It is through Hank's eyes—and the storytelling of Nadine—that her book begins to take shape. Climate change, Nadine shows us, has been wrapped up in scenic, carbon-heavy language. But in meeting Hank and walking through Nadine's life with her, we're reminded that most of us, the everyday, ordinary people, are actually more like Hank and Nadine. When environmental scientists start speaking in jargon, so many of us tune out (I know I do). Most of us already know climate change is a massively devastating issue, so how do we connect it back to our everyday lives? This feels like a good time to tell you as a side note or disclaimer that I know the author. (I sent her this review for her to read first before I filed it.) I first met Nadine around seven years ago. We met through Te Papa Tupu, a mentoring programme for emerging Māori writers run by the Māori Literature Trust. I was a young, bright-eyed, aspiring author. At the time, I couldn't speak te reo Māori and couldn't tell you where my marae up north was. I remember one moment in a wānanga when Nadine stood up and spoke. Hearing her speak was like watching a vessel open. She was wildly unapologetic and cared so deeply about injustice and the world. How do you even become like that, I asked myself. Later, on a trip to the Sydney Writers' Festival with Te Papa Tupu, I asked Nadine if I could hang out with her for the day. She said sure, and that we could go on a bike ride. What I thought would be a casual bike ride through Sydney turned into an unofficial tour. We stopped at every statue of every colonial figure and studied what was written on the plaque. Then Nadine would tell me the real history and what these figures actually did. While we were biking, I barraged her with so many questions and since that day, I've never stopped lol. We were in Sydney for a week but this was the most memorable part of that trip, a gentle nudge that set me on the path of coming home. This is how I'd describe Nadine's writing. There is intention in every word she writes, every sentence she places on the page is space for you to unfold into yourself, to come to your own conclusions, to relate your own life experiences, a mirror looking back at you. One of my favourite chapters is the essay titled 'Who Gets to Be an Ordinary New Zealander?' Nadine writes that she wasn't meant to speak—she didn't want to speak—but did in fact speak at a conference with politicians, environmental scientists, and a nice lady who found her hiding behind a pole. She took the mic and delivered a mic drop by telling the climate activists in the room: 'Not all of us are equally responsible for climate change, and not all of us are equally affected.' The reactions of those in the room made me laugh. There were groans, side eyes, the impatience of Pākehā environmental activists who had come to tick boxes and pass resolutions. But what was deeply moving about this moment is why Nadine spoke up. She was thinking about her father, who 'lost his hearing to heavy machinery and his language to shame.' She could have easily been writing about my own dad. Her father, a hard-working man who spent his life in jobs defined as 'unskilled.' The way she connected her father to climate change is something I had never done before with my own father. I was struck by this—by her ability to make those connections throughout the book. The way Nadine writes grief is perhaps the most poignant and moving part of this collection. Grief, like climate change, touches everything, and Nadine shows us this through the death of her brother Darren. The title essay is the one that has stayed with me the most. Nadine says it was through the grief of losing her brother that she came to realise how deeply connected climate change is to his suicide. By the end of the book, I had come to know Darren intimately, and I gained a deeper understanding of whakamomori—the te ao Māori perspective of suicide—and his experiences through his sister's eyes. Slowing the Sun is about love, loss, grief, hope, beauty. Each essay offers a glimpse into Nadine's life: the joy of a lover, the grief of losing her brother, the relationship with her father. This is what climate change is—it's connected to everything. The night before Mum got her moko kauae, I found myself wrapped up in the essay 'A thing of the heart, a love letter to Te Ataarangi', dedicated to te reo Māori and coming back home. I began to reflect on my own te reo Māori journey that started five years ago and how at the time, I never would have imagined that Mum would receive her moko kauae. It wasn't even in my sphere of thought because my family felt so far from te ao Māori. Now being on my whenua—both at Mount Manaia and Waiuku— is a normal thing for me. It never used to be. Te reo Māori and coming home has brought my family closer together. We have turned towards ourselves, to indigenous ways of being, rather than away. That's why we want to look after the whenua, to protect it. That's how Hank survived his shipwreck. Through whakapapa. I was meant to finish this review a long time ago, but Slowing the Sun is a book I didn't want to or couldn't rush. It is so beautifully, delicately, radically perfect, a book that needs to be savoured, underlined, highlighted, with a lot of notes and Post-it tags. Nadine captures it beautifully when she writes how, 'Māori communities aren't captured by the deficit language of climate change….People on the ground talk about Indigenous reclamation, constitutional transformation, anti-colonialism, radical dreaming, joy, creativity, pride, and a future seven generations bright.' And this is how it's always been for Indigenous people. We look seven generations ahead as we imagine a better world to leave for our future descendants. I loved Slowing the Sun. It's a companion that will continue to traverse with me throughout my lifetime. The essay collection Slowing the Sun by Nadine Hura (Bridget Williams Books, $39.99) is available in bookstores nationwide.
