John Luxton John Luxton

Concrete for the Criminals, Crumbs for the Rest

New Zealand’s government claims it can’t afford housing, healthcare, or food security - yet billions flow freely into prisons and policing. This article exposes the staggering contradiction of starving social services while building cages, and why it’s a moral and fiscal disaster.

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John Luxton John Luxton

The Funeral for Wellbeing - Nicola Willis Buries Humanity in a Shallow GDP Grave

The repeal of wellbeing provisions from New Zealand’s Public Finance Act marks a chilling shift - people no longer count. Nicola Willis has buried social outcomes beneath fiscal spreadsheets, dismissing poverty, mental health and housing as “distractions.” This article unpacks why ignoring wellbeing is not just negligent - it’s misanthropic.

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John Luxton John Luxton

The Sad Truth About Local Government

New Zealand’s local body elections have become a theatre of apathy, where turnout collapses and candidates from the “Universally Inoffensive Party” promise little while delivering less. Behind the beige slogans, communities face neglected infrastructure, rising rates, and councils repurposed as property speculators’ offices. This article asks the only question that matters: who actually gives a damn about the street we live on?

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John Luxton John Luxton

The Great Kiwi Business Extinction

New Zealand is facing the fastest collapse of small business confidence in modern history. In the first half of 2025 alone, 1,270 businesses have gone under - 12% more than last year’s record. Behind the numbers are unpaid suppliers, lost jobs, and shattered communities. This is not the economic rescue package voters were promised - it’s a demolition job carried out in plain sight.

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John Luxton John Luxton

The Empathy Emulator - Christopher Luxon’s Awkward Stab at Humanity

Christopher Luxon’s conference speech was meant to show empathy - but instead, it exposed a deeper disconnect. In this biting satirical analysis, we explore why leadership without lived experience feels like a spreadsheet trying to cry. A must-read for those questioning whether “optimism” is enough in today’s Aotearoa.

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John Luxton John Luxton

How Our Betters Taught Us To Distrust Them And Blame Ourselves – the ugly truth

When public services fail, the powerful don’t fix them - they educate the poor on why they’re wrong to be upset. This satire skewers the idea that New Zealanders just need better civics knowledge to rebuild trust in a system designed to exclude them. It’s not misunderstanding that causes distrust - it’s lived experience.

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John Luxton John Luxton

It’s A Matter Of Values - Imagine If The Govt. Had Any?

In this hopeful counterfactual, New Zealand turns away from fast-track deregulation and embraces a regenerative, inclusive future. Through co-governance, environmental stewardship, and citizen participation, the article outlines how Aotearoa could lead the world in balancing prosperity, justice and climate responsibility.

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John Luxton John Luxton

It’s A Matter Of Values - Except When The Govt. Has None.

Recent reforms like the Fast-Track Approvals Act are enabling unprecedented environmental deregulation in New Zealand. Forests, rivers, and democratic safeguards are being stripped away under cover of urgency. This article exposes the coordinated legislative agenda threatening Aotearoa’s natural and civic heritage and calls on citizens to resist the sell-off.

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John Luxton John Luxton

When NZ Didn’t Capitulate To The Smoking and Vaping Deathmongers – a forlorn fantasy

What if New Zealand’s Government had stood firm in 2024 and upheld the Smokefree Generation law? This counterfactual explores a world where leadership meant protecting children, honouring Te Tiriti, and resisting corporate pressure. A powerful imagined future, one where clean air, public health and tino rangatiratanga were chosen over political convenience.

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John Luxton John Luxton

David Seymour Doesn’t Wave Goodbye To Our Water - a fantasy

Imagine if New Zealand treated its freshwater as taonga, not just trade. This counterfactual piece explores a world where the Government enacts bold reforms to the Overseas Investment Act -making water extraction subject to sustainability tests, iwi consent, and community benefit. Forestry gains real stewardship standards. The result? Aotearoa reclaims environmental sovereignty, balances investment with intergenerational wellbeing, and builds a legacy worth protecting.

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John Luxton John Luxton

David Seymour Waves Goodbye To Our Water

In a move that defies public sentiment and ecological logic, the New Zealand Government is scrapping protections that once shielded our freshwater and forests from foreign exploitation. Associate Finance Minister David Seymour’s changes to the Overseas Investment Act will allow faster approvals for water bottling and loosen forestry safeguards — all in the name of global competitiveness. But who benefits when Aotearoa’s aquifers are up for grabs? This satirical article explores the consequences with humour, sharp insight, and local voices who’ve lived the fallout.

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John Luxton John Luxton

Back To Basics - Forward Into Confusion

In a bold new chapter of local government reform, the New Zealand Government claims to be handing power back to councils, while quietly tightening its grip. This satirical analysis exposes the contradictions, confusion, and condescension at the heart of recent announcements. From hollow funding promises to bureaucratic finger-wagging, it's devolution in name and centralisation in practice.

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John Luxton John Luxton

Why I’m Leaving Twitter

Twitter used to be where thought leaders and meme lords met in a chaotic but compelling digital town square. Today, under Elon Musk’s leadership, it’s morphed into something darker, a rage-fuelled revenue machine where progressive voices are collateral damage. In this personal piece, I explain why I’m logging off, not because I’ve stopped caring, but because I care too much.

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John Luxton John Luxton

How To Prepare For Climate Change - Maybe Like This?

What if New Zealand chose justice over abandonment in its climate adaptation plan? This hopeful counterfactual explores a visionary policy shift, where the Government backs vulnerable communities with fair relocation support, honouring manaakitanga and collective responsibility.

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John Luxton John Luxton

How To Prepare For Climate Change - No, Not Like This

In 2046, as climate disasters worsen, the New Zealand government plans to end all property buyouts for homes affected by floods or sea-level rise. This satirical analysis from RegenerationHQ exposes the policy’s cruel logic, warns of future ghost towns, and argues for collective responsibility in the face of climate breakdown.

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John Luxton John Luxton

Wrecking Ball Politics - what might have been

What if New Zealand’s post-2023 government chose collaboration over chaos? This counterfactual explores a political future where reform was done with care, not vengeance. From strengthening Select Committees to preserving the Smokefree Generation policy, this imagined timeline offers a hopeful blueprint for steady, regenerative governance.

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John Luxton John Luxton

Wrecking Ball Politics - the reality

In post-2023 New Zealand, democracy feels less like a system and more like a demolition derby. Over 20 major reforms have been reversed in under a year, public consultation has become performative, and consensus-building is out the window. Wrecking Ball Politics pulls no punches in this satirical but sobering review of where our governance is heading – and what it’s costing us.

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John Luxton John Luxton

Why I’m X-ing Twitter

Twitter used to be where thought leaders and meme lords met in a chaotic but compelling digital town square. Today, under Elon Musk’s leadership, it’s morphed into something darker, a rage-fuelled revenue machine where progressive voices are collateral damage. In this personal piece, I explain why I’m logging off, not because I’ve stopped caring, but because I care about civility and robust debate.

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