Simon Britten for Papanui
@thinkpapanui.bsky.social
Christchurch City Council candidate for Papanui. Second term Deputy Chair, Waipapa Community Board. Founder & curator of Think Papanui.
Authorised by Paul McMahon tpc@paulmcmahon.info.
Authorised by Paul McMahon tpc@paulmcmahon.info.
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
Important thing to remember in this rates cap beat-up by the government: the very same government is a freeloader, because it’s exempted itself from paying rates at all
#nzpol
#nzpol
📢 Wayne Brown has taken aim at the policy, suggesting the government could start paying rates on its own properties to help fund projects like the City Rail Link.
Auckland mayor hits out at government's rates cap, says it could impact City Rail Link
www.rnz.co.nz
December 1, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Important thing to remember in this rates cap beat-up by the government: the very same government is a freeloader, because it’s exempted itself from paying rates at all
#nzpol
#nzpol
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
the CoC has swung for the fences, disregarded criticism, and just plain got on with implementing their vision.
experts? fuck 'em!
public opinion? aint got time for it!
damn the torpedoes, start smashing foundations.
the left bloc needs to bring that same energy to fix it all
experts? fuck 'em!
public opinion? aint got time for it!
damn the torpedoes, start smashing foundations.
the left bloc needs to bring that same energy to fix it all
November 30, 2025 at 9:51 AM
the CoC has swung for the fences, disregarded criticism, and just plain got on with implementing their vision.
experts? fuck 'em!
public opinion? aint got time for it!
damn the torpedoes, start smashing foundations.
the left bloc needs to bring that same energy to fix it all
experts? fuck 'em!
public opinion? aint got time for it!
damn the torpedoes, start smashing foundations.
the left bloc needs to bring that same energy to fix it all
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
In a way it's kind of funny that the govt thinks it's ok to just, immediately after local body elections, announce that the regional govts we voted for are for the chop, and the people we elected as city and district mayors are going to have different jobs to the one we just voted them into.
November 25, 2025 at 8:32 AM
In a way it's kind of funny that the govt thinks it's ok to just, immediately after local body elections, announce that the regional govts we voted for are for the chop, and the people we elected as city and district mayors are going to have different jobs to the one we just voted them into.
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
So ... the government just forced us all to have referendums on *existing* Māori wards because Local Communities Deserve Choice, but now they're unilaterally abolishing our regional councils because they don't like the Choices we made?
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 AM
So ... the government just forced us all to have referendums on *existing* Māori wards because Local Communities Deserve Choice, but now they're unilaterally abolishing our regional councils because they don't like the Choices we made?
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
Puberty blockers are safe and proven - the THIRD PARAGRAPH acknowledges that children WILL still be prescribed them, just not if they're trans
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
The Government is banning new patients from being prescribed the most common form of puberty blocker and is explicitly aligning NZ's future policy on this matter to the UK's. PR below.
November 19, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Puberty blockers are safe and proven - the THIRD PARAGRAPH acknowledges that children WILL still be prescribed them, just not if they're trans
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
🩵💗🤍💗🩵
1. New Zealand's right-wing govt has banned new prescriptions of puberty blockers in a major concession to its far-right flank.
The move was to be announced by the health minister, but the far-right NZ First preempted it, calling it a "win in the war on woke."
Subscribe to support our journalism.
The move was to be announced by the health minister, but the far-right NZ First preempted it, calling it a "win in the war on woke."
Subscribe to support our journalism.
NZ Right-Wing Government Bans Puberty Blockers: "Sacrificing A Generation Of Trans Youth"
The far-right coalition partner NZ First took a victory lap, calling the decision a "win in the war on woke."
www.erininthemorning.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:41 PM
🩵💗🤍💗🩵
Oh my!
yeah sorry you have to sleep on the streets and don't have a house for your family, some politician needed a bridge in his electorate, his own govt was against, so took your social housing money to pay for it.
#nzpol
#nzpol
November 17, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Oh my!
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
#nzpol
The minimum wage increased by 1.5% this year. Data today from Stats NZ shows annual increases of:
- Food prices up 4.7%
- Fruit up 11%
- Beef up 17.4%, Lamb up 32.2%
- Bread up 11.4%
- Cheese up 14.8%
- Eggs up 16.2%
- Electricity up 11.8%
Laser-focused on the cost of living
The minimum wage increased by 1.5% this year. Data today from Stats NZ shows annual increases of:
- Food prices up 4.7%
- Fruit up 11%
- Beef up 17.4%, Lamb up 32.2%
- Bread up 11.4%
- Cheese up 14.8%
- Eggs up 16.2%
- Electricity up 11.8%
Laser-focused on the cost of living
November 17, 2025 at 2:36 AM
#nzpol
The minimum wage increased by 1.5% this year. Data today from Stats NZ shows annual increases of:
- Food prices up 4.7%
- Fruit up 11%
- Beef up 17.4%, Lamb up 32.2%
- Bread up 11.4%
- Cheese up 14.8%
- Eggs up 16.2%
- Electricity up 11.8%
Laser-focused on the cost of living
The minimum wage increased by 1.5% this year. Data today from Stats NZ shows annual increases of:
- Food prices up 4.7%
- Fruit up 11%
- Beef up 17.4%, Lamb up 32.2%
- Bread up 11.4%
- Cheese up 14.8%
- Eggs up 16.2%
- Electricity up 11.8%
Laser-focused on the cost of living
If every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets, what does it mean that we're getting this 👇 and also the tens of thousands of false/erroneous breath tests?
Disappointed to hear the new Police Commissioner say on RNZ this morning that it was a failure of leadership and not systematic. Those 'leaders' were created by the system. Women needed to hear recognition that it could be systematic and a determination to investigate and deal with that.
November 12, 2025 at 12:13 AM
If every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets, what does it mean that we're getting this 👇 and also the tens of thousands of false/erroneous breath tests?
Richard nails it here:
Love how National proudly opposed the Treaty Principles Bill, and wore it like a badge of honour.
Then basically rolled it out anyways. They’re dismantling and removing anything that honours the treaty, and undermining Māori.
Without consultation too like yesterday.
Depressing.
Then basically rolled it out anyways. They’re dismantling and removing anything that honours the treaty, and undermining Māori.
Without consultation too like yesterday.
Depressing.
November 4, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Richard nails it here:
There's a Red wind warning for Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains tomorrow ‐ fasten your trampoline, and limit travel.
🔺 Red Warnings in force for dangerous northwest winds on Thursday 🔺
Get the most up to date information here: metservice.com/warnings/home
Those in Red Warning areas should limit travel if possible, prepare for power outages and make sure that trampoline is tied down.
Get the most up to date information here: metservice.com/warnings/home
Those in Red Warning areas should limit travel if possible, prepare for power outages and make sure that trampoline is tied down.
October 21, 2025 at 11:23 PM
There's a Red wind warning for Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains tomorrow ‐ fasten your trampoline, and limit travel.
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
Every "Christchurch is cool now" article is illustrated with a photo of a pedestrianised street with a tram, meanwhile every local election the discourse is like "rip out the cycle lanes, then turn the botantic gardens into a car park? It's worth a least considering"
www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedeta...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedeta...
Once branded the world's unluckiest city, Christchurch is now the 'capital of cool'
Our second biggest city is experiencing the type of revival that should make the rest of New Zealand envious.
www.rnz.co.nz
October 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Every "Christchurch is cool now" article is illustrated with a photo of a pedestrianised street with a tram, meanwhile every local election the discourse is like "rip out the cycle lanes, then turn the botantic gardens into a car park? It's worth a least considering"
www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedeta...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedeta...
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
It’s amazing to me that the Covid period was less damaging to jobs than the current economic policies.
#nzpol
#nzpol
Here's the job ads online index - adjusted for working-age population. Good news is that we've stopped falling. Bad news: we're back to 2012 - a low point in the economic cycle. We are facing years of stagnation / slow recovery without some kind of large, strategic intervention. [2/3]
October 15, 2025 at 9:59 PM
It’s amazing to me that the Covid period was less damaging to jobs than the current economic policies.
#nzpol
#nzpol
"So many of your daily problems are caused by council. They get away with it because everyone thinks they’re boring and irrelevant. Sneaky! False! You need to put a stop to this. Put the letter in the red and white box’s mouth."
Or, of course, the orange bin - especially after Tuesday.
Or, of course, the orange bin - especially after Tuesday.
I have been back at The Spinoff for a while and once again I am doing very well thank you thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-...
October 5, 2025 at 11:10 PM
"So many of your daily problems are caused by council. They get away with it because everyone thinks they’re boring and irrelevant. Sneaky! False! You need to put a stop to this. Put the letter in the red and white box’s mouth."
Or, of course, the orange bin - especially after Tuesday.
Or, of course, the orange bin - especially after Tuesday.
This question needs to be asked.
October 5, 2025 at 7:41 AM
This question needs to be asked.
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
Biggest 6 month rise in youth (15-19) unemployment this millennia,
Q3 2023 - Q1 2024 + 6.9% (28400 unemployed to 42100).
Biggest Annual 2008-2009 (+6.8%, 26200 to 35200 unemployed), 2nd biggest annual 2023-2024 (+5.4%, 30500 to 38800 unemployed).
This is not caused by youths playing video games.
Q3 2023 - Q1 2024 + 6.9% (28400 unemployed to 42100).
Biggest Annual 2008-2009 (+6.8%, 26200 to 35200 unemployed), 2nd biggest annual 2023-2024 (+5.4%, 30500 to 38800 unemployed).
This is not caused by youths playing video games.
It is offensive for the person supposedly in charge of the government and its economic levers to suggest that youths, and their playstationing ways, are responsible for the most rapid surge in unemployment since the Great Financial Crash
October 3, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Biggest 6 month rise in youth (15-19) unemployment this millennia,
Q3 2023 - Q1 2024 + 6.9% (28400 unemployed to 42100).
Biggest Annual 2008-2009 (+6.8%, 26200 to 35200 unemployed), 2nd biggest annual 2023-2024 (+5.4%, 30500 to 38800 unemployed).
This is not caused by youths playing video games.
Q3 2023 - Q1 2024 + 6.9% (28400 unemployed to 42100).
Biggest Annual 2008-2009 (+6.8%, 26200 to 35200 unemployed), 2nd biggest annual 2023-2024 (+5.4%, 30500 to 38800 unemployed).
This is not caused by youths playing video games.
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
It's very important to remember that Luxon and his ministers are appeasing a genocide as categorised by the United Nations.
South Africa was apartheid, not genocide.
When Chamberlain made peace with Hitler, the Final Solution was still 4 years away.
Luxon, Peters, and Seymour are complicit.
South Africa was apartheid, not genocide.
When Chamberlain made peace with Hitler, the Final Solution was still 4 years away.
Luxon, Peters, and Seymour are complicit.
September 28, 2025 at 11:20 PM
It's very important to remember that Luxon and his ministers are appeasing a genocide as categorised by the United Nations.
South Africa was apartheid, not genocide.
When Chamberlain made peace with Hitler, the Final Solution was still 4 years away.
Luxon, Peters, and Seymour are complicit.
South Africa was apartheid, not genocide.
When Chamberlain made peace with Hitler, the Final Solution was still 4 years away.
Luxon, Peters, and Seymour are complicit.
"Every once in a while New Zealand manages to stand out from the pack. ...
And now we’ve done just that in the worst and most embarrassing of arenas."
And now we’ve done just that in the worst and most embarrassing of arenas."
New Zealand is punching above its weight in cowardice
New Zealand is punching above its weight in cowardice
Winston Peters promised that New Zealand’s recognition of Palestine was a matter of 'when, not if', which has a real deadbeat-dad-promises-he’ll-have-his-shit-together-next-week air about it....
thespinoff.co.nz
September 27, 2025 at 4:51 AM
"Every once in a while New Zealand manages to stand out from the pack. ...
And now we’ve done just that in the worst and most embarrassing of arenas."
And now we’ve done just that in the worst and most embarrassing of arenas."
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
We watch a people go through an attempted genocide, and we sit back and say you are no people. You have no state.
For you see, we are friends with both you and your murderer.
For you see, we are friends with both you and your murderer.
September 27, 2025 at 4:01 AM
We watch a people go through an attempted genocide, and we sit back and say you are no people. You have no state.
For you see, we are friends with both you and your murderer.
For you see, we are friends with both you and your murderer.
Campaign fundraiser! Due to circumstances, I have an extremely limited number of new unused campaign posters for sale. These have been professionally printed by Phantom Billstickers on quality poster paper, just over A0 size at 131cm high x 92cm wide. /1
September 21, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Campaign fundraiser! Due to circumstances, I have an extremely limited number of new unused campaign posters for sale. These have been professionally printed by Phantom Billstickers on quality poster paper, just over A0 size at 131cm high x 92cm wide. /1
Thank you to former Mayor of Christchurch Garry Moore for your support. You've given me some especially big shoes to fill!
September 20, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Thank you to former Mayor of Christchurch Garry Moore for your support. You've given me some especially big shoes to fill!
Reposted by Simon Britten for Papanui
Luxon himself handed me the Prime Minister's science prize last year. Let me say this in plain English: he's an idiot for running a govt who budgeted more for AI than for the Marsden fund. any journo reading this can quote me on it #nzpol
September 18, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Luxon himself handed me the Prime Minister's science prize last year. Let me say this in plain English: he's an idiot for running a govt who budgeted more for AI than for the Marsden fund. any journo reading this can quote me on it #nzpol
The sky over Papanui was looking a little moody this evening.
September 17, 2025 at 9:30 AM
The sky over Papanui was looking a little moody this evening.
The logical extension of the mayor's argument is that our most local democracy (ie Community Boards) should cease to exist. Literally everything we decide could be interpreted as affecting the entire city by someone with an agenda to strip our powers.
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger argues traffic measures that affect the entire city should be decided by the full council.
But mayoral rival Sara Templeton accuses him of "parroting the same lines as Simeon Brown on speed humps" and taking away local voices from decision-making.
But mayoral rival Sara Templeton accuses him of "parroting the same lines as Simeon Brown on speed humps" and taking away local voices from decision-making.
Should community boards be stripped of their speed hump powers?
Phil Mauger's plan to centralise speed hump decisions if re-elected concerns rival Sara Templeton, who says it takes away local voices from decision making.
www.thepress.co.nz
September 16, 2025 at 7:40 PM
The logical extension of the mayor's argument is that our most local democracy (ie Community Boards) should cease to exist. Literally everything we decide could be interpreted as affecting the entire city by someone with an agenda to strip our powers.