The Bull Ring

𝔸𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟞,𝟘𝟘𝟘 '𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕖𝕕' 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝔸𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟞,𝟘𝟘𝟘 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕚𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕, 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕪. M arch quarter data from Stats NZ showed an increase in the  unemployment rate , from 4 percent in December to  4.3 percent . It said 134,000 people were now unemployed. That data update did not include most of the  public service cuts announced so far this year  - RNZ estimates that there have been more than 4550 of these. ANZ economist Henry Russell said some parts of the public sector where fiscal stimulus was still flowing through continued to grow, particularly education. That could make the overall picture look stronger than it otherwise would. Without that influence in the labour market data, employment activity was slowing much faster, he said. . . "A lot o

ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪, 𝕒𝕤 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕘𝕘𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝-𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕙 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔’𝕤 𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘. A poll by Labour’s pollster, Talbot Mills Research, for the firm’s corporate clients that has been obtained by The Post shows the coalition parties — National, ACT, and NZ First — lacking sufficient public support to form a Government, if an election were held today. The next election is in 2026. The poll showed Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori together would have a one seat edge in the House, presuming Te Pāti Māori once again won six electorate seats, and NZ First remained aligned with the centre-right parties. It was the first such outcome for the centre-left bl

  Cohen testifies Trump viewed Stormy Daniels story as 'disaster' for campaign By Luc Cohen and Jack Queen for Reuters Former US President Donald Trump returns from break to court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court. Photo: AFP / POOL Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen told jurors on Monday that the Republican presidential candidate was furious that porn star Stormy Daniels was shopping a story in 2016 about an alleged sexual encounter with him, telling Cohen it would be catastrophic for his campaign. "He said to me, 'This is a disaster, a total disaster. Women are going to hate me'," Cohen testified at Trump's trial in New York state criminal court in Manhattan. "'Guys, they think it's cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign.'" Cohen, the prosecution's star witness, said he learned that Daniels was sel

𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕒 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕤 𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕗 '𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕜𝕖' 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕥 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕖-𝔹𝕦𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕔𝕙, 𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝕒 "𝕣𝕖𝕓𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕕" 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℕ𝕚𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕒 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕤' "𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕥" 𝕥𝕒𝕩 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕗 "𝕔𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕤". T his morning Willis announced a  new standalone 'Social Investment Agency'  which will replace the Social Wellbeing Agency — part of the Public Service Commission.  Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said New Zealanders could "expect tax cuts in the form of crumbs for everyone except those who own for a living". "These decisions come at the cost of gutting public services, cutting half-price public transport, c

𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕟𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕠𝕓𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕥 𝔸ℂℂ 𝔸 𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕟𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕠𝕓𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕥 𝔸ℂℂ 𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕤. T he organisation was not given a specific savings target from the government, but was asked to "deliver material savings", so decided to cut operational costs by 6.5 percent over the next financial year. While its funding comes from levies and earnings from its Investment Fund, that is still public money and the organisation must play its part to make savings, chief executive Megan Main  told RNZ last month . . . "Our objective isn't just to save money, we want to make sure we are directing our efforts towards working smarter to help our kiritaki (clients) get better faster," she said. A Flourish data visualization "We also want to ensure we can invest in the things that will have the greatest impa

ℂ𝔼𝕆 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕙𝕦𝕗𝕗 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 ‘𝕨𝕠𝕜𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕠𝕕’ 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕣 𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 ℕℤ ℂ𝔼𝕆 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕚𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕪 𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕛𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥’𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕤𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕎𝕖𝕕𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪, 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕕𝕚𝕘 𝕒𝕥 𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕤𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕤 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕠𝕥 “𝕨𝕠𝕜𝕖”. I t’s all the big questions from TVNZ today, isn’t it? Fantastic,”Luxon said in response to a question about whether there was such a thing as “woke food”. The term “woke food” was lobbed into the debate about free school lunches by the Act Party’s X (formerly Twitter) account, which said: “We’ll be doing more with less money to feed kids the fruit and sandwiches their parents would, not woke food like quinoa