Spend up large. That’s my message to the Government. Go large, spend up big and drag our military into the 21st century.

That’s not me having a go at the military, by the way. Anyone reading this at Burnham Camp, for example, might feel like I’m having a go at them. But I’m not.

But, what I am saying, is that we need to be spending more on defence - and I’m not saying that just because of what’s going on out in the Tasman, with those three warships from China.

A situation that went next level on Friday and over the weekend, with the live firing exercises.

I say next level - but we also need to remember that China isn't breaking any laws. It’s fully entitled to have those ships there because they’re in international waters.

My view last week was that we needed to calm the farm about the ships being out there. It wasn’t time for us to start banging on the table and getting on the blower to Beijing and giving China’s president what-for.

And I’m not saying this just because of what’s been happening over the weekend - but I agree with Defence Minister Judith Collins when she says we have no choice but to to invest heavily in our defence forces.

And she says it won’t just be a one-off investment, either.

Over time, it will be billions of dollars. As she pointed out on Newstalk ZB today, successive government over the last 30 years have underinvested in the military.

And Judith Collins says defence personnel are up for it. But are you up for it?

Because it’s very easy to say ‘oh yeah, buy more planes, buy more ships etc", but when you ask people where the money's going to come from, they don’t have an easy answer to that question.

Reason being: there isn’t an easy answer.

What do you spend less on So more money can go into the army, navy and air force?

Finance minister Nicola Willis will give us a bit of an answer to that when she delivers this year’s Budget in a few months.

But, right now, the bigger question is whether we support the idea of the government pouring a truckload more money into our military. I do.

There will be people who don’t. But, according to one defence expert, what happened on Friday and over the weekend might actually it an easier sell for the Government.

This is Professor David Capie from the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University.

He’s saying that the live firing exercises forcing commercial airlines to divert to avoid the area makes the situation much more significant than it was last week.

And he’s going as far as saying that the warships are “a gift from Beijing” to our government, to help it convince us of the need to spend more on defence.

I’m convinced already. But what about you?

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Do you know why the Government has failed to meet all of its child poverty targets?

The overarching reason I’m talking about here. Because this is really complex and there are all sorts of reasons why kids end-up living in poverty and why politicians, generally, fail to fix the problem.

So the main reason why nothing seems to be achieved in this area. Why do you think that is?

It’s because of us. Those of us who aren’t living in poverty and aren’t one of those invisible people who feature in these latest stats which show we’re going nowhere on this front.

We’re the reason. Because, if we’re honest, we don’t really give a damn. Unless we're in that boat, we don’t really care as much as we might think we do.

If we did, we’d be demanding to know at election time what politicians are going to actually do for the 156,000 Kiwi kids living in hardship. They’re the latest numbers. If we really cared, we’d be grilling politicians on how they’re going to get them out of hardship.

But we don’t. Every piece of policy we look at it and want to know what’s in it for us.

We listen to the Prime Minister’s state of the nation speech, and we don’t flinch when we realise that he hasn’t mentioned child poverty once.

There was nothing in there about child poverty. There’s a lot of talk about fixing the economy —as there should be— but, as the Children's Commissioner is saying today, kids can’t wait while the Government tries to fix the economy and action is needed now.

She’s right. But it won’t happen because we’re not demanding that it happens.

Although, depending where people are on the political spectrum, some will be hearing this news today and some might be ripping into the government for not doing enough and others will be ripping into parents for not doing enough.

One of the most depressing examples recently of how we don’t actually care about kids in poverty is the debate over the school lunches programme.

Because, every time it comes up, there’s no shortage of people banging on about it being the responsibility of parents to make sure their kids are fed and why should us taxpayers pay for their kids to eat lunch?

It’s depressing because what someone is saying when they say that, is it’s the kids fault that they’ve got no-hoper parents.

In fact, that always seems to be the assumption, doesn’t it? A kid goes hungry because they've got hopeless parents.

Just like a kid who goes to school without shoes has got hopeless parents.

A kid who gets bronchitis every winter because they live in a freezing house. Bloody parents.

And, as long as the majority of people think like that, nothing’s going to change.

And, as long as the majority of people think like that, politicians know that they won’t be grilled by voters wanting to know how they’re going to get kids out of poverty and governments will know that they won’t be taken to task for not meeting child poverty reduction targets.

Sure, the coalition is feeling a bit of heat about it today with headlines and the usual talking heads out there saying they can do and should so better. But, after today, the government —in fact, every politician— knows that most people will be back to focusing on themselves, getting on with their weekend and not giving a damn about those 156,000 kids that, apparently, are growing up in the best country in the world.

And I’ll include myself as one of the guilty parties in all of this too. Well semi-guilty.

You won't hear me saying that a cruddy school lunch programme is okay because it should be those no-hoper parents feeding those kids, not us taxpayers. You won't hear me saying that. Ever.

But where I am guilty is that I’ve never asked a politician what they’re going to do for child poverty. I’m just as capable as the next person of turning a blind eye to all this.

Because, you know, gotta get on with life. Can’t take on all the world’s problems. And maybe it’ll sort itself out.

Thing is, though, child poverty won’t sort itself out. Criticising parents or punishing parents won’t sort it out. And politicians certainly won’t sort it out - because they know that, deep down, we don’t actually care whether they do or not.

It’s a terrible thing to say. But that’s where I think the problem lies.

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Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by Matt Doocey and Duncan Webb to delve into some of the topics listeners are most interested in.

They mark the anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake, which occurred 14 years ago tomorrow.

Rangiora’s after-hours clinic is still not underway, but some certainty has been gained after the Waimakariri District Council has offered to bankroll the project.

Child poverty statistics have not shifted – is this a problem governments can’t solve?

And what do they make about the Chinese Navy sightings in the Pacific?

LISTEN ABOVE

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Adrian Orr. Champion of the people.

Well, that might be going a bit too far. But the Reserve Bank Governor was speaking my language when he says that dropping the Official Cash Rate, like he did yesterday, is just the start and that the banks have to do their bit too. And I couldn’t agree more.

He was having a dig at their profit margins. But for me generally, I don't give two hoots how much profits the banks make. Because profitable business are a good thing. Even profitable foreign-owned business.

But where bank profits do seem obscene is when you consider the way they treat their customers. In particular, existing customers.

They fall over themselves trying to get new customers, but if you're an existing bank customer - nah, you don't deserve any special treatment.

Which is crazy, because everyone knows that generally it's easier to hold onto your current customers than get new ones through the door.

Tell that to the banks, though.

And, if you’ve got a mortgage with them —if you're an existing customer, like I am— it’s people like us who get ripped-off while the banks try desperately to get new people signed-up.

Case in point: I don’t know how many times I’ve seen my bank of nearly 25 years running ads for loan rates for new customers way better than what I've been paying.

And I go into a branch and say, “I've been with them for ages, can I get that same rate please?”

And every time, it’s been, “oh nah, that’s for new customers only”.

It’s like they think they've got you over a barrel. Which they have, because most of us don't do anything about it, do we?

I know we make threats that we’re going to move to another bank, but I think the banks have done a very good job over the years of making us think that it costs too much to change banks.

And that’s what most of us end up doing.

In my case, I walk out of the branch thinking all sort of things in my head, writing all sorts of letters in my head telling the bank where to go… but then, you know, suck it up and watch the new customers get the welcome mat at my expense.

And it shouldn't be that way. If the banks were as really interested in being our partner in life and all that warm fuzzy nonsense they trot out, they wouldn't treat existing customers with such indifference.

Which is why I think the Reserve Bank Governor is spot-on with his comments.

To their credit, all the major banks did cut their interest rates after the announcement yesterday that the Official Cash Rate was going down.

But again, not all customers benefit from that. If you’re on a floating mortgage - yep you’ll benefit. But if you’re on a fixed rate - no change until it’s up for renewal.

So I’ll give them some credit, but I think the banks still have a long way to go.

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I reckon most of us, when we fill out the census papers, assume that the information we’re providing won’t end up in the wrong hands.

I know there are some people who don't feel like that. People who just don't want to give personal information to anyone - especially the government. Or the state.

The Wizard of Christchurch was known over the years for refusing to take part in the census. And, in more recent years, we’ve had people who just can’t be bothered. They’re the ones who ended up getting things like Warriors tickets and pressie cards to do what the rest of us just do anyway.

But I reckon after these revelations that have come out over the last 24 hours, it’s going to take more than tickets to sports matches and shopping vouchers to get people involved next time the census comes around.

What’s more, I think the public service has got a major job on its hands to restore public trust. In fact, that may turn out to be the biggest job the recently new head of the public service —Sir Brian Roche— has on is plate.

Because once you lose trust, it’s very hard to restore it.

I haven’t lost trust (not yet anyway), but I’m certainly losing confidence in the public service when it comes to keeping my information secure.

And this latest example could actually be the tipping point for me.

But essentially, an inquiry has found multiple flaws in the way public service agencies protected personal information provided to third party contractors hired to help with the 2023 Census and a Covid vaccination drive.

We don't know whether any of this personal information was “misused”, but what we do know is that, as Sir Brian puts it, “the gate was left open” for it to be misused.

And what Sir Brian calls “very sobering reading” could be about to get worse.

That’s because there are other investigations into how other government agencies including the police, the Serious Fraud Office and the privacy commissioner use our personal information.

So what impact is going to have an impact on your trust in the public service and is it going to have an impact on your willingness to share personal information with the state?

Let me quote Sir Brian directly, because there are two words that I think are the focus for us.

He says: "The report makes for very sobering reading. It raises a number of issues that go to the core of the confidence and trust required to maintain the integrity and sanctity of information entrusted to government agencies.”

The two key words there are trust and confidence.

Here’s where I’m at with that. Sir Brian says the public service has pretty much failed to keep up with technological changes. And what he's getting at is that it is so much easier these days to share information.

For example, if someone working in the public service can access someone’s information, what is there to stop them sending that around a few people?

Not much.

And when I heard Sir Brian talking about that, that is when I decided that the public service still has my trust. If I said to you that I didn’t trust them, that would be because I believed that there were public sector workers helping themselves to my personal information en masse and doing what they want with it. Intentionally.

But I don’t think that, even after the revelations of the past 24 hours.

But what I do think is that it has become so much easier for information to be passed on at the click of a mouse at lightning speed and that’s where I think the public service has been found to be pretty hopeless.

So for me, I still trust the public sector, but my confidence in it is another story.

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Labour Leader Chris Hipkins joined John MacDonald this morning to give his thoughts on some of the biggest stories of the week.

The integrity of the public service is being called into question after Census data was allegedly misused – how will this impact trust in the future?

Hipkins believes the GP shortage is the biggest factor impacting demand at Christchurch Hospital ED, so what would he do differently if he was Health Minister now?

And he expands on his statement condemning the actions of Destiny Church protestors over the weekend.

LISTEN ABOVE

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Already, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is looking ahead to whenever a ceasefire might happen in Ukraine and has said that, if or when it does, he’d be happy to send troops in to keep the peace.

It was too early for PM Christopher Luxon to confirm the Government's interest in sending troops to Ukraine once there’s a ceasefire during his regular appearance on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning.

Christopher Luxon says he'd be open to it. But, despite the New Zealand military’s record of peacekeeping around the world, I hope we don’t get involved in Ukraine.

I know that with Britain talking about peacekeeping already, they’ll be on the blower to Wellington at some point wanting us to join in.

Just like they were last year about sending military personnel to help protect freight shipping in the Red Sea. You’ll remember how we said, “yep no problem” and six of our soldiers went off to try and put the Houthi militia in its place.

And, as I said at the time, I got what the Prime Minister, the Foreign Affairs Minister, and the Defence Minister meant when they said it was about New Zealand doing its bit. I still didn’t agree with it, though.

Which was based on previous experience.

Essentially, when you get involved in a major military undertaking, you have no idea when it’s going to end.

The patrols in the Red Sea. Who knows when they’re going to end? And who knows when any peacekeeping commitment in Ukraine would end?

What’s more, Europe is flooded with military capacity. There is no shortage. And there will be no shortage of countries willing to join Britain in Ukraine when the war ends and when peacekeeping support is needed.

Since 1948, New Zealand troops and personnel have been involved in more than 40 peacekeeping missions in places like the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, Somalia and Iraq.

But our brilliant peacekeeping record doesn’t mean we have to go running into Ukraine when the time comes.

We need to be more picky about what peacekeeping work we get involved in because our military resources have become so depleted that we have to be realistic about what we can and can’t do.

I also think —and I’m not being alarmist or anything here— but I think we should narrow our focus and look at pretty much limiting our military’s offshore activities to the Pacific region.

I can’t imagine the government —which likes to talk about New Zealand doing its bit globally— being too fussed with that idea.

But I think we need to refine our approach and stop saying ‘yes’ to requests from other countries every time the phone rings.

Which is why if British prime minister Keir Starmer or US president Donald Trump or whoever is running Australia by the time a ceasefire in Ukraine happens, phones Wellington, I hope we have the fortitude to say we’d like to, but we can’t.

We can’t because we don't have the military capacity. We can’t because we’ve learned from past experience that, once you’re involved in these things, it can be very hard to get out. And we can’t, because our military needs to focus on stuff closer to home.

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When I saw Brian Tamaki on the news last night, he looked more pompous than ever.

Pompous - not pious.

Because he was the one who instructed his so-called followers to disrupt that drag artist’s kids show and protest at the Auckland Rainbow Parade at the weekend.

From the pictures I’ve seen, both of those events looked pretty ugly. His idea. Under his instructions. And I’ve had a gutsful of this guy. And we need to be condemning him in the strongest way possible.

Because, it seems that’s all we can do. Sadly.

They were doing a particularly vigourous haka at the end of the parade. That wasn’t free speech. That was hate.

I saw one person saying on the news that Tamaki’s Man Up crew is nothing more than a gang and should be treated that way.

This person made particular mention of the gang patch legislation - saying that these guys ride around on motorbikes wearing patches, So why aren’t they included in the gang patch ban?

The organiser of the rainbow parade says there is a difference between freedom of speech and hate speech - and what we saw at the weekend was hate. And I completely agree.

The parade organiser says it was clear that they had set-out to intimidate, to bully, and get their message of misinformation across.

I agree they wanted to intimidate. And I agree they were a bunch of bullies. But I don't know about the misinformation bit, because you never get any information from these clowns (misinformation or otherwise).

And, as per usual, we had weasel words from the Prime Minister when he was asked about it yesterday.

He said he respects peoples right to free speech and he respects people's right to protest, but he said Tamaki’s puppets “went too far”.

You're damn right they went too far. Even by turning up, they went too far. What the PM should have done yesterday was condemn Brian Tamaki and his deluded followers in the strongest way possible.

He should have done what Auckland mayor Wayne Brown did. He said it was nothing short of “thuggery”. Which is a great way to describe it.

I thought Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was a bit light on it when she said that the rainbow community needs love and support, not hateful rhetoric.

I know what she’s saying, but I want her to condemn these people too.

Because, for me, this wasn’t free speech - it was hate speech.

And remember that this kind of thing isn’t new for this Destiny lot. You’ll remember they got all excited about an event at the library in christchurch that time when there was an event with people in drag reading stories to kids.

And there’s no stopping them.

Last night Tamaki was saying that he doesn’t think they’ve gone far enough yet. And he challenged the Prime Minister to get show some fortitude and to do a Donald Trump, and declare that only two genders will be recognised in New Zealand. Male and female.

So these guys are dangerous. Not because of their mickey mouse beliefs, but because of the way they express them.

If someone doesn’t like the idea of same sex people being in relationships - they’re allowed to feel that way. If someone thinks we should go back to the way it used to be, with just boys and girls and men and women, they can think that too. Good luck to them.

But when people take it to the next level - like we saw at the weekend - that’s not ok by me.

I tell you what else isn’t ok. The fact that this outfit is out there bullying people - dishing out their hatred - and because they call themselves a church, they enjoy all the tax benefits that come with that.

A few years back, some Destiny Church charities were removed from the charities register for not filing their annual tax returns.

Before that happened, more than 70,000 people signed a petition calling for Charities Services to strip the church of its tax-exempt status.

I’ve had a look at the register today and the Destiny Church New Zealand Trust is still there. There are still some regional branches registered as a charity too. Which is a rort.

And, until the government delivers on its promise to crackdown on so-called “charities” not paying tax, we just have to accept that it is what it is.

But that doesn’t mean we have to sit back and let these people do what they want. We can’t make them pay tax. We can’t tell them to take their patches off - because they’re not a gang.

But we can stand up and tell them to pull their heads in.

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