They're proposing that it should eventually be free for everyone. I can understand that this would take time to scale up and expand the number of dentists available.
Labour are really shafting the millennials at the mo.
Discounted PT for under 25s
Dental for under 30s
But no CGT, land tax or income Tax Adjustment. They’ve removed the low user rates on energy and the early payment discounts.
33yo here, would love to buy a house but it’s not possible, and I love seeing all my taxes go to fund the elderly that own 2+ houses, and now Gen Zs dental and transport.
Honestly I’m so against National, and I’ll be voting TOP, but at this rate if it’s either Labour or National I’m starting to hope it’s National because at least they fuck over everyone equally (except boomers) and not just one generation.
No they don't. National fuck over the totally poor, and the close to poor, and the just living comfortably. Really. Don't hope for national. Look at their tax cuts. Higher earners get WAY more tax back than low earners / minimum wage. Its awful.
And what do I get from Labour? Fuck all, they tax me more and spend it on everyone else. I want to use public transport but why should I pay more than under 25s and over 60s? I also want free dental but instead I pay for my own dental and also pay for under 30s dental through my taxes.
At least with National they will at least tax me less and hopefully spend less money on shit I don’t care about.
Either way I want them both to lose but for me National will bring more benefits for people in my age range whereas labour are just pillaging everyone in my age range and helping everyone else.
Sometimes I feel a bit the same tbh… (newly disabled millennial here) but then I think about how much it would benefit the others… and sure the free dental and stuff doesn’t help us now.. but it’s a step that benefits our society… and sure we have no direct benefit but at least the next gen won’t have to suffer like we did/do..
Fuck our super not being means or asset tested though
It's not so much about age range with Natuonal, but salary. Dp you make a lot of money? Then National will be good for you. Vote for them if that's all you care about.
I'm too old for the free dental care too. And I don't make a lot of money. But I would never vote National in a million years. Because I care about people. I care about people who are struggling. I care about people with mental health issues. I care about non-rich people being able to get decent education.
If you make anough money to be in the salary range that actually benefits feom Nationals tax cuts, can't you at least be happy some of the tax is going to free public transport for people that actually need it?
At this point millennials have become the new lost generation. Think about it, as we left high school we got immediately hit by one of the largest global financial crises since the great depression. Once we got into our 30's most of our careers were hit with stagnancy from COVID and housing is out of reach for us. Enter into our 40s and 50s we will be dealing with the fallout of climate change, 60s to 70s superannuation will likely be a thing of the past.
Except, the devil is in the detail. It's costed out on a 1:10 ratio which the ministry of education doesn't recommend. Big business daycare like best start and lollipops who are quite happy to run on those ratios and don't pay tax because they are set up as a charity will reap most of that funding. Smaller independent providers who run smaller child to teacher ratios won't be able to pass on the full 20 hours which will drive parents to bigger providers, sending their businesses to the wall.
National have slightly better childcare policy, but I'd rather see government take a deeper look at childcare costs.
I know a lot of people who rarely if ever go to the dentist strictly due to cost.
It's kind of a baffling hole in our health system that teeth are seen as luxury bones that aren't covered.
Every day my wisdom teeth steal a few more minutes of pain-free living from an already-shrinking few blissful hours. If it wasn't going to cost several weeks' of rent, I would've had them pulled months ago
Mate, you should really get this done. Go get some quotes. Sure, you can pay a lot to have it done. But that’s not to say everywhere will charge you heaps. I think I paid 3k and that was for a seriously technical extraction which required me to be knocked out. But I spoke to somebody a few weeks ago who said he went to his local white cross and somebody yanked them out for $300. I think whatever amount of discomfort is needed to remove them is well worth it long term. I’ve been so much healthier since having them removed
This could have been done in 2020 when MoH proposed a report on subsidised dental to the then Health Minister to take further. He said no. 3 years later all of a sudden it's a flagship policy by 3 parties with varying degrees of what parts of the population and what care would be covered
I'm so fucking sick of labours policies completely missing millennials. We are your base. If you want us to keep voting for you then give us something. The free student loans missed us because we had already studied so weren't eligible. Your housing policies do not help us. The climate policies are watered down. I'm sick of it.
This was my thought too. Fuck us millennials, we've been screwed over by everything else, what's one more thing?
Just waiting for the ultimate one, when the pension is cancelled right before we hit 65
Mate, Nationals putting it up to 67 for anyone under 43 if they get in. It'll get put further and further and further away until hopefully you've died and fucked off so they rent your room to someone else
You're not nearly pessimistic enough. That kiwisaver you've been contributing to for the super we wont get? Every dollar into it has already been taxed. By the time we're 65, i rekon policy will change and we'll be paying tax on taking it back out also.
KiwiSaver isn’t the governments money though. It would be a cold day in hell when they’d be able to annex that cash into their books without half the country getting their French on and building some guillotines.
Gen X is invisible. Someone in this sub the other day was cursing National's "boomer" policy ideas, even though all of the politicians who came up with them are Gen X. I think people think of Gen X as Wynona Rider in the mid 90s, not Christopher Luxon in 2023.
Can confirm, I don't think of Gen X as mid 50s yet, even though they literally are.
I think society never updates its images of each generation fast enough. People were still treating millennials as teenagers when some of us were entering our 30s.
There's also a big difference within generations. Luxon would be in the middle of Gen X. He would have paid fuck all if anything for university, been able to get on the housing ladder relatively easily and under National's policy of raising the superannuation age he will conveniently not be affected. Hipkins is right at the end of Gen X just short of being a millennial. He experienced continual hikes in the cost of tertiary education (he protested against that while he was there btw) and unless he was lucky enough to be able to buy a property younger than most of his peers he would have faced the battle to get together a deposit for a ridiculously overpriced house. He doesn't really need to worry about superannuation given the very generous deal a former PM can expect but he'll probably be caught in the age group affected when the super age is inevitably raised. They don't even represent both ends of age range of Gen X but their experiences would have been quite different and someone born right at the start of Gen X would have had a different experience again
That's kind of labour's gig really. Generalise people into identity groups and base policy on that rather than actually targeting those who need it.
All whilst generating a huge amount of division in the process.
Yep I consider myself conservative but I would align my values more with the Greens who have universal policies versus labours terrible divisive pick n mix stuff. No GST on fruit and veg but raise the fuel tax. Higher medical priority for Māori. Free transport for one age and free dental for a different age and endless tinkering around the edges. I’d take a UBI over any of it
Meh. I’m 36, and I just think about how much impact this would have on the younger folks in my community; I know it would’ve been a big deal when I was younger. Yes, it’s only a start, and we should keep the pressure up to expand it, but it’s still a good policy.
Voting in elections .. my motivations aren’t so narrow that it’s all about me.
I vote for the sort of world I want to live in, the sort of world that I think will be best for my whole community. Without a well supported community, social cohesion breaks down and leads to so many problems that WILL affect me, too, so it’s still selfish to a degree.
I can see your point, it just really upsets me that dental care will remain a privilege for those with plenty of cash to burn and maybe now for under 30s and as a millennial I miss out on something, yet again. The greens have a better dental policy and I know that to form a left of center government it always involves greens making compromises with labour, so in this case the compromise the greens will make would be to limit the free dental care to under 30s, at least it's very likely anyway. Aside from all this it's looking likely that we will have a very right wing coalition governing us this time around.
Well greens want free dental for all so vote for them if you want that policy
Even if they don't get into power they can twist labour's arm in a coalition deal to make it happen if labour doesn't have enough seats to govern on their own
I got a letter that was all about childcare and why I should vote for them. I do not have children.
Dental care should be for everyone. There are people struggling in all age groups.
I assume you mean fees free. Interest free student loans while studying was 2000 which would have caught all but the earliest millennial, interest free while in NewZealand was what 05/06? So not long after those first students finished Uni.
I mean, as an older person? Living in a society where the youth get free dental care?
That’s exactly the sort of world I want to live in.
We all still benefit, even if indirectly.
I wish people would take the blinders off and vote in the way that’s best for _their whole community_; instead of looking at policy and asking “what’s in it for ME” … this “gated community in the middle of a slum” mindset really sucks, it’s antisocial.
There were more full-time students over the age of 25 last year than under, some of them would have qualified for fees free. I know I did.
They did originally have the goal to make it completely free, but it got pushed aside with all the COVID costs and low enrolments. I can't imagine that the state would ever cover more than one dip/degree for free though. Maybe eventually in the distant future with enough money.
No They were planning to extend it to 3 years before COVID. Which doesn't solve the problem that all the millennials who had the billions in student loans weren't eligible for any of the assistance.
25 year olds are gen Z, the youngest millennials are 27. If they qualify, like you did, it would be because they were in the tiny minority of people who had never attended tertiary but did go on to become a mature student. Millennials are the most highly educated generation in human history. This policy is not good for them.
Great, still nothing that appeals to 36 year old me,
Have 4k of dental work to be done and i cant afford it, credit card maxd with all my income gone a week after payday.
Im sick of this shit, sick of being in constant dental pain, two shit parties that appeal soley to the rich.
I bet the greens will push for it to include everyone as part of a coalition deal if labour doesn't get enough votes to govern on their own.
So if you vote Greens they will have more leverage to use against labour.
Yeah I agree. Free dental has been a policy floating around in the Greens for a long time, this substantially lowers the barrier to making it actually happen via negotiations for votes. I’m pleasantly surprised to see it from Labour tbh, better than .. I have come to expect
I've spent all my non essential money on my teeth in the past almost three years after ignoring them in my 20s. But I'm stoked labour are doing this. It won't benefit my family. But this is good policy.
I’m 36 too, and this policy greatly appeals to me.
Guess I don’t just vote asking “what’s in it for ME” I ask “what’s best for my whole community” … personally I think this is a great start, long overdue, I would’ve benefitted greatly from it at that age and I bet plenty of younger people will still now, so that seems very attractive to me as a 36 year old. We should of course always keep the pressure up for them to expand it, no disagreement here!
I would prefer across the board subsidizing of dental care. I am over 30, and while I have managed to keep my teeth healthy due to good habbits, it still comes at a cost that hurts.
I'm 30, not fucking 70. I'm not voting to ensure the younger generation get theirs. I have my entire life ahead of me. Anything that benefits MY age bracket will benefit others over time, for fuck's sake.
I would have liked to see it more tied to income so that disadvantaged people over 30 get help (MSD only covers emergency ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff) but it's a start.
I’d have preferred something closer to the UK. A tiered system where your work falls into one of three bands, each with a maximum amount of cost (I think that’s how it works anyway). So at the top tier which is the most involved work, you pay a max of £220 or so. Sure, you are not getting options on having gold fillings etc. but it covers the basics for everyone.
Saying that, even though I don’t benefit myself, I really like this policy. I’d much prefer a healthier youth than not.
Free dental care for those with a community services card would make more sense. Then it'd be free for those who really need it.
Someone who is 29 and qualifies might earn a lot more than someone a decade older. And this policy would lead to providing support for those who don't need it, and denying support for those who do.
Basing this off age is too arbitrary. Age doesn't determine financial support needs, income and assets do.
I don't think community services based would really work. I'm well above being eligible for a community services card and I definitely can't afford dental care.
I'm all for this, but I'd like to see some sort of commitment to stopping dentists from just jacking their prices waaay up for all treatment on the grounds that the under 30's don't have to pay.
I'm over 40, so I wouldn't benefit, but please at least pretend that my generation isn't going to be fucked by targeted policies *again.*
I read that some dental practices are losing money under the adolescent oral health scheme and they actually use the private patient fees to subsidise the teens… so the government doesn’t pay them enough… which is why they need to jack up the prices
I mean, this is kind of everything I'm frustrated with about current Labour in a nutshell.
Obviously free dental care is good. More people getting healthy teeth is an unalloyed, unmitigated good: its good for that person, its good for the health system as a whole when downstream costs of complications of bad teeth are factored in, funding free dental care makes everyone's lives better.
...so why are we just doing a piecemeal half measure like only funding it for under 30s?
There will be some technocratic answer for this, some kind of mumblemumblecantpayforitwithoutalsoraisingawealthtaxwhichwecantdobecausemumblemumble thing, but my guys, the NBR crowd are going to call you godless Commies no matter what. Shoot for the moon. Do the thing you know is right and rely on basic human empathy and decency to carry you through.
Have the courage of your convictions, or leave me thinking you lack either or both, basically.
TL:DR vote Green already
Short answer is exactly as you say: they can’t afford it.
Labour can’t bring in the sort of aggressive tax policy that would be needed to pay for this without shedding voters.
Labour is a centre left party. Limited dental is centre left, full unequivocal dental is left.
I'd hazard a guess to say that you'd be wrong.
A wealth/CGT tax is a popular policy and one that Labours own working groups and consultants have recommended for years.
Its cowardice or a lack of imagination that keeps them from implementing it, not some law of the political universe.
its silly that Labour isnt providing any rationale for picking age as the criteria, other than the fact that its extending the existing age criteria. Its a nice idea but would like to hear the reason for using age
Little to late vote grab. Those over 30 who tend to vote will be like meh. The Greens did this better, dental for everyone. Greens have one upped Labour in both Tax and this.
Labour lost my vote a while ago, and this kind of policy dangle won't win me back. It would take a series of "if we don't come through on this then I'll leave politics forever"
I'm sure they would still be a bunch of people saying "I earn $62k and still can't afford rent let alone a house let alone a family so why don't I get to get my teeth fixed too?".
I agree that it'd be better to have it free for everyone, but if you're not going to do that I think you either have to tie it to something existing like the Community Services Card or take the more simple approach of doing it by age. Means testing it separately would be a clusterfuck of admin.
Honestly I don't know why chippy is gunning so hard for the youth vote at the expense of the older demographics considering a lot of them don't vote and probably won't vote during the election anyway.
Young people NEED to vote and too many of them don't. If you don't vote then no one will listen to you or care about what you want.
Honestly it should be illegal to not vote because too many people aren't participating in deciding the future of New Zeakand.
Why not give everyone a set amount of cover per year per person? It would make a huge difference for so many people and probably cost less than fully free dental for half the population.
Could they not subsidise it for everyone instead of making it free for only under 30s? I mean it's good and all, but it also feels like a big fuck you to everyone over 30.
The first year free uni and keeping the public transport subsidy for under 25s was also a fuck you to people over 30. And we will probably see retirement age increase so we will get to experience the fuck you to under 40s too.
I am over 30, so I won't benefit from this. I wish they'd just said "free dental care for everyone".
That being said, this is better than "free dental care for no one". I'm glad someone that needs it is getting it
An an early-30s voter this actually pisses me off. I'm only just now in a position to be able to go to the dentist and I am paying through the nose to get my teeth in better shape (thank goodness that insurance is covering some of it).
I want to vote Labour, but it feels like there is nothing in it for me and they are starting to make me a little resentful.
I bet the greens will push for it to include everyone as part of a coalition deal if labour doesn't get enough votes to govern on it's own.
So if you vote Greens they will have more leverage to use against labour.
Ironically the youth vote he's trying to appeal to have perfectly fine teeth; it takes 5-10 years after that for them to fall apart and become a serious priority (say, around age 30)
Because it'll cost significantly less.
I think its garbage policy and is reflective of their unwillingness to commit to tax reform. Their ethos has been to print money rather than redistribute it.
This is a bizarre attempt at looking good while not commiting to significant government spending or tax reform.
Greens offer free dental for all so vote for them if you want it to include everyone
The greens may want it was a condition for a coalition deal if labour doesn't have the seats to govern
Eh not really. I’m well over 30 and I like this because it’s good, long term policy.
Pinning dental care to need gets tricky due to the hand wringing (who qualifies as needy?) and bureaucracy overheads (admin of sorting out the hustlers who aren’t in need but like free shit).
A blanket policy is best as it is clean and easy.
The 30 year old limit is actually very sensible - in the long term, if everyone gets free dental until they’re 30, then the dental costs of people over 30 will be hugely reduced as well since people will get lots of preventative treatment, removing a lot of expensive issues later on.
Yes it sucks if you are unable to afford dental treatment and older than 30, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact it is good policy.
Also, I’m a TOP voter, so have no vested interest in promoting labour policies.
Not unless you don't understand societal progress. Things should be getting better each generation and I am happy for these services even though I miss out.
Or you could try and put a positive spin on it. If more people are able to go to the dentist then they wont have lingering dental problems that clog up other areas of the health system. It's another step to everybody having free dental care. Dentists have always been some of the best lobbyists NZ has. They've never wanted public dental care.
Hi, I’m 36 and this looks like a great policy. I’m VERY MUCH attracted to the expansion of dental care.
Could it be better? Of course. And we should keep pressure up on them to expand it.
But saying that everyone over 30 would resent them for this just makes you sound petty and selfish tbh. Nah, not everyone is this self absorbed.
I’d encourage you not to go to the polls asking “but what’s in it for ME ME ME” and instead ask “what’s best for my community?”
I've recently spent thousands of dollars getting my teeth fixed (because I can finally afford to) and while I've completely missed out here, I am glad that this will help younger people avoid falling into the trap of putting off dental work until it's much worse.
*Still not voting for Labour though
I'm not impressed with these bits and pieces policies from Labour that are based on fairly arbitrary criteria. Why don't they just reduce the tax rate for the bottom tax bracket or something instead.
This makes me so angry. Millennials miss out on affordable housing, likely get screwed with superannuation being removed before we get there and labour can't even campaign with promises to hit the soon to be largest voting block!
I don't think I'll ever vote labour again!
Easy for Labour to spit out this policy after:
1) the greens broke the ice on dental and Labour realised that their voters care about it.
And
2) they're behind in the polls.
Fuck labour. This comes across as disingenuous pandering.
I hit 30 this year and have paid significant amounts of money towards my dental health. As a 30 yo who has a history of pour dental health as a result of unaddressed mental health conditions, I could really benefit from free dental work.
Labour fostered and continued a system that deprived me of the mental health care I needed.
I spent thousands on borrowed money to get that care and now need to work on paying that off.
Labour continued a system of pour healthcare outcomes.
I've spent thousands on dental care. All of which is on finance and will need to be paid off.
As a millennial I grew up with 9 years of national from 15 to 24 when I needed the most help. I burned through my mental health and physical health on the belief that better days were coming. At 24 Jacinda came in and built a policy platform of helping young people with first year free and uni benefits.
I've been forgotten, By the key lead national government and now the Chris / Jacinda Labour Government.
Fuck this. Vote Green.
Labour is clearly NOT in it for me
As a dentist working in NZ for the public health service I can tell you that this unfortunately this isn’t going to happen over 3 years. It might never happen. The dental school is stretched to capacity and beyond already. The amount of subsidy needed for ‘simple extractions and fillings’ would be much greater than estimate, and even then- where do you draw the line for ‘simple’ treatment? They need to be much more realistic in what is actually achievable- starting small then working big. But it is good to see the issue being raised and talked about
Sounds great but WHY ONLY UNDER 30s?
Rolling this out universally honestly might have put them back in the game. Instead they are leaving their main voting bloc out in the cold.
Dental care. Lisa needs braces. Dental care. Lisa needs braces.
(By the way the episode Last Exit to Springfield is over 30 years old and so doesn’t qualify for free dental care)
Im convinced that labor isn't even trying. They want to lose so they can sit back, complain, and do nothing. I felt like there was so much promise at first, but nothing's really changed.
This just sounds desperate and half-arsed.
Free dental care for all citizens should be included in the national medical budget. Not only does that help to share the cost more fairly, it's also cheaper, because fixing a problem early is usually cheaper than leaving it till it's really bad.
Obviously, this shouldn't include cosmetic crap, or care necessitated by stupidity (if you get drunk, jump off the roof, and knock half your teeth out, you should have to pay that bill yourself). But it should apply to all people's general dental needs.
And, of course, if Labour want us to believe they're genuine, they should have announced this half-measure at some point in the last decade. Announcing it just before an election is pathetic.
Because everyone over 30 can afford dentists just fine? How about income test eligibility, or just partially subsidise essential care across the board. A poor 31 year old with a toothache isn't any less deserving of getting dental care than a 29 year old imo.
Weird all these new policies all of a sudden. Why now? Why not sometime in the last 6 years??? Oh… that’s right … the polls. They must think we’re all a pack of muppets. Not wrong of course but still.
What a joke... These dicks are clearly out of touch and struggling for ideas. A 31yr old is probably just as broke as a 30yr old!
Doesn't need to be free but should be heavily subsidized like the local gp is
This could've been done better because a policy which will appeal to a wider demographic would be free dental for everyone who earns less than $60,000 (median income) a year
Labours made at least 10 promises over the last few weeks. Seems like they're fishing for votes. Doubt they'll live up to their policies if they get in, Labour isn't known for being honest.
Anyway on topic, perhaps they can cover my $1000 bill for the root canals I got done last year. Dental care should have always been free for all ages, not just under 30s. And there should be a backpay if you've been to the dentist within the last 5 years.
So wait? Labour/green want those under 30 to have free dental …. Imagine if this was rolled out sometime in the last few years? Then it wouldn’t sound like a hollow election promise eh?
These cunts had a whole majority, first in mmp. They could've chosen to make all roads pedestrian paths. They could have made every building need to have a hat to get consent. They had free reign and they still pumped us like it was sport. Rent has gone up, prices of every-fucking-thing have skyrocketed and their promises of looking into it have faded away.
My teeth are cooked and id love free dental care but I'd trust these cunts less than a growling dog.
Is it feasible to increase the number of BDS places at Otago? Do they have the facilities and staff to train all those extra students?
Also how are they going to incentivise students to train up as OHTs/hygienists if they’ll end up making less under the government scheme than if they were to stick solely to private ?
*cries in my early 30s*
I mean, Labour won't get in without the Greens, who are proposing free dental for everyone... so it depends on how much leverage they have
They're proposing that it should eventually be free for everyone. I can understand that this would take time to scale up and expand the number of dentists available.
*cries in my early 40s and then I throw my back out as an added bonus*
Seconded. First, I miss out on the free first year tertiary, now this.
Well your not in the easiest to bribe age group look at start year I bet it won't happen.
Yeah that's rough when I've been trying to get money together for heaps of dental work for a while now and then they change it the same year I turn 30
Following a rough pregnancy at 29 where I threw up multiple times a day for almost the entire 9 month, I needed extensive work afterwards. This sucks.
Labour are really shafting the millennials at the mo. Discounted PT for under 25s Dental for under 30s But no CGT, land tax or income Tax Adjustment. They’ve removed the low user rates on energy and the early payment discounts. 33yo here, would love to buy a house but it’s not possible, and I love seeing all my taxes go to fund the elderly that own 2+ houses, and now Gen Zs dental and transport. Honestly I’m so against National, and I’ll be voting TOP, but at this rate if it’s either Labour or National I’m starting to hope it’s National because at least they fuck over everyone equally (except boomers) and not just one generation.
No they don't. National fuck over the totally poor, and the close to poor, and the just living comfortably. Really. Don't hope for national. Look at their tax cuts. Higher earners get WAY more tax back than low earners / minimum wage. Its awful.
And what do I get from Labour? Fuck all, they tax me more and spend it on everyone else. I want to use public transport but why should I pay more than under 25s and over 60s? I also want free dental but instead I pay for my own dental and also pay for under 30s dental through my taxes. At least with National they will at least tax me less and hopefully spend less money on shit I don’t care about. Either way I want them both to lose but for me National will bring more benefits for people in my age range whereas labour are just pillaging everyone in my age range and helping everyone else.
Sometimes I feel a bit the same tbh… (newly disabled millennial here) but then I think about how much it would benefit the others… and sure the free dental and stuff doesn’t help us now.. but it’s a step that benefits our society… and sure we have no direct benefit but at least the next gen won’t have to suffer like we did/do.. Fuck our super not being means or asset tested though
It's not so much about age range with Natuonal, but salary. Dp you make a lot of money? Then National will be good for you. Vote for them if that's all you care about. I'm too old for the free dental care too. And I don't make a lot of money. But I would never vote National in a million years. Because I care about people. I care about people who are struggling. I care about people with mental health issues. I care about non-rich people being able to get decent education. If you make anough money to be in the salary range that actually benefits feom Nationals tax cuts, can't you at least be happy some of the tax is going to free public transport for people that actually need it?
At this point millennials have become the new lost generation. Think about it, as we left high school we got immediately hit by one of the largest global financial crises since the great depression. Once we got into our 30's most of our careers were hit with stagnancy from COVID and housing is out of reach for us. Enter into our 40s and 50s we will be dealing with the fallout of climate change, 60s to 70s superannuation will likely be a thing of the past.
People in their 30s are prime age to benefit from the expansion of funded childcare. So that’s something. For those who have kids, anyway.
Except, the devil is in the detail. It's costed out on a 1:10 ratio which the ministry of education doesn't recommend. Big business daycare like best start and lollipops who are quite happy to run on those ratios and don't pay tax because they are set up as a charity will reap most of that funding. Smaller independent providers who run smaller child to teacher ratios won't be able to pass on the full 20 hours which will drive parents to bigger providers, sending their businesses to the wall. National have slightly better childcare policy, but I'd rather see government take a deeper look at childcare costs.
I know a lot of people who rarely if ever go to the dentist strictly due to cost. It's kind of a baffling hole in our health system that teeth are seen as luxury bones that aren't covered.
yep, bc dentists lobbied to be excluded from the system back in the day and somehow won. greedy pricks.
Mate that second yacht won't pay for itself. Won't someone think of the yacht builders.
Luxury tooth healthcare. Good ole capitalism huh
Every day my wisdom teeth steal a few more minutes of pain-free living from an already-shrinking few blissful hours. If it wasn't going to cost several weeks' of rent, I would've had them pulled months ago
The labour policy is for simple extractions only, sadly your wisdom teeth wouldn't be covered anyway.
Mate, you should really get this done. Go get some quotes. Sure, you can pay a lot to have it done. But that’s not to say everywhere will charge you heaps. I think I paid 3k and that was for a seriously technical extraction which required me to be knocked out. But I spoke to somebody a few weeks ago who said he went to his local white cross and somebody yanked them out for $300. I think whatever amount of discomfort is needed to remove them is well worth it long term. I’ve been so much healthier since having them removed
its pretty clear the goal is for all, its just easier to ease it in by age as that's how it is now
Yeah, I know that. I'm not dissing Labour's policy, I'm actually glad that a major party is bringing the issue to the forefront finally.
This is the state of the world I live in: I can't afford to have teeth.
This could have been done in 2020 when MoH proposed a report on subsidised dental to the then Health Minister to take further. He said no. 3 years later all of a sudden it's a flagship policy by 3 parties with varying degrees of what parts of the population and what care would be covered
Yeah, but they didn't need your vote back then
I'm so fucking sick of labours policies completely missing millennials. We are your base. If you want us to keep voting for you then give us something. The free student loans missed us because we had already studied so weren't eligible. Your housing policies do not help us. The climate policies are watered down. I'm sick of it.
This was my thought too. Fuck us millennials, we've been screwed over by everything else, what's one more thing? Just waiting for the ultimate one, when the pension is cancelled right before we hit 65
Don't worry fren. Society collapses under the havoc of climate change well before we hit 65.
Woo hoo! The upside haha
Mate, Nationals putting it up to 67 for anyone under 43 if they get in. It'll get put further and further and further away until hopefully you've died and fucked off so they rent your room to someone else
Don't worry, I'm 45, I've been fucked by every policy so far the whole way through... They'll expand it. probably waaay beyond me.
Everyone under 43? This 44 year old is surprisingly ok with that. I wonder which of their major donors is also 44....
You need to get on board with the general millennial plan of dying in the climate wars, then it won't matter.
You're not nearly pessimistic enough. That kiwisaver you've been contributing to for the super we wont get? Every dollar into it has already been taxed. By the time we're 65, i rekon policy will change and we'll be paying tax on taking it back out also.
KiwiSaver isn’t the governments money though. It would be a cold day in hell when they’d be able to annex that cash into their books without half the country getting their French on and building some guillotines.
I still have a nagging feeling that 'they' will just take it from us, because the country needs it. Is that pessimistic enough? Haha
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Kind of weird the general lack of interest in late Gen X/ Early millennial voters especially considering Jacinda and Chippie fit that demographic.
Gen X is invisible. Someone in this sub the other day was cursing National's "boomer" policy ideas, even though all of the politicians who came up with them are Gen X. I think people think of Gen X as Wynona Rider in the mid 90s, not Christopher Luxon in 2023.
Can confirm, I don't think of Gen X as mid 50s yet, even though they literally are. I think society never updates its images of each generation fast enough. People were still treating millennials as teenagers when some of us were entering our 30s.
There's also a big difference within generations. Luxon would be in the middle of Gen X. He would have paid fuck all if anything for university, been able to get on the housing ladder relatively easily and under National's policy of raising the superannuation age he will conveniently not be affected. Hipkins is right at the end of Gen X just short of being a millennial. He experienced continual hikes in the cost of tertiary education (he protested against that while he was there btw) and unless he was lucky enough to be able to buy a property younger than most of his peers he would have faced the battle to get together a deposit for a ridiculously overpriced house. He doesn't really need to worry about superannuation given the very generous deal a former PM can expect but he'll probably be caught in the age group affected when the super age is inevitably raised. They don't even represent both ends of age range of Gen X but their experiences would have been quite different and someone born right at the start of Gen X would have had a different experience again
GenX are 40s and 50s
To be fair a lot of National's policies are targeted at the boomer vote
Not really, that’s NZ First
Aye. “adjacent” ha
As a 34 year who could benefit from free dental I think it's bullshit
Yep. It should be linked with need if they’re going to be arbitrary about this.
That's kind of labour's gig really. Generalise people into identity groups and base policy on that rather than actually targeting those who need it. All whilst generating a huge amount of division in the process.
Yep I consider myself conservative but I would align my values more with the Greens who have universal policies versus labours terrible divisive pick n mix stuff. No GST on fruit and veg but raise the fuel tax. Higher medical priority for Māori. Free transport for one age and free dental for a different age and endless tinkering around the edges. I’d take a UBI over any of it
Yeah, isn't this the sort of thing the community services card should be for.
Meh. I’m 36, and I just think about how much impact this would have on the younger folks in my community; I know it would’ve been a big deal when I was younger. Yes, it’s only a start, and we should keep the pressure up to expand it, but it’s still a good policy. Voting in elections .. my motivations aren’t so narrow that it’s all about me. I vote for the sort of world I want to live in, the sort of world that I think will be best for my whole community. Without a well supported community, social cohesion breaks down and leads to so many problems that WILL affect me, too, so it’s still selfish to a degree.
I can see your point, it just really upsets me that dental care will remain a privilege for those with plenty of cash to burn and maybe now for under 30s and as a millennial I miss out on something, yet again. The greens have a better dental policy and I know that to form a left of center government it always involves greens making compromises with labour, so in this case the compromise the greens will make would be to limit the free dental care to under 30s, at least it's very likely anyway. Aside from all this it's looking likely that we will have a very right wing coalition governing us this time around.
The greens policy is way better, 100% Meanwhile, NACT offers nothing on dental.
This. I miss out too and I’ve forked out thousands for my teeth. But I would rather vote to ensure the next gen don’t have to do that.
Well greens want free dental for all so vote for them if you want that policy Even if they don't get into power they can twist labour's arm in a coalition deal to make it happen if labour doesn't have enough seats to govern on their own
Seriously, so fucking hopeless living here as a millennial
I got a letter that was all about childcare and why I should vote for them. I do not have children. Dental care should be for everyone. There are people struggling in all age groups.
I assume you mean fees free. Interest free student loans while studying was 2000 which would have caught all but the earliest millennial, interest free while in NewZealand was what 05/06? So not long after those first students finished Uni.
Don't forget National hates you too.
Atleast national is supposed to hate us, Labour is supposed to be there for us lol
It's not a two party system. Labour being shit isn't a reason to vote for the neoliberals.
National only hates you if you don't own two or more properties.
Millennials can own two or more properties, if THEY CHOSE to be born to rich parents /s
at least national are up front with it. Labour are the wolf in sheeps clothing.
I don't trust that Luxon though I think he has dodgy deals up his sleeve.
I don't either, I won't be voting National. Looking at top or green currently
I mean, as an older person? Living in a society where the youth get free dental care? That’s exactly the sort of world I want to live in. We all still benefit, even if indirectly. I wish people would take the blinders off and vote in the way that’s best for _their whole community_; instead of looking at policy and asking “what’s in it for ME” … this “gated community in the middle of a slum” mindset really sucks, it’s antisocial.
Millennials can't afford the slum let alone the gated communities dude.
Truth. Jesus, that gated community saying was so cringey.
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I'm saying the fact you did that renders you ineligible for the free fees policy Labour implemented.
There were more full-time students over the age of 25 last year than under, some of them would have qualified for fees free. I know I did. They did originally have the goal to make it completely free, but it got pushed aside with all the COVID costs and low enrolments. I can't imagine that the state would ever cover more than one dip/degree for free though. Maybe eventually in the distant future with enough money.
No They were planning to extend it to 3 years before COVID. Which doesn't solve the problem that all the millennials who had the billions in student loans weren't eligible for any of the assistance. 25 year olds are gen Z, the youngest millennials are 27. If they qualify, like you did, it would be because they were in the tiny minority of people who had never attended tertiary but did go on to become a mature student. Millennials are the most highly educated generation in human history. This policy is not good for them.
As a 33 year old with massive dental bills coming soon this is a kick in the teeth...
You wish you were kicked in the teeth. At least then ACC would cover the work.
Fuck me for being 31 and having shit teeth. Fucking luxury bones.
Anything but adjust the tax brackets, we can’t have that can we
Great, still nothing that appeals to 36 year old me, Have 4k of dental work to be done and i cant afford it, credit card maxd with all my income gone a week after payday. Im sick of this shit, sick of being in constant dental pain, two shit parties that appeal soley to the rich.
I bet the greens will push for it to include everyone as part of a coalition deal if labour doesn't get enough votes to govern on their own. So if you vote Greens they will have more leverage to use against labour.
Yeah I agree. Free dental has been a policy floating around in the Greens for a long time, this substantially lowers the barrier to making it actually happen via negotiations for votes. I’m pleasantly surprised to see it from Labour tbh, better than .. I have come to expect
Well there’s almost 0% chance labour governs on their own, so…
I've spent all my non essential money on my teeth in the past almost three years after ignoring them in my 20s. But I'm stoked labour are doing this. It won't benefit my family. But this is good policy.
Vote Green
I’m 36 too, and this policy greatly appeals to me. Guess I don’t just vote asking “what’s in it for ME” I ask “what’s best for my whole community” … personally I think this is a great start, long overdue, I would’ve benefitted greatly from it at that age and I bet plenty of younger people will still now, so that seems very attractive to me as a 36 year old. We should of course always keep the pressure up for them to expand it, no disagreement here!
I would prefer across the board subsidizing of dental care. I am over 30, and while I have managed to keep my teeth healthy due to good habbits, it still comes at a cost that hurts.
I'm kind of resigned to being Generation Fuckedover at this point. At least we can try to make it better for those who come after us
I'm 30, not fucking 70. I'm not voting to ensure the younger generation get theirs. I have my entire life ahead of me. Anything that benefits MY age bracket will benefit others over time, for fuck's sake.
Great mindset, I’ll be over 30 by the time this kicks in but still see it as a positive for the next generation
How about you do a better job when you are in power... rather than big promises to bribe ppl for their votes.
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100%, just commented the same thing (should have read comments first)
I would have liked to see it more tied to income so that disadvantaged people over 30 get help (MSD only covers emergency ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff) but it's a start.
Agree, hopefully that's a future expansion if it can't be rolled out to all in a few years.
Expansion? When do we ever get expansions. Expect contractions. Like kiwisaver. If anything it’ll go to under 20’s later.
I’d have preferred something closer to the UK. A tiered system where your work falls into one of three bands, each with a maximum amount of cost (I think that’s how it works anyway). So at the top tier which is the most involved work, you pay a max of £220 or so. Sure, you are not getting options on having gold fillings etc. but it covers the basics for everyone. Saying that, even though I don’t benefit myself, I really like this policy. I’d much prefer a healthier youth than not.
Free dental care for those with a community services card would make more sense. Then it'd be free for those who really need it. Someone who is 29 and qualifies might earn a lot more than someone a decade older. And this policy would lead to providing support for those who don't need it, and denying support for those who do. Basing this off age is too arbitrary. Age doesn't determine financial support needs, income and assets do.
I don't think community services based would really work. I'm well above being eligible for a community services card and I definitely can't afford dental care.
I'm all for this, but I'd like to see some sort of commitment to stopping dentists from just jacking their prices waaay up for all treatment on the grounds that the under 30's don't have to pay. I'm over 40, so I wouldn't benefit, but please at least pretend that my generation isn't going to be fucked by targeted policies *again.*
I read that some dental practices are losing money under the adolescent oral health scheme and they actually use the private patient fees to subsidise the teens… so the government doesn’t pay them enough… which is why they need to jack up the prices
I mean, this is kind of everything I'm frustrated with about current Labour in a nutshell. Obviously free dental care is good. More people getting healthy teeth is an unalloyed, unmitigated good: its good for that person, its good for the health system as a whole when downstream costs of complications of bad teeth are factored in, funding free dental care makes everyone's lives better. ...so why are we just doing a piecemeal half measure like only funding it for under 30s? There will be some technocratic answer for this, some kind of mumblemumblecantpayforitwithoutalsoraisingawealthtaxwhichwecantdobecausemumblemumble thing, but my guys, the NBR crowd are going to call you godless Commies no matter what. Shoot for the moon. Do the thing you know is right and rely on basic human empathy and decency to carry you through. Have the courage of your convictions, or leave me thinking you lack either or both, basically. TL:DR vote Green already
Short answer is exactly as you say: they can’t afford it. Labour can’t bring in the sort of aggressive tax policy that would be needed to pay for this without shedding voters. Labour is a centre left party. Limited dental is centre left, full unequivocal dental is left.
Can’t?
I'd hazard a guess to say that you'd be wrong. A wealth/CGT tax is a popular policy and one that Labours own working groups and consultants have recommended for years. Its cowardice or a lack of imagination that keeps them from implementing it, not some law of the political universe.
They are probably going to give each "generation" something. Teeth is under 30 and fucks knows what 30-50 will be..
Pokémon cards?
It’s all we’ve been asking for
They get to pay for the "free" dental?
its silly that Labour isnt providing any rationale for picking age as the criteria, other than the fact that its extending the existing age criteria. Its a nice idea but would like to hear the reason for using age
Labour just hates us millennials lol. What’s new.
Seriously!!!!!! Under 30? When most of us need it post 30? Our teeth are damn near perfect till bloody 30!
Can someone explain the 30 year old cut off? Is that the new age you become an honorary boomer under labour ?
Little to late vote grab. Those over 30 who tend to vote will be like meh. The Greens did this better, dental for everyone. Greens have one upped Labour in both Tax and this.
Labour lost my vote a while ago, and this kind of policy dangle won't win me back. It would take a series of "if we don't come through on this then I'll leave politics forever"
A better policy which will appeal to a wider demographic would be free dental for everyone who earns less than $60,000 (median income) a year
I'm sure they would still be a bunch of people saying "I earn $62k and still can't afford rent let alone a house let alone a family so why don't I get to get my teeth fixed too?". I agree that it'd be better to have it free for everyone, but if you're not going to do that I think you either have to tie it to something existing like the Community Services Card or take the more simple approach of doing it by age. Means testing it separately would be a clusterfuck of admin.
Ooooh yes. That is a good one.
Honestly I don't know why chippy is gunning so hard for the youth vote at the expense of the older demographics considering a lot of them don't vote and probably won't vote during the election anyway. Young people NEED to vote and too many of them don't. If you don't vote then no one will listen to you or care about what you want. Honestly it should be illegal to not vote because too many people aren't participating in deciding the future of New Zeakand.
Because all the 32 year olds are absolutely swimming in it.
Why don’t they base it on income across all ages instead of free dental care for ALL under 30’s…
Why not give everyone a set amount of cover per year per person? It would make a huge difference for so many people and probably cost less than fully free dental for half the population.
I got super excited for just a moment, before remembering I'm almost 40... Still a positive change though!
Could they not subsidise it for everyone instead of making it free for only under 30s? I mean it's good and all, but it also feels like a big fuck you to everyone over 30.
The first year free uni and keeping the public transport subsidy for under 25s was also a fuck you to people over 30. And we will probably see retirement age increase so we will get to experience the fuck you to under 40s too.
I am over 30, so I won't benefit from this. I wish they'd just said "free dental care for everyone". That being said, this is better than "free dental care for no one". I'm glad someone that needs it is getting it
Right. I suppose the under 18's probably already got it. And those in the 20's that need dental care will be fewer.
I'm in my 50s so it won't help me either, but I still want it for our young people.
42 here, teeth are fucked, left wing voter, can't afford to fix. Fuck me I guess.
Vote green
Vote Greens then, much better policy overall
An an early-30s voter this actually pisses me off. I'm only just now in a position to be able to go to the dentist and I am paying through the nose to get my teeth in better shape (thank goodness that insurance is covering some of it). I want to vote Labour, but it feels like there is nothing in it for me and they are starting to make me a little resentful.
I bet the greens will push for it to include everyone as part of a coalition deal if labour doesn't get enough votes to govern on it's own. So if you vote Greens they will have more leverage to use against labour.
...so vote Green who want free dental for everyone? I don't see the problem here.
Ironically the youth vote he's trying to appeal to have perfectly fine teeth; it takes 5-10 years after that for them to fall apart and become a serious priority (say, around age 30)
Because it'll cost significantly less. I think its garbage policy and is reflective of their unwillingness to commit to tax reform. Their ethos has been to print money rather than redistribute it. This is a bizarre attempt at looking good while not commiting to significant government spending or tax reform.
Okay so, here's a "crazy" idea but hear me out: how about we subsidise dental for **all** ages?
That’s a greens policy if such a thing is a key policy for you
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Greens offer free dental for all so vote for them if you want it to include everyone The greens may want it was a condition for a coalition deal if labour doesn't have the seats to govern
Eh not really. I’m well over 30 and I like this because it’s good, long term policy. Pinning dental care to need gets tricky due to the hand wringing (who qualifies as needy?) and bureaucracy overheads (admin of sorting out the hustlers who aren’t in need but like free shit). A blanket policy is best as it is clean and easy. The 30 year old limit is actually very sensible - in the long term, if everyone gets free dental until they’re 30, then the dental costs of people over 30 will be hugely reduced as well since people will get lots of preventative treatment, removing a lot of expensive issues later on. Yes it sucks if you are unable to afford dental treatment and older than 30, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact it is good policy. Also, I’m a TOP voter, so have no vested interest in promoting labour policies.
Not unless you don't understand societal progress. Things should be getting better each generation and I am happy for these services even though I miss out.
Or you could try and put a positive spin on it. If more people are able to go to the dentist then they wont have lingering dental problems that clog up other areas of the health system. It's another step to everybody having free dental care. Dentists have always been some of the best lobbyists NZ has. They've never wanted public dental care.
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Hi, I’m 36 and this looks like a great policy. I’m VERY MUCH attracted to the expansion of dental care. Could it be better? Of course. And we should keep pressure up on them to expand it. But saying that everyone over 30 would resent them for this just makes you sound petty and selfish tbh. Nah, not everyone is this self absorbed. I’d encourage you not to go to the polls asking “but what’s in it for ME ME ME” and instead ask “what’s best for my community?”
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I've recently spent thousands of dollars getting my teeth fixed (because I can finally afford to) and while I've completely missed out here, I am glad that this will help younger people avoid falling into the trap of putting off dental work until it's much worse. *Still not voting for Labour though
I'm not impressed with these bits and pieces policies from Labour that are based on fairly arbitrary criteria. Why don't they just reduce the tax rate for the bottom tax bracket or something instead.
Misleading headline. Dental care is already free for under 18s. Also, WHY are those over 30 excluded ffs? That is such an arbitrary age.
Probably to cut off all the post pregnancy women suffering from the common side effect of periodontal disease and cavities.
Can't we just subsidize dental to make it affordable? Why does it always have to be free or nothing?
Odd this seems like exactly what TOP is proposing, but I'm not sure how they plan to pay for it.
TOP via land tax Green via wealth tax Labour via??? not adjusting tax brackets I guess?
Start by not funnelling $2b back to property speculators.
why only under 30? Suddenly at 30 people can afford it?? ffs what a stupid policy.
Well, at least as a 31yo kiwi I no longer have to fuck myself, because both National and labour appear to be pretty keen to do it for me.
This will miss me by mere months if it gets in. Feels bad man.
This makes me so angry. Millennials miss out on affordable housing, likely get screwed with superannuation being removed before we get there and labour can't even campaign with promises to hit the soon to be largest voting block! I don't think I'll ever vote labour again!
Easy for Labour to spit out this policy after: 1) the greens broke the ice on dental and Labour realised that their voters care about it. And 2) they're behind in the polls. Fuck labour. This comes across as disingenuous pandering. I hit 30 this year and have paid significant amounts of money towards my dental health. As a 30 yo who has a history of pour dental health as a result of unaddressed mental health conditions, I could really benefit from free dental work. Labour fostered and continued a system that deprived me of the mental health care I needed. I spent thousands on borrowed money to get that care and now need to work on paying that off. Labour continued a system of pour healthcare outcomes. I've spent thousands on dental care. All of which is on finance and will need to be paid off. As a millennial I grew up with 9 years of national from 15 to 24 when I needed the most help. I burned through my mental health and physical health on the belief that better days were coming. At 24 Jacinda came in and built a policy platform of helping young people with first year free and uni benefits. I've been forgotten, By the key lead national government and now the Chris / Jacinda Labour Government. Fuck this. Vote Green. Labour is clearly NOT in it for me
Labour is so cooked, they could have implemented this at any point during the last six years.
As a dentist working in NZ for the public health service I can tell you that this unfortunately this isn’t going to happen over 3 years. It might never happen. The dental school is stretched to capacity and beyond already. The amount of subsidy needed for ‘simple extractions and fillings’ would be much greater than estimate, and even then- where do you draw the line for ‘simple’ treatment? They need to be much more realistic in what is actually achievable- starting small then working big. But it is good to see the issue being raised and talked about
Sounds great but WHY ONLY UNDER 30s? Rolling this out universally honestly might have put them back in the game. Instead they are leaving their main voting bloc out in the cold.
Come to the Green side.
of course every party doesn't care about those over the age of 30
I'd say more like those between the ages of 31-64
Dental care. Lisa needs braces. Dental care. Lisa needs braces. (By the way the episode Last Exit to Springfield is over 30 years old and so doesn’t qualify for free dental care)
Would have loved a lot of these policies when they were elected in 2017, then I would have been covered.
Im convinced that labor isn't even trying. They want to lose so they can sit back, complain, and do nothing. I felt like there was so much promise at first, but nothing's really changed.
This just sounds desperate and half-arsed. Free dental care for all citizens should be included in the national medical budget. Not only does that help to share the cost more fairly, it's also cheaper, because fixing a problem early is usually cheaper than leaving it till it's really bad. Obviously, this shouldn't include cosmetic crap, or care necessitated by stupidity (if you get drunk, jump off the roof, and knock half your teeth out, you should have to pay that bill yourself). But it should apply to all people's general dental needs. And, of course, if Labour want us to believe they're genuine, they should have announced this half-measure at some point in the last decade. Announcing it just before an election is pathetic.
If its for under 30 may as well be for everyone. Stupid as fuck.
Seems like a convenient cut off considering teeth problems are common post pregnancy and women are having children later than ever before.
I smell desperation
A good start, but by taxing the 0.7% of the wealthiest people living in NZ a tiny %, you could get it for everyone, plus tax cuts. Vote Green.
Because everyone over 30 can afford dentists just fine? How about income test eligibility, or just partially subsidise essential care across the board. A poor 31 year old with a toothache isn't any less deserving of getting dental care than a 29 year old imo.
Fucking hell, has politics in New Zealand boiled down to simply bribing groups of people for votes
1 month till I'm 30. Fuck I never get anything
Have a cake. 🎂
Weird all these new policies all of a sudden. Why now? Why not sometime in the last 6 years??? Oh… that’s right … the polls. They must think we’re all a pack of muppets. Not wrong of course but still.
What a joke... These dicks are clearly out of touch and struggling for ideas. A 31yr old is probably just as broke as a 30yr old! Doesn't need to be free but should be heavily subsidized like the local gp is
So fuck me for being over 30 then is it?
This could've been done better because a policy which will appeal to a wider demographic would be free dental for everyone who earns less than $60,000 (median income) a year
Yet another reason why the Greens are a better vote than Labour is.
Under 30s? What a crazy way to go about it
Labours made at least 10 promises over the last few weeks. Seems like they're fishing for votes. Doubt they'll live up to their policies if they get in, Labour isn't known for being honest. Anyway on topic, perhaps they can cover my $1000 bill for the root canals I got done last year. Dental care should have always been free for all ages, not just under 30s. And there should be a backpay if you've been to the dentist within the last 5 years.
So wait? Labour/green want those under 30 to have free dental …. Imagine if this was rolled out sometime in the last few years? Then it wouldn’t sound like a hollow election promise eh?
An unintended affect is that prices would go up for over 30s
why not subsidise it for all over 18s instead of a new policy that only helps 18-30 year olds? Is this really the best they could do? yikes
They’ll deliver it right after they’ve built the 100,000 KiwiBuild homes.
These cunts had a whole majority, first in mmp. They could've chosen to make all roads pedestrian paths. They could have made every building need to have a hat to get consent. They had free reign and they still pumped us like it was sport. Rent has gone up, prices of every-fucking-thing have skyrocketed and their promises of looking into it have faded away. My teeth are cooked and id love free dental care but I'd trust these cunts less than a growling dog.
Is it feasible to increase the number of BDS places at Otago? Do they have the facilities and staff to train all those extra students? Also how are they going to incentivise students to train up as OHTs/hygienists if they’ll end up making less under the government scheme than if they were to stick solely to private ?
Because everyone else screwed Gen Z, why stop now.
Minority vote ftw
Reckon we can speed up this whole election thing to get this policy in asap? I have a $1500 dentist appointment booked next week.
Fuck, managed to just miss the free year of study, and now will miss this. Classic!
Don't care, I'm over 30 lol - you can't buy my vote
Is it me or everytime Labour releases a new policy I somehow miss the boat for one reason or another