Andrew Dickens Afternoons

The forthcoming budget is looming as the most defining day in New Zealand’s politics in a very long time.On May 17 the government will present a plan to deal with a labyrinth of problems that can no longer be ignored. Their response will be revealing as will be the response of their rivals.The present government campaigned on a platform that was big on feeling.  At its most basic level, its theme was purely that we can do better.It’s a platform that has raised the hopes of many who have done it tough for the past decade due to a remarkable confluence of problems.  From global financial crises, earthquakes, natural disasters and much delayed infrastructural investment.So now the proverbial is about to hit the fan. Public service employees are restless.  Nurses and teachers feel left behind.  Meanwhile, infrastructure is creaking, from storm water systems to hospital buildings to public transport.This weekend another thorn was revealed in rosy New Zealand.Dr Megan Woods is the minister in charge of the Earthqua