Wednesday, 25 February 2026 15:00

Penny Pinching

Written by  The Hound

OPINION: A mate of yours truly reckons rural Manawatu families are the latest to suffer under what he calls the Government's "performative restraint" - penny pinching on needed community stuff while the bureaucrat head count and wasteful spending in Wellington charges on undiminished.

He says the disruptions "have been as massive as the savings have been minimal".

He says, over the past year, the Ministry of Education has been reviewing school bus routes, quietly tightening eligibility rules that determine who qualifies for state-funded transport.

Students are increasingly required to attend their "nearest" school to qualify for a Ministry bus.

Routes that once served rural communities feeding into a range of secondary schools are being cancelled, merged, or redesigned.

Hundreds of families have apparently been affected.


 Read More:


More like this

Rural bias?

OPINION: After years of ever-worsening results from our education system, the startling results from a maths acceleration programme stood out like a dog’s proverbials – the trial producing gains of one full year in just 12-weeks.

Featured

Bridge Pā Table Grape Harvest Starts Weeks Early

Budou are being picked now in Bridge Pā, the most intense and exciting time of the year for the Greencollar team – and the harvest of the finest eating grapes is weeks earlier than expected.

Farmlands Posts Strong 2025 Half-Year Growth

Rural retailer Farmlands has released it's latest round of half-year results, labeling it as evidence that its five-year strategy is delivering on financial performance and better value for members.

Editorial: Trump's Tirade

OPINION: "We are back to where we were a year ago," according to a leading banking analyst in the UK, referring to US president Donald Trump's latest imposition of a global 10% tariff on all exports into the US.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Penny Pinching

OPINION: A mate of yours truly reckons rural Manawatu families are the latest to suffer under what he calls the…

New Order

OPINION: If old Winston Peters thinks building trade relations with new nations, such as India, isn't a necessary investment in…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter