Insanity

The Warm Up New Zealand / Heat Smart home insulation program is one of the government's few policy successes, producing health benefits four times greater than its costs. So naturally, they're planning to shitcan it:

The future of a $330 million subsidised home heating and insulation scheme is in doubt despite tracking ahead of budget and being considered a huge success.

[...]

Minister of Energy and Resources Simon Bridges admitted the initiative was a winner but couldn't say if it would continue in its current form.

Bridges said about 230,000 homes would be retrofitted when the scheme ended in September.

A version of the scheme which targets lower-income families might be an option, Bridges said, but no decision had been made to include any announcement in the Budget on May 16. "While I understand this creates uncertainty for some in the insulation sector, I want to give an assurance that the matter is being considered carefully."

While the scheme is a huge success, I guess we need to look at it this way: what's the benefit for rich people in keeping poor kids out of hospital? None at all. Meanwhile it means slumlords - including slumlord MPs - face pressure to upgrade the quality of the housing the rent out. So you can see why they want to get rid of it. But from the point of view of the rest of us, it just looks like sheer insanity.