Asset Sales delay?

Written By: - Date published: 11:11 pm, February 14th, 2013 - 42 comments
Categories: Privatisation - Tags: ,

The Herald reports that the Supreme Court will not meet the Government’s timetable for its decision on the Maori Council’s challenge to Asset Sales.

It may only delay things a couple of weeks, but it all adds pressure to the Government’s timeline – every little might help save a power company before the next election.

In the meantime there’s still one final push this weekend for Asset Sales signatures.  They have 370,000, and in theory only need 310,000 – but analysis by Labour of the number that aren’t on the role / duplicates / other invalids means that likely 400,000 will be needed.  That could be one big weekend – this weekend – so if you’re going to any events, take a petition with you.  If your family or friends haven’t signed – shove a petition under their nose.  Even if you’re just going to the supermarket or the kids’ sports – take a petition.

The sooner we get this petition validated, the better.  Hopefully it can be combined with the local government election at the end of the year to get a serious response to how much the country disagrees with the Nats.

42 comments on “Asset Sales delay? ”

  1. Richard 1

    You mean save a *minority interest in* a power company, although I guess that lacks the power of the deceptive rhetoric.

    Also, it doesn’t say a lot for how much NZers actually care that the petition is still struggling to reach the numbers it needs, even after all this time. Apparently NZers care substantially less about this than they did about the “right” (yuck) to physically abuse their children.

    Not that the left cared about that petition. Goose. Gander. Etc.

    • QoT 1.1

      Sadly, the leftwing lacks nice big institutions with buildings and the social pressure to show up and listen to the dude at the front every Sunday to prove you’re a good person.

      • Richard 1.1.1

        Ratana.

        The Pacific Island religious communities of South Auckland.

        The Salvation Army.

        • QoT 1.1.1.1

          Ooooh, you got me, there are some religious institutions which could also be termed vaguely left-leaning, and I’m sure you can give us a citation any second now for their organised campaigns to trick people into signing the asset sales petition by using deliberately-confusing language.

          • Richard 1.1.1.1.1

            Here’s an example.

            “Strong endorsements have been received from the New Zealand Labour Party, the Mana Movement, the Green Party, New Zealand First, the Alliance, the Council of Trade Unions, the CTU Runanga Kaimahi Maori, the Unite Union, MUNZ, the Working Womens Resource Centre, We are the University, the Tamaki Housing Action Group, ***Kia Maia Ratana Church***, Climate Justice Aotearoa, the Migrant Workers Association and Socialist Aotearoa. Members of these groups are encouraged to attend with friends and supporters.”

            I’m sure Ratana’s support at no point amounted to endorsing the petition to their congregation, since churches using their moral sway to dictate political action is a terrible abuse of their position.

            I dislike religious organisations endorsing political positions generally. This is no different.

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.1.1.1

              since churches using their moral sway to dictate political action is a terrible abuse of their position.

              Disagree. To make that statement you must think that churches have no relevant role or interest in the broad direction of society. However, the history of the church is steeped in politics and in the guidance of societal direction…the Vatican still demonstrates this amply in the modern day.

              • McFlock

                well, to be consistent it would be wrong for political institutions to comment on morality.

                Like, say, calling the sick and needy “bludgers”, or calling taxation “theft”, or opposing same-sex marriage.

            • AmaKiwi 1.1.1.1.1.2

              “churches using their moral sway to dictate political action is a terrible abuse of their position.”

              Churches help people find meaning and purpose in life. If you find a purpose in life and are committed to it, you act on it.

              Democracy is one of my core religious ideals. I arrived at through my church. I act it out through my church and my political action.

              I read a lot of shallow thinking on TS. Some comments are nothing more than “us versus them.” And “they” are always greedy, thoughtless, less than human. That’s not a political philosophy to be proud of.

              • RedLogix

                I largely agree with your view myself.

                However history has shown that religious institutions themselves can become a very powerful and reactionary source of political power.

                For instance; no-one had much problem with Jim Bolger being a Catholic to the extent that his belief may have informed his values and purpose … but what about the Catholic Church itself having the power (either through formal constitutional power, or some other indirect means) of dictating to government?

                There is a reason why we have separated the powers in the West.

              • Rogue Trooper

                i sorta fit between you two AK & RL

            • Dr Terry 1.1.1.1.1.3

              Richard – religious organisations should not, indeed, endorse political positions, as it were. On the other hand, religious organisations are shirking their duty if they fail to question “political policies”, that is, of any party.

        • risildo 1.1.1.2

          You forgot the exclusive brethren backing National

    • Bunji 1.2

      They’re going to take about the same amount of time to gather signatures I think. So I don’t know that NZers care “substantially” less about this.

      Adn that’s with a whole bunch of people saying that it’s too late, the legislation’s passed, they won’t listen etc, and not bothering signing…

  2. tamati 2

    Can someone in the know fill me in on the process of auditing the petition?

    Surely they don’t go through every signature and check that they are on the electoral roll?

    I’m guessing they take a random sample, (e.g. every 23rd signature) and check it corresponds to an enrolled voter, then multiply the proportion on valid signatures by the total number of signatures?

    The reason I ask is that I have seen several examples where the signatures would certainly be illegible, the person is under 18 and have had a few die hard friends sign twice because they feel so pationate.

    • Te Reo Putake 2.1

      Every signature is checked, tamati. Duplicates, illegibles and non enrolled are removed. Hence the need to get a few thousand more to get over the line.

      • Lightly 2.1.1

        Nah, they check about 10% and from that they apply an algorithm that tells them to very tight confidence how many of the total are likely to be invalid.

    • Fortran 2.2

      Tamati

      I have “friends” who have signed many times, including under the names of M Mouse and D Duck.
      They cannot all be checked – only a sample surely.

      • Hayden 2.2.1

        Your “friends” are arseholes.

        • georgecom 2.2.1.1

          I guess that will explain:

          1. The types of people who vote for National
          2. Why Key is still quite popular in polls
          3. The background of much of National Party economic thinking. Chief economic advisers D. Duck and M. Mouse.

          Do you and your mates also make up fictitious voters at election time?

          • georgecom 2.2.1.1.1

            and by the way, we will get the 400,000 signatures. I know of 4 petition sheets going to Wellington this week. I will be out collecting some signatures. Not hundreds but it will be a contribution.

            We will then have the referendum. Either you righties will have to spin things like never before to make asset sales palatable to the voting public or Key will have to start preparing his many excuses to ignore the petition results.

  3. AmaKiwi 3

    If this were Switzerland, we would need 25,000 signatures, not 310,000.

    With 25,000 Swiss signatures the referendum would be binding, not some piece of b.s. the government will ignore.

    I want democracy, not parliamentary dictatorship.

    • Akldnut 3.1

      +1
      There should be motion on the table to make these petitions binding if the number of signatures collected surpasses or equals the number required.

    • Lanthanide 3.2

      Then you could say goodbye to the “anti-smacking” legislation, and we’d also have 99 MPs in parliament.

    • Shane Gallagher 3.3

      You would probably get the death penalty back quick smart as well… It would also mean that a relatively small but dedicated minority could have a lot of power… 🙂

    • RedLogix 3.4

      You can have binding CIR’s … but you have to makes some other changes at the same time. For instance consider how in the USA simple sane gun control laws have been completely hijacked by a minority NRA.

      Consider how easy it would be to find 25,000 signatures in this country to bring about all manner of reactionary laws. I’d suggest you could easily find that many to bring back stoning of fornicators.

      • Colonial Viper 3.4.1

        With a fornicator defined as anyone having had sex outside of marriage…

        • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 3.4.1.1

          CV Ooer!! If they included that in the Olympics NZ would probably get a gold medal. I think our stats for short pregnancies for newly married couples used to be second to that other country, the bulwark of HMO or high moral outrage, the USA.

  4. Rich 4

    I don’t think combining with the local government referenda is a good idea. Firstly, I don’t think the poll can be combined – the rolls are different for one thing. Secondly, council election turnouts (and postal votes in general) are usually low, creating more of an excuse to ignore the thing. Not to mention that postal votes are a bad thing in general as they negate the principle of a secret ballot.

    National will probably try and make this a postal vote if possible.

    Before the next election would be ideal (which would have to be the case if the petition is filed before this November). That would maximise the indignation at the vote being ignored, which is the whole point of the exercise.

  5. Fortran 5

    The Nacts will ignore the petition anyway.

    • mac1 5.1

      Fortran, if they do, they risk a backlash from voters in 2013. For example, we Grey Power members approximately 100,000 strong are enough to tip a government in an election. The Grey Power movement is opposed to asset sales. No asset sales is core policy. Its advice to member voters would be pretty clear.

      It will be argued that voters whose petition signatures were raised by Green, Labour or Union efforts will not hugely support the government. But remember that opposition to asset sales runs in the order of 70%. There must be a number of National voters in that figure. How deeply would they feel about this issue? Enough to stay away as they did in 1999 after three terms of National and the dominant issue of the Max Bradford ‘reforms’?

  6. tamati 6

    I’ve had conflicting answers to my question. So nobody knows for sure?

    • One Tāne Huna 6.1

      Not you, that’s for sure. Luckily there’s an amazing site called Google, and I used it to discover the answer to your question in less than a minute.

  7. mac1 7

    tamati, I googled the question and got this from msn.co.nz

    “The Greens and their allies are close to collecting 400,000 signatures on a petition to force a citizens-initiated referendum on asset sales……………. a party spokesman told NZ Newswire……..

    The petition will be handed to the Clerk of Parliament when the 400,000 mark is reached, and officials will check every signature before the referendum gets the green light.”

  8. swan 8

    Cant wait to get my tranch, have put aside 10k for MRP. Hopefully it wont get delayed too much longer.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T00:25:24+00:00