Beyond belief

Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, October 13th, 2009 - 23 comments
Categories: maori party, national/act government, sport - Tags: ,

So, let me get this straight. Pita Sharples, treating his ministry’s budget like a personal slush fund, decided that TPK would give Maori TV $3 million to add to its bid for free-to-air TV rights for the Rugby World Cup.

That extra $3 mil made Maori TV the front-runner to get the rights.

Now, the Government has decided to give some undisclosed sum that must be in the millions to help TVNZ, in a joint bid with TV3 (who knows how that’s meant to work), beat the Maori TV bid.

I’m practically lost for words. This government, our supposed savvy businessmen who were going to cut wasteful government spending, is now giving money to both tenders for the coverage, bidding up the price against itself. This is ludicrous beyond words. All we need now is for Pita to throw another couple of mil from the TPK pot on the table.

The only winner here is the IRB that will end up getting paid more than the rights are worth because the government is financing both tenders.

What kind of ramshackle, seat of the pants operation are these clowns running?

23 comments on “Beyond belief ”

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  1. gobsmacked 1
    13 October 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Clearly the government needs more “purchase advisors”.

    (I’m available, reasonable rates, will need out-of-town housing allowance).

    • Rex Widerstrom 1.1
      13 October 2009 at 4:48 pm

      Great idea, gobsmacked. tell you what, I’ll nominate you.

      Did I happen to mention I run a small TV production company? Coz I’m sure there’s a few things you could then recommend they then purchase from me.

      Of course I’d need a decent “contingncy fund”. *cough*

      Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more.

  2. IrishBill 2
    13 October 2009 at 1:00 pm

    This has to be a joke, right?

  3. Scott 3
    13 October 2009 at 1:05 pm

    What a pack of clowns they are.

  4. andy 4
    13 October 2009 at 1:14 pm

    This whole Rugby World Cup is corporate welfare in the extreme.

    Winners: IRB, breweries, Fletcher construction

    Losers: NZ taxpayers

    • Lanthanide 4.1
      13 October 2009 at 1:33 pm

      I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the tourist numbers are, and how much they spend on accommodation and other tourist activities while they’re in the country. Generally these big sports events are always very lucrative for the hosting nation, and that’s why everyone wants to host it.

      • lprent 4.1.1
        13 October 2009 at 2:11 pm

        Provided you don’t live near the damn things. As far as I’m concerned Eden Park is just a random traffic problem that periodically makes it hard to find parking. Anyone who has lived around the park (or in my case grew up close to it) finds it a total pain in the arse that other people use, but don’t pay for..

        I’ve got an idea. Lets make it so that there are parking cards for locals. Then make the whole area a 60 minute zone with a fast tow-away from Kingland to Balmoral Road, Dominion Road to Morningside Drive.

        That should give a double benefit. Additional revenue for the local council and reducing the dickhead parkers who park over driveways and provide an incentive to come there using the trains and buses

        But in any case I have bugger all interest in paying for any sporting event from any source.

        BTW: I gave up being in interested in rugby and league when I stopped playing them

      • Clarke 4.1.2
        13 October 2009 at 2:57 pm

        It’s pretty clear that the only winners out of these events are the hospitality, accommodation and tourism sectors – if you’re a panel-beater in Papatoetoe you can bet your business won’t be helped one iota. So it’s an effective subsidy from 90% of the economy to the 10% that is set up to make money from tourists.

  5. BLiP 5
    13 October 2009 at 1:15 pm

    A “ramshackle, seat of the pants operation run by clowns” or a behind-the-scenes orchestrated looting of Aotearoa?

    • Clarke 5.1
      13 October 2009 at 3:00 pm

      … or a behind-the-scenes orchestrated looting of Aotearoa?

      This implies a degree of organisation and forward thinking that the National Party clearly doesn’t possess. I mean, have you met Jonathan Coleman?

  6. aj 6
    13 October 2009 at 1:36 pm

    One word: lunacy.

  7. richard 7
    13 October 2009 at 1:36 pm

    I agree Eddie. This certainly comes across as the government bidding against itself for the RWC rights. Has a dreadful look to it from all sides. I am a great supporter of the concept of Maori TV, but I don’t think thr RWC is using Maori TV funds as they were intended. Pita Sharples scripted apology was surely embarrassing for the Maori Party, and the whole affair embarrassing for the National Party.

  8. gobsmacked 8
    13 October 2009 at 1:56 pm

    It gets worse!

    Waatea News reports (on their blog):

    Associate Maori Affairs Minister Georgina te Heuheu is denying she failed to inform senior colleagues of Maori Television’s 2011 Rugby world cup bid.

    Labour MP Shane Jones says Mrs te Heuheu needs to explain her role in the decision to spend $3 million of Maori development funds to prop up the bid for free to air broadcast rights.

    He says as the minister with delegations over Maori broadcasting, she should have told Finance Minister Bill English and Prime Minister John Key what Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples was doing.

    But Mrs te Heuheu says she wrote to Mr English on the second of September.

    “I wrote a letter to advise that the bid was imminent on the basis that my understanding was the matter had been raised earlier with the other shareholding minister,’ Mrs te Heuheu says. [emphasis added]

    She says because she is not a shareholding minister, she has no governance role over Maori Television.

  9. Greg 9
    13 October 2009 at 2:50 pm

    I agree. But Labour wasn’t much better. Funding Team NZ’s America’s cup campaign was a classic example. Now whats the justification for that?

  10. gobsmacked 10
    13 October 2009 at 3:44 pm

    Getting spicy …

    “Just before heading into the House today Mr Sharples talked to reporters, and was clearly furious and openly critical of National.

    He called what they had done lacking in “edict and fairplay”. He also talked about the possibility of private iwi funding to promote the MTS bid.”

    (Audrey Young, Herald)

    Fair play? Sharples should know his place. The cuddly mascot is supposed to shut up and wave to the crowd, not criticise the team tactics.

  11. George D 11
    13 October 2009 at 4:48 pm

    It just gets worse.

    But the suggestion that the Government sought confidential information on the MTS bid and then provided it to TVNZ and TV3 – insider trading is the word being used.

    from Audrey Young.

  12. kiwiteen123 12
    13 October 2009 at 8:46 pm

    A few things:
    1. Sharples was entitled as minister to spend the money at his own discretion and this is within this. All though not directly relevant to Maori Language and Culture it is not completely irrelevant.
    2. They have not given them money! (as far as I’m aware). They will only give the money when needed i.e if they win. The Government will not be paying double as some people seem to think (tell me if I’m wrong).

    • richard 12.1
      13 October 2009 at 9:14 pm

      1. The RWC is an event of great interest to a large number of NZers. Free to Air broadcast of these games should not be paid for at the expense of promoting Maori language and culture. I still fail to see how this could possibly be seen as major promotion of Maori language and culture. Imagine if the money had been TAKEN from Maori Television by the broadcasting minsiter to fund free to air coverage.
      2. Of course they will not be paying double, but they might be paying a lot more because they (the government, therefore the taxpayer) are essentially bidding against themselves.

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