How much is National’s Northland panic costing the taxpayer?

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, March 17th, 2015 - 147 comments
Categories: accountability, by-election, national - Tags: , ,

News yesterday that:

John Key shortens Japan trip for Northland by-election

Prime Minister John Key is to cut short his state visit to Japan to campaign in the Northland by-election.

On Monday afternoon Key announced that next week he will travel to South Korea to witness the signing of New Zealand’s free trade agreement, and then on to Japan for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But he admitted that the trip was shorter than initially planned to allow him to have a final push in Northland ahead of the March 28 vote.

So our PM is cutting short state business for the purposes of party campaigning. Since Key invented the whole silly hats game, I guess it’s fair to ask if he still gets paid as PM when he is acting in his capacity as Party Leader? If so, why?

Likewise for a horde of Nat MPs perhaps. From the same piece:

National has reacted by sending wave after wave of MPs and ministers to the electorate. Conservation Minister Maggie Barry visited the electorate on Saturday, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce visited on Monday (in place of Deputy Prime Minister Bill English) and Energy Minister Simon Bridges is due to travel to Northland on Wednesday. Along with the ministerial visits, a number of backbench MPs have also travelled to Northland, appearing to provide assistance for Osborne on the road. A Beehive staffer from Local Government Minister Paula Bennett’s office is on leave providing assistance full time.
…
[Key] dismissed questions about whether the resource National was throwing into the by-election – during a period when Parliament is sitting – saying all travel was within the rules and Peters had been absent from Parliament all of last week. “The rules are really, really clear. A minister is free to use both air travel and ground travel any time they want, and in the middle of an election campaign, I’d use my ministerial limousine,” Key said. “MPs are free to fly any time they want, there are no restrictions and Parliamentary purposes required.”

Once the dust has settled someone needs to put in an OIA and find out how much National’s Northland panic ended up costing the taxpayer. It may all be within the letter of the rules, but these are certainly the sorts of questions that Nats like to ask of other parties, so let’s ask them back.

147 comments on “How much is National’s Northland panic costing the taxpayer? ”

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  1. dv 1
    17 March 2015 at 8:04 am

    AND the million dollars on the election itself.

  2. ScottGN 2
    17 March 2015 at 8:17 am

    Ha! Paula Bennett and Maggie Barry waving to the Northland serfs from the back of their Crown Limos as they pick their way through the pot-holes on SH1. That’s really going to get the vote out, you’re a genius Steven Joyce.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 2.1
      17 March 2015 at 9:09 am

      I like the one where he justifies the absence of his MPs and ministers from parliament by saying ‘Peters has been absent too’

      hello, hes a candidate. Didnt know the others were?

      • Old Mickey 2.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 12:05 pm

        Isn’t the house in recess at the moment ?

        • mary_a 2.1.1.2
          17 March 2015 at 5:45 pm

          @Old Mickey (2.1.1)

          Not at the moment. Parliament returned last week Tues 10 March, but will go back into recess again, when the school holidays start at Easter!

          However maybe a turn of events after the Northland by-election, might change things somewhat, as government MPs become somewhat uncomfortable, unable to enjoy their time out! Oh dear, what a shame, never mind!

    • Simple Simon 2.2
      17 March 2015 at 9:44 am

      Yea, Baula Pennett and Baggie Marry will really make Winnie smile.

      A couple of doozies those two.
      Neither likely to make one iota of difference.

      • greywarshark 2.2.1
        17 March 2015 at 10:22 am

        Well Paula Bennett is technically Maori, and that might count for something if people are naive enough to think she has fellow feelings for them. Maggie Barry can inspect the rose garden in Whangarei and pronounce it good. I presume they will have one, every town/city has one, or else I am sure that comfortable UNACT supporters will.

        And ghostwwnz – I wonder if the UNACTs have realised this important fact. Such facts such as that Winston is taking his Northland candidacy seriously and is entitled, even required to be in the electorate may not penetrate their addled heads. Or perhaps they are truly headless chickens.
        edited

      • David H 2.2.2
        17 March 2015 at 12:07 pm

        Both about as appealing as a shark circling. Hang on that’s what the Nats remind me of Sharks circling the helpless. But they don’t know Winston got shark Repellent and a bang stick.

      • mary_a 2.2.3
        17 March 2015 at 5:50 pm

        @ Simple Simon (2.2) Good one 🙂

        For the locals it must have seemed like a case of revisiting Halloween on a very bad day, when those two came to town!

    • Alfonso Peres 2.3
      17 March 2015 at 10:51 am

      Quite right, Joyce’s campaign skills are severely lacking.

      It really shows up just how awful the Labour party campaign team were at the last election. Though, to be fair, it didn’t help them that the party membership delivered them a complete numpty of a leader.

      • North 2.3.1
        17 March 2015 at 9:05 pm

        Joyce’s skills severely lacking ?

        Too right ! It’s the grey conceit that’s done it.

        Third-Termitis never goes into remission. Must be a bastard being God ending up as Sod !

    • Matthew Hooton 2.4
      17 March 2015 at 5:08 pm

      I think it will get the vote out.

  3. Penny Bright 3
    17 March 2015 at 8:49 am

    What a delicious smell!

    The stench of palpable panic and impending political defeat as the fleet of National Government MINISTERIAL limousines frantically tries to head off Winston Peters’ ‘force for the North’ BIG blue bus….

    What high-level National Government attention is now being paid to long-forgotten Northland!

    And Winston Peters isn’t even (yet) the MP.

    Seems that the more desperately this John Key led National Government try to throw everything into winning this Northland BUY-election, the more Northland voters will ‘get the message’?

    That by voting Winston Peters MP for Northland, that will indeed send ‘them’ an historical message – they will NEVER forget!

    Buy buy ‘Brand Key’?

    Penny Bright

    • Rodel 3.1
      17 March 2015 at 10:25 am

      BUY – election-I like that Penny. Should be quoted nation wide.

    • greywarshark 3.2
      17 March 2015 at 10:26 am

      Yes Penny Northland will be sad when the election is over! The End of the Golden Weather it truly will be.

  4. ianmac 4
    17 March 2015 at 8:53 am

    Mr Key sounds a bit petulant doesn’t he?

    “Prime Minister John Key has defended his ministers’ use of the taxpayer-funded Crown car service to campaign in the Northland byelection, saying it was within the rules and all the Opposition parties were ganging up on National.” Claire Trevett.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11418214

    • mac1 4.1
      17 March 2015 at 9:33 am

      “and all the Opposition parties were ganging up on National.”

      John Key has done it again and played the “poor me, victim” card a second time. It is often a trait of bullies that they are also victims in their turn and often use that as an excuse for their own bullying and offensive behaviour.

      There’s another way to state this. The opposition parties are ‘competing with the government in a by-election’.

      It’s called democracy, John. The nail does not complain when it is hammered!

      • greywarshark 4.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 10:29 am

        mac 1
        +1 Fancy saying that when the Opposition opposes that somehow that is wrong?
        This is a very clear illustration of the fact that he doesn’t know what democracy is or knowing, had counted on not encountering it in its full beauty and vitality.

      • David H 4.1.2
        17 March 2015 at 12:18 pm

        It’s in the Air in Northland and the Beehive. You can smell it. It’s the stink of desperation.

      • Brian Biggins 4.1.3
        17 March 2015 at 8:38 pm

        Also often the trait of psychopaths: Deny, Attack and reverse victim and offender(DARVO).

        • ropata:rorschach 4.1.3.1
          17 March 2015 at 10:06 pm

          scapegoating/projection is also a trait of the narcissistic personality

          FJK’s sick worldview cannot comprehend the right of others to express themselves or to campaign fairly in a democracy.

          all must bow to Pharoah FJKey

  5. cogito 5
    17 March 2015 at 8:53 am

    I just hope that Northlanders will give the lot of them such a thrashing that it will go down in history. Go Winston.

  6. ghostwhowalksnz 6
    17 March 2015 at 9:05 am

    I notice that the ” rules” for ministerial cars say its “any purpose at the discretion of the minister’

    My recollection for maybe 10 years ago, was that it was for ‘official purposes’ only. Which meant they couldnt use it to go out for evening at a restaurant but could for an official function.

    There has been a slow creep over the years to ‘ anything goes’

    • ianmac 6.1
      17 March 2015 at 9:48 am

      Bill English used Ministerial car and driver to take him the short distance to get a haircut in Wellington. And the car was parked on a disability sign. He did because he could. Who would tell him not to.

    • greywarshark 6.2
      17 March 2015 at 10:31 am

      The entitlement of the elite type of governing, rather than the service of the people’s representatives to govern the country for and with the people.

    • Matthew Hooton 6.3
      17 March 2015 at 5:09 pm

      No, it has always been unlimited. But note the “at the discretion of the minister” – they are still accountable in a political sense.

      • North 6.3.1
        17 March 2015 at 8:31 pm

        You’re shitting too Matty?…….getting into the minutiae of the rule book what?

      • Matthew Whitehead 6.3.2
        18 March 2015 at 11:42 pm

        This is exactly why rules should, in general, be set so that they’re broken officially by the time people become justifiably mad about the behaviour in question.

  7. felix 7
    17 March 2015 at 9:14 am

    Wow. John Key really is throwing absolutely everything at this.

    He’d better win, eh?

  8. Melanie Scott 8
    17 March 2015 at 9:32 am

    People telling you what they dreamt about last night is really boring but I hope readers will indulge me. I dreamed that Mr Key was bitten by a crocodile that was in my care. Actually he was quite good about it. Perhaps I am a little too preoccupied with politics at the moment, but being a Northland resident it’s probably understandable. People came to lunch on Sunday and despite very different backgrounds, none voting National in the by election.

    • Colonial Rawshark 8.1
      17 March 2015 at 9:40 am

      What does it say about you that you dream of having pet crocs at your beck and call 🙂

      • Melanie Scott 8.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 9:46 am

        I know, it was a bit of a risk sharing this, but I thought it might be good for a laugh, even if only at my own expense.

    • ianmac 8.2
      17 March 2015 at 9:50 am

      Did he smile at the crocodile? (Historic ref.)

    • Naturesong 8.3
      17 March 2015 at 5:27 pm

      That’s ok, I have a reoccurring dream that Winston is Speaker of the House.

      • peterlepaysan 8.3.1
        17 March 2015 at 8:44 pm

        Now that is a dream worth sharing.
        Trouble is he wouldn’t do it.
        He is already having too much fun.
        Dammit!

    • ropata:rorschach 8.4
      17 March 2015 at 10:09 pm

      haha nice one!
      did your lunch include some of Northland’s mighty electric puha? 😉

      • Melanie Scott 8.4.1
        17 March 2015 at 10:23 pm

        No – I am a respectable grandmother and like many grandmothers, I sometimes like to tell bedtime stories. Here’s one I have been wanting to share for some time. There was once a well known chap who lived in a nice big house in Parnell, one of Auckland’s leafier suburbs. One day he went shopping with his wife in Newmarket. After spending some time in a shop looking at the wares on offer and after much deliberation, the man whispered to his wife, (but overheard by the shop’s manager) “Let’s not bother, we can get them much cheaper in Hawaii.” And that my dears is a true story. Now go to sleep.

        • ropata:rorschach 8.4.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 10:44 pm

          I heard a first hand account of a certain Northland Mayor’s misadventures on a cycle trip… the poor chap complained to the tour operator that he couldn’t turn the handlebars very far and the bike pulled to the left. The tour operator patiently demonstrated to his confused customer that he had the front wheel turned 180° in the wrong direction

  9. Shona 9
    17 March 2015 at 9:35 am

    i spoke to Maggie Barry at the Kaitaia market on Sat. morning. I fired a bunch of questions and facts at her regarding the RMA and broadcasting and i began with the debacle in Titirangi over the vandalisation of native flora. Her long term plan for National Radio ( public radio) is for Radio NZ to earn $5million a year and be self funding( private) by taking up broadcasting to the Pacific now that the Aussie Broadcasting Corp. has pulled out due to Abbot’s slashing of funding for the ABC. I was supposed to be highly impressed at the figure of $5,000,000. I wasn’t . Country folks maybe rough and ready but we ain’t all poor and none of us are stupid.

    • tc 9.1
      17 March 2015 at 11:49 am

      Someone needs to drill into Muggambarry’s claims about the RNZ self funding and broadcasting into the pacific.

      Be self funded and earn $5mill for the govt or does earning $5m get it self funded ?

      How about the costings on transmission footprint in the pacific on which satellite and extra programming costs to cater for the new audience in it’s own languages.

      maggie wake up I think i got something to say to you, it’s late september and you really should be back at school…another sockpuppet too used to having a script read into a camera. Come on MSM do your f’n job for a change.

      • alwyn 9.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 12:06 pm

        I realise you are usually a bit confused but are you really so bad that you think “it’s late september “? My, my, what have you been smoking?

        • tricledrown 9.1.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 12:31 pm

          Alwynger you to old and decrepit.
          To know.
          Plus right whyngers like you lack any humour.
          You lot think needs to suffer pain and punishment.
          Victorian morals and just brush any scandal you can’t handle under the carpet.
          Funny that coming from a party which is preparing legislation to prosecute those who coverup or fail to report child abuse.
          I think you better head on home.
          Back to the dimentia unit Alwyner.

        • North 9.1.1.2
          17 March 2015 at 8:29 pm

          An oldie, but a goodie, in a hoodie – “What have you been smoking eh eh eh! ?” It’s you sounds shit faced Alwyn. Forget about ‘faced’…….just shitting……

          Like Felix says…….The GodKey had BETTER win. Imagine the rapid devaluation of TheBrand if he doesn’t !!!

        • Murray Rawshark 9.1.1.3
          18 March 2015 at 12:53 am

          You didn’t understand, but I have a feeling that Maggie may.

          • alwyn 9.1.1.3.1
            18 March 2015 at 12:12 pm

            Good God, is Rod Stewart still alive?
            He was very much a favourite of my parents.

  10. Pascals bookie 10
    17 March 2015 at 9:43 am

    Big shifts on the ipredict stupid overnight

    https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=contract_detail&contract=BE15.NTD.NAT

    https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=contract_detail&contract=BE15.NTD.OTHER

    Nats well down and winston well up. Someone got their polling numbers back perhaps?

    • ianmac 10.1
      17 March 2015 at 9:54 am

      Never mind. Mr Key will be there to boost the vote in the last week.
      However, if National looses the seat what will it say about Mr Key’s pulling power?

      • Pascals bookie 10.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 9:56 am

        Nothing good, and he’ll have to to wear all the barely costed pork he’s promised anyway

        • NZJester 10.1.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 1:14 pm

          You think he will not find a way to cancel all those projects he has promised win or loose. They most likely already have the speech written about why the National Government can not go ahead with them and why it is the oppositions fault.

          • Lanthanide 10.1.1.1.1
            17 March 2015 at 1:37 pm

            They don’t have to actively do anything at all. Just put them as low priority in the government’s agenda and they’d be lucky to get a first reading before 2017. After the election, all prior promises are conveniently forgotten.

            • Pascals bookie 10.1.1.1.1.1
              17 March 2015 at 4:20 pm

              Only if they don’t want to win Northland back though eh

            • peterlepaysan 10.1.1.1.1.2
              17 March 2015 at 8:53 pm

              Some of those bridges had no priority according to the regional council, and I think only two rated very low priority status.

              Funny how the nacts knew more about regional bridges than than the regional council.

          • greywarshark 10.1.1.1.2
            17 March 2015 at 2:34 pm

            Hah 😛

    • RJL 10.2
      17 March 2015 at 9:57 am

      Alternatively, it’s an attempt to generate a story that scares voters into showing up and voting National.

    • mac1 10.3
      17 March 2015 at 9:59 am

      Advance polling in Northland so far- 1707 votes cast versus 798 in the General Election at the same time. More than double the 2014 rate.

    • Kaplan 10.4
      17 March 2015 at 11:45 am

      Perhaps Matthew Hooten would like to comment.

      • Matthew Hooton 10.4.1
        17 March 2015 at 5:12 pm

        High volumes on these questions today. Overall shift over last week or so suggests Peters perceived to be winning campaign. If there is an attempt to manipulate prices, it will tend to improve rather than weaken accuracy of forecast as it leads to more liquidity.

        See https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=browse

        • Lanthanide 10.4.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 6:38 pm

          Except when Whaleoil is doing it, so he can write posts about recent ipredict trends.

        • North 10.4.1.2
          17 March 2015 at 9:28 pm

          And liquidity would be the stuff down TheGodKey’s legs onto the clay feet Matthew…….? If it happens it’s gonna be hard to recover from. Those legs are gonna need to be very, very sprightly to dance over and around the knives. The greedies, the cargo-cultists just loved Madoff…….until he did it with their money. Are we looking at TheBadKey ? TheFoundOutKey ?TheMadoffToHawaiiKey ? Who is TheBabyKey pray tell ? Matty…….you there ?

        • Matthew Whitehead 10.4.1.3
          19 March 2015 at 12:02 am

          That is absolute crap. The accuracy of the forecast in the short-term is only improved by liquidity if *everyone* is trying to manipulate prices, and only improved in the long term if people lose so often when trying to manipulate prices that the amounts they’re losing by allow the other side to offset those manipulation attempts in the future- and even that only works if there isn’t continued escalation from people attempting to manipulate prices because they have enough wealth behind them that it’s just worth sinking whatever it takes on the chance they’ll push politics in their direction.

          This is why a market as a predictor is ultimately a flawed notion for political polling: because both sides of whatever the dominante political axis is would need to be equally funded for it to avoid any sort of market failures. You could take measures to prevent this sort of manipulation by single actors, but all that really does is force people to collude in order to manipulate the market.

          It’s good as an academic study or a broad indicator of what people want you to think they think, but it’s not necessarily an accurate reflection of what they really think if you don’t restrict the amount of incoming capital in some way, which again, just raises the barrier of difficulty so that only people with multiple payment methos or who load up their ipredict accounts sufficiently before the cutoff date etc… etc… can do market manipulation.

          This is why polling generally succeeds best when it tries to mimic the actual voting systems used, and any issue questions accurately inform the voter.

  11. Skinny 11
    17 March 2015 at 9:50 am

    Putting his Japan leg of his International travels suggests Japan are giving Key the middle finger for trying to do America’s bidding for a TPPA.

    It also suggests David Farrars polling is showing a grim result could unfold. No doubt Team Key’s paid spin merchants the NZ branch of Crosby Textor will roll out a trick or two shortly.

    Meanwhile Northland has been taken for granted, forgotten for too long. Not just their former MP, but another local member of the old boys network has been up to no good. Men of power versus youth & naivety, all treacherously covered up, hidden from the voters, regrettable, dollars to doughnuts a disgraceful outcome will unfold.

    • ianmac 11.1
      17 March 2015 at 9:57 am

      These days most regions are neglected in favour of big cities. I wonder what happened to those regional bribes that National dangled at the last election?

      • Skinny 11.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 10:30 am

        What’s hurting brand Key is they offered naff all for Northland during last years campaign. Settlings the Treaty, Another Toll Road and propping up and introducing more local charter schools, a continuation of broad band.

        Anything new now is just plain insulting and benefits Peters campaign. Saying Peters can yap on but doesn’t have the power to do anything, and then a week later
        Key threatens to pull the pin on a Toll road in the Auckland District. Especially when most Northlanders who don’t own a truck are more concerned about broken roads & dusty goat tracks in their own patch.

        Peters will force Key to go head to head and Key will take up that challenge his ego won’t allow him not too.

        • North 11.1.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 9:45 pm

          No ! Ain’tGotTheGutsKey will not debate Winston. He’ll snipe effetely from afar (“sookie sookie…….ganging up”) but he ain’t got the guts for face-to-face ! Why ? He’s TheGotNoGutsKey. TheCrosbyTextorConstructKey. Shitting that Winston’d make him TheDog’sDinnerKey. Je ne suis pas Winston (except on 28/3) but by God New Zealand needs him right now !

    • Tracey 11.2
      17 March 2015 at 10:03 am

      He’s spent more time in Northland than in helensville

    • rawshark-yeshe 11.3
      17 March 2015 at 4:07 pm

      Skinny .. is your last para a reference to some of the reasons the Nats are standing such an unsuitable and useless candidate ?

      Does he simply know too much and has to be kept close for his silence ? It puzzles me how they selected him.

  12. Tracey 12
    17 March 2015 at 10:03 am

    Hooton suggested on a thread here the other day that Something about Sabin might be due on 20 march hence national encouraging people to vote early. Can’t be bothered looking for the link… but it was in response to something I asked and he included “tick tock” in his response.

    This gem from the PM this morning

    “”I think it’s just bad practice generally to go back retrospectively.”

    Hmmm never pushed anything through retrospectively Mr key?

    And Mr Little said

    “a deal’s a deal”.

    Hmmm Labour wont be reneging on the contract with SkyCity if elected in 2017 then…

    • Lanthanide 12.1
      17 March 2015 at 10:09 am

      Name suppression for “A Prominent New Zealander” is scheduled to expire on the 19th of March, unless an appeal is lodged.

      I’d be surprised if an appeal wasn’t lodged.

      • Murray Rawshark 12.1.1
        18 March 2015 at 1:02 am

        I’m surprised that the 28 days was for an appeal to be lodged. It seems like a long time. I think I remember other cases where it’s been about a week.

    • Tautoko Mangō Mata 12.2
      17 March 2015 at 10:26 am

      “Prime Minister John Key has called for other political parties to throw their support behind another controversial change to the legal system. The National Party will introduce a new bill this week that will update section 171 of the the Crimes Act. As with the changes to the laws around covert police video surveillance, the Prime Minister insists that the bill be passed under urgency and apply retrospectively.”

      https://dimpost.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/key-urges-urgency-for-second-retrospective-validation-bill/

      • David H 12.2.1
        17 March 2015 at 12:41 pm

        Looks like they trying to get the Bills they don’t wan’t looked at too hard before they lose Northland and they have to do some real Dealing.

      • Tracey 12.2.2
        17 March 2015 at 12:44 pm

        Thanks Tautoko Mango Mata

        To repeat

        ”I think it’s just bad practice generally to go back retrospectively.” John Key 17 March 2015 RNZN

        • Tautoko Mangō Mata 12.2.2.1
          17 March 2015 at 1:52 pm

          … and the one that affected Kaipara

          “Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Bill

          Second Reading
          MIKE SABIN (National—Northland) : I move, That the Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Bill be now read a second time. Can I firstly just acknowledge all members of the Local Government and Environment Committee from across this House—in particular, the chair of the select committee, Nicky Wagner—for the diligent work that has been done, the very considered work that has been done, on a matter that is very complex. It is wide and varied in terms of the nature and consequence of the matters that the Kaipara District Council (Validation of Rates and Other Matters) Bill contains. It has been the subject of much concern and comment from across the district. So I want first to acknowledge everyone on the committee for the way they have got their heads round that.

          No one is a fan of retrospective legislation, least of all, of course, the MP who is required or is asked to sponsor that legislation. Having to retrospectively address failures of a council to follow proper process and meet the requirements of the Local Government Act is something no one in this House takes any pleasure from or takes lightly. It is something that, rightly, gets an intense degree of scrutiny—all that is available to this House, in fact.”

          http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/50HansD_20131113_00000016/kaipara-district-council-validation-of-rates-and-other

          • Melanie Scott 12.2.2.1.1
            18 March 2015 at 8:52 am

            It may be of interest to some, and Kaipara residents in particular who feel queezy about voting for Winston, to be reminded of the passage of that Bill through the house. Winston and NZ First opposed the Bill on principle, because it sought to legitimise retrospectively, the illegal and irresponsible actions of the KDC that National wanted to paper over.

      • North 12.2.3
        17 March 2015 at 9:58 pm

        WTF ? This is the present s.171 of the Crime Act 1961 –

        “171 Manslaughter

        Except as provided in section 178, culpable homicide not amounting to
        murder is manslaughter.”

        • Murray Rawshark 12.2.3.1
          18 March 2015 at 1:05 am

          Maybe the police will be allowed to kill people based in video surveillance? Given what happened to the bloke in Napier recently, I can see why they’d like that one.

    • Skinny 12.3
      17 March 2015 at 11:37 am

      I will give Hooton credit for showing good morality by not letting go of issues Sabin and another within the local old boys network of the National party have. And the chances of the name suppression being lifted Matthew are?

      Speaking of spin Doctors, catching up with my old mate Duncan Garner later today. He is doing a by election special for his drive time show. Be interested if he road spikes Peters bus or adds some turbo juice to make it hum? If it is the road spike may have to square up the ledger with an interview/my own snake oil of the blue ribbon set turning on Key at Sabin’s economic forum during last years election campaign. Bit of an inconvenience as it means a late start to sending off a solid comrade into retirement, we didn’t chose Saint Paddy’s day for nothing. Oh well for the cause as the Irish say.

      • Tracey 12.3.1
        17 March 2015 at 12:45 pm

        being well known is NOT grounds for an ongoing name suppression order

        • Skinny 12.3.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 1:05 pm

          It has been referred to as a personal family matter, which put in context well qualifies as Team Key knows.

          In other words: You know that we knew and you know we know that you know the by election will be over before you know you can possibly talk about it publicly.

          It’s insulting when you think about it.

          • rawshark-yeshe 12.3.1.1.1
            17 March 2015 at 4:09 pm

            @skinny .. especially when this is now the third election the silence has been kept about the ‘personal matters”.

          • North 12.3.1.1.2
            17 March 2015 at 10:10 pm

            Everyone in the North KNOWS though…….no one understands it’s shoplifting.

            Me and a cop I know very well and respect very much did the old dance around the bizo only yesterday. An excellent exercise it was too in no one saying and everyone knowing !

            And TheEmperorKey goes on thinking no one notices he’s in the nick ????

      • ianmac 12.3.2
        17 March 2015 at 3:26 pm

        Duncan Garner is an intense enemy of Winston’s. Almost obsessive in his pursuit of Winston way back when National were doing their hatchet job on him. How will Garner spin his current program. Let me guess…

  13. Clemgeopin 13
    17 March 2015 at 11:25 am

    NORTHLAND BY-ELECTION WATCH: [or is it BI/BRIBE/BUY/BYE election watch?]

    Winston is trying to win this by-election ALL BY HIMSELF and his bus, while a bridgeload of mustered Nats have been continuously descending on Northland day after day at tax payer’s expense of travel and time to beat the wise old man.

    It would be interesting to see how many Nat Cabinet ministers, MPs and others have been here or will be here in pathetic panic state to pump up their own O for awesome candidate and beat Winny.

    Here is my list so far. Please add to this list if you know of others:

    How many Nats does it take to beat an old man?

    1. John Key
    2. M Osborne
    3. Steven Joyce
    4. Simon Bridges
    5. Maggie Barry
    6. Paula Bennett’s staffer
    7. ?

    • Skinny 13.1
      17 March 2015 at 11:42 am

      Don’t forget to add Crosby Textor Auckland/NZ office.

    • Karen 13.2
      17 March 2015 at 11:59 am

      7) Chris Bishop

    • Red Blooded 13.3
      17 March 2015 at 12:05 pm

      Nikki Kaye and Alfred Ngaro were also at Kaitaia Market Saturday morning flanking Osbourne. With them and Maggie Barry he was well protected.

    • Clemgeopin 13.4
      17 March 2015 at 7:58 pm

      HOW MANY NERVOUS NATS DOES IT TAKE TO BEAT AN OLD MAN?

      [Updated list]

      1. John Key
      2. M Osborne
      3. Steven Joyce
      4. Simon Bridges
      5. Maggie Barry
      6. Paula Bennett
      7. Paula Bennett’s staffer
      8. Chris Bishop
      9. Nikki Kaye
      10. Alfred Ngaro
      11. ?

      P.S :
      Do let me know if I have missed any.
      Have Amy Adams, Mike Sabin and Bill English been there yet?

  14. fisiani 14
    17 March 2015 at 11:44 am

    It looks like Winston with the collusion of the Green and Labour and Mana parties may combine to poll more than Mark Osbourne for National. Four against one makes it a fair fight. Winston should win easily now that Prime has thrown in the towel. Make that thrown her towel to Winston.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1
      17 March 2015 at 11:50 am

      The treacherous voters of Northland are “colluding” against National 😆

    • tc 14.2
      17 March 2015 at 11:50 am

      diddums

    • tricledrown 14.3
      17 March 2015 at 12:01 pm

      Fisianil.
      Crying in your beersies already.
      Choking on your jerky.

      Democracy is a bugger for fascists like you.

    • freedom 14.4
      17 March 2015 at 12:16 pm

      You do realise your first couple of lines really make no sense?
      but that aside

      How quickly you forget

    • Skinny 14.5
      17 March 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Good excuse to take the rest of the day off Fisiani. Head to the nearest Irish bar, just leave your baby poo’s ACT yellow jacket at work.

      You will be in good company plenty of Irish can join you in solidarity about feeling oppressed and ganged up on. Just don’t mention anything anti Peters or you might get a crack, Irish and whiskey madness thing 🙂

    • McFlock 14.6
      17 March 2015 at 12:47 pm

      What? The most honest, popular and god-like prime minister in the history of the world, alongside damned near his entire cabinet and tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars in pork-barrel election bribes, all wafting around in their taxpayer-funded limos, can’t help an entitled nobody get elected in Northland when the previous MP had a pretty safe majority?

      Wow.

    • Tracey 14.7
      17 March 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Hilarious. Love your wit. Especially the way you use National’s past behaviour to mock them.

    • tricledrown 14.8
      17 March 2015 at 1:00 pm

      More bad news for National as they are using taxpayers funding for accommodation ,and transport while campaigning.
      Can it get any worse for National.
      Now in the UK coverup of child sex abuse by high ranking Tory MP,s
      All they way to Maggie Thatchers involvement.
      Even Whaleoil is getting stuck into the need for name suppression for the rich and powerful.

    • North 14.9
      17 March 2015 at 8:21 pm

      You sound bitter Fusey. All is fair in love and war Darling. Apparently your ‘PersonalOooomph!’ turned a mixture of 1,100 Labs/Greens in one lazy Sunday afternoon back in 9/14 – you can do better than this sookie sookie “Ganging Up Ganging Up” shit Fusey…….you’ve heard something devastating in your daily debriefing of TheGodKey have you ? C’mon, out with it Babe !

    • Murray Rawshark 14.10
      18 March 2015 at 1:09 am

      If you don’t like it Fizzy, select MPs whose activities don’t revolt members of the Northland community. If you can find any in your sick NAct party.

  15. greywarshark 15
    17 March 2015 at 12:44 pm

    Yek has been persuaded to pay due attention to no-account Northland. With the need to gather every vote, he may have heard this story I just came across. I was looking up Nigel West espionage author who is actually Rupert Allason a past Brit MP. I liked this piece from Wikipedia.

    He was opposed to ceding greater power to Brussels, in 1993 he was the only Tory who refused to vote for the Maastricht Treaty when it was made into a motion of confidence. The vote was narrowly won but Allason’s abstention caused him to have the party whip withdrawn for a year.[2] He left parliament after the landslide 1997 general election, when he lost his seat to Liberal Democrat Adrian Sanders.[3]

    He is widely considered to have lost because he failed to tip a pub waitress a week before polling day. As a consequence, fourteen waiters who were going to vote for Allason switched to the Liberal Democrats. He lost by twelve votes.[4]

    So paying attention to the small stuff is the order of the day for whoever wants to win!

  16. Tracey 16
    17 March 2015 at 12:56 pm

    “Last night English’s offices said the Finance Minister had no visits planned to Northland this week, but today he said he would be heading north in part to campaign with Northland candidate Mark Osborne.

    Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce, who is also National’s campaign manager, is in Northland today for what his office said was a mix of ministerial and campaign duties.” Stuff.co.nz 17 March 2015

    • ianmac 16.1
      17 March 2015 at 3:33 pm

      What hat do Joyce/ English wear when canvassing?
      And which hat will Key wear? Can he use Ministerial car/expenses as Head of National Party? Journalists could ask him on the trail.

      • North 16.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 10:24 pm

        WhichHat?Key’s hat ? Some unkind, sharp tongued friends of mine in Auckland would probably hoot – ” Oh Darling, don’t ya know ?………It’s a great big florid fucking vulgar picture hat with ostrich feathers……..”

        I could see that……..as a possibility at least.

    • Maui 16.2
      17 March 2015 at 3:42 pm

      “Today English said he did not know the cost of using a Crown limousine for the day, but would remain within the rules for using taxpayer funded travel. ”

      This bit cracks me up – sounds so dodgy: “We will follow the rules – whatever the rules are, we will follow them. There’s no question of getting around the rules.”

      • peterlepaysan 16.2.1
        17 March 2015 at 9:16 pm

        English could not comprehend accomodation allowance rules that every public servant understands.

        “It was a bad look” was his reason for “fessing up”.

        The reality was he deliberately rorted an allowance, that as an ex Treasury wonk he would have uinderstood.

        Since when has ignorance of the law been a defence ofbreaching the law?

      • tricledrown 16.2.2
        18 March 2015 at 12:09 am

        Double talking from Double Dipper

  17. NZJester 17
    17 March 2015 at 12:58 pm

    Unfortunately MPs get paid that rich man thing called a Salary instead of wages.
    They can work 0 hours in a week and will still get paid for it unlike those poor soles on 0 hour wage contracts.

  18. Craig Glen Eden 18
    17 March 2015 at 2:46 pm

    Even Prince Harry’s coming to help the National Party with some positive spin shit tax payer visit.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11418646

  19. rich the other 19
    17 March 2015 at 4:34 pm

    What will be expensive to the taxpayer is the cost of not reforming the RMA .
    Anyone who actually cares about our future should support loosening the noose around this country’s neck .
    Why should our young people be governed by this archaic , over powering piece of legislation .

    • Anne 19.1
      17 March 2015 at 7:24 pm

      And look what happened the last time the Nats. reformed the RMA in the 1990s. We ended up with the leaky homes debacle which the incoming Clark government had to sort out to the tune of millions of dollars of tax-payers money.

      • Hateatea 19.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 7:46 pm

        Might have been the Building Act or whatever it is now called that was responsible for the leaky homes debacle. The RMA covers matters such as external impacts of buildings such as parking, noise emissions, lighting (floodlights etc ) that would have environmental impact, waste water, stormwater and effluent disposal and is supposed to be an act that prioritises sound environmental practise (slightly sarcastic tone implied)

    • Tracey 19.2
      17 March 2015 at 7:25 pm

      cos before the RMA everything was just peachy keen…

      • Hateatea 19.2.1
        17 March 2015 at 8:10 pm

        Yes, the Town and Country Planning Act and all the other bits of legislation were so up to the minute and easily understood! (Heavy sarcasm)

    • North 19.3
      17 March 2015 at 10:31 pm

      And why should we listen to your “All Power To The Rich !” shit ? John/Steven/Rodney/Alan/Richard/David……..et al ?

  20. tricledrown 20
    17 March 2015 at 4:55 pm

    Son of a Rich pull the other.
    The young will need fresh water Fully grown 500 Year old Kauri.
    Short sighted Resource Wasters like your self will leave nothing no fresh water like the damage dairying has done no greenspace no fresh air etc.

  21. peter h 21
    17 March 2015 at 6:32 pm

    He has lost the plot, tv1 news, John the money trader stated gst on I Tunes $!.29 is 2 cents hope the music buffs keep him to that

  22. freedom 22
    17 March 2015 at 7:17 pm

    Mark Osborne has announced the Ten Bridges policy was entirely his own idea.

    Last week, Simon Bridges told Parliament he was working on the policy last December.

    Mike Sabin only resigned on January 29.

    ummmmmmmm 😕 😕 😕

    • Tracey 22.1
      17 March 2015 at 7:26 pm

      hmmmmmm interestng observation……………… so nats stood Sabin down (effectively) once the SST ran its article, but Key said he was still on Law and order… to look “tough”??

      • freedom 22.1.1
        17 March 2015 at 7:34 pm

        Three little facts that no matter how they try to spin them, cannot be reconciled.

        • rawshark-yeshe 22.1.1.1
          17 March 2015 at 8:02 pm

          Three little porkies … interesting …

          • freedom 22.1.1.1.1
            17 March 2015 at 8:07 pm

            http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/business/qoa/51HansQ_20150310_00000008/8-transport-minister%E2%80%94statements

            Ron Mark : Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can the Minister tell the House exactly when did he get the approval for the extra funding required for the New Zealand Transport Agency to replace the 10 one-way bridges on Northland’s twin coast highway—exactly when?

            Hon SIMON BRIDGES : This has been a matter I have been discussing with Northland since early on as a Minister of Transport, going up there in December and talking about it. Late last week a decision was made on this.

            and today in the House The Minister said the decision was only made last week, not the week before… who to believe -what to believe -do you believe ?

            Osborne’s claim to the policy
            http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/northland-by-election-osborne-lost-for-words-on-bridges-2015031718
            45 seconds in

            • Matthew Whitehead 22.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2015 at 7:21 pm

              To be fair to him, you can discuss something since being a minister and not make a decision about it until the end of the term, and both of those pieces of information taken individually are accurate.

              The question is really, how serious were National about this infrastructure project before the by-election started, is there any evidence to support that, and can they provide it?

              • freedom …
                19 March 2015 at 8:41 pm

                Many things when looked at individually are innocuous. A cancer cell for instance, can be completely benign if isolated from healthy tissue. 😉

                What I wonder is if, as you correctly posit, Osborne’s idea might have been developing before the extremely busy period of December 2014, why do only three of the ten bridges appear in planning documentation on the topic, such as Northland’s 2015-2021 Draft Regional Transport Plan?

                Or not appear at all in National’s own Transport Policy (page 5 is very revealing)
                https://www.national.org.nz/docs/default-source/PDF/2014/policy/transport-policy.pdf

                + Perhaps you have some views/info on the questions posted at 27 ?
                no-one else seems to be tackling them 🙂

  23. repateet 23
    17 March 2015 at 8:16 pm

    “How much is National’s Northland panic costing the taxpayer?”

    Here’s hoping the biggest cost is to the National party. In votes lost.

  24. Penny Bright 24
    17 March 2015 at 10:25 pm

    Checked with Parliamentary Library Services today.

    Seems that candidates in a by-election are not allowed to spend more than $52,100.

    How is National’s Northland candidate going to account for all the support he’s been getting from all the National Government Ministers and MPs?

    How are these ‘monies’ going to be sorted and allocated in a proper regarding candidate’s ‘donations’ and ‘expenses’?

    Penny Bright

  25. Sable 25
    17 March 2015 at 11:12 pm

    Sounds like old Shonky and his pals have a real bug up the cat flap over this one. Hope Peters kicks their asses…

  26. Murray Rawshark 26
    18 March 2015 at 1:17 am

    Even conservative people in Northland are likely to be revolted by the fake attention they’re getting from NAct. You’d have to be an absolutely degenerate retrogade Tory to vote for Osborne. I think those are the people who will vote for Winnie. That most of them will know about the circumstances around the previous MP will further damage National.

  27. freedom 27
    18 March 2015 at 11:21 am

    Yesterday, via their Northland by-election candidate’s own words, we were told that
    National developed a $69 million dollar bridge building policy based on his idea
    (45 seconds in)

    When did Mark Osborne, an Asset Manager for Far North District Council, have this idea?
    When did he share it with the National Party policy development team?
    What process was followed by National to research this policy?
    When did that process occur?
    What process was followed by National to plan this policy?
    When did that process occur?
    What process was followed by National to cost this policy?
    When did that process occur?

    We already have seen statements to Parliament by the Minister of Transport (22.1.1.1.1) which raise serious questions about the veracity of statements pertaining to the policy’s development but those details all stem from the initial question . .

    When did the ten bridge policy begin development?