Moving Collins on

Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, May 9th, 2014 - 89 comments
Categories: Judith Collins - Tags:

As Judith Collins enters her second day of lying low it’s instructive to look at the wider picture of National’s internal politics, in particular the careful way in which the establishment Nats are slowly and strategically removing Collins’ influence so they can ditch her safely.

They’ve shut out  Collins faction candidates from selection, and they’re quietly briefing against her. And not so quietly, according to Metro:

Two “senior aides” in government stepped out of the shadows to disclose how Collins is viewed by caucus, and then stepped back into the gloom whence they came. Various others offered various insights.

Even Tau Henare’s had a crack at her in public tweeting:

And Nick Smith (the numbers man for English’s faction – the dominant faction) took a coded but pointed swipe at Collins’ own numbers man, Simon Lusk, in a three news story the other night (Lusk is well known for his love of duck shooting).

They’ve also sacked Williamson who is part of her clique and they’ve turned some of her other supporters away from her (most notably Amy Adams).

It’s no secret that the small but vicious Collins faction has been worrying the rest of the party for some time. Fran O’Sullivan points to her sacking of John Judge as a reason for this, but Collins has caused many other, less public, ructions and her proxies, Cameron Slater and Simon Lusk many more again.

The difference between then and now is the Oravida scandal. It’s had the effect of both embarrassing the party and of weakening Collins’ power and a decision has clearly been made to remove her. The problem that the party establishment has is she is deeply embedded and still has strong support in some quarters. Not enough to save herself, but certainly enough to wreck the place on the way out.

The problem Collins has is this is a cold war being run against her and she has nothing but hot war tools. She knows full well that her leverage is slowly being taken off her but she can’t get the foothold she needs to stop it.

The way this is going I think there are three possible outcomes:

Collins will be removed, but it won’t be until after the election because it will be far too risky for the party to do so before that.

Or she sees the writing on the wall and accepts a deal to leave for an overseas posting.

Or she cuts a deal to stay and undergoes a rebranding from being the mighty “Crusher” to being a quiet, inconsequential, timeserver.

Whatever way it happens, Steve Braunias is right. The Queen is dead.

 

 

89 comments on “Moving Collins on ”

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  1. Puckish Rogue 1
    9 May 2014 at 11:09 am

    Keep dreaming, shes not going anywhere

    • quartz 1.1
      9 May 2014 at 11:19 am

      I hope you’re right. Every day she stays Key and the rest of them look a little bit worse.

    • Pascal's bookie 1.2
      9 May 2014 at 11:21 am

      Has Whale actually fired a shot yet, or is he still posting anon screeds from the lurkers he claims support him in email?

    • framu 1.3
      9 May 2014 at 11:37 am

      you know how not long ago all the talk was of the leaks and infighting in labour? – notice how its now happening in national? What does that say about this issue?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.4
      9 May 2014 at 11:41 am

      Stay loyal, PR. Judith is strong, but she has to move quickly to destroy these Quislings in the party. She’ll need your support.

      • Puckish Rogue 1.4.1
        9 May 2014 at 11:50 am

        I wouldn’t mind National moving a bit more to the right

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.4.1.1
          9 May 2014 at 12:01 pm

          What kind of lily-livered weasel equivocation is that? Are you on Judith’s side or not?

          • Puckish Rogue 1.4.1.1.1
            9 May 2014 at 12:13 pm

            I still think JC (has a nice ring to it don’t you think) should be leader of National (and the country of course)

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.4.1.1.1.1
              9 May 2014 at 12:26 pm

              Good man. Keep the faith.

            • thatguynz 1.4.1.1.1.2
              9 May 2014 at 12:39 pm

              Sigh, so political corruption sits fine with your moral compass PR? To the point that you are happy to have a corrupt politician leading the country (drawing the long bow of course that we don’t currently)?

              Just wow.

              If you have kids I’d seriously like to know what you say when they ask you why you parent the values (assuming you do) of personal accountability and honesty yet ignore it in those you vote for….

            • Tracey 1.4.1.1.1.3
              9 May 2014 at 3:02 pm

              it sounds like you recomment ACT for Ms Collins.

              N o need for nats to move right puckly, just vote ACT. their newest candidate is really inspiring in the latest electorate mag.

            • Ron 1.4.1.1.1.4
              9 May 2014 at 5:12 pm

              I think the age for crucifying to make a martyr is around 33 so Judith will miss out

              I still think JC (has a nice ring to it don’t you think) should be leader of National (and the country of course)

        • freedom 1.4.1.2
          9 May 2014 at 12:25 pm

          especially if they were standing on the Cape Farewell cliffs 🙂

        • meconism 1.4.1.3
          9 May 2014 at 8:28 pm

          They would be unelectable if they did that. So sure be my guest, suggest it to them.

    • Tom Gould 1.5
      9 May 2014 at 12:47 pm

      She is suffering a “health scare” which word has it is a chronic allergy to the truth. Sadly, it looks like it’s contagious and many of her colleagues are coming down with it too. Hope she’s feeling better after getting a huge does of ‘sunlight’ as prescribed?

  2. mickysavage 2
    9 May 2014 at 11:19 am

    It is interesting to see Slater’s response to all of this. He has taken to attacking Matthew Hooton, the press, National Party members and anyone else he thinks is responsible. At the same time he is busily trying to spin that Labour is the party in crisis when anyone with the ability of sight can see that suddenly National is in turmoil.

    National’s basic problems is that its foundations are constructed of sand. The party is essentially a hard right party with the best PR advice to try and make it look like something it is not. Once the reality became apparent the problems started.

    And suddenly the loss of 15 MPs is looking like a symptom of the problem and not the “rejuvenation” that it was painted to be. This morning’s suggestion that Parata is being lined up for the US ambassadorship reeks of cronyism and desperation.

    This civil war has been going on for some time. You just have to see the action taken against Simon Lusk and the response to Slater’s attack on Len Brown last year to see that all is not happy in the National Party.

    The past week has suddenly shown that Collins Slater and co are suddenly National’s biggest problems. Good effing job.

    • Tracey 2.1
      9 May 2014 at 3:07 pm

      is the prickly one just a benign spectator or a sign collins was in the wrong party?

    • Harry Holland 2.2
      9 May 2014 at 7:37 pm

      Exactly. Key, Collins, Joyce… would all be in ACT if they thought it was a viable route to power, but it’s not, so they body-snatch National instead.

      I wonder how Jim Bolger votes these days? It was said of a speech he made in Washington a year ago that “he used the occasion to vent about the perils of deregulation leading to the global financial crisis in 2008, on multinationals making billions and paying little tax, and the responsibility of free traders to be focused on people.”

      Talking about the 1027 deaths in a Bangladeshi factory through a building collapse he added:
      “My question is whether such tragedies move large corporates to demand proper standards, proper conditions for workers to get a lousy 58c a shirt for their work.”

      Imagine a speech from Key/Collins/Joyce containing such things…

    • Populuxe1 2.3
      10 May 2014 at 5:39 am

      Hard right? Hilarious. Compared to the US political spectrum the Nats would be centre left

  3. Weepu's beard 3
    9 May 2014 at 11:25 am

    The Braunias article in Metro – ouch! I can see her shredding a copy with her bare hands in that nice Maraetai home.

  4. tricledrown 4
    9 May 2014 at 11:32 am

    Yeah right duckitch poser.
    Aron Gilmore got the boot for not being a good enough liar.
    Collins is is the same slow boat to china.
    As I said earlier this year when National and ShoKey were lauding it over labour and the polls showed National looking like a 4 term govt as Mad Hater Hooten was skiting about on all Media.
    Give these arogant Turkeys enough rope and they will hang themselves.
    Cup of tea PR.
    No glass of infant formula.
    With crushed ice (laddy).
    Then theirs Banskies day in court.
    Former Police Minister in the dock not a good look from the party promising more accountability and higher standards.
    Then PinnoKeyio minister of brai n fades has to deal with Dot Com
    Then no doubt what so ever their will be a couple more scandals.
    What poisined challice will National have Drink from next.

  5. Will@Welly 5
    9 May 2014 at 11:32 am

    She will not sit quietly in the back benches.
    If she stays, her instincts will want her to cause mayhem. Would you really want that in your caucus? For Labour/the Greens/Winston/Mana it would be a dream.
    Let’s just assume she takes a risk, and resigns, the ambassador’s job to the USA is up for grabs. But she is reliant on the Nats winning. If the left win, and that looks more likely every day, then nothing is assured. Could the left really trust a loose cannon like that on the world stage? F#@K, I wouldn’t. At least with Parata taking the job, Wiri and his old mate Shane will be able to take Barrack out fishing – beats the hell out of fawning over a round of golf.
    That outburst on T.V. the other night has painted her into a corner where there is really no coming back from.

    • Roy 5.1
      9 May 2014 at 12:13 pm

      Her as a representative of NZ on the world stage is just too horrible to contemplate.

      • phillip ure 5.1.1
        9 May 2014 at 12:47 pm

        there’s always the annual helmet-hair competition..?

        ..she could take dunne/dung with her..

        ..as our male entrant..

        • yeshe 5.1.1.1
          9 May 2014 at 2:03 pm

          I see the Ambassadorship for China is coming up …. that would be truly hysterical !

          MRS JUDITH WONG TUNG TAKES BEIJING BY STORM !

  6. Jim 6
    9 May 2014 at 11:37 am

    ‘the queen is dead’. To quote the dead parrot sketch, ‘ this parrot/ queen is not dead, deceased and is still moving sometimes, just not when you look at it. The parrot/ queen is still sitting on its perch, its just not moving at the moment because its on holiday.’
    It does not suit the interests of the government or the opposition for Collins to go at the moment, so she will stay to face the slow release of information right up to the election. If all the information now available was in the public domain when Shonky made his initial decision to reprimand Collins rather that sack her, he probably would have sacked her then. Having defended her so far he continues to back her as the information that has come out so far lacks one king hit. This is fine for the opposition who can keep releasing more details right up to the election. Any king hit will likely be left until just before the election.
    What happens to Collins after the election is pretty much irrelevant to any one except her and those of her faction in the National Party who are not fleet footed enough.

  7. Lanthanide 7
    9 May 2014 at 11:46 am

    #3 seems most likely, with her scrabbling her influence back together over time. I think Joyce will be a failure as leader, leaving her the opportunity to beat down the also-rans like Bridges and claim leadership after Joyce loses the 2017 election.

    • quartz 7.1
      9 May 2014 at 11:52 am

      I’m not sure I agree with that. Why would they do all of this damage to her only to give her the chance to come back and exact revenge at a later date?

      • Lanthanide 7.1.1
        9 May 2014 at 12:26 pm

        All of these options require Judith to agree to them.

        She can take #3 and then slowly work in the background, playing a long-game to build herself back up.

        Taking knocks can often make people stronger in the long run. It appears to have worked for Cunliffe, for example.

        • quartz 7.1.1.1
          9 May 2014 at 12:41 pm

          Number one and two. It just requires enough time for them to bully or bribe her support base and damage her reputation to the point where she’s so weak she can’t stop them taking her seat off her.

          At that point if they’re in government she’ll get a nice government job somewhere, if they’re not she’ll get some directorships.

        • Puddleglum 7.1.1.2
          9 May 2014 at 4:26 pm

          Hi Lanthanide,

          I think there’s something in this idea but it’s something she should have started to implement before now. If she had offered her resignation when this first hit the headlines (and yet many in the media didn’t think that it was a sacking offence) then Key would have had to worn the consequences of any decision he made.

          If he’d accepted the resignation then she could have played the long-game, as you suggest, made ‘leader-like’ speeches from the backbenches and, when the time was ripe, rehabilitated herself and used her offer to resign as a sign of integrity.

          If Key did not accept her resignation then the heat would have turned on him as further revelations emerged and Collins could simply have waited for him to change his decision, if he did: “I have done nothing wrong but, as was the case when I first handed in my resignation, the decision is his as to whether or not he still has confidence in my work.”

          I’m just not sure that it suits Collins’ personality to adopt this long-game approach – ‘the lady is not for turning’ as her political model once said; which is a shame for Collins because the direction in which she’s heading isn’t helping her ambitions.

          Being quietly confident in her long-term prospects is the motivation she would have needed to take that approach but she seems locked into ‘fight’ mode and sees all events as direct head-to-head competitions, each of which she must win.

          Strategic retreats are not, it seems, in her repertoire. But you might be right and it could still be a viable option.

          • Hamish 7.1.1.2.1
            9 May 2014 at 5:46 pm

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greedy_algorithm

            A greedy algorithm is an algorithm that follows the problem solving heuristic of making the locally optimal choice at each stage with the hope of finding a global optimum.

            In many problems, a greedy strategy does not in general produce an optimal solution, but nonetheless a greedy heuristic may yield locally optimal solutions that approximate a global optimal solution in a reasonable time.

            • Puddleglum 7.1.1.2.1.1
              9 May 2014 at 6:35 pm

              Thanks Hamish,

              That’s a good way of putting it.

              I guess politics (and human social interaction in general) doesn’t exhibit ‘optimal substructure’ – where optimal solution of the overall problem comprises optimal solutions to its sub-problems:

              “Greedy algorithms can be characterized as being ‘short sighted’, and as ‘non-recoverable’. They are ideal only for problems which have ‘optimal substructure’.“

    • Ant 7.2
      9 May 2014 at 12:23 pm

      A significant part of her power and her following was built upon being a contender for the throne, her followers wanted to ride those coat tails all the way to the top. Going mental on camera to Sabin was the moment that she demonstrated she will never be PM.

      • Pascal's bookie 7.2.1
        9 May 2014 at 12:27 pm

        Yeah. Appalling judgement.

        And if you can’t handle twitter than that 3am phone call from the White House won’t be dealt with at all well.

        She’s over.

  8. Chris 8
    9 May 2014 at 11:49 am

    I remember Collins attending a small community meeting of mostly women to discuss a law change our group was opposed to. She spent the whole time belittling our concerns, every single one of them, wouldn’t engage properly at all, but at the same time constantly repeating how much she “loved” community groups. I’d never experienced behaviour so openly disingenuous. It was hatred masked with smiles. Coming from a government minister made it seem like she wasn’t human.

    • Roy 8.1
      9 May 2014 at 12:15 pm

      Loves community groups because they enable her to belittle people in person, perhaps?

  9. ianmac 9
    9 May 2014 at 11:54 am

    Reckon she will stay on a bit quieter. Keep her Ministerial folios? But as long as she stays she will draw fire. If still a Minister she is answerable. Once she leaves there is no way to question the PM about her actions.
    So please stay Judith dear.

  10. captain hook 10
    9 May 2014 at 11:54 am

    She isn’t human. Just a replicant manufactured in a secret laboratory somewhere. However that deosn’t stop her desire for having her ass kissed and and as much spending money as possible so she can overawe the masses.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1
      9 May 2014 at 12:21 pm

      Lots of Tory replicants around the place, the programming of the more recent models seem to be getting worse as well

  11. Sanctuary 11
    9 May 2014 at 12:25 pm

    Isn’t it funny how everything Cameron Slater touches turns to ashes? His compulsive need to not just play populist politics but to do evil – he wants to hurt and humiliate people so he can squirm in delight – means he’ll always fail, always be eased away from any position of any importance by people who are a little afraid of him but don’t rate him. If he had shown just a modicum of self control he might have had Len Brown, rather than just creating a backlash of utter revulsion at the detailed nature of his revelations. And the same with Collins – his love of sadistic machismo means he is over-reaching, again.

    • Ant 11.1
      9 May 2014 at 12:37 pm

      There’s a reason why those in National Party circles refer to him as Fail Oil.

      • Chris 11.1.1
        9 May 2014 at 1:34 pm

        Yes, but that only happened when he stopped reading his Daily Proverb posts.

    • lprent 11.2
      9 May 2014 at 12:47 pm

      Isn’t it funny how everything Cameron Slater touches turns to ashes?

      In many ways he is becoming Labours best asset. He is doing everything possible to ensure that the National loses the election.

      The point is that governments can lose elections easily (that an opposition wins an election happens far more infrequently). It is often the activist supporters and parliamentary members of the government who cause the disintegration through their excesses.

  12. Weepu's beard 12
    9 May 2014 at 12:30 pm

    Probably already posted but this from regular National government sycophant Frank O’Sullivan must be frightening for JK.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11250672

    The Government – on advice from the ministry – has also refused to release the name of the Chinese official as it doesn’t want to prejudice international relations.

    Saywhat? This dinner was supposed to be a “private dinner with close, personal friends” and none of the Government’s business, was it not?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1
      9 May 2014 at 12:52 pm

      The comments – and attached “likes” tell a story. Someone should tell Puckish Rogue – the enemies list is getting longer.

    • Treetop 12.2
      9 May 2014 at 1:22 pm

      Who is our ambassador to China?

      He could be summoned by the Chinese government to apologise and Key may need to make a trip to China. The trip will not be to apologise for a company, but to apologise for the conduct of one of the PM’s cabinet ministers.

      I do not think that the border official’s name needs to be known, they could not have envisaged being drawn into the mire of Collins.

      Collins has embarrassed the NZ government and the public of NZ.

  13. Treetop 13
    9 May 2014 at 1:09 pm

    When a person is being publicly humiliated, some self analysis is required before they can move on. A lot has changed for Collin’s career. Brown was publicly humiliated due to his private life, he got away with it because he is good at his job and his short comings did not breach the cabinet manual. Collins is not a good minister of justice (the Canadian judge showed up her double stardards) and when it comes to ACC nothing has been put right for sexual abuse survivors and those with complex physical claims.

    Collins has crushed herself.

  14. phillip ure 14
    9 May 2014 at 1:16 pm

    this is the sort of journalism the msm should be doing..

    ..shame on them..

    ..and good on you..

  15. phillip ure 15
    9 May 2014 at 1:21 pm

    given the recent trainwreck..

    ..shouldn’t we now call her ‘crasher’ collins..?

  17. North 17
    9 May 2014 at 2:36 pm

    Collins is the quintessential bully/thug who came badly unstuck by her own hand. Risible and completely predictable that she should now be crying in public so to speak. “Poor me and poor my innocent family blah blah blah”. Typical of the bully/thug caught out. It’s STILL all about ME and MY ENTITLEMENT. What a shit role model !

  18. Skinny 18
    9 May 2014 at 2:48 pm

    Joyce has been scamming behind closed doors & putting the slipper in to Collins for a long time. Political reporter Brooke Sabin is just doing his own man a favour so he can progress his career. Mike Sabin wants to take over the Justice, erode our rights further, make New Zealand a total police state. So siding with Joyce, networking with other MP”s to push the Joyce message in a sneaky cop fashion.

  19. cinesimon 19
    9 May 2014 at 2:55 pm

    I hope Labour can somehow try to force some it back onto her.
    She’s going to be instrumental in NZ becoming NZ again. That is, she’s the poster-gal for the direction we should NT be headed toward.

  20. Marius 20
    9 May 2014 at 4:20 pm

    ahahaa that nasty mouth when she’s flustered and angry. there really is nothing like a damned good squashing of a politicians ego to bring out the real personality. she needs therapy – lots and lots of therapy. it won’t work but at least it will keep her out of public for an hour a week – provided she’s not tweeting and twittering her way through the sessions.

  21. Tania 21
    9 May 2014 at 6:44 pm

    I really want collins to stay as she will be a reminder of how corrupt National is and the national will blame her for the beginning of the end for national

  22. dave 22
    9 May 2014 at 7:53 pm

    bing dong the witch is dead

  23. fisiani 23
    9 May 2014 at 8:56 pm

    Judith will be a Minister inthe next three governments. 50 50 whether she will be the next PM but my pick is Amy Adams.

  24. McFlock 24
    9 May 2014 at 9:08 pm

    damn – double post

  25. Penny Bright 25
    9 May 2014 at 9:14 pm

    Sorry about the length – but there is info here that nobody else appears to have yet published?

    Read for yourselves EXACTLY what Minister of CORRUPTION Judith Collins said to the China Executive Leadership Academy about corruption in New Zealand – then file under ‘You Could Not Make This SH*T Up’?

    http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/address-china-executive-leadership-academy-pudong-celap-china

    Address to China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), China

    “This is why I am glad to be speaking to you about the New Zealand model and experience for building a clean government. A clean, transparent Government that is free from corruption is one of New Zealand’s biggest assets.

    It is the New Zealand government’s view that having a clean and transparent government helps to build trust and support among its people. This allows the Government to act with confidence and purpose in developing policy and making change. This in turn allows the country, its economy, and its people to prosper.

    New Zealand is ranked first on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index consistently for seven years in a row. This reflects the integrity of our system and the people who work in it. It also means the people who live, do business and invest in New Zealand know that they can trust our laws to protect their rights and freedoms.

    Given this, it isn’t a surprise that New Zealand is also ranked first on the Forbes list of best countries to do business. We offer a stable business climate in which businesses and investors are well-protected.

    I believe these number one rankings -‘least corrupt’ and ‘best for business’ – are related. New Zealand’s transparency and lack of corruption are part of the reason we’re considered a great country to do business in.

    But creating and maintaining a clean government requires ongoing work and constant vigilance, and even New Zealand cannot afford to be complacent.
    In New Zealand we believe clean transparent government is built on three pillars: fighting corruption, having an independent judiciary that can be trusted, and a government that promotes transparency both domestically and internationally.

    Corruption

    Fighting corruption is not easy, it is a complex offence that is difficult to detect.

    Three tools are needed to fight corruption: Prevention, detection, and prosecution.

    The New Zealand model provides an excellent example of international best practice in using these tools.

    Prevention

    The first tool of prevention requires the development of a national all-of-government approach.

    New Zealand is currently developing an anti-corruption strategy that will assess our current systems, identify where the gaps and risks are, and create a plan for addressing those gaps and risks.

    The strategy will cover the prevention, detection, investigation and remedy of bribery and corruption across both private and public sectors.

    New Zealand also has a State Service Code of Conduct that applies to all public sector employees. This ensures public servants are aware of their obligations and boundaries.

    The Code is also available to the public, which increases the transparency and accountability of public servants and the public sector in general.

    Accountability is also increased through the use of public monitoring systems.
    We have two public sector surveys that monitor the integrity of the wider Government.

    The first monitoring system is the ‘Kiwis Count’ set of surveys. These take place four times a year and look at the public’s experiences and satisfaction with the public sector. The results of the survey provide insight into the public’s level of satisfaction with government services and can potentially provide an early indication of whether instances of corruption are increasing.

    For another perspective, we also survey public servants themselves. Every three years the Integrity and Conduct Survey measures the level of trustworthy behaviour observed by public servants in their organisations. The results of this survey have consistently shown a strengthening culture of integrity in the New Zealand public sector.

    The Government in New Zealand also works closely with civil society groups to help prevent corruption. For example, many government departments are currently working with Transparency International New Zealand (an anti-corruption group) to assess New Zealand’s governance frameworks.

    The assessment will consider every aspect of New Zealand’s governance structure and every aspect of New Zealand’s integrity and anti-corruption system. It will result in a report and a set of suggested improvements to increase the transparency of both the public and private sectors.

    We have found that engagement with civil society has helped us to promote clean government, increase transparency, and reduce corruption.

    Detection

    The second tool in the fight against corruption is increasing public education and awareness. People need to know what corruption looks like, and what to do if they see it.

    Corruption, by nature, is a surreptitious offence; it will always be difficult to detect. As with illness, prevention is the best cure. But where prevention fails, good detection mechanisms are necessary.

    New Zealand has a comprehensive whistle-blower regime that applies to both the public and private sectors. If anyone suspects that corruption is occurring, they are able to report this, anonymously, and without fear of punishment.

    The regime ensures that if someone reports serious wrongdoing (including corruption), they cannot be fired or mistreated by their employer, they cannot be charged with a criminal offence, they cannot be sued for damages, and they cannot be subjected to any disciplinary action. Importantly, these protections cannot be altered by employment contracts or other agreements.

    Another important detection-mechanism is an effective and comprehensive anti-money laundering regime.

    You may be interested to know that New Zealand recently overhauled its anti-money laundering regime.

    Many forms of corruption will result in illicit gains – for example, if an official accepted a $100,000 cash bribe to make a decision, the result is that he or she is left with $100,000 of illicit cash.

    This illicit cash will need to be laundered. Under New Zealand’s new anti-money laundering regime, banks are required to know enough about their customers so they can pick up on anything unusual in their customers’ accounts. This means that if the official deposited the illicit cash into a bank account, the bank would know that a $100,000 deposit was not normal. The bank is required to report suspicious transactions to the Police, who could then investigate the official’s corrupt behaviour.

    Prosecution

    If the Police do detect corruption, they need to be able to prosecute and punish this behaviour. Prosecution is the third tool used to fight corruption, but it works best with comprehensive prevention and detection measures.

    For prosecuting authorities to have the tools they need to tackle corruption, corrupt conduct must first be criminalised. New Zealand’s legislation ensures that a wide range of corrupt conduct can be prosecuted. This includes offences related to public sector corruption (including bribery and corruption of both domestic and foreign public officials) and private sector corruption.

    We carefully monitor these provisions to ensure they are modern, effective, and consistent with international best practice.

    In June this year the Government announced a number of legislative amendments to strengthen our bribery and corruption offences. These amendments will be contained in the Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill, which will be introduced by the end of the year.

    New Zealand’s public sector corruption offences are punishable by 7 to 14 years’ imprisonment. Compared to other crimes these are very serious penalties.

    In addition to these penalties, New Zealand has an effective criminal proceeds regime. Our legislation allows New Zealand authorities to freeze and confiscate the proceeds of corruption.

    A proceeds recovery regime is an important mechanism for taking the profit out of corruption and removing the incentives to commit such offences. ……………..”

    FACT: NZ has not yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

    FACT: Judith Collins ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ (needed before NZ can ratify the UNCAC) has not yet surfaced in the House, although she promised it would be in 2013.

    http://www.transparency.org.nz/docs/2013/Hon-Judith-Collins-Minister-of-Justice-Letter-to-TINZ.pdf

    FACT: NZ does not have an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

    FACT: NZ MPs do not have an ENFORCEABLE ‘Code of Conduct’.

    FACT: NZ Judges do not have an ENFORCEABLE ‘Code of Conduct’.

    FACT: The Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – which NZ continually leads – is based upon the subjective opinions of anonymous business people and is not worth the paper upon which it is written (in my considered opinion as a proven anti-corruption campaigner, and someone who attended their 2010 ‘Anti-Corruption Conference’).

    FACT: Transparency International NZ, gets most of its funding from Government Departments, an number of which have a vested interest in maintaining the rort and fraud that NZ is ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ – see for yourselves:

    http://www.transparency.org.nz/Partners-and-Sponsors

    Partners and Sponsors

    Cornerstone Platinum

    The Office of the Auditor General

    NIS Gold

    School of Government, VUW
    Ministry for Justice
    Statistics New Zealand
    The Human Rights Commission
    Ministry of Social Development
    The Treasury
    Inland Revenue
    Department of Internal Affairs
    Corrections
    Department of Conservation
    Ministry of Transport
    Civil Aviation Authority
    New Zealand Transport Authority
    Maritime New Zealand
    Te Puni Kokiri
    The State Services Commission
    The Ombudsman
    Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
    The New Zealand Defence Force

    NIS Silver

    Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
    The Serious Fraud Office
    Crown Law

    NIS Bronze

    NZ Public Service Association
    Sponsors
    The Gama Foundation
    In Kind Donations
    Bell Gully
    VUW School of Government
    PwC
    Deloitte
    KPMG
    Human Rights Commission Launch Day
    School of Government Institute for Governance and Policy Studies Wellington
    Wellington Girls College
    Thorndon New World
    NZTE
    Institute of Directors
    BDO Spicers
    Russell McVeigh
    Chapman Tripp
    Gibson Sheat
    Susan Gluck-Hornsby
    Chen Palmer
    Juliet McKee
    Claudia Orange
    Te Papa

    That’s just for starters …………….

    Penny Bright

    ATTENDEE: 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
    ATTENDEE: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
    ATTENDEE: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference

    2013 Auckland Mayoral Candidate (polled 4th with 11,723 votes campaigning against corrupt corporate control of the Auckland region)

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

  26. fisiani 26
    9 May 2014 at 9:36 pm

    Penny. Get a job and pay your rates. If not you will soon be homeless. Seek help.

  27. hellonearthis 27
    10 May 2014 at 1:14 am

    You missed another why that she may go, ‘health issues’ the other day on the news she said she had tests but it all seems ok. It could be a safe way for her to exit without National kicking her out our her quitting because of her actions.

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