Judith Collins had a shocker in Parliament today and her responses to questions raised more questions than they answered. The video of her refusing to answer questions follows. Her chances of being the next leader of the National Party must be tiny. Cameron Slater will not be pleased.
Some questions that arise …
Why won’t Judith Collins say who is the Chinese Public Servant who she had dinner with?
Can this official help Oravida’s product entry into China?
Has Judith Collins forgiven John Key yet for making her apologise?
Is she really surprised that the media should be reporting on an issue where at least the perception of a serious conflict of interest involving a senior Minister exists?
Doesn’t a minister have ministerial responsibility for handling their conflict of interest?
Did Collins talk with anyone from Oravida about having dinner with the Chinese Official before she left New Zealand to travel to China?
Does she realise that repeatedly saying “It was a private dinner and I have no Ministerial Responsibility for it” looks a bit suspect?
From the video, it is obvious to see and to hear that Conflicted Collins is in big trouble, as confirmed by her colleagues’ faces shoved deeply and diligently into their pretend paperwork while, next to her, Ryall is looking like a deflated balloon.
Why does it sound like she is digging herself deeper and deeper, into a larger hole of lies, with her venomous tongue?
The tactic was for Collins to state that the dinner was private and thus outside her ministerial responsibility and then have Brownlee defend that position though points of order for the remainder of the supplementaries.
Not sure if it was simply a tactic to delay for one question time session, or they are genuinely worried that once they customs official is named that an incredibly damaging relationship re: Collins, Oravida, Customs official that is greasing the rails for Oravida will become immediately obvious.
I’m hoping for the latter, because it will eventually come out.
Definately going to buy popcorn for the next time Robertson gets a question.
The thing is, say my husband was a director, one of just three, of a company, any company. And I was the Minister of Justice. well, I would be particularly careful, extra extra careful, that is, about any dealings I had as a Minister of the Crown, with that company in particular. I would be more worried about perceived conflict of interest around that company than about any other. I would go out of my way to not be seen as evoking Any conflict of interest with THAT company in particular, because that would be where I was most vulnerable to even perceptions of conflict of interest.
But what do we get from this Minister? No special reticence at all about THAT company: not an iota. Falling over herself to literally go out of her way to muss with them in particular. Not showing even the slightest reticence, going as far as and further than all her colleagues (who are also Oravida beneficiaries, through campaign contributions to the Nats) to deal with them, letting her photo be used to endorse products. Using her Govt Minister position to impress everyone on her husband’s behalf: officials, etc etc, all to pave the path for her husband’s employer, the business he directs, to make hay in China. And signalling to everyone around, Chinese officials and business people, and still signalling to us back here, that this kind of behaviour is somehow ok for Cabinet Ministers? That, somehow, because everyone in the Nats seems to be in it, all sucking on the Oravida udder together, so it’s fine?
At this point, you have to ask, how poor could a Minister’s judgement be? Or, how much interest did she and her hubby in fact have in this business and its dealings, that she would be so reckless? Or, how low have the Nat’s complicity and overall ethics slipped, that one so senior could think her peers behaviour is ok, and would sanctioned what she did?
Either she is very very foolish and stupidly fearless, or she is in it donkey deep. And surely, if this is the kind of behaviour that’s routine and ok in Nat land, we’d better send them a message. Collins and all her cronyist mates need a Big Fat Reality Check.
It is interesting that Collins is now taking religious solace for her huge troubles as revealed last Sunday in her attendance at the monthly combined Catholic mass in South Auckland.
May be the good God will bless her, forgive her sins and soon make her as pure as Saint Jude.
She may well be invoking God’s help to give her an excuse to not being able to say anything in the House. Then she can play charades during Question Time.
In my considered opinion, Minister for Justice Judith Collins is quite simply CORRUPT and should be sacked.
FORTHWITH.
New Zealand ‘perceived to be the least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Denmark, according to Transparency International’s 2013 ‘Corruption Perception Index’.
[Sitting date: 10 April 2014. Volume:697;Page:15. Text is subject to correction.]
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Justice: Does she know the name and employing department of the Chinese official that she had dinner with in Beijing on 20 October 2013 on her ministerial visit to China; if so, is the reason that she has refused to tell the House that information because she believes it is not in the public interest to do so?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice) : I have no ministerial responsibility for that matter.
Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This question was submitted in the normal way through the Clerk’s Office and to you. It was accepted, therefore the Minister must answer the question. She has ministerial responsibility.
Mr SPEAKER: Yes. I want to draw to the Minister’s attention the Standing Orders and Speakers’ rulings that say she has a duty to answer a question. That answer is far from helpful to the House. She can answer it in anyway she likes, but to simply say she has no responsibility when the question has been authenticated and processed to be placed on the Order Paper is, I think, most unsatisfactory. I will invite the member to repeat the question.
Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. What then does that do for the interpretation of Speaker’s ruling 153/1, which basically says that “The primary condition for asking a question of a Minister is that the Minister has ministerial responsibility for the subject matter of the question. If there is no ministerial responsibility, there can be no question. An opinion that is sought from a Minister must relate to a matter for which the Minister has responsibility.” Speaker’s ruling 153/3, on the same page, goes on to say: “The Speaker has no way of knowing which Minister is responsible, in the role of Speaker.” What I am concerned about here is that the only person who can fully know where ministerial responsibility stops and starts is the Minister themselves. If they say, in fact, they have no ministerial responsibility for that, in the past there has been a decision made that the public would make a judgment about that, not the Opposition.
Mr SPEAKER: The difficulty I have with that argument from the member is that there has been a series of questions now for some weeks and the Minister has on many occasions addressed the questions to my satisfaction. So I do not think at this stage she can now claim she has not got ministerial responsibility. I do not accept that. I can equally refer the Hon Gerry Brownlee to rulings, particularly to Speaker’s ruling 173/1. It is a relatively lengthy ruling, but I will read it for the benefit of the Minister: “A Minister must give an answer ‘if it can be given consistently with the public interest’. The Minister is instructed under [Standing Order 383(1)] to consider the public interest in framing a reply. In considering consistency with the public interest, the Minister may address such principles as privacy, commercial sensitivity, or national security. But, ultimately, the judgment of whether a particular reply is consistent with the public interest is for the Minister to make. It is not a matter for the Speaker to judge. Nor is it a matter for the member asking the question to suggest that because the member considers the matter to be a matter of public interest, the question should be answered in a particular way.” I am going to ask the member to repeat the question.
Grant Robertson: Does she know the name and employing department of the Chinese official whom she had dinner with in Beijing on 20 October 2013 on her ministerial visit to China; if so, is the reason that she has refused to tell the House that information because she believes it is not in the public interest to do so?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It was a private dinner. I have no ministerial responsibility to explain it.
Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. In your ruling on the Minister’s first attempt to answer this, you made mention of the fact that we have had a number of questions about this. You also granted an urgent debate, in fact, around these matters because, as was put in the question, this was a ministerial visit paid for by the taxpayer. For the Minister to now decide that she does not feel like answering the questions is not acceptable. It is a breach of the Standing Orders.
Mr SPEAKER: No, I cannot assist the member to that extent. It is certainly not helpful for the Minister to take this attitude, but I want to refer to two further Speakers’ rulings in this regard. Speaker’s ruling 173/3 says: “It is not obligatory on a Minister to answer a question. It is certainly customary but there is no sufficient reason for saying it is binding.” Furthermore, Speakers’ ruling 173/4 says: “The Speaker cannot force a Minister to give an answer to a question and has no responsibility for the quality …”. I think it is a very unsatisfactory answer that has been given by the Minister. I am not responsible for that. This House and the public will judge that for themselves. But I invite the member to now continue with his supplementary questions, and I give him one additional supplementary question as well.
Grant Robertson: Did she discuss with the directors of Oravida what the role of the Chinese border official was before she left New Zealand?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It was a private dinner. I have no ministerial responsibility for it.
Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Sorry, I thought my colleague was going to take a point of order. It was a very direct question, and it asked about an action to do with a particular individual, and it had to do with before she left New Zealand. It was nothing to do with something that actually occurred at the dinner; it was a question about whether she received any advice on this matter from the directors of the company before she left New Zealand, and it has been established previously in the House that she had discussions about this dinner before she left the country.
Hon Gerry Brownlee: Speaking to the point of order, Speaker’s ruling 151(2) is also quite instructive here, inasmuch as it says: “The Minister primarily concerned is presumed to be the person to decide whether it is a question related to that portfolio or whether it is misdirected.”
Hon David Parker: Speaking to the point of order—
Mr SPEAKER: No, I do not need assistance on that point. I think today we have moved well past that with my saying that this question has been raised in various forms now for some considerable amount of time. At this stage of the proceedings, for the Minister of Justice to now claim there is no ministerial responsibility is, in my mind, as I have said to this House, a very unsatisfactory answer. I invite the member Grant Robertson to ask his supplementary question.
Grant Robertson: Did the New Zealand ambassador tell her that he did not think it was appropriate—
Hon Annette King: No, no, the other one.
Grant Robertson: Oh, sorry, do you want the previous question?
Mr SPEAKER: I am inviting the member to repeat his other question.
Grant Robertson: Sorry, Mr Speaker, I did not hear you say that. Did she discuss with the directors of Oravida what the role of the Chinese border official was before she left New Zealand?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I took part in a private dinner. I do not have ministerial responsibility for that.
Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister has previously admitted in this House that she should have made reference to this in her report to Cabinet after she made her visit to China. What is the remedy for the Opposition in respect of serious allegations where the Minister will just not answer any questions?
Mr SPEAKER: The remedy available is for the member Grant Robertson to continue his line of questioning. I cannot force the Minister to answer the question. I am not responsible for the answer, but, as I said earlier, people will judge the answers for themselves.
Grant Robertson: Did she tell the New Zealand news media that she should have put this dinner in her formal trip report to Cabinet, thereby making it a matter of ministerial responsibility?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Actually, I should not have, because the Cabinet Manual makes it very clear that only matters of importance should, in fact, be put in. In fact, when I had a look at the manual, I noticed that actually having dinner is not something that anyone would consider a matter of national importance, unlike that member might think it is.
Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was a specific one. I asked whether she told the New Zealand news media—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! On this occasion, I am ruling that the Minister has actually addressed that question. [Interruption] Order! I invite the member at this stage to continue his supplementary questions.
Grant Robertson: Did the New Zealand ambassador tell her that he did not think it was appropriate for him to attend this dinner?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I have no recollection of the ambassador saying that to me.
Grant Robertson: Did Stone Shi ask her not to name the official who was at the dinner?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: This was a private dinner and I have no ministerial responsibility for it.
Grant Robertson: Why was she prepared to say that the official at the dinner was from a border control agency but she is not prepared to say which border control agency?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I advised the media because that was the advice I received from the Prime Minister’s office.
Grant Robertson: Was the Prime Minister wrong to give her that advice?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: One day that member might realise that Prime Ministers are always right.
Grant Robertson: Was the senior Chinese border official at the dinner someone who could influence whether or not Oravida’s products could enter into China?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It was a private dinner. I have got no ministerial responsibility for it.
Grant Robertson: Supplementary question?
Mr SPEAKER: I think in actual fact the member may well have found that his number of supplementary questions has expired.
Grant Robertson: Given the ridiculous answers I have been getting, I seek leave to be allowed to ask one more question.
Mr SPEAKER: No, I do not think seeking leave would be a good idea for the member. Because there was some confusion earlier, I will allow one more question.
Grant Robertson: Can she confirm that she believes she has no obligation to the New Zealand taxpayer to tell them the name of a senior Chinese official that she met with along with her husband’s fellow company directors at a dinner arranged before she left New Zealand, despite taxpayers shelling out $30,000 for her to go on that trip?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I have no obligation to discuss a private dinner not paid for by the taxpayer and at absolutely no expense to the taxpayer.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
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)
Judith looks increasingly upset. She must have a really, really, really good reason to refuse the answer given that the pressure must be immense. Maybe the answer would condemn her so she has to tough it out or surrender her portfolio. The Government benches are not cheering her on. Strangely quiet. It may be that those loyal Nats are finding good excuses to be somewhere else and thus avoiding contamination.
The apple never falls far from the tree known as shonkey corruptus which is a species that requires a lot of resources and favourable conditions to flourish and take over the surrounding environment.
The species is also known to thrive in clumps often working together and has a well documented behaviour of viciousness and diversion when found to be well outside its designated patch.
Looks like another hopeful who won’t make it into the “two bedroom motel unit” with Dunno”Smile&Wave”Keyo prior to September. Srylands and the fan club will be gutted.
Just Joyce and Keys left sitting in the jacuzzi.. pretty haunting image. Here’s hoping they’re avowed heterosexuals like the good Dr. Brash.
What would happen if at some point there is the overarching ‘appearance’ that the purpose of Judith Collins’ ministerial visit to China was ALWAYS to mitigate Oravida’s difficulties with getting its product into China ?
You know, if the striking commonalities seen in the Chinese justice system and the New Zealand justice system sort of failed to cut the mustard as an explanation for the personal presence of the New Zealand Minister of Justice in China ?
That would give the ‘appearance’ of cardinal sin, would it not ?
xox
Penny, I attended a public meeting of Transparency Committee and the chair, Suzanne Snively. She announced that the main issue was that there was not enough corruption to be found! The audience aceppted unquestioningly.
Judith Collins had a private dinner. Private. Not hard to understand
The Cunliffe was given $10,000 by two mystery donors. Who were they? What influence did they try to buy. What is their job? What is The Cunluffe hiding.? Why will he not answer?
No…Judith Collins (alone) insists it was a private dinner…but then she would, shouldn’t she?
Her demeanour and words make it clear she has something to hide…anyone with an ounce of commonsense can see that.
So this “private” mantra is all she has left. She’s looks pathetic and is clearly not fit to be an MP, let alone a minister (of Justice ffs!!!)
What a role model; what a fine, upstanding woman; what an embarrassment to all NZers!!
But then…she fits right in with the prevailing lack of morals and decency that this government and in particular this PM has shown for some time now.
Haven’t these people ever heard of leading my example? How they can lecture the rest of us on various moral questions (e.g. to do with social security) and behave like this I have no idea. Their children must be monsters if these were their parents and role models.
Apparently $30,000 of public funds were spent on her trip to China. Just because none of that was expended on the dinner itself doesn’t suddenly make the dinner private.
And if the dinner were private, why was a senior Chinese border control official Collins won’t name present at it?
“Judith had a responsibility when she was asked the questions not just to answer the question directly but to tell me and the New Zealand public everything that had gone on,” he said.
After her performance in Parliament yesterday, surely he has to sack her.
“Judith Collins had a private dinner.” – with oravida staff and chinese border officials
now – also keep in kind the claims or conflict of interest re oravida visit, that oravida donated to a charity which turned out to be the nats, that oravida donates big time to the nats, that collins attended a planned and announced visit to oravida, that oravida has pics of the nats plastered around their offices, that collins and her husband stand to gain from oravida doing well in china and that all of this happened on a taxpayer visit in her role as justice minister (not trade minister)
do you understand that? It would appear you dont.
if i drew two dots in front of you could you join them with a pen? – it appears you cant
Judith Collins took an official publicly-funded Ministerial trip and used it – along with her Ministerial status – for private meetings to advance her private interests.
So, your answer to Judith Collins’ corrupt behaviour is to allege that “Labour did it too.” Which just goes to show that when you wankers bleat on about personal responsibility, you’re lying.
So, just to be clear, you’re saying that Cunliffe admits an error and pays the money back, and Judith Collins and her close friends and family are above the law, and I’m saying that you’re a sycophantic hypocrite.
Sure, you can pretend their actions are equivalent. It’s an empty pretence, and demonstrates quite clearly that your rhetoric about personal responsibility is nothing but lies.
Collins is never going to be Prime Minister. She’s never even going to lead the National Party. Rotten milk stains something chronic, the Oravida stink lingers, and the longer she denies her tainted status the more the stain spreads. I’m loving it.
‘Private’ FizzyAnus – Judy’s loyal little soldier – you shoud be angry at Collins. She’s cocked up massively. Let you down. You know it. Worse she now compounds it by redoubling the arrogance, entitlement and exceptionalism. The very character flaws that got her in this shit in the first place.
I partly blame the likes of you FizzyAnus. Encouraged the prideful bully by your adoration you have. Fool, you’ve enabled her, fed her hubris.
Who you gonna choose when your other idol ShonKey Python smacks her down for welching on the contrition on his orders forced out like a stubborn stool ? He’s gotta do something. If he rationalises “not my ministerial responsibility” or sits on his hands he’s as good as licensing her to tell him to get fucked.
My God, you’ll need counselling Fizz. No worries. ACC funding in what after all is a train wreck. You’re lucky they’re not ‘private’ yet Fizz’. Probably tell ya to get fucked were they.
Obviously moderation is off duty. New Zealand really does not care who Judith Collins had dinner with. Grant Robertson pretends that it is really really important. Why? What interest does he have in winning in September. None. Who benefits when The Cunliffe loses? the Caucus favourite. Why is Robertson wasting time on trivial issues rather than the big issues that will win for Labour, Tax, Spend, Borrow and Nationalise.. Oh right I suppose I’ve answered my own question.
Oh FizzyAnus how come you think you can speak for New Zealand dork ? That’s Collinsesque to a tee. That’s ShonKey Python to a tee. Claiming to know, claiming to care. When it’s all about self self self. That’s the essence of Planet Key. You’re in for some sadness nutter. All your idols are crumbling. Goooooood job !
You haven’t answered your own question dork. You’ve just gulped in then spat out some of that stuff that resides in your nethers. Fool. Fuck Off to SlaterPorn !
Aw Fizzy, you win a free voucher for an hour of entertainment at the Gusher CBT club. People might not care about the name of a Chinese official, but they do care about corruption, and they do care about being lied to. Worst of all for you, they care about being treated with contempt. MP by MP, it is becoming increasingly obvious that your favourite party is a rotting zombie that infects everything it touches.
If Tories weren’t so stupid they’d be a lot better at corruption. Take Oravida, for example: it wasn’t enough for them to buy the National Party, they had to go and display their trophy photos for all to see, and now all that money, all those dinners, all that carefully nurtured greed, all for nothing.
Never mind, Tories, I’m sure there are plenty of non corrupt regular New Zealand milk export businesses who don’t need their very own Minister of Justice to get ahead.
do we think that the chinese government, authoritarian and brutal, doesnt already know who the official dining with collins is? if we believe they do, it cannot be collins desire to protect the official from its government.
I don’t know about that,
The Chinese government can be brutal. They may know, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be happy about the whole world knowing if all comes out in Parliament here.
Collins may not be able to protect the official, but she may not want to be the one who puts the boot in either.
That’s drawing a long bow. I doubt the “help” he provides Oravida will be as effective if everyone knows he’s doing it: that’s reason enough for anonymity.
PS: “Kim, if I help you in the future it’s better no one knows…”
Has anyone asked Judith Collins why the Chinese border official was invited to the “private dinner party between friends” when she had never met him before? Was it for services rendered on behalf of her businessman husband…?
Does that mean her husband might have paid for the dinner that she claims “she doesn’t know who paid for it”?
Judith Collins is corrupt .
Bill English cannot remember 21%
I’d say they both are road kill
Let alone Parata or that guy from Tauranga with no sense of NZ geography or parliamentary history
He was a crown prosecutor for gods sack
How many innocents got sent down and how many crimes got off ?
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Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
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That photo. sends shivers up my spine Micky !
Imagine crossing that !
Thanks for posting this.
From the video, it is obvious to see and to hear that Conflicted Collins is in big trouble, as confirmed by her colleagues’ faces shoved deeply and diligently into their pretend paperwork while, next to her, Ryall is looking like a deflated balloon.
Why does it sound like she is digging herself deeper and deeper, into a larger hole of lies, with her venomous tongue?
Saw question time today.
The tactic was for Collins to state that the dinner was private and thus outside her ministerial responsibility and then have Brownlee defend that position though points of order for the remainder of the supplementaries.
Not sure if it was simply a tactic to delay for one question time session, or they are genuinely worried that once they customs official is named that an incredibly damaging relationship re: Collins, Oravida, Customs official that is greasing the rails for Oravida will become immediately obvious.
I’m hoping for the latter, because it will eventually come out.
Definately going to buy popcorn for the next time Robertson gets a question.
If it was a private occasion then why was a civil servant present at the dinner?
The thing is, say my husband was a director, one of just three, of a company, any company. And I was the Minister of Justice. well, I would be particularly careful, extra extra careful, that is, about any dealings I had as a Minister of the Crown, with that company in particular. I would be more worried about perceived conflict of interest around that company than about any other. I would go out of my way to not be seen as evoking Any conflict of interest with THAT company in particular, because that would be where I was most vulnerable to even perceptions of conflict of interest.
But what do we get from this Minister? No special reticence at all about THAT company: not an iota. Falling over herself to literally go out of her way to muss with them in particular. Not showing even the slightest reticence, going as far as and further than all her colleagues (who are also Oravida beneficiaries, through campaign contributions to the Nats) to deal with them, letting her photo be used to endorse products. Using her Govt Minister position to impress everyone on her husband’s behalf: officials, etc etc, all to pave the path for her husband’s employer, the business he directs, to make hay in China. And signalling to everyone around, Chinese officials and business people, and still signalling to us back here, that this kind of behaviour is somehow ok for Cabinet Ministers? That, somehow, because everyone in the Nats seems to be in it, all sucking on the Oravida udder together, so it’s fine?
At this point, you have to ask, how poor could a Minister’s judgement be? Or, how much interest did she and her hubby in fact have in this business and its dealings, that she would be so reckless? Or, how low have the Nat’s complicity and overall ethics slipped, that one so senior could think her peers behaviour is ok, and would sanctioned what she did?
Either she is very very foolish and stupidly fearless, or she is in it donkey deep. And surely, if this is the kind of behaviour that’s routine and ok in Nat land, we’d better send them a message. Collins and all her cronyist mates need a Big Fat Reality Check.
Donkey deep is exactly the phrase that came to mind while listening to Collins’ miserable attempts to hide the truth today.
It is interesting that Collins is now taking religious solace for her huge troubles as revealed last Sunday in her attendance at the monthly combined Catholic mass in South Auckland.
May be the good God will bless her, forgive her sins and soon make her as pure as Saint Jude.
Here is her visit to the Almighty. She needs all the help she can get:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Politicians-chase-Pacific-vote-at-church-service/tabid/1607/articleID/339005/Default.aspx
She may well be invoking God’s help to give her an excuse to not being able to say anything in the House. Then she can play charades during Question Time.
its not very nice when spoiled brats get their comeuppance.
In my considered opinion, Minister for Justice Judith Collins is quite simply CORRUPT and should be sacked.
FORTHWITH.
New Zealand ‘perceived to be the least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Denmark, according to Transparency International’s 2013 ‘Corruption Perception Index’.
What a load of steaming BULLSH*T!
Seen this?
Where’s the Taxpayers’ Union on this one?
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/business/qoa/50HansQ_20140410_00000012/12-justice-minister%E2%80%94visit-to-china
Justice, Minister—Visit to China
[Sitting date: 10 April 2014. Volume:697;Page:15. Text is subject to correction.]
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Justice: Does she know the name and employing department of the Chinese official that she had dinner with in Beijing on 20 October 2013 on her ministerial visit to China; if so, is the reason that she has refused to tell the House that information because she believes it is not in the public interest to do so?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice) : I have no ministerial responsibility for that matter.
Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This question was submitted in the normal way through the Clerk’s Office and to you. It was accepted, therefore the Minister must answer the question. She has ministerial responsibility.
Mr SPEAKER: Yes. I want to draw to the Minister’s attention the Standing Orders and Speakers’ rulings that say she has a duty to answer a question. That answer is far from helpful to the House. She can answer it in anyway she likes, but to simply say she has no responsibility when the question has been authenticated and processed to be placed on the Order Paper is, I think, most unsatisfactory. I will invite the member to repeat the question.
Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. What then does that do for the interpretation of Speaker’s ruling 153/1, which basically says that “The primary condition for asking a question of a Minister is that the Minister has ministerial responsibility for the subject matter of the question. If there is no ministerial responsibility, there can be no question. An opinion that is sought from a Minister must relate to a matter for which the Minister has responsibility.” Speaker’s ruling 153/3, on the same page, goes on to say: “The Speaker has no way of knowing which Minister is responsible, in the role of Speaker.” What I am concerned about here is that the only person who can fully know where ministerial responsibility stops and starts is the Minister themselves. If they say, in fact, they have no ministerial responsibility for that, in the past there has been a decision made that the public would make a judgment about that, not the Opposition.
Mr SPEAKER: The difficulty I have with that argument from the member is that there has been a series of questions now for some weeks and the Minister has on many occasions addressed the questions to my satisfaction. So I do not think at this stage she can now claim she has not got ministerial responsibility. I do not accept that. I can equally refer the Hon Gerry Brownlee to rulings, particularly to Speaker’s ruling 173/1. It is a relatively lengthy ruling, but I will read it for the benefit of the Minister: “A Minister must give an answer ‘if it can be given consistently with the public interest’. The Minister is instructed under [Standing Order 383(1)] to consider the public interest in framing a reply. In considering consistency with the public interest, the Minister may address such principles as privacy, commercial sensitivity, or national security. But, ultimately, the judgment of whether a particular reply is consistent with the public interest is for the Minister to make. It is not a matter for the Speaker to judge. Nor is it a matter for the member asking the question to suggest that because the member considers the matter to be a matter of public interest, the question should be answered in a particular way.” I am going to ask the member to repeat the question.
Grant Robertson: Does she know the name and employing department of the Chinese official whom she had dinner with in Beijing on 20 October 2013 on her ministerial visit to China; if so, is the reason that she has refused to tell the House that information because she believes it is not in the public interest to do so?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It was a private dinner. I have no ministerial responsibility to explain it.
Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. In your ruling on the Minister’s first attempt to answer this, you made mention of the fact that we have had a number of questions about this. You also granted an urgent debate, in fact, around these matters because, as was put in the question, this was a ministerial visit paid for by the taxpayer. For the Minister to now decide that she does not feel like answering the questions is not acceptable. It is a breach of the Standing Orders.
Mr SPEAKER: No, I cannot assist the member to that extent. It is certainly not helpful for the Minister to take this attitude, but I want to refer to two further Speakers’ rulings in this regard. Speaker’s ruling 173/3 says: “It is not obligatory on a Minister to answer a question. It is certainly customary but there is no sufficient reason for saying it is binding.” Furthermore, Speakers’ ruling 173/4 says: “The Speaker cannot force a Minister to give an answer to a question and has no responsibility for the quality …”. I think it is a very unsatisfactory answer that has been given by the Minister. I am not responsible for that. This House and the public will judge that for themselves. But I invite the member to now continue with his supplementary questions, and I give him one additional supplementary question as well.
Grant Robertson: Did she discuss with the directors of Oravida what the role of the Chinese border official was before she left New Zealand?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It was a private dinner. I have no ministerial responsibility for it.
Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Sorry, I thought my colleague was going to take a point of order. It was a very direct question, and it asked about an action to do with a particular individual, and it had to do with before she left New Zealand. It was nothing to do with something that actually occurred at the dinner; it was a question about whether she received any advice on this matter from the directors of the company before she left New Zealand, and it has been established previously in the House that she had discussions about this dinner before she left the country.
Hon Gerry Brownlee: Speaking to the point of order, Speaker’s ruling 151(2) is also quite instructive here, inasmuch as it says: “The Minister primarily concerned is presumed to be the person to decide whether it is a question related to that portfolio or whether it is misdirected.”
Hon David Parker: Speaking to the point of order—
Mr SPEAKER: No, I do not need assistance on that point. I think today we have moved well past that with my saying that this question has been raised in various forms now for some considerable amount of time. At this stage of the proceedings, for the Minister of Justice to now claim there is no ministerial responsibility is, in my mind, as I have said to this House, a very unsatisfactory answer. I invite the member Grant Robertson to ask his supplementary question.
Grant Robertson: Did the New Zealand ambassador tell her that he did not think it was appropriate—
Hon Annette King: No, no, the other one.
Grant Robertson: Oh, sorry, do you want the previous question?
Mr SPEAKER: I am inviting the member to repeat his other question.
Grant Robertson: Sorry, Mr Speaker, I did not hear you say that. Did she discuss with the directors of Oravida what the role of the Chinese border official was before she left New Zealand?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I took part in a private dinner. I do not have ministerial responsibility for that.
Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister has previously admitted in this House that she should have made reference to this in her report to Cabinet after she made her visit to China. What is the remedy for the Opposition in respect of serious allegations where the Minister will just not answer any questions?
Mr SPEAKER: The remedy available is for the member Grant Robertson to continue his line of questioning. I cannot force the Minister to answer the question. I am not responsible for the answer, but, as I said earlier, people will judge the answers for themselves.
Grant Robertson: Did she tell the New Zealand news media that she should have put this dinner in her formal trip report to Cabinet, thereby making it a matter of ministerial responsibility?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Actually, I should not have, because the Cabinet Manual makes it very clear that only matters of importance should, in fact, be put in. In fact, when I had a look at the manual, I noticed that actually having dinner is not something that anyone would consider a matter of national importance, unlike that member might think it is.
Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was a specific one. I asked whether she told the New Zealand news media—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! On this occasion, I am ruling that the Minister has actually addressed that question. [Interruption] Order! I invite the member at this stage to continue his supplementary questions.
Grant Robertson: Did the New Zealand ambassador tell her that he did not think it was appropriate for him to attend this dinner?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I have no recollection of the ambassador saying that to me.
Grant Robertson: Did Stone Shi ask her not to name the official who was at the dinner?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: This was a private dinner and I have no ministerial responsibility for it.
Grant Robertson: Why was she prepared to say that the official at the dinner was from a border control agency but she is not prepared to say which border control agency?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I advised the media because that was the advice I received from the Prime Minister’s office.
Grant Robertson: Was the Prime Minister wrong to give her that advice?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: One day that member might realise that Prime Ministers are always right.
Grant Robertson: Was the senior Chinese border official at the dinner someone who could influence whether or not Oravida’s products could enter into China?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It was a private dinner. I have got no ministerial responsibility for it.
Grant Robertson: Supplementary question?
Mr SPEAKER: I think in actual fact the member may well have found that his number of supplementary questions has expired.
Grant Robertson: Given the ridiculous answers I have been getting, I seek leave to be allowed to ask one more question.
Mr SPEAKER: No, I do not think seeking leave would be a good idea for the member. Because there was some confusion earlier, I will allow one more question.
Grant Robertson: Can she confirm that she believes she has no obligation to the New Zealand taxpayer to tell them the name of a senior Chinese official that she met with along with her husband’s fellow company directors at a dinner arranged before she left New Zealand, despite taxpayers shelling out $30,000 for her to go on that trip?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I have no obligation to discuss a private dinner not paid for by the taxpayer and at absolutely no expense to the taxpayer.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
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
Please Penny, we don’t need copypasta of hansard when a simple link will do.
The bit suspect that it looks, is a really really really BIG bit. So massive that it almost matches the size of her arrogance.
Judith looks increasingly upset. She must have a really, really, really good reason to refuse the answer given that the pressure must be immense. Maybe the answer would condemn her so she has to tough it out or surrender her portfolio. The Government benches are not cheering her on. Strangely quiet. It may be that those loyal Nats are finding good excuses to be somewhere else and thus avoiding contamination.
The apple never falls far from the tree known as shonkey corruptus which is a species that requires a lot of resources and favourable conditions to flourish and take over the surrounding environment.
The species is also known to thrive in clumps often working together and has a well documented behaviour of viciousness and diversion when found to be well outside its designated patch.
Higher standards in 3 2 1…….still waiting
Looks like another hopeful who won’t make it into the “two bedroom motel unit” with Dunno”Smile&Wave”Keyo prior to September. Srylands and the fan club will be gutted.
Just Joyce and Keys left sitting in the jacuzzi.. pretty haunting image. Here’s hoping they’re avowed heterosexuals like the good Dr. Brash.
What would happen if at some point there is the overarching ‘appearance’ that the purpose of Judith Collins’ ministerial visit to China was ALWAYS to mitigate Oravida’s difficulties with getting its product into China ?
You know, if the striking commonalities seen in the Chinese justice system and the New Zealand justice system sort of failed to cut the mustard as an explanation for the personal presence of the New Zealand Minister of Justice in China ?
That would give the ‘appearance’ of cardinal sin, would it not ?
Just wondering.
PS……..apologies for the impertinence of the question.
Collins went to China to give a speech on anti-corruption – relevant to her ministerial role.
OK. The question does not require an answer. There is negligible chance of irony of all ironies.
A speech on anti-corruption – that’s about as ironic as it can get!
xox
Penny, I attended a public meeting of Transparency Committee and the chair, Suzanne Snively. She announced that the main issue was that there was not enough corruption to be found! The audience aceppted unquestioningly.
Yes Mickey, those are definitely random and impertinent questions.
Not as impertinent as the incontinence of your response though Roflcopter.
Judith Collins had a private dinner. Private. Not hard to understand
The Cunliffe was given $10,000 by two mystery donors. Who were they? What influence did they try to buy. What is their job? What is The Cunluffe hiding.? Why will he not answer?
No…Judith Collins (alone) insists it was a private dinner…but then she would, shouldn’t she?
Her demeanour and words make it clear she has something to hide…anyone with an ounce of commonsense can see that.
So this “private” mantra is all she has left. She’s looks pathetic and is clearly not fit to be an MP, let alone a minister (of Justice ffs!!!)
What a role model; what a fine, upstanding woman; what an embarrassment to all NZers!!
But then…she fits right in with the prevailing lack of morals and decency that this government and in particular this PM has shown for some time now.
Haven’t these people ever heard of leading my example? How they can lecture the rest of us on various moral questions (e.g. to do with social security) and behave like this I have no idea. Their children must be monsters if these were their parents and role models.
Apparently $30,000 of public funds were spent on her trip to China. Just because none of that was expended on the dinner itself doesn’t suddenly make the dinner private.
And if the dinner were private, why was a senior Chinese border control official Collins won’t name present at it?
A month ago, Key said:
After her performance in Parliament yesterday, surely he has to sack her.
“Judith Collins had a private dinner.” – with oravida staff and chinese border officials
now – also keep in kind the claims or conflict of interest re oravida visit, that oravida donated to a charity which turned out to be the nats, that oravida donates big time to the nats, that collins attended a planned and announced visit to oravida, that oravida has pics of the nats plastered around their offices, that collins and her husband stand to gain from oravida doing well in china and that all of this happened on a taxpayer visit in her role as justice minister (not trade minister)
do you understand that? It would appear you dont.
if i drew two dots in front of you could you join them with a pen? – it appears you cant
You’re quite right fisiani.
Judith Collins took an official publicly-funded Ministerial trip and used it – along with her Ministerial status – for private meetings to advance her private interests.
That’s kinda the whole point.
But but but…”Hollow men!”
Hope that answers it
So, your answer to Judith Collins’ corrupt behaviour is to allege that “Labour did it too.” Which just goes to show that when you wankers bleat on about personal responsibility, you’re lying.
No my answer was that the left, when faced with any response to their claims, generally start bleating on about unproven stuff
So, just to be clear, you’re saying that Cunliffe admits an error and pays the money back, and Judith Collins and her close friends and family are above the law, and I’m saying that you’re a sycophantic hypocrite.
The Cunliffe refuses to name his donors. Judith Collins broke no law. Pot Kettle Black.
Sure, you can pretend their actions are equivalent. It’s an empty pretence, and demonstrates quite clearly that your rhetoric about personal responsibility is nothing but lies.
Collins is never going to be Prime Minister. She’s never even going to lead the National Party. Rotten milk stains something chronic, the Oravida stink lingers, and the longer she denies her tainted status the more the stain spreads. I’m loving it.
Naah its a beltway issue and JC will lead National one day
Being corrupt was once an impediment to leading National. Now it’s a requirement.
Plus 10,000 there McFlock. You’re a pussy if you’re an honest one. Not a mover and a shaker at all just a dick who people should scoff at. Sick aye ?
What’s that stink? It smells like dead meat in rancid cream. No, it’s just Judith Collins 😆
‘Private’ FizzyAnus – Judy’s loyal little soldier – you shoud be angry at Collins. She’s cocked up massively. Let you down. You know it. Worse she now compounds it by redoubling the arrogance, entitlement and exceptionalism. The very character flaws that got her in this shit in the first place.
I partly blame the likes of you FizzyAnus. Encouraged the prideful bully by your adoration you have. Fool, you’ve enabled her, fed her hubris.
Who you gonna choose when your other idol ShonKey Python smacks her down for welching on the contrition on his orders forced out like a stubborn stool ? He’s gotta do something. If he rationalises “not my ministerial responsibility” or sits on his hands he’s as good as licensing her to tell him to get fucked.
My God, you’ll need counselling Fizz. No worries. ACC funding in what after all is a train wreck. You’re lucky they’re not ‘private’ yet Fizz’. Probably tell ya to get fucked were they.
Obviously moderation is off duty. New Zealand really does not care who Judith Collins had dinner with. Grant Robertson pretends that it is really really important. Why? What interest does he have in winning in September. None. Who benefits when The Cunliffe loses? the Caucus favourite. Why is Robertson wasting time on trivial issues rather than the big issues that will win for Labour, Tax, Spend, Borrow and Nationalise.. Oh right I suppose I’ve answered my own question.
Oh FizzyAnus how come you think you can speak for New Zealand dork ? That’s Collinsesque to a tee. That’s ShonKey Python to a tee. Claiming to know, claiming to care. When it’s all about self self self. That’s the essence of Planet Key. You’re in for some sadness nutter. All your idols are crumbling. Goooooood job !
You haven’t answered your own question dork. You’ve just gulped in then spat out some of that stuff that resides in your nethers. Fool. Fuck Off to SlaterPorn !
Aw Fizzy, you win a free voucher for an hour of entertainment at the Gusher CBT club. People might not care about the name of a Chinese official, but they do care about corruption, and they do care about being lied to. Worst of all for you, they care about being treated with contempt. MP by MP, it is becoming increasingly obvious that your favourite party is a rotting zombie that infects everything it touches.
Releases and release fatigue..
how many times has she dined or lunch with the official who is a personal friend?
has he visited her in nz?
its funny watching fisiano of the shock horror signed a painting for charity sackable offence, defending collins.
If Tories weren’t so stupid they’d be a lot better at corruption. Take Oravida, for example: it wasn’t enough for them to buy the National Party, they had to go and display their trophy photos for all to see, and now all that money, all those dinners, all that carefully nurtured greed, all for nothing.
Never mind, Tories, I’m sure there are plenty of non corrupt regular New Zealand milk export businesses who don’t need their very own Minister of Justice to get ahead.
The unsavoury lease agreements for MFAT and the NZTE? Gone by lunchtime. Not the sort of people the Crown should be associating with.
do we think that the chinese government, authoritarian and brutal, doesnt already know who the official dining with collins is? if we believe they do, it cannot be collins desire to protect the official from its government.
I don’t know about that,
The Chinese government can be brutal. They may know, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be happy about the whole world knowing if all comes out in Parliament here.
Collins may not be able to protect the official, but she may not want to be the one who puts the boot in either.
That’s drawing a long bow. I doubt the “help” he provides Oravida will be as effective if everyone knows he’s doing it: that’s reason enough for anonymity.
PS: “Kim, if I help you in the future it’s better no one knows…”
Who paid for the dinner then?
Judith was asked in the House a week or two ago who had paid for the dinner and she said she had no idea, but added that the NZ Taxpayer didn’t.
Has anyone asked Judith Collins why the Chinese border official was invited to the “private dinner party between friends” when she had never met him before? Was it for services rendered on behalf of her businessman husband…?
Does that mean her husband might have paid for the dinner that she claims “she doesn’t know who paid for it”?
He was there to get the impression that Oravida is an important company that has its very own Minister of Justice. Think of the opportunities!
If you go to a ‘private dinner, and someone else pays.
Would you say Thank you
Perhaps not thank your husband though, but then you would know wouldn’t you?
Good line of questioning. Hey Grant… 😉
Judith Collins is corrupt .
Bill English cannot remember 21%
I’d say they both are road kill
Let alone Parata or that guy from Tauranga with no sense of NZ geography or parliamentary history
He was a crown prosecutor for gods sack
How many innocents got sent down and how many crimes got off ?