Walking through the wrong door is the least of Gerry’s problems
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4:51 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 12 comments
Categories: christchurch earthquake, election 2014, Gerry Brownlee, housing, national -
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It’s not been a good week for Gerry. First he walked through the wrong door and caused a major security issue at Christchurch airport, and offered to resign to the PM – and offer that a number of commentators said the PM should have accepted. Perhaps more importantly, the people of Ilam agree. Now, he’s have trouble with basic maths. In response to a story about the slow rate of the rebuild, Brownlee said this:
It was estimated that 1500 new homes were needed in Christchurch City between 2012 and 2016
He used this to try and say that the rebuild was actually ahead of schedule. This was an act of sophistry totally removed from reality. A Press article from March puts the number of houses being demolished in the residential red zone at 8000. That doesn’t include houses that are uninhabitable in other suburbs, which takes the total number of houses that have gone out of the market due to the quakes to somewhere between 11,000 and 12,000. Gerry’s figure of 1500 would mean that only about 1/8th of the houses lost in the quakes need to be replaced. How he could get to that figure is a mystery.
Throughout the last few years Brownlee has consistently denied that there is a housing crisis, despite almost every sign pointing to one. Just this morning, the Press reported that the average rent in Christchurch is just $20 a week less than in Auckland – an increase of 13% in the last year alone. Yet those who live in Auckland and pay Auckland rents also earn significantly more on average than people down here. But Brownlee – who is of course a landlord himself – has said that the market will sort out rents in the city. Well, the market has had 3 and half years to sort itself out, and it has led to rents getting to the point where they are really hurting our must vulnerable people. It’s time to admit that the market can’t solve this crisis.
James Macbeth Dann, Labour’s Ilam candidate
What we need in Christchurch is more houses, now. Affordable, well-designed, well-insulated houses. Lots of them. This is why Labour’s Kiwibuild scheme will roll out 10,000 houses in Christchurch in the first 4 years. People have waited too long for the invisible hand. Labour believes that the government has a strong role to play in alleviating the considerable stresses in the Christchurch housing market. Not only do National deny that there is a housing crisis in Christchurch, they have left the rebuild in the hands of a man who demonstrated at the airport last Thursday a level of arrogance that suggests he is completely out of touch with the people he is meant to be representing. While the PM may have chosen not to accept his resignation, the people of Ilam don’t have to: they have the chance to show Gerry the exit door on the 20th of September by voting Labour and voting for James Macbeth Dann.
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For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
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- Urgent wake-up call on climate
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- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
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- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
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- Climate Minister to see Antarctica research first-hand
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Countries have reached a deal on carbon markets at the annual United Nations climate change meeting (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Co-chaired by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and New Zealand’s Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts, the negotiations on Article 6 (carbon markets) concluded successfully with ...2 hours ago
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Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...3 days ago
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- District Court Judge appointed
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- Driver safety screens to be installed on Auckland buses
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- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
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- Better support for victims of sexual violence
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- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
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- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...5 days ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...5 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
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- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...5 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...5 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...5 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...5 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...6 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...6 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...6 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...6 days ago
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- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...6 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...6 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
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- Police stats show promising change
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- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...7 days ago
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The NZDF has been meeting with the US, UK and Australia to discuss advanced technology and spy tech. ...4 hours ago
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The new target will "set the expectation" that NZ contributes more to help developing nations move away from using fossil fuels. ...5 hours ago
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 25 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne The petroleum-laden dust has settled on this year’s United Nations climate summit, COP29, held over the past fortnight in Baku, Azerbaijan. Climate scientists, leaders, lobbyists and delegates are heading for home. ...16 hours ago
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Not only does Jerry Brownlee need to be shown the exit door on Sept 20, this whole pro wealthy dodgy discredited shoddy National/Key government needs to be shown the exit too. I most certainly will.
No its ok, the free market will provide.
The free market always provides for a demand in our society. That’s what we are told. Especially by the likes of gosman, srylands, farrar, key, joyce.
So why didn’t this free market government let the free market provide for property owners in the CBD? Why have they let the free market provide only for east chch?
something doesn’t add up …
“So why didn’t this free market government let the free market provide for property owners in the CBD? Why have they let the free market provide only for east chch?”
I think you know the answer.
For this government it is a truism that we cannot possibly let the already privileged business people fail (even if it means destroying the property rights of other business people) as that would be a disaster for all of us.
We can, however, let individuals, families and communities fail because they do nothing other than live off the trickling bounty provided by the country’s Atlases. No disaster in their failing.
The irony is that the Atlases are the ones who need to be pampered and supported for all of our sakes. Everyone else has to carry their own worlds on their own shoulders – or simply get crushed under the weight.
Of course it’s nonsense.
+11111
yup.
people trusted the “market” when they saw those Ads by insurance companies and decided to insure with one that promised no hassles and to put them first (etc etc)… see how that has worked out!D
Because the free market is perfectly happy to have 15 people in a house, with a rent of $2000 a week…
Not quite Richard…
The half of the free market that is the demand side is not happy to have 15 people in a house at all.
The demand side wants 2.5 people per house.
So where is the supply side to meet it?
… and so the fairytale comes to an end and the golden carriage turns back into the pumpkin it has always been ….
Use the mongrel teamkey mobsters words.
“It doesn’t stack up.”
Then the thick heads might get the message probably after the cow flew over the moon!
Key sent ‘one of the boys’ to do a man’s job. No safe Gnat seats in Christchurch now.
There is no depression in New Zealand;
there is no cowshit on our farms,
There is no depression in New Zealand;
we can all keep perfectly calm,
Everybody’s talking about Rock Star Key;
everybody’s talking about a Rugby Team,
And we’re as safe as safe can be,
there’s no unrest in this country
We have no earthquake damage,
we have no CBD,
we have no ECAN,
we have no environment, environment, no, no
There is no depression in New Zealand;
there are no teeth in our heads
There is no depression in New Zealand;
we sleep in a well made bed
Oh but everybody’s talking about Rock Star Key,
yes everybody’s talking about a Rugby Team,
But we’re as safe as safe can be,
there’s no unrest in this country
We have no deficit,
we have no poverty,
we have no 3rd world disease;
we have no equality, equality, no, no
There is no depression in New Zealand;
there is no cowshit on our farms,
There is no depression in New Zealand;
oh we can all keep perfectly calm,
perfectly calm,
perfectly calm,
perfectly calm,
perfectly calm…
(Updated from the 1981 hit)
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/there-is-no-depression-in-new-zealand-1981
Do you ever wonder just how many buried bodies Brownlee knows where to find?
The two signs that the housing market in Christchurch has lost its way is the size of rents and the fact you cannot build a house for less than half a million dollars and one hour travel to central Christchurch.
This is highly dysfunctional as explained by alain bertaud who is speaking around the country this week.
If kiwi build + new transport infrastructure means good family homes can be built for 3-4 hundred thousand dollars that are only 30 min from central Christchurch then the city becomes a lot more functional.
There are various new town possibilities that would achieve this.
I hope Labour is considering this.