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9:31 am, October 11th, 2024 - 13 comments
Categories: act, election 2023, electoral systems, national, nz first, uncategorized -
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There was some interesting news in a recent Radio New Zealand article where links between donations to National, Act and NZ First and entities who are getting the chance to have their fast track projects being prioritised under the Fast Track Approvals Bill were reported on.
It makes you wonder about the right’s campaign last election and the rather odd coincidence that entities who are currently getting their applications included in the Government’s fast track lists were previously signficiant donors to Government parties.
From Farah Hancock at Radio New Zealand:
Companies and shareholders associated with 12 fast-track projects gave more than $500,000 in political donations to National, Act and New Zealand First and their candidates, RNZ analysis shows.
The projects include a quarry extension into conservation land and a development whose owner was publicly supported by National MPs during a legal battle with Kāinga Ora.
…
An RNZ analysis of donations shows entities and individuals associated with 12 of the 149 projects that will be written into the Bill donated to National or its candidates in 2022 or 2023. These projects will be assessed by expert panels as to whether they proceed through the fast-track process.
Two also donated to NZ First or Shane Jones, and two donated a total of $150,000 to Act within the same period.
Of course Government spokespeople think that this unusual coincidence is nothing to worry about. According to Shane Jones all is ok since the donations have been reported.
In the event that entities donate to political parties, those donations are declared through the statutory process. I think it’s getting quite tiresome that people immediately leap toward the conclusion that something vile has happened.”
Has something vile happened? As reported by RNZ a big chunk of the donations that were made can be traced to Winton Land Limited. In the two years leading up to the election related entities gave $50,000 to Act and $156,154 to National.
Directors of the company include Steven Leonard Joyce whose name rings a bell for some reason. He was appointed as a director on June 22, 2023.
I previously covered this particular company’s activities in this post from 2023. At the time I noted that Winton had requested the Government to deal with its application to construct a village in South Auckland under the Urban Development Act 2020 so that the development could be speeded up. This request was declined by Kainga Ora. The development was in the middle of a flood plain which does not seem to be a great place for the construction of new housing, particularly in these climate change enhanced times.
It is then that things become interesting as shown by this timeline:
I said in my previous post then that if there was a change of Government I suspected the decision would be reversed rather quickly. Looks like the Government have chosen to fast track the application instead under the Fast Track Projects Bill.
Can anyone see a problem with this? Any concern that an entity in active dispute with the Government makes large donations to parties of the right, gets PR support for its dispute, and then gets included in the Fast Track Projects Bill?
The other examples also provide some interest. Fancy wanting to mine 65 square kilometers of Taranaki seabed in blue whale and Māui dolphin habitat or to raise again the prospect of the Ruataniwha Dam in the Hawkes Bay.
Whether deliberate or not the impression created is that this Government is there for its sponsors and has an agenda that it does not necessarily want us to see.
The most corrupt government we have ever had in my lifetime, and I have seen quite a few.
They are so arrogant and smug that they don't even care to try and hide it anymore. It is as one of their former campaign managers (Steven Joyce) used to say: Business as usual.
Their Goebbels machine is directly funded and organized by the Atlas network and keeps the sheeple in ignorance of what is actually happening to them and to the country.
My thoughts too. Not only the most corrupt, but also the most incompetent. They have no idea of what their actual task is, and that is to govern a country for all, not just the "entitled" few.
Not just arrogant, smug and corrupt – they are deliberately spiteful.
Well done Miky. It certainly smells smelly to me. Am I surprised? No. This Government is intent on just normalising dishonesty.
Muldoon's was pretty corrupt, too. Some of the Think Big projects developed with public money somehow ended up in his mates’ hands. Just not reported on at the time.
Look to RNZ getting its funding slashed to the bone for this hard-core political reporting.
Which Think Big projects ended up in his mate's hands? And how did Muldoon effect that?
At least one of the Think Big projects was good – electrifying the main trunk railway line. One of the best things National ever did. A pity they never actually completely finished the job, though.
Pity none of our owned MSM dont take a few swings at this cabal.
My advice is you may as well folks as youre all surplus to requirements now.
Im interested in seeing what the algorithms produce for the USA elections.
Bezos Washington post IIRC had some deployed over voting result's data to produce copy for publishing last time out so wonder what that space will get up to this time around.
Do tell..
I doubt any of the Think Big projects ended up in private hands under Muldoon. His theory was all about state investment in large-scale projects.
Many state assets did end up in private hands (Fay, Richwhite, Gibbs, etc.) during the sell-off under the 4th Labour government.
Do you think this will affect our ranking on the Corruption perceptions Index?
While not wanting to distract from the issues raised here, I can't help but observe the most blatant example is the Real Estate 'industry' donations and policy outcome.
As individuals what can we do?
Wait and vote for another party with slightly fewer landlords in it?
As a career public servant, spare a thought for the well-meaning people who work in places where these kind of rorts are happening.
When you work in the public sector you have to accept that for the sake of democracy you'll have to work under policies that don't align with your own sometimes, but comments 1 and 1.1 paint a sorry picture of honest people working on some blatantly questionable policy outcomes, where Ministers are unwilling (afraid?) to unmask themselves to the public and are subject to ombudsman investigations into their actions.
Easy to say "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen", but when it's snowing outside and some of your colleagues who have already been pushed out the door are peering back at you through the window, it's a rock and a hard place choice.