Bennett admits she was wrong

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, May 25th, 2016 - 18 comments
Categories: class war, housing, national, paula bennett, poverty, same old national, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

paula bennett john key

Paula Bennett sought leave yesterday to make a personal explanation to Parliament so that she could correct an answer that was, how do you say, incorrect.

She said this:

In response to a supplementary question asked during question No. 5 on 10 May, I said in relation to the $41.1 million for emergency housing in Budget 2016 that: “The new 3,000 places will be for anyone—individuals or families—who has a genuine need for emergency accommodation.” I should have said that the funding will be for 3,000 places, and that some of those will be new and some will go to the many emergency housing providers that require dedicated ongoing funding so that they can keep their doors open.

I am not sure her explanation was correct either.  Because the $41 million is spread over four years and is mostly going to social housing providers to essentially make sure that existing beds are kept available.  There is no proof that any new beds will be created.  And it is typical of this Government that it will spin the funding of chronically underfunded social services to keep them operating as a solution for homelessness.

Of course it was all a regrettable mistake and misspeak by Paula.  But she said this the next day in a press release:

The bulk of the $41.1 million of new operating funding will be used in two ways:

  • The Ministry of Social Development will contract NGOs to provide about 3000 emergency housing places each year.
  • A new emergency housing Special Needs Grant to support individuals and families with the cost of emergency housing for up to seven days if they are unable to access a contracted place.

The new places will be available to anyone who can demonstrate they have a genuine need for emergency housing.”

Perhaps she is an itinerant inveterate misspeaker.

When you read the press release your heart lights up with joy.  Hosanna National is going to put some serious money into the homeless crisis.  Maybe they have seen the light.

But the problem is that there is so much wriggle room in what Bennett said.  And when you read it carefully with the benefit of understanding subsequent events you realise that things are not as swimmingly wonderful as she said.  If you parse the statement it is clear that not all of the money is going to be spent on homeless kiwis.  But the first reading suggests there will be 3,000 new beds for homeless people created.

And it is so frustrating how vague this government is with some figures yet how precise it is about others.  For instance ask them what measure there is for children live in poverty and they will say something like this:

Ask how many homeless there are and they will say about 500 are on the WINZ waiting list as if that is an answer.

But they know precisely how many beds will be made available by their spend although the figure is overstated.  National has made a practice of trotting out figures that help its spin but ignoring statistics that show that things are going wrong.

Paula has by making her personal statement apologised to Parliament for misleading it.  Maybe she should apologise to the people of New Zealand for doing the same.  And to the homeless for failing to do anything about their plight.

18 comments on “Bennett admits she was wrong ”

  1. adam 1

    How do we put up with such appalling Crown Ministers?

  2. dukeofurl 2

    The only reason for her ‘correction’ , was she was caught out in a big way.
    This recycling of money for various things is done every budget and is normally described as NEW when its not.
    Even at $10 mill a year its small change for them and just a fraction of the money for elite sport this year for Olympic baubles ( if any)

    HPSNZ elite programs this last year alone are around $34 million
    http://hpsnz.org.nz/sites/all/modules/filemanager/files/HPSNZ_Investment_Decisions_Final_-_2015.pdf

  3. Ad 3

    This is so much more effective as politics than the Panama Papers. The whole MSM is having a feeding frenzy.

    And as a pro-market party, they have no answer, from the PM down.

    • Lanthanide 3.1

      Yes, it seems to me that the MSM have found a weak-point in National’s armor and are really going hard on this story.

      We’ll have to see if the budget tomorrow does anything to blunt it; given that there’s been very little in the way of “wait till Thursday” answers for questions about emergency housing, I suspect the budget isn’t going to make a big difference here either.

    • Jones 3.2

      That this Government has no answer says it all about the soul of John Key’s leadership.

  4. Richardrawshark 4

    Oh come on who’s spinning it now?

    I watched parliamentary TV yesterday she corrected an error in her reply to a question. A correction. We all make mistakes and she came and corrected it.

    I can’t stand her, but don’t try to tell me she apologized for making a simple mistake, don’t tell me she’s spinning stats when your spinning the story just the same.

    As for the housing crisis, we all know they are spinning it, the whole country knows that National has issues admitting anythings not made of pretty rainbows.

    They look stupid, let them carry on denying everything.

    • mickysavage 4.1

      Eh?

      The post is about the National tendancy to spin numbers even though they bear no resemblance to reality. Bennett “corrected” her answer because she knew if she did not there could be a privileges complaint.

      Point out where I am spinning stats.

      • Richardrawshark 4.1.1

        “Bennett admits she is wrong”

        She corrected a statement, I also know these people get others to research their answers, she may have read it wrong, or her office spun it, or she spun it and got caught.

        Either way what I saw was her come up explain the error she made and then tell what she should have said and then parliament question time started.

        I think your title is spin, I understand it, but crikey this is us, our site, we don’t need to spin ourselves do we?

  5. joe90 5

    Perhaps she is an itinerant inveterate misspeaker.

    FIFY

    inveterate
    ɪnˈvɛt(ə)rət/
    adjective
    adjective: inveterate

    having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change.

    [Ta typed in a hurry pre coffee – MS]

  6. save nz 6

    National do not want to solve the housing crisis. They want to move as many poor people out of Auckland as possible to sell off their houses to their mates in China and Australia so Bill can try to manage a tiny surplus and the newbie migrants will have somewhere to live in Auckland and vote National. Otherwise the ponzi scheme is going to come to an end and John Key will be found out before the next election.

    • Kevin 6.1

      ‘Solving’ the housing crisis will require a fairly major correction in property values and there is no way they are going to fuck with their core constituency.

      • Jones 6.1.1

        Yep… they’re ideologically stuck.

        • save nz 6.1.1.1

          Maybe if they get wages up! You know the ‘trickle down’ that never happened.

          Back to housing. The issue is, that is still costs more to build a new house than buy an old one in the most cases. The cost of building and connecting to infrastructure has never been addressed by any political party. Much of the building industry is a sort of price fixing monopoly. The cost of housing and building products is what they can get away with, nothing to do with cost. I bought a clothesline two years ago it was $95, six months later it was $165 – all the other places, Bunnings, Placemakers and mitre 10 had implemented the same price increase. If you get a plumber the cost of labour is normally less than the parts. It is an absolute rip off not just for homeowners, but renters and developers and passed on to home owners. Connect to power in the country and they will charge you $7,000 to put in the transformer, you could be billed $40k for a phone line. They just charge you whatever they like. I have heard that if you are a developer you get some sort of welfare, so as usual make it as hard as possible for the average Kiwi trying to build a home and then make the tax payer pay for professionals who are making a profit from it. The building industry is a cowboy economy owned and run by as usual government cronies, offshore money and intermediaries!

          That is why the SHA has only built 1000 houses and why they are so expensive. The land price is the red herring, the cost of building in NZ is more than Australia and the US.

  7. b waghorn 7

    Minister’s offer to homeless

    Homeless people could be offered up to $5000 to leave Auckland and resettle in a state house in the provinces, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has …
    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11644665

    Making policy on the fly now.
    Although I’m not against it as an idea,

    • Muttonbird 7.1

      It’s a clumsy, desperate, and very basic idea. If that’s how you like your policy then I’m sure you will get what you deserve.

      How is it that this government which refuses to fund according to population growth, which cries foul at money just being thrown at a problem, and which demands proof of efficiency in so called social investment come up with such an ill thought out lolly scramble.

      Honestly, the only ideas Paula Bennett has ever had involve literally throwing cash at disadvantaged people so that they move on.

      This mirrors John Key’s musical chairs revolving cabinet – move ministers around so that bad news can be diluted…

  8. Philj 8

    $5000 incentive to move out of Auckland? If that fails, just lift the incentive until the problem is solved. This is how markets are supposed to work? Lol

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T06:17:23+00:00