corruption

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McCully caught in mining conflict

Written By: - Date published: 6:36 am, February 23rd, 2010 - 94 comments

The Government is driving ahead with its plans to open up our National Parks and other protected environments to mining. The Standard can now reveal that Murray McCully has shares in a company that stands to benefit directly from National’s mining policy.

Boag on way, Farrar to follow?

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, February 20th, 2010 - 14 comments

Former National Party President Michelle Boag has been told to remove herself from the consultancy charged with selecting executive staff for the Auckland Supershity, because of her conflict of interest as an advisor to John Banks’ campaign

Key’s uranium mining interests

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 16th, 2010 - 57 comments

John Key says Jackson Mining was just a gold mining company when he bought them and that they didn’t get involved in uranium until later. In fact, Jackson mining was already involved in uranium when Key listed his interest in the company last year

Not a good look

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, February 4th, 2010 - 22 comments

So, John Key and Pita Sharples put Hone Harawira in charge of deciding which flag will fly to represent Maori on government buildings on Waitangi Day. Only four options are put up: the New Zealand flag, the New Zealand ensign, the 1835 United Tribes flag, and Tino Rangatiratanga. It was always pretty obvious what the result […]

Foreign banks buggering NZ

Written By: - Date published: 4:34 pm, January 10th, 2010 - 86 comments

I’m no big city banker. But I was under the impression that profit is the income that is left over once you’ve paid your costs. Once you pay your tax on that, your net profit is what is left to pay to the owners as dividends or reinvest. So how the hell did the Aussie-owned banks […]

Re-run: Worth fails to cock-up for a week – apologises to PM

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, December 26th, 2009 - 2 comments

Actually, this guest post never got published because, before we could publish it, Richard Worth would be involved in some new scandal and then he was sacked, which adds a layer of irony to the post: In a shocking week for the National government, Internal Affairs minister, Richard Worth, failed to cock anything up. He failed […]

$400 mln xmas gift for banks

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, December 24th, 2009 - 21 comments

The banks, who tried to rip us off to the tune of $2.6 billion, have agreed to pay us $2.2 billion. I don’t get it. We’ve spent tens of millions so far on court cases to get our money. We’ve won every case. The judgments have been damning of the banks. So, why did the IRD agree […]

Driven to corruption

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, December 9th, 2009 - 43 comments

It turns out I understated the latest National ministers’ rort. Not only were the rules changed to allow ministers to have their taxpayer-funded self-drive cars in Wellington while pretending their primary residence was elsewhere so they could claim the taxpayer-funded out of town accommodation allowance, they already had the cars in Wellington before the rule was changed. […]

Need an exemption from the law? Just ask a corrupt Nat

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 pm, December 2nd, 2009 - 57 comments

Doug Schmuck owns and runs a boatyard in Opua in the Bay of Islands. The boatyard borders a public reserve. Schmuck wants to use that land as a slipway and other uses related to his business. In fact, he is already using the land and has already constructed at least one building that partially sites on the reserve […]

Employers ripping off job ops money

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, November 25th, 2009 - 3 comments

National has only come up with one employment policy to counter the recession. No, not the cycleway – ‘job ops‘. It works like this: employers get given $5,000 for employing a young person in an entry-level role. To qualify, the must be new and would not exist if the Job Ops subsidy was not available, […]

Lunch time quiz

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, November 24th, 2009 - 8 comments

1) National MP Paul Quinn is under investigation for breaching the State Services Act and the neutrality of the public service by holding a political meeting in conjunction with a WINZ seminar. John Key is: a) relaxed b) comfortable c) on holiday d) not Helen Clark, at least 2) Key is not going to Copenhagen […]

Harawira offensive & dumb. No excuses

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, November 13th, 2009 - 73 comments

Frankly, I don’t appreciate being called a white motherf**ker, by Buddy Mikaere and Hone Harawira. Before you start, that’s not to deny that Pakeha stole vast amounts of Maori resources despite the treaty signed between the Crown and iwi, and in spite of the Crown’s own laws.  The thief – the Crown – and the victims – the […]

And the winner is…

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, November 11th, 2009 - 17 comments

There were only really two ministers in the race for the first Grabby. Rodney Hide betrayed his own supposed principles by using his MP’s travel allowance to fly his girlfriend overseas. He also, with John Key’s consent, used that allowance to bypass Key’s ban on ministers taking their partners flying overseas with taxpayer money. Of […]

Rules don’t apply to Key’s ministers

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, November 11th, 2009 - 38 comments

Another day, another minister breaking the rules. On the Dental Artistry website, Rodney Hide has written: ‘Thanks for the fantastic job! I was so sick of having my teeth break and wear away, and with the job I’m in it’s important to look presentable. I didn’t do this lightly, but it’s the best thing I’ve […]

Oh Dear. Buster Perky hits the canvass again

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, November 7th, 2009 - 8 comments

Hypocrisy is such a difficult tag to shake in NZ politics. After blowing $50,000 of tax payer money on a trip with his girlfriend to visit her brother and wander around Disneyland, it seems like Rodney Hide has been caught yet again pilfering public funds to help with his romantic chances, this time another $10,000 […]

Government MPs’ travel woes

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, November 6th, 2009 - 65 comments

Not content with living in a fantasy world, Rodney Hide had to spend taxpayer money to visit Disney World as well. OK, actually it was Universal Studios but it looks increasingly like Hide’s $50,000 trip kindly paid for by you and me was actually nothing more than a world tour with his girlfriend. Sure, they […]

Key “doesn’t do anything” – Hide

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, November 5th, 2009 - 45 comments

It took a few cocktails to loosen Bill English’s tongue when he thought he was among friends. Rodney Hide just needed his coco pops. At his highly dubious ministerial function/ACT fundraiser breakfast*, Hide told his table that John Key “doesn’t do anything”. The only ‘achievement’ by Key that Hide could identify was the cycleway, which, […]

A weak leader

Written By: - Date published: 2:32 pm, November 3rd, 2009 - 16 comments

John Key is a weak leader. Currently popular (he’s such a “nice guy” you know) – but weak. Like a school teacher who has lost the respect of their pupils, Key has lost control over his MPs. And like naughty kids, Key’s MPs are starting to run wild. The problem is a lack of accountability. […]

Key’s piggies at the trough

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, October 31st, 2009 - 14 comments

A few months ago, John Key said of ministers taking their partners travelling on the taxpayer dollar: “I’ve told them if they want to take their partner, they can do it, but they pay for it’. So he must be furious that Rodney Hide, David Carter, Peter Dunne, and Phil Heatly have all had the […]

Breakfast is on us

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, October 30th, 2009 - 21 comments

Check out the invite we got to ‘Plain English’. Incredible. I didn’t even know until watching the Campbell Live story that David Cunliffe and Roger Douglas will be in the debate too. They’re not even mentioned  in the invite. But English is and there’s a picture of him. In fact, he’s portrayed alongside Guyon in the same […]

Bill’s latest rort

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 29th, 2009 - 77 comments

I hadn’t seen the Bill English ad until now. I guess I had kind of assumed it couldn’t be that bad – surely it would be a promo for the show with a few stock clips of English because he’ll be appearing. Nope: It’s just an ad for English. In fact, I’ve got no idea what […]

Taxpayer foots bill for Hide’s fundraising

Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, October 27th, 2009 - 12 comments

Norightturn reports that taxpayers are footing the bill for Rodney Hide’s fundraising trip to Christchurch: Thanks to some clever scheduling, we’re effectively footing the bill for Hide’s attendance at his little fundraiser. And we simply shouldn’t be. The Ministerial travel budget is to pay for travel as part of Ministerial duties – not for Ministers […]

Roy makes hash of Breakfast-gate cover-up

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 23rd, 2009 - 29 comments

In an interview on Morning Report today, ACT’s Heather Roy tries to defend her involvement in the Breakfast-gate scams. She says it’s all the organisers’ fault. A typical blame the staff play. The fact is that Roy would have been asked what she wanted to speak about and she chose to do it on her […]

Roy joins in Hide’s Breakfast-gate scam

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 pm, October 22nd, 2009 - 19 comments

Question Time and media reports have revealed more on Hide’s ministerial-speeches-for-party-donations scam (as you know, every political scandal needs a ‘-gate’. I like Breakfast-gate). Hon Annette King: Does he expect all his Ministers to comply with paragraph 2.54 of the Cabinet Manual, which states: ‘accepting additional payment for doing anything that could be regarded as a ministerial function […]

Hide falls foul of Cabinet Manual

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, October 22nd, 2009 - 52 comments

The Cabinet Manual details the basic expectations of ministerial conduct. It is not law but it would be highly irregular for a minister to breach the Manual and keep their job. And, unlike the law, just because something is not expressly banned does not mean it’s OK. Here’s some provisions of relevance to Hide’s speeches for donations: […]

More dodgy fundraising by ACT

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, October 22nd, 2009 - 13 comments

The ever industrious No Right Turn has turned up more dodgy fundraising practices by ACT. Last month, three ACT MPs held what was billed as “a forum” on “the hard questions – and some answers” at the plush Mecure Leisure Lodge in Dunedin. Three strikes, VSM, local government, and smacking were discussed. People were invited […]

Hide flounders in effort to cover corruption

Written By: - Date published: 6:18 am, October 22nd, 2009 - 5 comments

Rodney Hide was always going to go one of two ways to try to excuse his corrupt abuse of office. Remember the facts: Hide is Local Government Minister. He will be speaking at a breakfast on Local Government issues. The breakfast is called ‘The Future of Local Government’ and the invitation promises attendees that “Minister […]

Hide’s invitation to corrupt fundraiser

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, October 21st, 2009 - 74 comments

Click here for a PDF of Local Government Minister Rodney Hide’s invitation to local government stakeholders to a breakfast speech titled “The Future of Local Government”. This speech by the Minister to stakeholders is doubling as an ACT fundraiser. If you want to hear your Minister for Local Government speak, you will have to make a […]

Hide’s corrupt abuse of office

Written By: - Date published: 6:31 am, October 21st, 2009 - 67 comments

Another government minister has been caught in corrupt behaviour, and this is arguably the worst of the lot. Rodney Hide is speaking at a breakfast in Christchurch next month. He will be speaking as minister and on his portfolio – Local Government. Local government officials have been invited to hear him. Hide is charging $45 […]

Something fishy in Bakshi case

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, October 16th, 2009 - 8 comments

Police have ended their investigation in National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi’s immigration scam after the principal accuser left the country in mysterious circumstances. In Parliament, Pete Hodgson read a sworn statement by Darshan Singh Saran which says that Bakshi and his associates were involved first in an immigration scam, and then in trying to silence […]

One law for all?

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, October 15th, 2009 - 10 comments

Over on g.blog, toad has noticed something: If you or I steal money, it is theft. We get taken to court, and get fined or go to prison. When MPs do it, it is an ‘accounting error‘. When Cabinet Ministers do it, it is ‘not a good look‘. And when banks do it, it is […]