Collins: No one cares about National’s abject failure over housing

Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, March 16th, 2018 - 111 comments
Categories: housing, Judith Collins, national, phil twyford, same old national, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

National’s refusal to acknowledge that it oversaw the creation of a massive housing crisis continues.

Two weeks ago Simon Bridges admitted there was a housing crisis for some people, and that while National had done a lot to alleviate the situation this had not been well communicated.  Obviously in his view better communication would have resulted in houses appearing.  Yes his comment is as inane as you first thought.

But Judith Collins has just topped Bridges’s statement in terms of its absurdity.  She thinks that no one cares that National failed so spectacularly over housing.

From Dan Satherley at Newshub:

“No one cares” about National’s much-criticised housing record anymore, the party’s housing spokeswoman has claimed.

Judith Collins, who took over from Michael Woodhouse in the weekend’s shadow Cabinet reshuffle, told The AM Show on Friday Kiwis are now focused on Labour’s lack of progress on KiwiBuild.

The previous National Government came under increasing criticism for its perceived lack of action on affordable housing, as prices doubled, ownership rates fell and homelessness grew.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford, appearing alongside Ms Collins, said he felt “compassion” for her taking on the housing role for National after “nine years of total failure”.

“No one cares about that,” Ms Collins told Mr Twyford. “What they care about is you not building a house yet, mate. You’ve had 140 days, how many have you built?”

No one cares.  Apart from those sleeping rough because they do not have the chance of affording a rental property.  Apart from parents with jobs and kids having to sleep in cars because the housing market has been priced out of their reach.  Apart from the young teachers and nurses and police officers in Auckland who will never be able to afford to buy there. Apart from workers in Queenstown who have to shift share beds because accommodation prices are so out of control. Apart from eleven year old kids wanting to be doctors who have to do their work by street light because they are living in a van.

And expecting the crisis to be solved and houses magically appear within 140 days?  How unrealistic can you get?

There was talk that Phil Twyford would be shaking in his boots at the thoughts of having to go up against Collins.  Based on this performance I don’t think so.

National.  Out of touch and completely uncaring.  And unable to accept responsibility for a problem of their creation.

111 comments on “Collins: No one cares about National’s abject failure over housing ”

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  1. Carolyn_Nth 1
    16 March 2018 at 10:59 am

    And yet, throughout the 3 terms of Key’s government, the Nats’ responded to many criticisms by blaming it on “9 long years of Labour”.

    They just grab at any convenient argument, and do it all in bad faith. And Ms Collins does it extremely aggressively.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1
      16 March 2018 at 1:16 pm

      +111

    • alwyn 1.2
      16 March 2018 at 1:51 pm

      ” “9 long years of Labour”.”
      I am sure you will be very happy to know that we will not have to put up with 9 years of a Labour-led Government complaining about “9 long years of National”.
      After the 2020 election we will be back to the National Government complaining about the “3 long years of a Winston First controlled Government’
      Actually it is possible that you will not be pleased.

      • Tricledrown 1.2.1
        16 March 2018 at 2:39 pm

        Alwyn no friends National maybe in the same situation asking Peters/ Marks/Jones to get over the line
        National haven’t learnt don’t be to nasty to potential coalition partners.
        Key only ruled them out in 2008 because he had other minor parties.
        Key was far more politically astute than his minor minions.who all whynge.

        • paul andersen 1.2.1.1
          16 March 2018 at 3:53 pm

          yes, nats keep on thinking its a fpp world and keep on shafting your friends. remind me .allwynge, when was the last election with one party getting more than 50% of the votes?

          • alwyn 1.2.1.1.1
            16 March 2018 at 4:45 pm

            Why will that be necessary? It is only necessary to get 50% of the votes that count because they go to parties that get 5% of the vote or wins an electorate seat.
            I don’t think either New Zealand First or the Green Party will survive the next election because they won’t qualify on either count.

            Winston because it is pretty clear that he is only there for the baubles.

            The Green Party because they are agreeing to absolutely anything that Winston requires. Even if they were to vote against the TPPA it will only be done if Winston lets them AND it only takes place after National have supported it.
            Look at the things where the Greens are deathly quiet. The Kermadec sanctuary, the Waka jumping bill and the Young Labour mess.
            I was surprised they got back last year. I don’t think they will manage it next time. Look what happened to the Alliance after all.

            As for shafting their friends? National didn’t. They kept full faith with the Maori Party and ACT. MMP causes parties that go into Government with larger ones to die. Would you also say the Helen Clark “shafted” all the parties that formed Governments with Labour between 1999 and 2008? All of them died didn’t they? Somehow Peters managed to revive the corpse of NZF after a term out of the house but that was a miracle and won’t be repeated.

            • Tricledrown 1.2.1.1.1.1
              16 March 2018 at 4:54 pm

              Alwynge the court case against National to come yet Winston managed to get evidence on fishing trip up by National.
              So the only chance National have is if the economy tanks.
              But it won’t and it won’t be hard to get the economy performing above the 0•1% per capita lack of growth National managed by suppressing wage’s by importing cheap indentured slave labour.

              • alwyn …
                16 March 2018 at 5:39 pm

                I have no idea what on earth the first sentence means.
                It just seems to be something that has trickled down your chin which is, I suppose, appropriate.

                As far as the rest goes.
                National, in the event that NZF and the Greens follow the normal pattern of support parties and die, won’t have to get more than 50%. They will only need to get more than Labour.
                Thus National would be able to form a Government if they got 45%, Labour got 43% and the dregs, comprising parties who individually got less than 5% and did not win an electorate got the other 14% between them. National will have got 52.3% of the votes that COUNT, which is what I was saying.
                I think this will happen and the minor party losers will include Winston First and the Greens.
                By the way, when are you going to tell me where Mankato University is?

                • In Vino …
                  16 March 2018 at 9:11 pm

                  But you have to admit, Alwynge isn’t bad, is it?

                  • alwyn …
                    16 March 2018 at 9:30 pm

                    Hey, the old drunk has emerged.
                    Whatever turns you on I suppose.
                    I am having difficulty deciding which of four quite appropriate phrases are the correct version of your abbreviated pen name.
                    In Vino Mendacium
                    In Vino Purgamentorum
                    In Vino Operies
                    In Vino Stercus
                    I think the last is probably the most appropriate.
                    You really are full of shit, aren’t you?

        • Teresa 1.2.1.2
          21 March 2018 at 12:07 am

          no key was not astute – he was just in a position to pay for better minnions

  2. Michelle 2
    16 March 2018 at 10:59 am

    Perhaps jude is going through her memo- pause. In other words she losts her marbles I mean memory and having a pause

    • Lara 2.1
      18 March 2018 at 4:18 pm

      Really? Plenty of women manage to continue to raise families, hold down jobs, run businesses… and cope with menopause.

      IMO your comment does a grave disservice to all women, and perpetuates a BS myth that women’s hormones make them unreliable / crazy / useless.

  3. Delia 3
    16 March 2018 at 11:04 am

    She is a loose cannot, she has come out with mad stuff this morning, regarding the sex abuse at the camp report, something about knuckling people, I decided not to read it fully, to busy on a Friday.

    • Babayaga 3.1
      16 March 2018 at 11:47 am

      It would help if you watch the clip. Collins was magnificent. Twyford was eaten alive.

      • mickysavage 3.1.1
        16 March 2018 at 11:55 am

        You reckon? I thought Twyford completely undermined her with his comments.

        • chris73 3.1.1.1
          16 March 2018 at 12:43 pm

          But the people watching want what Labour promised and thats houses and no houses have been built or even announced that they’ll be built

          It was watching a women school a boy but to be fair it was probably the best anyone in Labour could have done given the circumstances

          • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1.1.1
            16 March 2018 at 1:19 pm

            Yes, considering in just how bad that National left the economy after 9 long years of abuse of it it probably is the best that anybody could do.

        • Baba Yaga 3.1.1.2
          16 March 2018 at 2:17 pm

          Phil’s faux remorse versus Collins threatening to rip peoples throats out. Nah, Collins ate him up.

        • alwyn 3.1.1.3
          16 March 2018 at 4:52 pm

          I haven’t bothered to watch the clip, so I am not going to comment on it.
          However do you think it is fair to describe you Micky as just a tiny little bit biased in your views? No more than anyone else who pontificates here but biased none the less.

      • Michelle 3.1.2
        16 March 2018 at 12:48 pm

        how can a person with amnesia be magnificent babayaga

        • Baba Yaga 3.1.2.1
          16 March 2018 at 2:14 pm

          Are you a Labour voter? If so I wouldn’t be raising ‘amnesia’ right now if I were you.

          • Michelle 3.1.2.1.1
            16 March 2018 at 3:38 pm

            why babyaba does it really matter who I vote for I was a maori party voter but like the majority of our people voted for another party

            • Baba Yaga 3.1.2.1.1.1
              16 March 2018 at 4:00 pm

              The Maori Party offered a lot, it is a shame they didn’t make it back into Parliament. But as you aren’t a Labour voter, you don’t need to be concerned by their current backflips and contradictory positions.

              • alwyn …
                16 March 2018 at 5:00 pm

                She didn’t actually say she wasn’t a Labour Party voter you know Baba. That is your assumption. She does say that she used to be a Maori Party voter but she doesn’t say who she did vote for last time.
                She must be a politician. The good ones say one thing but leave you thinking they said something else.
                Key and Clark were masters at that.
                Peters used to be good but although he still talks a lot his brain is no longer in gear while he does so.
                Little tried very hard but it was too obvious that he was trying to finesse his answers.
                Ardern just waffles flat out and never actually says anything apart from promising to have a conversation.

                • Babayaga …
                  17 March 2018 at 1:55 pm

                  Yes, those ‘conversations’ were really effective at the Labour Youth camp. Ardern is all talk and no action.

                • Teresa …
                  21 March 2018 at 12:10 am

                  congratulations – you have just described the perfect politician

              • Michelle …
                19 March 2018 at 8:48 am

                The Maori party shit on their own people that is why they are gone. Are you a Maori party voter Baba yaga I use to be then I started voting for Hone.

                • Babayaga …
                  19 March 2018 at 11:34 am

                  Can you give examples of how the Maori Party ‘shit on their own people’?

                  • Michelle …
                    19 March 2018 at 1:10 pm

                    When Marama the fox was asked on maori TV why are the gnats selling thousands of state houses she said ackscully she yelled ‘they are bad landlords’ she didn’t give a stuff that this policy was making many of our people and our Pakeha whanau homeless. She fully supported the selling of state housing knowing full well many of our people needed somewhere to live. I see she also said after venting her anger that we Maori had gone back to our abuser.
                    But she was ackschully siding with the worst abusers. Now labour are also abusers ie. the Tuhoe raids, sellings assets, foreshore and seabed to name a few. But when it comes to housing they have a better track record for not selling state houses they also have better track record for building them. A house is a necessity now its a car. Many cuts were made to public health many immigrants brought in, now who does that effect the most ? her own people and our other poorer kiwis.

                    • Baba Yaga …
                      19 March 2018 at 5:19 pm

                      The sale of state houses was entirely justified. No-one has a right to state house, and there is no moral code that says the government has to own all social housing. Try again.

          • Michelle 3.1.2.1.2
            16 March 2018 at 3:54 pm

            There is no housing crisis and how much was spent on motels the gnats housing policy.
            Who sold special housing areas prime land to the Chinese airlines the land was suppose to used to build houses for NZders

              • Tricledrown …
                16 March 2018 at 4:27 pm

                Baba yaga mass produced houses are on the books which will take time to ramp up but could imported.
                Micro houses for single homeless people.
                The Coalition said it would take time to ramp up local tradies so in the short term importing labour is the only option.
                National failed to train enough skilled workers leaving 96,000 young people on the Dole while importing many substandard cowboys.
                CH CH rebuild up to $500 million of dodgy work has to be redone.
                Brownlee and Fletcher’s should pick up the bill.

                • Babayaga …
                  17 March 2018 at 1:53 pm

                  So your best response is a list of unsubstantiated claims and unfulfilled ideas. Too many ‘cinversations’, not enough action.

                  • patricia bremner …
                    17 March 2018 at 6:52 pm

                    So your best response is blame shifting.

                  • tracey …
                    19 March 2018 at 8:59 am

                    Like collins being a Minister for 9 years in a govt that denied child poverty but now pretends to be outraged on behalf of Young Labour young folk?

                  • Michelle …
                    19 March 2018 at 3:58 pm

                    Houses don’t get built in 6 months especially on a large scale they need a good solid plan something the previous government didn’t or wouldn’t do because admitting it would have been seen as a failure. The housing problem might have started under the labs but its was exacerbated by the gnats policies through large scale selling of state house over 3 thousand, selling prime state housing land for example in SHA in Auckland to a Chinese airline, bringing in thousands of immigrant to drive down wages putting more pressure on housing demand, creating monopolies in the building industry for example Fletcher having control over building materials and supplies. Then we have selling our housing stock to foreigners when we don’t have enough for ourselves. When we should be making them build their own not buy existing stock. Pushing the price of land up making houses more costly. Bringing in thousand of foreign students equals more demand on housing.
                    You cannot fix a problem we are told until you admit you have one isn’t that right because that is what they tell alcoholics and drug addicts.

                    • Baba Yaga …
                      19 March 2018 at 5:24 pm

                      “Houses don’t get built in 6 months…”
                      Actually, they do. The problem with kiwibuild is that it exemplifies the performance of this Labour government perfectly. The numbers were wrong. The promises were exagerated. And the policy is all talk.

                      And FYI, the biggest contributor to the housing shortages was not government policy but local government inaction, particularly in Auckland. Auckland Council have known of a looming problem under their watch for well over a decade, yet did sweet fanny adams.

              • Tracey …
                17 March 2018 at 10:56 am

                How is EQC going?

              • Teresa …
                21 March 2018 at 12:18 am

                baba yaga – the state has a moral and legal right to house people when they cannot afford it themselves, under the universal human rights act. i’ts only since corporates and banks started to own our country, as they do all other western countries, that social services has been slowly privatised because there is a lot of money in the misery of the poor and if this is something that you think is good, then i am truly glad that i don’t know you

    • Michelle 3.2
      16 March 2018 at 12:53 pm

      Maybe judes been having spar practice with her nephew Joseph Parker and she wants to try some of her new combos

  4. Siobhan 4
    16 March 2018 at 11:09 am

    44.5% of Voters definitely don’t care, and I’d be interested to know what percentage of people care enough to see the end of endless growth and profit to be had in ‘The Housing Market’.
    If the policies and spending goals of the two major political parties are anything to go by, a large number of people want ‘something to be done’ with the poor’s without anything actually changing.

    • Michelle 4.1
      16 March 2018 at 12:50 pm

      and how much of the 44.5% are actually kiwis

      • Siobhan 4.1.1
        16 March 2018 at 1:21 pm

        “Best predictors for National voters are places with high proportion of people from European ethnicity.”…but I’m guessing you’re not worried about ‘European Ethnicity’…

        http://insights.nzherald.co.nz/article/how-new-zealand-votes/

        • Michelle 4.1.1.1
          16 March 2018 at 3:44 pm

          so we should blame the Europeans for putting the tories in for 3 terms siohban which ones the kiwi ones that don’t like being called NZ europeeons nor do they like being called pakeha

        • Michelle 4.1.1.2
          19 March 2018 at 8:50 am

          akschully siobhan I prefer to be called pakeha not a european what are you ?

        • tracey 4.1.1.3
          19 March 2018 at 9:00 am

          Well said. I do get sick of those who resort to racism sexism in lieu of a coherent counterpoint

      • paul andersen 4.1.2
        16 March 2018 at 3:55 pm

        remember that photo of english with freshly imported voters?

        • Tricledrown 4.1.2.1
          16 March 2018 at 4:29 pm

          Chinese communist party intelligence operatives.

        • alwyn 4.1.2.2
          16 March 2018 at 5:22 pm

          Who were these people?
          I suppose you are going to tell me they are people who have just landed for the first time off a plane from China?

          To say someone is a “freshly imported voter” seems to imply that they are people who are entitled to vote shortly after entering New Zealand for the first time.
          Nobody can do that, not even a New Zealand citizen by birth.
          You cannot enrol at all unless you have lived at some time for a continuous period of at least twelve months.
          http://www.elections.org.nz/voters/enrol-check-or-update-now/who-can-and-cant-enrol

          Thus a “freshly imported voter” is a contradiction.

          Unless you are an Australian citizen or come from one of a set of Pacific Islands it is certainly going to take you significantly more than a year to get the Permanent Residency that would entitle you to vote.

          • alwyn 4.1.2.2.1
            16 March 2018 at 5:45 pm

            Minor correction. In the sentence immediately before the link the words “in New Zealand” should come after the words “have lived”.
            As written I suppose it would claim you could vote at the age of one.
            Not true I’m afraid.

          • paul andersen 4.1.2.2.2
            16 March 2018 at 10:07 pm

            “who were these people”? you tell us allwynge. they were in a advert with bill, so who knows, passing tourists, pizza shop customers,offshore property speculators, judiths inlaws, water exporters…..

            • alwyn 4.1.2.2.2.1
              17 March 2018 at 10:18 am

              You have a link to this photo do you andy?
              I don’t remember it but if you say it exists perhaps it does. Or not. You don’t seem very sure about it do you?.
              As far as this comment goes I can only suggest that when you start by saying “remember that photo of english with freshly imported voters?” and now say you have no idea who they were you were clearly lying in the original comment.
              You must feel right at home with the current CoL

              Meanwhile Citation please. Let’s see whether there really is any such thing as a photo with “freshly imported voters”.

              Actually you sound a bit like Phil Twyford. Show him a name that could, possibly, be Asian and he goes into a frenzy about the “yellow peril”.
              Show you a photo and you seem to get into a rabid state about the same thing. I happen to know people of Chinese descent whose ancestors arrived in New Zealand about 140 years ago.
              Show you a photo of one and I suppose you would run screaming from the room.
              I’ll bet both Phil and yourself panicked when Nicola Young got elected to the Wellington City Council. Scream “chinks” and faint did you?
              https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/mayor-and-councillors/councillors/nicola-young

              • paul andersen …
                18 March 2018 at 8:55 pm

                it was an official nat party campaign photo. do your own work and find it.

                • alwyn …
                  18 March 2018 at 9:16 pm

                  In other words you have no idea whether such a thing exists or not.
                  Did you spend the last day and a half desperately searching for something, anything, that you could say proves your point?

                  FAIL.

                  At least when I reference something I can demonstrate it exists.
                  You just claim it exists even when no evidence exists that can show it.

                  By the way I know that evidence exists that Corbyn is a Russian spy.
                  If you do your own work, and are skilful, you will find it. If you can’t find it it is because you are an idiot.
                  Don’t expect me to do everything for you. Do your own searching.

          • tracey 4.1.2.2.3
            19 March 2018 at 9:04 am

            Well said sir

      • Teresa 4.1.3
        21 March 2018 at 12:20 am

        15% are asians and that’s a very large voting block, most of which voted national in appreciation for letting them in – suckers!

    • Gristle 4.2
      16 March 2018 at 1:44 pm

      I don’t get it. If Ms Coloins is correct about people not caring about National Government failing to address housing issues, then why should they now care if this Labour Government does try to address them.

      Will someone please explain this distinction to me.

      • Tricledrown 4.2.1
        16 March 2018 at 3:53 pm

        Speculating on property a National pastime.
        The Grisly Truth.
        Unproductive speculation Nationals well off supporters don’t give a Damn.
        Hence Collins dog whistle to National supporters!

      • tracey 4.2.2
        19 March 2018 at 9:08 am

        She is campaigning not opposing. Important distinction.

        Nats spent from 2005 to 2008 campaigning not opposing. Everything is about hot buttons.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    16 March 2018 at 11:18 am

    And expecting the crisis to be solved and houses magically appear within 140 days? How unrealistic can you get?

    Make no mistake – National are delusional. Unfortunately, many go along with their delusions.

    • Tricledrown 5.1
      16 March 2018 at 2:46 pm

      DTB Vampire Capitalists who take all and give nothing back.
      Collins is their hero Orivida.
      She looks likes the girl out of the exorcist and she can turn her redneck 360° and puke all over the poor while smiling.

    • jcuknz 5.2
      16 March 2018 at 7:07 pm

      I never expected houses to appear in 140 day but at least there would be signs of a building project starting. Something that makes sense like pre-fabs rather than time consuming four bedroom/two bathroom mansions … else a complete abandonment of the RMA as far as it affects housing…..
      Something which makes sense rather than endless name calling which both left and right engage in.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1
        17 March 2018 at 12:16 pm

        I never expected houses to appear in 140 day but at least there would be signs of a building project starting.

        Which is actually still demanding the delusional. They have to look at what’s there, what needs to be added and/or changed and then plan it.

        Something that makes sense like pre-fabs rather than time consuming four bedroom/two bathroom mansions … else a complete abandonment of the RMA as far as it affects housing…..

        Labour has mentioned prefabricated houses before:

        Mr Little said Labour would get costs down through managing building costs.

        “Because of long term material supply contracts… as well as using techniques like prefabricated housing [and] modular housing, that can drive the cost right down.”

        And there’s no way that they’d cut the RMA which, BTW, isn’t actually preventing houses being built. All indications are that it’s the profit motive preventing it. Much easier to get massive profit from unearned and untaxed capital gains.

  6. Pat 6
    16 March 2018 at 11:19 am

    It has nothing to do with realism and everything to do with political strategy……Hooton’s hand ?

  7. Robert Glennie 7
    16 March 2018 at 11:35 am

    “Collins: No one cares about National’s abject failure over housing”

    Not now that you are out of office and can’t do any more damage. Now they are more interested in determining the full extent of the damage you did manage to do.

    And in making sure that Labour fixes it.

  8. savenz 8
    16 March 2018 at 11:54 am

    National’s refusal to acknowledge that it oversaw the creation of a massive housing crisis…

    Oversaw… more like deliberately created it with one of the biggest immigration gains per capita in the world and then kept the money rolling in with the zoning changes which meant land that used to be worth say 1 million dollars suddenly was worth 8 million overnight and made our sick economy look vibrant.

    Money out of thin air, hooray!

    Lucky we had a day trader at our helm making paper money!

    Sadly many in the left fell for it and cheered them on and the left are still trying to make the right wing myth of less regulation and higher density means more houses on land means more houses, work.

    Dimwits, we already had the houses before Natz got in, but we added a heap of people on permanent and temporary visas and advertised owning a house here to the world. They came and they needed the houses to live in and rent!

    Land is not a house. A building permit is not a house. Only a house is a house and we are not building them at rates working people in NZ can afford on our low wages that have been deliberately lowered in real or actual terms.

    In additon we still keep adding more people in and most of that is a scam therefore bringing inefficiency in and higher costs up.

    So the current approach is not gonna work.

  9. Tricledrown 9
    16 March 2018 at 12:56 pm

    They do care about the Donations made by the Chinese govt to the National party by Donors linked to Chinese spy agencies.

  10. AB 10
    16 March 2018 at 1:03 pm

    Collins is the National Party red in tooth and claw. She represents that faction of the party that will take everything. They will come after everything you have – decent wages, adequate housing and healthcare, an annual holiday, decent educational opportunities for your kids. You’ll have none of that because it represents missed money-making opportunities for them.
    Watch out.

    • Shona 10.1
      16 March 2018 at 2:59 pm

      Spot on! They want it all including your superannuation.

    • tracey 10.2
      19 March 2018 at 9:09 am

      And they will do and say anything. They know lying works. And they know a largely under resourced media will just regurgitate their press releases, leaks etc.

  11. esoteric pineapples 11
    16 March 2018 at 1:20 pm

    While I agree about the part the National government played in the crisis, I think it goes much further back than their nine years. Prices were starting to rise out of control from around 2000 and the seed of the problem goes back to the 1990s.

    • indiana 11.1
      16 March 2018 at 1:28 pm

      Hush your mouth!

    • tc 11.2
      16 March 2018 at 2:14 pm

      Yup no govt in NZ has ever had the bollocks to take residential property off the speculators menu with a CGT and foreign ownership clamps.

      I got the impression the Hong Kong ‘Plan B’ buy ups kicked it off in a way back in the late 80’s ish.

    • tracey 11.3
      19 March 2018 at 9:10 am

      It goes back to the 80s.

      And continuing to basically do everything the same way will get the same results.

  12. WILD KATIPO 12
    16 March 2018 at 1:36 pm

    Crusher Collins is a gift from heaven in keeping National divided and out of power for an extremely long time . May she forever be included in senior positions. One could almost admire her special quality’s of being a wrecking ball if one was so inclined to be a vandal.

    I will say this much however , there is something I like about our Jude as opposed to the deadly deviousness of the man who threw her to the back benches , – one John Key.

    Crusher is blunt , gruff and to the point and that’s OK , unlike her leader who ingratiated and slimed his way through 9 years of non Prime Ministership.

    As for no bridges Bridges? ,… nothing more than a yapping terrier snapping at ones ankles. And no ones worried about that.

    • tracey 12.1
      19 March 2018 at 9:11 am

      I disagree. This is a carefully thought out plan. They did it from 2005 to 2008 and then in power.

      Mistake is to think majority will see through it. They havent yet.

  13. WILD KATIPO 13
    16 March 2018 at 1:46 pm

    Oh , and about houses? Aucklands always had a housing problem , but it was just simmering under , but in recent years , the pot boiled over completely , global economics bust and boom , mass immigration, deregulation and on it goes, with National seeing all this and exacerbating the problem by using an angle to stay in power under the false pretext of running a booming economy , yet an artificially propped up one ,… until it got completely out of control.

    Hence the situation we are in now.

    Esoteric pineapples ( 11 ) and savenz ( 8 ) pretty much lay it out .

    And its going to take a lot of time to sort it out, – it took National 9 years to create it , – why should anyone think its going to be fixed by lunchtime next week?

  14. Cinny 14
    16 March 2018 at 1:53 pm

    Wonder when the government slowed down on building/up dating social/state housing? Way I see it is when the immigration floodgates really opened under judiths government, then house prices went through the roof

    NZ’s population was only ever going to grow, after all we live on one of the most desirable locations on the planet.

    national hammered way way too many nails into the housing coffin, nick smith…..doubt that even the tories have good things to say about him

    Lmao..that pic of judith… creeps me out every time….should coming with a warning, along with her spin…

    ….Joining us is judith collins of the national party, notorious for the oravida scandal, her husbands business interests and as a key player in the bombshell book, Dirty Politics….

    I reckon she’s lining herself up for the nats top job once simon fails in the 2020 election.

  15. Tricledrown 15
    16 March 2018 at 1:57 pm

    Auckland prices have been growing at an exponential rate for a long time for nearly 30 years since 1984 .
    Since the govt reduced investment in social housing.

  16. Tricledrown 16
    16 March 2018 at 2:03 pm

    Warren Buffet Don Brash agree on one thing a capital gains tax widespread with cuts in personal tax and investment in social housing using the extra money from peaks to build more houses at those peak times to smooth out demand.
    Tax free capital gains are robbing all other taxpayers.

  17. Jess NZ 17
    16 March 2018 at 2:08 pm

    ‘Nobody cares’ is straight out of John Key’s phrasebook. It sounds only slightly less childish than the playground “who cares?’ retort, but National has gotten Teflon training from his best mates in the States who know how to ride out the scandals they keep causing.

    Never admit, never apologise, never discuss until the inquiry is over and nobody cares…

  18. patricia bremner 18
    16 March 2018 at 2:08 pm

    We know National didn’t care. She is stating the obvious. Other people did care, that is why they lost the election.
    She has been chosen to be the attack dog. Of course, Amy Simon Mark and c/o realised she could savage them, so much better to get her scented on Twyford and housing. LOL

    Keeps her busy, gains National some attention, while they keep out of the firing line.
    Also helps divert attention from SAS bungles don’t you know? A useful smoke screen.

  19. R.P. Mcmurphy 19
    16 March 2018 at 5:51 pm

    she must be lacking in powers of ratiocination if she think the nationals got tossed out of office for nothing

  20. David Smith 20
    16 March 2018 at 5:54 pm

    I certainly care, Judith. I also care about Mill Road. How come you only became interested enough to put up signs when you got kicked into touch for your blatant ignoring of the issue while in government for 9 years?

  21. JustMe 21
    16 March 2018 at 6:38 pm

    We can only guess that the ONLY political party who doesn’t care about New Zealanders especially those who live in poverty eg garages, vehicles, under bridges(nope I am not referring to the self-serving Simon Bridges here), etc,etc,etc; is Judith Collins who is their representative.
    Her words are a poor reflection back upon the arrogance and out of complete touch with reality policies that are the NZ National Party.May this political party linger in Opposition Siberia forever.
    Perhaps we should all cheer Judith Collins for doing a superb job at demeaning the NZ National Party time and again. No-one will want to vote for such a political party with a mouth-piece – oops I mean spokesperson – like Judith Collins showing up how shallow National truly are.

  22. Rob 22
    16 March 2018 at 7:23 pm

    For the sick, tired, impoverished and lame, you are going need some fit and skilled labour to build dwellings. Below the current 5% employment rate there is only the unemployable, people that maybe able to comment on The Standard regarding their tale of hurt , but certainly no one who is able to front Mon – Fri, sober , able to operate power tools and construct things at the pace the Standard community thinks is possible.

    If only the entire brave key board warriors of the Standard transferred their mighty keyboard stroking into anything resembling production. Whilst on this Friday as you sit, moan, eat, drink, consume internet content and then moan some more, do you ever really think the balance equation for the oxygen and protein that you use in your life is not positive in terms of what you give back.

    The Standard community is about a billion miles away from anything regarding positive effort & production.

    • Carolyn_Nth 22.1
      16 March 2018 at 7:42 pm

      You seem to know an awful lot about Standardsitas lives based on little or no evidence. So, don’t embarrass yourself further.

    • tracey 22.2
      19 March 2018 at 9:13 am

      And so speaks the smugly self righteous that represents National’s voting base.

  23. NZJester 23
    16 March 2018 at 8:53 pm

    Collins: No one cares about National’s abject failure over housing

    I think she got her words out of order. That should read
    “Collins: No one in National cares about their abject failure over housing”

  24. clare 24
    16 March 2018 at 10:26 pm

    it’s beyond me how anyone can imagine that Oravida Collins and the rest have any credibility left over housing or anything else, expecially the economy.

    the only thing more ludicrous is that guy from act pontificating on things he knows nothing about.

    • Rob 24.1
      17 March 2018 at 10:47 am

      Really and tell me what Twyford knows about housing Clare, he quite freely admited to us on a building site , he knows nothing about building let alone the logistics, capital , skills material supply etc required behind a volume increase of 10,000 homes, especially of the affordable which is essentially the govt creating a discount of housing cost.

      • tracey 24.1.1
        17 March 2018 at 12:15 pm

        And Collins and Smith? Our politicians need the ability to listen understand and assess, not build. Isnt it good he admitted what he didnt know and was listening to those of you who know?

        Would you rather have Collins who bullied ( to get police stats fudged … a man to get death threats… advanced her husbands employment by abusing her power)

        Gerry and Key overseeing the EQC disaster and the indemnity to Fletchers…

  25. Incognito 25
    16 March 2018 at 10:28 pm

    Actually, I think Judith Collins has a point and is sort of half right but for the wrong reasons.

    She doesn’t want people to be reminded of National’s abysmal record on housing and be compared to this Government and thus be easily outdone.

    At the same time, complacency is the eternal enemy of people in power and this Government could easily be lulled into thinking that National’s past performance sets the benchmark, one which can be beaten (too) easily.

    It is not about looking backwards and willy-waving comparisons that are utterly irrelevant and distractive; it is about having a clear vision for the future with its own set of goals & objectives. If this Government is different enough from the previous one it will set its own goals without having or wanting (!) to check all the time what the previous did or didn’t do or achieve.

  26. Doogs 26
    17 March 2018 at 8:54 am

    A modicum of reality here vis a vis the housing thing.

    Let’s use a little analogy and make it easy for the supporters of Ms Colons. She is an attack dog, designated as such by her baby-faced leader when he warned Phil that she was on the job sitting opposite in the shadow chair. All Natz want to do is oppose. Well, in opposition it’s a bit more complex than that. You have to use reason, and you have to have alternative policies which are real.

    But I digress. To the analogy –
    If you haven’t used a car for 9 years and it’s up on blocks exposed to the weather, uncovered and left to degrade, then someone wants to use it, what needs to happen? Of course there will have to be a serious amount of repair and restoration needed before it runs. Then when it does run it won’t initially be able to scoot along at motorway speeds, partly because it will need on-going tinkering, and it may in fact be too out of date to operate as needed in the current situation.

    This is the building industry. Stagnating, gerrymandered, languishing and needing a massive up-gearing to even begin to do the job. This what the government’s housing ministry is faced with. When building houses has been up-on-blocks for so long it’s a job in itself to just get the wheels moving again.

    QED

    • tracey 26.1
      17 March 2018 at 12:11 pm

      They are not opposing, they are campaigning. This is John Ket V2.0. Keep the leader clean. Let him pretend he is squeaky cos he doesnt go personal or rabid. That is Collins job.

      Our media cannot do 2 things at once. Of course sexual assault at Young Labour is a story but so is lying Defence Commander. Where is the doorstepping of Key and Brownlee who supported the lie? The questioning of Key as to whether he will apologise to Hager?

  27. newsense 27
    17 March 2018 at 11:52 am

    Phil’s gotta make sure he doesn’t rise to her bait, and get into a personality driven thing. Don’t give her unnecessary oxygen. Be a technocrat and a doer. Flat bat all the B.S. Shut the door and don’t let her in.

    • tracey 27.1
      17 March 2018 at 12:13 pm

      Agree. His response needs to be simple and repetitive.

      “It is great that National now accept there is a crisis. They will now presumably not block Labour’s attempts to put it right. A big job but it starts now.”

      • newsense 27.1.1
        18 March 2018 at 3:27 am

        Or:

        I’m not interested in what the opposition have to say. I’m getting on with fixing the mess they left behind in housing by building houses.

        It’d be good to then go into some dets of what is being done where and why. Hopefully the media report that not a monkey throwing poo or anything else.

  28. tracey 28
    17 March 2018 at 12:40 pm

    Gentrification of Glen Innes and why those state tenants had to go.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12014072

  29. AsleepWhileWalking 29
    17 March 2018 at 3:41 pm

    It could be the unfortunate lighting but that photo has a joker-esk look about it. Was that deliberate given the topic?

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