Culprit for Nats’ housing fiasco located

40 comments on “Culprit for Nats’ housing fiasco located ”

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1. You_Fool 1

   16 June 2015 at 10:47 am

   Oh that evil Brooke Sabin, asking so many questions of the government when they had no answers and so were forced to make shit up…. Such an evil evil person. Not like those nice white guys Paul Henry and Mike Hosking…
2. mac1 2

   16 June 2015 at 10:47 am

   National’s economic credibility is ‘conceptual,’ ekshally.
3. Skinny 3

   16 June 2015 at 10:56 am

   Smith was laughing his head off as he ordered the bus driver to pull over next to an open padock and proceeded to led the gullible media pack for a wander on someone else’s land. It made for credible viewing at the time, never mind the land was plucked out of Smiths arse.
   • repateet 3.1

     16 June 2015 at 11:36 am

     Was it Confucius who said, “It is hard to pull a paddock out of one’s arse when one has one’s foot in one’s mouth”?
     • Clemgeopin 3.1.1

       16 June 2015 at 12:45 pm

       ‘Was it Confucius who said, “It is hard to pull a paddock out of one’s arse when one has one’s foot in one’s mouth”?

       Not sure, but I think he did say this though : ‘Man who lies in paddocks can’t see houses’
       • Clemgeopin 3.1.1.1

         16 June 2015 at 3:44 pm

         Oh, and another similar quote:

         ‘Nick who lies in obscure paddocks must strain neck to see some houses’
     • greywarshark 3.1.2

       16 June 2015 at 4:07 pm

       @repateet and Clemgeopin
       lol
4. mac1 4

   16 June 2015 at 11:00 am

   Now for what Nick Smith said.

   “Nick Smith says I “pushed him too hard” on housing, and so he did the bus tour – and got details wrong. Next time he’ll “push back harder”

   Firstly, I note the blame put upon another, which is a trait of this government. I did see some of the footage of Smith’s bus tour. He seemed really to be relishing the limelight and the quality of his message, as Skinny so ably says above.

   Of course, it was poorly prepared because it was a rushed reaction job to disconcert the Opposition and give some positivity to the Budget.

   Secondly, he doesn’t put any blame upon himself for getting things wrong.

   The next statement, that he would “push back harder”, means what? Being a bit of current slang, it’s not precise enough for a Minister of the Crown. Does he mean that he will oppose Sabin, or that he would react physically, or that he would go on the attack, or resist against the pressure of a journalist doing his job?

   It’s playing with words, by using imprecision of language. LIke John Key’s use of the word ‘conceptual’ to actually try to defend what was shown to be false, misleading and poorly prepared and researched.

   These are modern versions of Richard Nixon’s infamous “This statement is no longer operative.”
   • cogito 4.1

     16 June 2015 at 11:48 am

     “push back harder”,

     sounds very much the same as “give back double” which is a favourite phrase of Collins/Slater.
5. adam 5

   16 June 2015 at 11:03 am

   What is up with this government? It has had a series of its ministerial brigands wipe out their stupidity. And then flash it about.

   Tories, always ready to prove to the world, they are amoral, corrupt and vainglorious.
6. Tracey 6

   16 June 2015 at 11:20 am

   See what happens when the MSM do their jobs? The smoke and mirrors break down…

   It’s not just cos Sabin pushed him, it’s cos they simply took Labour’s policy, unquestioned by all but Sabin…
   • cogito 6.1

     16 June 2015 at 11:53 am

     We need far more pushing.

     Kiwis need to be shown in full glorious technicolor that the emperor has no clothes.
7. Nick 7

   16 June 2015 at 1:02 pm

   Yes that’s it sadly for NZ ….. The emporer has no clothes.
8. Charles 8

   16 June 2015 at 1:11 pm

   Next time he’ll “push back harder”…

   “Minister, the report says 500 hectares is available, is that true?”
   “Absolutely not, the actual figure is eeeeennnnnnngggaaaaahhhhhh 50,000 hectares.”
   “I see you’ve…erm… turned the first sod, Minister.”
9. Brendon Harre 9

   16 June 2015 at 1:14 pm

   When I was a uni student, a English literature student friend told me the way new ideas evolved is that first someone published something new. The idea sort of flowed back and forth at some level in the community, then something allowed it to go mainstream. It was at that point the idea became available for comedy and satire.

   I think that time has come for affordable housing.

   http://www.metromag.co.nz/city-life/columnists/david-slack-the-obituary-of-nick-smith-mp/
   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11463671
   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11459106

   And poor Nick Smith is struggling to keep up so has become a joke…..
10. One Anonymous Bloke 10

    16 June 2015 at 1:54 pm

    Personal responsibility means it’s always someone else’s fault.

    Nick Smith can’t even follow his lines. Hasn’t he learned yet that every single example of Tory incompetence and corruption, bribery, mendacity, and even Cameron Slater, is Labour’s fault?
    • dukeofurl 10.1

      16 June 2015 at 2:08 pm

      This was the guy who interfered with a witness giving testimony to a family court case.

      His reason: Im a member of parliament and we are above the law.. NSS !

      The Solicitor General referred the case to High Court and 2 judges found him guilty of contempt.

      Cue an outpouring of invective from Smith and his fellow catholic mafia Brownlee and other against the Solicitor General of the time

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3556714
    • Ch_ch chiquita 10.2

      16 June 2015 at 4:35 pm

      Nick Smith has just been reminded about that (eg-it’s all Labour’s fault) by dear leader at question time.
11. Karen 11

    16 June 2015 at 1:57 pm

    David Slack’s obituary for Nick Smith is worth a read for some light relief

    http://www.metromag.co.nz/city-life/columnists/david-slack-the-obituary-of-nick-smith-mp/
    • Old Mickey 11.1

      16 June 2015 at 2:59 pm

      Very funny indeed. Love the comment from PM Paula Bennett……even in satire, Labour unlikely to be in power any time soon.
      • Kiwiri 11.1.1

        16 June 2015 at 5:20 pm

        even in satire, Labour unlikely to be in power any time soon.

        Huh? Where did Labour feature directly or even implied in that piece? You are just throwing that in quite unfairly and, I hope, not intentionally maliciously.
        • Old Mickey 11.1.1.1

          17 June 2015 at 11:22 am

          Unless Paula Bennett is going to jump ship, the satirical piece mentions her as the PM – assume National Party PM.
    • greywarshark 11.2

      16 June 2015 at 4:19 pm

      @ Karen
      Very funny. And there is a hippie over yonder called Harmony or similar. So that gives the story that touch of verisimilitude. (That’s spelt right at least, I have checked on google.)
12. Old Mickey 12

    16 June 2015 at 2:51 pm

    And another wonderful chance goes begging for Labour to deliver an alternative and positive solution for the housing crisis in Auckland. The electorate continues to wait for another report from another Labour party committee….cue tumbleweeds.
    • Tracey 12.1

      16 June 2015 at 2:58 pm

      you mean like the policy that Smith stole and fucked up?
      • Old Mickey 12.1.1

        16 June 2015 at 3:01 pm

        yip. exactly that. At least he has the opportunity to try it in the real world.
        • Tracey 12.1.1.1

          16 June 2015 at 3:06 pm

          but that’s not what you said.

          “Labour to deliver an alternative and positive solution for the housing crisis in Auckland”

          They had one, Smith took it, and fucked it up. So Labour did have an alternative, positive solution (as you requested), and Smith stole it, fucked it up, and now you chastise Labour for not coming up with ANOTHER one?!?
          • Old Mickey 12.1.1.1.1

            16 June 2015 at 4:38 pm

            Do you really believe Smith stole the labour party policy ?
            • Tracey 12.1.1.1.1.1

              16 June 2015 at 4:52 pm

              do you really believe Labour didnt have an alternative to National’s housing policy, as you wrote above? The problem for you in this discussion is that I have read both National and Labour’s housing policies from the last election and you just listen to what Key or Smith tell you their policy is.

              ““New Zealanders can have no confidence in Labour’s housing policy when they can’t explain how it would work, when its housing spokespeople say different things and the announcement is a shambles, National’s Housing Spokesman Dr Nick Smith says.
              “KiwiBuild is a joke because Labour has no idea how it would build 10,000 homes a year, cannot explain how they would pay for it and they still have not worked out who would be eligible for the homes,” Dr Smith says…Housing Spokesperson Phil Twyford says the houses will be paid for when built. “ august 2014 Nick Smith

              Old Mickey, feel free to provide all the answers to Nick Smith/English and Key’s housng policy announced at the budget, by reference to the bold above
            • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1.1.1.2

              16 June 2015 at 4:54 pm

              Do you really believe anyone thinks you are commenting in good faith after the shit you fling?
    • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2

      16 June 2015 at 3:00 pm

      🙄

      Yes, if only they had a fully developed housing policy available on their website or something, then even a slack-brained lazy tr*ll would be able to find it.
      • Old Mickey 12.2.1

        16 June 2015 at 3:05 pm

        Don’t be so hard on yourself, Back yourself to find it.
        • Tracey 12.2.1.1

          16 June 2015 at 3:09 pm

          Prime Minister misled or badly briefed

          by Andrew Little on June 16, 2015

          The Prime Minister has either been deliberately misleading about the Auckland land dispute or he was not properly advised by Housing Minister Nick Smith, Opposition Leader Andrew Little says.

          “John Key said yesterday Ngati Whatua has no right of first refusal and there is no land parcel that can be used as the basis of a legal case to test this provision.

          “But now it has been revealed that one of the four land parcels touted by Nick Smith – at Moire Road in Massey – was notified by the Government several months under a limited partnership which includes Ngati Whātua.

          “It beggars belief that Nick Smith didn’t know the site had been notified under Right of First Refusal provisions when he was showing it off to journalists and Australian property developers.

          “The Government’s Budget centrepiece housing policy has become a farce. The Prime Minister said yesterday the four sites Nick Smith showed off to journalists were just ‘conceptual’ and not actually for sale.

          “This follows news last week that another of the four sites – beside the motorway at Manukau City – is not even owned by the Government.

          “With Auckland house prices up $115,000 in the past year and the shortage of housing worsening by the day, Generation Rent deserves more than the half-baked last-minute fiascos that pass for housing policy under this Government,” Andrew Little says.
        • One Anonymous Bloke 12.2.1.2

          16 June 2015 at 3:13 pm

          Me? I already checked that it’s there before I commented. Over to you, champ.
      • Tracey 12.2.2

        16 June 2015 at 3:06 pm

        Apparently, Labour has to come up with another one because Nats stole theirs or be considered useless by OLD Mickey…
13. Tracey 13

    16 June 2015 at 3:02 pm

    August 2014

    “New Zealanders can have no confidence in Labour’s housing policy when they can’t explain how it would work, when its housing spokespeople say different things and the announcement is a shambles, National’s Housing Spokesman Dr Nick Smith says.
    “KiwiBuild is a joke because Labour has no idea how it would build 10,000 homes a year, cannot explain how they would pay for it and they still have not worked out who would be eligible for the homes,” Dr Smith says…Housing Spokesperson Phil Twyford says the houses will be paid for when built. “
14. dv 14

    16 June 2015 at 3:12 pm

    AND look at this

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/69345000/springpark-housing-project-delays-painful
    A couple paid 46k on a 10% deposit for an affordable home 2 years ago.

    ‘Mitchell Mak was one of 160 buyers who paid a deposit to secure a house off the plans in stage one of Springpark, an affordable housing estate in Mt Wellington which has been plagued by delay

    ‘Two years ago it was all dirt. It’s still all dirt.”
    • Tracey 14.1

      16 June 2015 at 3:23 pm

      ah springpark, who early on in their marketing were misrepresenting their homestar rating… so i reported them to Homestar through New Zealand Green Building Council.

      I was recently looking at advertising of a new housing development in Auckland.

      On their website they claim

      “Features
      Springpark is one of the first housing developments to score a 5, the highest possible HomeStar Rating.
      – See more at: http://springpark.co.nz/features/features/

      However, I have recent dealings with Homestar and understand they rate as high as 10.

      I hope you can sort this out” July 2013

      The Council said they would look into it but never got back to me.

      So, I went to the ComCom who replied

      “Dear Tracey,

      Thank you for the information you provided the Commission regarding Colliers International / Springpark

      We have now assessed this information, and although it may raise issues under the Fair Trading Act, the Commission will not be taking any action at this time.

      When we decide whether to open an investigation, we consider how widespread, blatant and damaging the issue appears to be, based on the information available. We use our Enforcement criteria to help us make these decisions. You can read about our enforcement criteria at http://www.comcom.govt.nz/enforcement-criteria.

      While we won’t be taking any action at this time, we will record the information you provided us and may use it if we get similar complaints in the future.

      Our decision does not prevent you from taking your own action. Only the courts can ultimately decide whether any conduct breaches the Act. The Fair Trading Act specifically provides for action by individuals, even when the Commission has decided not to take any action.

      We have closed the file in regard to your enquiry number 284551.

      Yours sincerely

      Anneliese Mills
      Commerce Commission |Contact Centre Adviser
      44 The Terrace |PO Box 2351 |Wellington 6140 |New Zealand
      Free phone 0800 943 600 |Fax +64 (04) 924 3700 “
      • dv 14.1.1

        16 June 2015 at 3:30 pm

        Interesting!!!
    • Tracey 14.2

      16 June 2015 at 3:56 pm

      the excuses are interesting when you consider how they sold their expertise in their marketing

      “DEVELOPER
      Redwood Group is a leading New Zealand property development and investment company. Founded in 1992 by Tony Gapes, Redwood has undertaken many successful projects. Focused on the future of property markets, the company has developed a varied range of projects from beach houses and apartments to office and retail developments.

      Urban infill and mixed use projects are a speciality.

      Through experience, Redwood has learned what’s required to make a project successful. They are also very aware of the huge need for high quality, eco-sustainable yet affordable neighbourhoods in Auckland.”

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