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5:30 pm, June 6th, 2023 - 26 comments
Categories: Daily review -
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Daily review is also your post.
This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Prior to this w,end plod announced a cracking down on dirt zbike riders breaking the law. Yippee.
Then we read that 50 dirt bike riders were seen, by plod, riding with gay abandon, 5 were arrested. Bloody hell it would be interesting to see a cost breakdown of plod versus arrest, and have we got our shit together.
Please don't ask for references. I'm not writing a treatise. Dont be lazy Google if you want corroboration
A TV series about the misadventures of dirt bike riders in the Lake District.
https://putlocker.sb/tv/watch-the-rising-online-79480
I guess we now know the Russian response to the Ukrainian offensive – destroy a dam and place a nuclear power station at risk.
Which can only lead to one conclusion – resistance to conquest of a sovereign Ukraine will result in an effort to make the area a wasteland – a failed state.
Total war, a crime against humanity.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-65816109
The desperation of a retreating army?
And then there's this:
In May of 2023 water levels reached their highest recorded levels and water looked like it had started to flow over the top of the dam.[21] The rise appeared to be the result of Russia keeping too many gates closed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakhovka_Hydroelectric_Power_Plant#2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine
I guess they were saving the water for something …
Just maybe, the Labour Party should have a compliance officer in the PM's department to ensure MP's and Cabinet Ministers keep their affairs in order. The investment would free up time for the party leader to use his time more constructively.
I agree, it seems bizarre that this is still a thing.
Has there been an explanation for why he didn't sell them earlier?
No, but a lot of confusion.
He originally thought they were in a trust – his wife has shares in the airport in a Fairey family trust, his he has owned as an individual since he was a teen in the 1990's (not sure how many share issues there have been since then, he now has over 1000 shares, they were worth under a dollar back then).
He was advised when becoming Minister in 2022 to sell, but did not act with alacrity.
Its likely they wern't sold as the share price was well down due to covid. Thats fair enough imho.
I dont think having such a small parcel of shares should be an issue at all its more the sloppy disclosure thats at issue tbh.
The shares were at a $9 peak in 2019 and fell below $6 in 2020 (pandemic) they are now back towards $9.
Someone earning a Ministerial salary (and having bought back in the 1990's) it would have been a getting around to it thing. He would not have a share broker as an MP.
why would he not have a share broker?
Is trading in shares something MP's do? They are supposed to declare their financial interests … do these keep changing …
And certainly not Ministers – aware of Cabinet decisions.
https://www.parliament.nz/media/10239/register-of-pecuniary-and-other-specified-interests-of-members-of-parliament-2023.pdf
He seems to have declared them to Parliament at least.
He's been an MP since 2016, they first appeared recently.
Sometimes MP’s do not declare stuff in a trust (Seymour ownership of 3 properties in a trust), for awhile there he thought they were shares in a trust.
He became a Minister in late 2020 and informed Cabinet Office he owned the shares then. He has since been asked about half a dozen times about whether he had sold the shares or not.
“Spouse M Wood has shares in Auckland International Airport Ltd and Contact Energy. I do not hold any shares directly.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/michael-woods-wife-auckland-councillor-julie-fairey-forced-to-correct-statement-about-couples-shareholding-in-airport/34WYBEZTPBFCZDUGRJNARIYHFY/
And
"Her updated declaration said: “Spouse M Wood has shares in Auckland International Airport Ltd and Contact Energy. I do not hold any shares directly.”
However, she hasn't said whether the JM Fairey Family trust (of which she is a both a trustee and a beneficiary) holds airport shares.
Given that she has just added this to her elected member declaration form – it may well do.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/06/auckland-councillor-julie-fairey-corrects-interest-in-auckland-airport-after-husband-michael-wood-s-share-debacle.html
“it may well do” is an assumption.
Indirectly, via the Trust.
Indirectly, via her spouse.
Whole damn thing seems to be a storm in a teacup, over a few pissant shares.
Does this mean that anybody living, owning, renting a house cannot have anything to do with a housing portfolio. Or, someone owning a car influencing a transport portfolio. The list is endless. Got a job, own a business, go fishing ??
Its the sloppy disclosure and failure to correct the register thats at issue rather than the ownership.
In the much ado about nothing category. Apart from a possible complaint to a press regulatory body.
Someone with an addiction was using a place of employment to fake prescriptions – they get caught and resign from their job. Since then a court case and a sentence.
However because she was neighbour of Ben Bell and his mum and she (post employment) worked as a pa on his campaign (and he tried to hire her when he became Mayor, but the council did not allow this) media have reported the story and called her his exec assistant.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/132243139/prescription-forger-was-gore-mayors-former-assistant
National has withdrawn from the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/national-says-he-waka-eke-noa-climate-change-farming-emissions-group-is-dead/CKQ3GCTSLZAO7MHRPEEHAE3ZUY/
In Oz, women noted that the Liberal caucus was misogynist and loved coal, so they formed the Teals, and the Alban elbowed his way into government.
Who here will note the
fart/frat boy boarding school pack nature of the National caucus and spare us their return to government.