Dud advice

Written By: - Date published: 1:21 pm, June 6th, 2018 - 84 comments
Categories: bill english, crime, drugs, housing, national, same old national, Simon Bridges - Tags: ,

EnglishBridges

The methamphetamine scandal continues day after day. I almost feel sorry for National waking up to the same bad news of incompetence, lack of understanding and anti poor people belligerence their handling of the issue clearly displays.

And unlike days of yore where they had Crosby Textor assistance to finely hue and calibrate their responses and an adept surefooted leader to deliver those responses now they have Simon Bridges and it feels like the Keystone Cops are providing them with advice.

Yesterday was not Simon Bridges’ best day.

He started off with this awful interview on Radio New Zealand which was reported in these terms:

Opposition leader Simon Bridges has apologised to those affected by meth contamination evictions and clean-ups, but says he didn’t know the tests weren’t fit for purpose.

…

Mr Bridges told Morning Report that it was an “incredibly frustrating” situation.

“I’m sorry that the advice we got was wrong and has made this situation what it is,” he said.

“We got the wrong advice, we’re not technical experts, we thought we were asking the hard questions.”

During the interview Bridges admitted what everyone in New Zealand apart from the reality challenged have known for years and started to talk about the Housing crisis.

Guyon Espiner: “It is interesting you call it a housing crisis now.  Man you avoided that term for a long time.”

SB: “I’m leader of the opposition now, I get to decide on how we phrase things …”

GE: “So it’s a crisis when you are no longer responsible for it?”

Then things became worse as news of possible privacy breaches were identified by Economissive and became part of the public discourse. He discovered a Tenancy Tribunal decision which continued this passage:

“During Mr Bradley’s tenancy Housing New Zealand were advised by the Auckland District Health Board to test his tenanted premises for methamphetamine contamination. This was because Mr Bradley was attending drug and alcohol detoxification at the Auckland District Health Board.

… Housing New Zealand duly arranged to have the test done and the evidence presented today shows that the premises were indeed contaminated.

Radio New Zealand followed this story up last evening on Checkpoint and talked to Mr Bradley. And provided a very human perspective of what is an unmitigated disaster.

A former state house tenant who was allegedly dobbed in by an Auckland DHB says he is still paying back Housing NZ for a meth test three years after his eviction.

A tenancy tribunal order, dated June 2015, ordered Jesse Bradley to pay Housing New Zealand more than $2200 for a meth test.

The ruling said Housing New Zealand was advised by an Auckland District Health Board (DHB) to test his Hobson Street flat for contamination after he sought drug and alcohol treatment.

But Mr Bradley said he did not know that and he denied ever smoking meth there and said none of his friends did either.

“Maybe the people that lived there beforehand smoked methamphetamine. Maybe they just tested the walls after I moved out just to make a statement.”

What is really appalling is that the level of contamination was that low there was no need for any remediation.

As for the source of the information relied on:

Mr Bradley had sought treatment for his addiction from the Waitemata DHB. In a statement the DHB said it was not the practice of the Community Alcohol and Drug Service to share confidential patient medical information with Housing New Zealand.

Housing NZ has not responded to requests for comment.

If disclosure of this information was actually made then the Health Board has a lot of questions to be answered.  And if it was not then Housing Corp has a lot of questions to be answered.

Getting back to the issue of the policy a brief look through the documents and analysis of the timing shows how badly Housing Corp and the last Government got things wrong.

As noted in Peter Gluckman’s report the original Health Ministry document everyone relied on was this document, with the title “Guidelines for the Remediation of Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory Sites”.  Note that in the title it mentions “Methamphetamine Laboratory Sites”.  Not much chance of missing that.

And Housing Corp knew about it.  The Corporation’s document “Policy for managing Methamphetamine (P) in Housing New Zealand managed properties”  with a publication date of March 30, 2016 mentions the Health Ministry report by its full name on four different occasions.

Note the date of the policy.  Just two weeks after Paula Bennett had talked about terminating tenancies of contamination was discovered.

And it was only four months before Bill English conceded that the policy was not working.

From Radio New Zealand on August 8, 2016:

Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English last week admitted to Morning Report the tests being used to evict tenants were not fit for purpose.

“No (they’re not), and Housing New Zealand have said that,” Mr English said.

“They’re operating to a Ministry of Health guideline which is internationally standard but it’s regarded as not quite appropriate for dealing with use of P in houses.”

This directly contradicts Bridges’ claim that National did not know.

Benedict Collins deserves huge praise for the work he has done on this story.  And National should collectively bow its head in shame for allowing anti drug rhetoric to influence policy and cause distress and hardship to some of the poorest amongst us.

84 comments on “Dud advice ”

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  1. Bewildered 1
    6 June 2018 at 1:38 pm

    “I almost feel sorry for National waking up to the same bad news of incompetence, lack of understanding and anti poor people belligerence their handling of the issue clearly displays”

    Don’t feel sorry Mickey we enjoyed labour’s 9 years in purgatory, change in leaders, irrelevance, plain incompetence as an opposition etc, it’s all a cycle, luck pulled you from close to labour not existing at all so enjoy it while you can 😊

    • Kat 1.1
      6 June 2018 at 6:42 pm

      Dud advice from the Duds to the Duds and Bewildered……
      The only “leader” in the Nat camp is Judith Collins and she is no leader at all.
      National really are a pack of fizzers….!

      Go on, tell me I’m wrong 🙂

  2. Gosman 2
    6 June 2018 at 1:42 pm

    You’ve stated that National would have acted differently under a previous leadership. How would they have acted differently? In what way would you have expected them to approach this if not the way Bridges is doing so now?

    • AB 2.1
      6 June 2018 at 2:05 pm

      “In what way would you have expected them to approach this…”
      Acknowledge their innate sociopathy and dissolve the Party?

      • Gosman 2.1.1
        6 June 2018 at 2:09 pm

        You think that is what the previous leadership team would have done then?

        • AB 2.1.1.1
          6 June 2018 at 2:37 pm

          I would have expected it “of” them but not “from” them. (Devilishly slippery thing language)

          • Gosman 2.1.1.1.1
            6 June 2018 at 2:49 pm

            You therefore disagree with MickeySavange who thinks the old leadership team of National would have handled this case better.

            • reason 2.1.1.1.1.1
              7 June 2018 at 9:23 am

              English was an average but prolific liar … Key with his ‘drug expert’ Mike Sabin was very slick in most of his dishonesty … helped along with his Dirty Politics crew. …

              Bennett, Key, Sabin Collins etc … were at the center pushing the meth scam / hoax / fraud

              But they and Nicky hager s exposure of their DP dishonesty … has spoiled it for Bridges …. The Nacts first instinct of telling lies is now a liability for them. https://sciblogs.co.nz/griffins-gadgets/2014/08/18/cash-for-comment-and-new-zealands-mod-squad/

              In reality the Nacts were a pro drug party … and did not give a stuff about crime victims from the drug they supported, Ethyl alcohol …. https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/read-the-journal/all-issues/2010-2019/2015/vol-128-no-1409/6439

              Former Detective Superintendent Rod Drew who Retired as national manager of criminal investigations: .. “Just as Kiwis were capable of changing attitudes to child abuse, Drew says maybe another debate is needed around the most common cause of preventable crimes.

              A constant over 42 years, he says, has been the role of booze in making otherwise reasonable people do crazy things.”

              or Detective Sergeant Kylie Schaare
              ….. “In one instance, an 8-month-old baby was beaten black and blue by his mother and suffered extensive bruising to his eyes, ears and face……. Alcohol was a major factor in the bashing, which was apparent in a lot of physical and sexual abuse cases the unit dealt with, Mrs Schaare said.,,,

              “the National-led government ignored the science, the Law Commission
              and public opinion, and instead delivered an alcohol non-reform bill, which will maintain the heavy drinking culture. ” https://www.victoria.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1347255/PQ14-1-Sellman.pdf

              The Nacts real drug legacy ,,,( not their $199 million fake contamination scam )

              Family violence in NZ
              • Highest reported rate of intimate partner violence in the developed world.
              • Police attended more than 100,000 family violence incidents last year.
              • Each year, 14 women, 7 men and 8 children are killed by a family member.
              • Last year, CYF received 146,657 reports about care and protection of children.

              • Data obtained in 2007 by Alco-Link showed just under half (49.8%) of arrests for violence-related offences involved an offender affected by alcohol as did 78% of arrests for disorder offences.[22]

              • Approximately half (49.5%) of all homicides recorded between 1999-2008 involved either a suspect or victim being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

          • paul andersen 2.1.1.1.2
            6 June 2018 at 4:59 pm

            yes AB, we should always hope for the best ,but expect the worst…..

      • mickysavage 2.1.2
        6 June 2018 at 3:26 pm

        English admitted there was a problem with the test. Bridges is saying they never knew there was a problem until now.

        • Gosman 2.1.2.1
          6 June 2018 at 3:29 pm

          How is admitting they knew there was a problem with the test actually managing this better? Surely all that would do is lead to people asking them why did they continue to persist with the test when they knew there was an issue with it?

          • mickysavage 2.1.2.1.1
            6 June 2018 at 5:28 pm

            Because it is better than continuing with the test and doing nothing?

            • Gosman 2.1.2.1.1.1
              7 June 2018 at 8:50 am

              You claimed that the old leadership of National would have handled this whole situation better than how Bridge’s has done. Yet I see nothing indicating how they would have handled it better. Your link to Bill English admitting there was a flaw in the testing does not suggest there would have been a better approach. In fact it would have raised questions over why did they persist in the approach when they knew there was a flaw in the testing.

        • Incognito 2.1.2.2
          6 June 2018 at 10:01 pm

          As the authoritative and democratically elected Leader of the Opposition now Simon gets to decide what National knows that they knew. He also gets to decide what they know they didn’t know. And of course Simon decides what National doesn’t know that they didn’t know. What Simon, as the enlightened Leader of the Opposition, does not get to decide is that National screwed up big time. Because this is a well-known fact!

    • Stuart Munro 2.2
      6 June 2018 at 2:11 pm

      It’s always best to make a clean breast of these things.

      A National party worthy of respect would repudiate the policy, demote the then minister, and apologize to the many persons affected. It would also take the lead in compensating them – Gnat coffers are bulging with donations after all.

      No fear of any of these from Soimin of course.

      • Gosman 2.2.1
        6 June 2018 at 2:31 pm

        Did they do that under the last leadership team or the one before?

        • Stuart Munro 2.2.1.1
          6 June 2018 at 2:44 pm

          Who cares? That’s for them to sort out, stand up and come forward.

          They won’t of course – lying was normalized under Key and has not yet been repudiated.

          • Gosman 2.2.1.1.1
            6 June 2018 at 2:48 pm

            MickeySavage cares. He brought up the fact that the new leadership team is not like the old one which would have handled this situation in a much better manner.

            • Stuart Munro 2.2.1.1.1.1
              6 June 2018 at 2:53 pm

              More responsibly or just with a better media strategy? The latter I expect.

              • Gosman …
                6 June 2018 at 3:01 pm

                You will have to ask him but as he isn’t responding to my question about this I am not sure if you will have any luck getting details from him.

                • mickysavage …
                  6 June 2018 at 4:47 pm

                  I am finding it hard to understand your question. You said:

                  You’ve stated that National would have acted differently under a previous leadership. How would they have acted differently? In what way would you have expected them to approach this if not the way Bridges is doing so now?

                  I have said performance wise National was different. They would have worked out an attack line and stuck to it.

                  Bridges’ response is not an attack line. It is an admission of defeat, And it contradicts what English said in 2016.

                  Do you think that Bridges’s response is an adequate one?

                  • Gosman …
                    7 June 2018 at 8:58 am

                    National is trying to argue that the decisions around testing was mainly the preserve of HNZC (who were interested in the health of their Tenants not whether they were suitable or not) and that they were not aware the testing was pretty much useless. Even Bill English’s “admission” you posted is not contrary to this as it was more that they tests were not great but it was the best they had until they came up with better ones.

                    I don’t see any other line they could take on this subject. You mention some sort of attack line they would have developed in the past and stuck with. Can you postulate an effective attack line on this topic?

            • paul andersen 2.2.1.1.1.2
              6 June 2018 at 5:02 pm

              and you obviously care gos, ..so whats your opinion, is the current nat leadership more prone to lying than the last nat leadership????answer please

    • ropata 2.3
      6 June 2018 at 2:58 pm

      If they had an attack of conscience, I would expect Bingles and FJK to go on TV and publicly admit to their roles in dirty politics, complicity in selling off NZ to foreign interests, failing the good people of Christchurch, spying on NZ citizens and suppressing the media.

      All National MPs would resign en masse and their vast housing portfolios be allocated to the Housing NZ families that were unjustly punished.

      • Gosman 2.3.1
        6 June 2018 at 2:59 pm

        You obviously disagree with MickeySavage then

        • Kevin 2.3.1.1
          6 June 2018 at 3:17 pm

          Mickey has an opinion, I have an opinion, you have an opinion.
          Why is it so important to you that everyone agrees with Mickey, Gos?

          • Gosman 2.3.1.1.1
            6 June 2018 at 3:22 pm

            I am trying to establish whether MickeySavage’s opinion on this has merit. So far it looks like it doesn’t.

            • adam 2.3.1.1.1.1
              6 June 2018 at 4:16 pm

              Oh do kindly go jump in a river Gosman. Your whole distraction attempt and now you bag an author -can you get any lower – wait I think I’ve said that before.

              • In Vino …
                6 June 2018 at 5:21 pm

                Beautifully done, MickeySavage. Gooseman is going to have to do super-contortion now, after he sees your obliterating reply at 4.47pm.

                • In Vino …
                  6 June 2018 at 7:09 pm

                  Well, it’s after 7pm now, and Goosey seems to have done a runner.
                  He’s gapped it, man!

                • Gosman …
                  7 June 2018 at 8:59 am

                  Ummm… why will I have to do that?

                  • In Vino …
                    7 June 2018 at 4:13 pm

                    Because your reply to MS was inadequate: there was a contradiction, and your parroting some Nat fudging does not remove that contradiction. It remains there for all to see.

            • patricia bremner 2.3.1.1.1.2
              7 June 2018 at 1:46 am

              Gos, it is your opinion that has no merit. Micky has it right.
              Key would have flatly lied. Bill English knew they had over reacted.
              Bridges is doing his inadequate best. Bennett caused the cock up.
              The poor have paid for their mismanagement. You shit stir sir, and nit pick and don’t care a scrap.

              • Stuart Munro …
                7 June 2018 at 4:42 pm

                “Bridges is doing his inadequate best.”

                They’ll be saying that when he loses in 2020 – if they somehow manage to keep Judith away from the cutlery drawer.

    • Gabby 2.4
      6 June 2018 at 7:01 pm

      Pretending he dinno nuffin gozzers?

  3. I Feel Love 3
    6 June 2018 at 1:50 pm

    Thank fuk the Nats got kicked out, and this breech of privacy surely not even right wingers could defend, well, I guess they are already.

    • Gosman 3.1
      6 June 2018 at 2:10 pm

      How is this a breech of privacy?

      • David Mac 3.1.1
        6 June 2018 at 2:20 pm

        The DHB contacting Housing NZ…..

        “Hey we’re treating a meth addict over here, he says he is living in one of your houses.”

        • Gosman 3.1.1.1
          6 June 2018 at 2:30 pm

          Do you have evidence this was happening and how widespread it was?

          • David Mac 3.1.1.1.1
            6 June 2018 at 2:33 pm

            Ummm, maybe I’m missing something here, isn’t the evidence a key thrust of Micky’s post?…

            “He discovered a Tenancy Tribunal decision which continued this passage:

            “During Mr Bradley’s tenancy Housing New Zealand were advised by the Auckland District Health Board to test his tenanted premises for methamphetamine contamination. This was because Mr Bradley was attending drug and alcohol detoxification at the Auckland District Health Board.

            … Housing New Zealand duly arranged to have the test done and the evidence presented today shows that the premises were indeed contaminated.”

            • Gosman 3.1.1.1.1.1
              6 June 2018 at 2:44 pm

              Why would the DHB be interested in housing issues?

              • Mac1 …
                6 June 2018 at 3:04 pm

                Gosman, is your question a genuine one, or are you using your questioning technique to obliquely deny that this actually happened? Are you interested to know why the DHB advised HNZ? Are you questioning the tenancy tribunal in its decision? Or are you saying that it didn’t happen? Or are you trying to deflect discussion away from the central issue which is that evidence exists of inappropriate behaviour, of insufficient cause for harassment, for wrongful diagnosis of meth contamination of a person’s house who was entitled to some sort of privacy?

                Gosman, you doubted there whether it actually happened.

                You were offered evidence that the tribunal said it did?

                The proper response should be, shit, the DHB and HNZ should not have done that. The HNZ were wrong to use that diagnostic test in that way. That they knew about it for quite a long time as a scientist pointed that out to them.

                But no, defend them to the last, Gosman, until the last shred of credibility has deserted that National government, and yourself.

                • Gosman …
                  6 June 2018 at 3:20 pm

                  The DHB is run for completely different reasons than HNZC. It has a separate management structure AND it is well aware of the privacy requirements meaning information can not be shared easily between different government agencies UNLESS they have extremely good reason to do so (and even then it would be done very rarely). The case as presented does not satisfy these requirements. There is no way this is usual practice (if it indeed happened). There is one of two possible outcomes for this. Either the DHB thought it was acting in the best health interests of the patient (It is not interested in whether the house is a Meth house) or this information whould never have been released and someone should lose their job. If it is the later what is the Mnister of Health doing about it?

                  • David Mac …
                    6 June 2018 at 3:32 pm

                    Yes Gosman, there may be a plausible explanation. eg: Mr Bradley’s doctor ringing HNZ and saying “I think we can get this guy off meth but he lives in the same block of flats as the people he buys it from, any chance of a relocation to the other side of town?”

                    But…for HNZ to then tee up a meth test of the property, knowing there is a good chance that it will be beneficiary Mr Bradley’s $2200 bill…Frightfully efficient but is it the NZ we’re aiming for?

                  • Leonhart Hunt …
                    6 June 2018 at 7:46 pm

                    MSD started a data sharing project linking major NZ government orgs together, sharing data for big data risk analysis. details are really sketchy on what was linked, what data is shared and I would bet that it would go two ways.

                    We know MSD, IRD, Police and HNZ have shared data, but various other agencies (with no explanation) was mentioned, this is the problem with agency data sharing especially without oversight, once the information is de-centralised it can be used for any purpose and protecting it from abuse can be almost impossible.

                    • Leonhart Hunt …
                      6 June 2018 at 7:53 pm

                      Actually I know that MSd and DHB have data sharing because I did not need to tell msd when I spent time in hospital while on a sickness benefit, so that links everything together.

                • You_Fool …
                  6 June 2018 at 3:33 pm

                  Actually there is another option, We know that HNZ said that they had gotten information from the DHB, which was their justification for ordering the test. However, we don’t know if this actually happened, or if HNZ was just trying it on because the the person was poor and they wanted to sell the house for $$$$ so they just said the DHB had said that to them…

                  Option 1. The DHB breached privacy laws and should be hung up and quartered for it (figuratively speaking)

                  Option 2. HNZ was even more scummy than we though, illegally tested someones house on no grounds all just to evict them, and questions have to be asked why..

                  I am thinking option 2 may actually be the case and I suspect answers to why will be because they were told to by certain ministers

              • David Mac …
                6 June 2018 at 3:11 pm

                Indeed. Micky could of ended his piece with that line.

                When at the helm the Nats were talking up ‘Information Sharing’ between govt depts.

                Personally, I think it’s an approach that has the potential to do good that is outweighed by it’s potential to be detrimental.

                A bit like cloning, we could create exact replica Gosman or David Macs, we choose not to go there.

                • dukeofurl …
                  6 June 2018 at 4:53 pm

                  One thing doesnt make sense.
                  Auckland DHB doesnt do alcohol and drug rehab for the Auckland region.

                  While its the Waitemata DHB does it region wide. maybe a slip in names?

                  I cant see the Clinical people at the the DHBs CADS even telling HNZ, unless they were prompted by their client to do so.
                  Maybe he asked CADS for a reference ? This is more likely.

                  The building was Imperial Gardens , a classy apartment block in Auckland central.

              • mary_a …
                6 June 2018 at 6:19 pm

                FFS Gosman (3.1.1.1.1.1). I think you are trolling, adding nothing constructive to the debate. You are getting quite boring now.

            • Gabby 3.1.1.1.1.2
              6 June 2018 at 7:02 pm

              Was he attending drug and alcohol detoxification at the Auckland District Health Board?

            • Patricia 3.1.1.1.1.3
              6 June 2018 at 8:11 pm

              I have personal knowledge of a person who was evicted by HNZ because of meth issues. He did not use drugs. He is paying back $21 K for meth testing and remediation. I am hopeful that this will be revisited some time soon.

  4. David Mac 4
    6 June 2018 at 2:00 pm

    In addition to the questionable form of DHB drawing Mr Bradley’s rehabilitation to Housing NZ’s attention, there is something else odd about that tribunal hearing’s findings.

    The adjudicator stated ‘Based on the evidence presented I find that Mr Bradley is responsible for the contamination.’

    In the hearings I’m familiar with the adjudicator’s first line of questioning is always “Was a test done prior to the tenancy commencing?” If not and previously rented, obviously the adjudicator is obliged to dismiss the case. Maybe a test was done prior to Mr Bradley moving in but if so, it’s odd that this isn’t mentioned in the Adjudicator’s findings.

    Suspect adjudicator rulings often end with similar lines as this one…”Mr Bradley did not attend the hearing.”

    If there, the adjudicator would turn to Mr Bradley with questions like “Is this true?” They’re very practiced at extracting the truth but both parties need to be there. Housing NZ were able to run roughshod over him, unopposed.

  5. Tamati Tautuhi 5
    6 June 2018 at 2:05 pm

    It really makes you wonder about the competence of our MP’s and the people who run the likes of Housing NZ are they there just to rubber stamp their underlings decisions so they can not be held accountable ?

  6. Tamati Tautuhi 6
    6 June 2018 at 2:09 pm

    … the Health Department in NZ thinks glysophate the active ingredient in Round Up is safe despite it being banned in numerous European Countries & California ?

    • Gosman 6.1
      6 June 2018 at 2:12 pm

      Numerous European Countries also have restrictions on GMO. That doesn’t mean that it is backed by the weight of scientific evidence.

      • Tamati Tautuhi 6.1.1
        6 June 2018 at 2:19 pm

        Interesting NZ has some of the highest rates of breast and bowel cancers in the world, I believe much of this cancer is caused by our diets and the heavy consumption of meat and dairy products.

        • Gosman 6.1.1.1
          6 June 2018 at 2:29 pm

          Nice that you believe that.

        • Adrian 6.1.1.2
          6 June 2018 at 2:44 pm

          If you are relying on that dodgy headline from a few days ago for you ” worst in the world cancer rates” then you have the wrong info.
          NZ was high in 2 categories but around similiar rates to countries with an efficient disease detection regime, ie, testing and public announcements etc.
          The countries with the lowest rates that the shonky journalism was trying to link us to don’t even have a health system except for a hospital ship passing by every year or so.
          Don’t even think of a comparisions with the greatest of them all, with 40% of Americans not even able to get in the door of a doctors let alone a hospital their ” rates ” of diseases detected is obviously low.
          Stop relying on bullshit stats supplied by bullshit media.

        • AsleepWhileWalking 6.1.1.3
          6 June 2018 at 3:58 pm

          @TT

          Yep. There are numerous studies confirming the link.

          [By the way I particularly enjoy ignoring OPs demanding references. It is now common knowledge Roundup is carcinogenic and has been for quite some time]

      • DB 6.1.2
        7 June 2018 at 6:21 am

        The weight of corporate skullduggery you mean. Silly lefties and their objection to poisons in food that are now in the entire US populace…

        http://time.com/4993877/weed-killer-roundup-levels-humans/

        GE could be 100% safe (someone paid to say so, says so), the additives are still entirely questionable.

        Monoculture is asking for trouble. GE is monoculture to an extreme. It is a ridiculous fantasy. PSA nearly wiped out an industry because monoculture. So the poor rich folks had to be bailed out. Because rich folks understand jack shit about how the planet, evolution, plant defenses, microbial gene transfer, et. al… actually works.

        The same muppets want to make one grass to rule them all, for NZ. That’ll end very very badly.

        Get educated or fuck off Gosman, you piddling little mind.

  7. Tamati Tautuhi 7
    6 June 2018 at 3:27 pm

    Cancer rates have grown exponentially over the last 50-60 years, the chemicals being introduced into the environment and the food chain are potentially causing problems in the human anatomy.

    Fruit and vegetables today have supposedly only 20-30% of the nutritional value of the older varieties according to an agricultural scientist I was talking to a few years ago ?

    Having worked in these industries and being the receipient of this disease I believe we need more accurate information & reliable from the manufacturers and our regulatory authorities on these materials.

    • AsleepWhileWalking 7.1
      6 June 2018 at 4:03 pm

      OT:

      You might be interestedin an interview with Wendy Myers and Stephanie Seneff on how to detox this stuff.

      Back to the post…the ministers took the advice when there was sufficient reason to believe it might be untrue. They should have waited for independent confirmation before using their excessive power against potentially innocent tenants.

    • dukeofurl 7.2
      6 June 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Cancer rates are only increasing because people are living longer -outside of cancers caused by smoking and such

      • One Two 7.2.1
        6 June 2018 at 9:56 pm

        The sky rocketing rates of cancers in infants and young people, tell another story Duke…

        • Stunned Mullet 7.2.1.1
          7 June 2018 at 6:23 am

          There is no skyrocketing in the rate of childhood cancer.

        • Ed 7.2.1.2
          7 June 2018 at 7:37 am

          We are eating poisons that smother the modern industrial capitalismt world..
          We live in a toxic environment; processed food, alcohol, synthetic fabrics, petrochemical fumes, meat…

          No wonder cancer is so high.
          We
          And the cancer charities are loved by the corporates because they never question the underlying causes of the epidemic.

      • Tamati Tautuhi 7.2.2
        7 June 2018 at 3:33 am

        ….. ie chemicals in the environment which are getting into the food chain and then into the human body. Everyone is different however less chemical additives in the human body equals longer life ?

  8. Ad 8
    6 June 2018 at 4:42 pm

    I still find it curious that the Minister of Housing seems to have pretty strong confidence in Housing NZ. Usually there’s a Board to clear out after an election but he seems not to be making the usual governance shakeout.

    The Board of Housing New Zealand comprises:

    Adrienne Young-Cooper (Chairperson)
    John Duncan (Deputy Chair)
    Michael Schur
    Tau Henare
    Peter Dow
    Alick Shaw
    Sandra Alofivae and
    Mark Ratcliffe.

    Granted, Adrienne Young-Cooper is adored by the left and has done outstanding work at Panuku. And Alick Shaw is a Labour beltway groover from NZTA and Wellington Council. But isn’t this getting a bit big to have zero governance impact from the responsible Minister?

    • dukeofurl 8.1
      6 June 2018 at 4:58 pm

      Doesnt Tau get a dont come Monday card ?

      The meth policy would come from management and the board were too busy selling houses to bother with the ‘little people’

      • Ad 8.1.1
        6 June 2018 at 5:24 pm

        The Board is the accountable layer between the corporation and the Minister.
        They are responsible for all policies of the corporation.

        What it’s beginning to look like is Twyford is playing a kind of corporate Survivor Wellington Island in which the staff and Boards of HNZ, TTC, HLC, Crown Fibre Holdings, MBIE, and to the side Panuku all get to slug it out in the media arena until there’s only one group standing, or all are sufficiently mauled that they have to join together into one grand Urban Authority.

        It’s going to be a very long year to be in a public housing company.

  9. bruce 9
    6 June 2018 at 5:32 pm

    ‘ And National should collectively bow its head in shame for allowing anti drug rhetoric to influence policy and cause distress and hardship to some of the poorest amongst us. ‘

    Why would they when reefer madness still dictates this governments drug policy .
    They are all the same.

  10. greywarshark 10
    6 June 2018 at 5:37 pm

    TTC Crown Fibre Holdings – these something to do with software?
    HLC Hobsonville Land Company.
    The talk is getting to be in a sort of acronym code guaranteed to confuse and divide off from the ordinary person.

  11. JustMe 11
    6 June 2018 at 6:12 pm

    A past POUSA had a plaque on his desk that said “The Buck Stops Here”(at his desk).
    The past National government of NZ has let down so many NZers because of their total arrogance, pigheadedness and the attitude they hold the monopoly on intelligence.
    Over the past 9 years there was a National government not a week went by when we heard these words: “The National government refuses/rejects/denies’ even reports about matters and problems that were rampant in NZ.
    And so that shows a gross mis-management by the past National government as from 2008 through to late 2017.
    But we can be assured of one outcome in regards to the Meth-Myth Witch-hunt that probably someone with close National Party links has made alot of money out of and that is NOT ONE NATIONAL MP either past or present will do the responsible and adult thing and take responsibility or accountability for what happened UNDER THEIR WATCH.
    I am sure we will get the usual crap from the NZ National Opposition of blaming someone else but the faces staring back at them in the mirror.
    Today the CEO of HNZ has ‘apologised’ for what happened. In my opinion that ‘apology’ probably had to be done because he was pressured into apologising and now it’s like closing the stable door after the horse(s)had bolted.
    There have been alot of victims of the Meth-Myth Witch-hunt and because they are mostly lower socio economic citizens it looks like the past National government failed them and viewed them as ‘pawns on a chesseboard’ to be moved willy-nilly as the whims of both the National government, ALL the Ministers involved in the housing sector from 2008 through to 2017 and the management of HNZ.

    • Gabby 11.1
      6 June 2018 at 7:05 pm

      I’d very much like to hear from Lord Andrew McKenzie’s predecessor.

    • Graeme 11.2
      6 June 2018 at 10:28 pm

      There’s another group that’s come out the wrong side of this bullshit, it’s not as proportionally affected as the evicted tenants, and nowhere as numerous, but that’s the private landlords who got sucked into this and spent huge sums “remediating” their properties for not reason.

      I know one, and she’s NOT a happy camper. Also a rather forthright lady. Suggested she tee up a meeting with either of the prior ministers and sell tickets. It would be entertaining and might recoup her costs. Goes without saying that she used to vote (and more) national.

    • Tamati Tautuhi 11.3
      7 June 2018 at 3:37 am

      One of the PONZ was so slick the sh*t wouldn’t even stick it slipped right off in another direction, that’s what happens when you have a complicit MSM ?

  12. mosa 12
    6 June 2018 at 8:14 pm

    POOR KIWI LIVES MATTER !!!!

  13. James Thrace 13
    6 June 2018 at 10:44 pm

    Honestly, the only surprise I have about all this is the fact it’s taken so long.

    I was going on about this issue way back in 2016.

    here

    and here

    and here too

    and finally here

    Meth testing companies were actively misleading consumers by promoting their testing services by promoting a standard that wasn’t fit for purpose, and should never have been used for meth testing, except in properties where laboratories were found to have existed.

    • KD 13.1
      7 June 2018 at 5:04 pm

      These links are to amazing, informative discussions. So shocking, so depressing, I just don’t get how this isn’t a massive outrage for every New Zealander. The levels of meanness perpetrated but so many is mind boggling. Waiting to hear of a massive class action case taken against all who profited from this outrageous CON

  14. Tamati Tautuhi 14
    7 June 2018 at 8:47 am

    We have a problem in this country with people in high position’s who are out of their depths and there is a lack of attention to detail with the execution.

    Old Chinese Proverb “The Higher You Suck the Higher You Get”.

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