National’s Upper Harbour problem

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, September 14th, 2020 - 41 comments
Categories: election 2020, Judith Collins, national, same old national - Tags:

This has been quite a year for National.

It is onto its third leader, has lost a slew of experienced MPs, and has had other MPs resign in curious circumstances.  And now it appears that it has a crisis involving its Upper Harbour candidate, Jake Bezzant.

The details are behind Business Desk’s paywall but I understand they involve allegations that he was involved in some unusual deals and that he had overstated his experience in his CV.  One detail that was questioned was his claim that he had co founded Parking Sense and that it grew from the lounge of his University flat whereas from Company records it appears that it was formed six months before he joined and that he was not a founding shareholder.

https://twitter.com/bex_stevenson/status/1305221319101878272

Senior National MPs were warned by letter dated July 19, 2020.  It makes you wonder why they did not take any action at the time although to be fair this was the time when it was announced that Andrew Falloon was standing down from Parliament for “health reasons” and it then quickly emerged that the cause of his depression was the drunken sending of inappropriate graphic material to a woman who was not his wife and who was actually a teenager.  The headspace to deal with yet another crisis involving a National candidate clearly was not there.

National’s problem is that there are only a few days before nominations close.

Upper Harbour should be a safe National seat but Labour is running the high profile and very talented lawyer Vanushi Walters.  This news cannot do anything but hurt National’s chances and further derail its campaign.

What does it do?

National’s only choice may be to deselect Bezzant and urgently select their New Lynn candidate Lisa Whyte for the seat.  She is well known in the area and has served on the Upper Harbour local board for years.  Or it could risk losing the seat.

And most importantly where did the information come from?  Which senior National MP leaked it and why?

There does not seem to be an upside for National.  I almost feel sorry for them.

41 comments on “National’s Upper Harbour problem ”

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  1. Gabby 1
    14 September 2020 at 8:58 am

    Luxie's already in isn't he.

  2. Peter 2
    14 September 2020 at 9:04 am

    Will they care about the news of shonky claims ? Or just plough ahead on Arrogant Avenue? What does history say?

    Not so long back Jami-Lee Ross was one of heir golden headed boy. Look how far up the tree he reached. And when that branch rotted off they all said they knew about the rot for a length of time, the implication being the rottenness was fine

    Hell, let's talk up Jake Bezzant in the usual National way. a rising star bound to make his mark, with all the attributes to fit perfectly into their world. Hell, let's give him a 9,000 majority.

  3. Patricia Bremner 3
    14 September 2020 at 9:14 am

    I find Judith Collins' 'charm' rather similar to John Key's, very superficial. Her laughter is "at" rather than "with".

    As for candidates… scratching around.

  4. Andre 4
    14 September 2020 at 9:17 am

    Bring back Paula!

  5. mosa 5
    14 September 2020 at 9:32 am

    " I almost feel sorry for them "

    If it was Labour's problem the National party would be exploiting it for all its worth.

    Sympathy is the last thing that should be shown to this vile group of people.

    • woodart 5.1
      14 September 2020 at 10:04 am

      it sounds like the nats attract the same sort of people on the nth shore as they do in southland. down south it could be a result of inbreeding , dont know whether thats the case on the nth shore ..

      • AB 5.1.1
        14 September 2020 at 10:36 am

        Rather than in-breeding, on the Shore it's lack of breeding and new money vulgarity. North Shore Nats are not the type who roll up to listen to a Mahler symphony when the NZSO is in town, unlike their High Tory brethren across the bridge.

  6. Psycho Milt 6
    14 September 2020 at 9:35 am

    The headspace to deal with yet another crisis involving a National candidate clearly was not there.

    I think National's campaign slogan "Strong Team" will experience fame that lasts long beyond this election. They're in a cleft stick – it was clear the slogan was going to have comedy value even before the Andrew Falloon incident, but if you withdraw the slogan you're effectively saying you can no longer claim to have a strong team. If I were a better person, I'd feel sorry for them.

  7. Tiger Mountain 7
    14 September 2020 at 10:32 am

    “Sorry” is still the hardest word for some of us when it comes to the dirty, filthy, NZ National Party.

    What with Simon’s road trips, “Merv”, the homeless man, Mr Falloon’s sexting, Mr Muller’s meltdown, exodus of MPs (Nicky and Amy who?), the Boag Covid name leaks, Judith’s sleazy husband…and “the eyebrows”, they have certainly covered themselves in it this year.

    It would be great to see a few more electorate seats go Labour’s way to end the year on a positive note.

    • tc 7.1
      14 September 2020 at 11:01 am

      Totally TM ! Kiwis are seeing the national party in all its glory and they seem to have stfu mostly for now leaving Reti and their msm shills to it before they roar back for the run in with more uncosted BS etc to dupe the sheeple.

      A prominent strategy one could say not without it's downsides.

  8. Anne 8
    14 September 2020 at 10:47 am

    Judging from the photo he looked the part. Looks matter to the Nats – young, good looking and articulate. It doesn't matter if what they're articulating is a load of gobbledygook just so long as it sounds good.

    Senior National MPs were warned by letter dated July 19, 2020.

    I can imagine the Nats disregarding such a letter because they think they know better and they didn't want to believe it anyway. Ignore it and it will go away.

    If it was a National MP who leaked the information then it is clear their caucus is a boiling cauldron of dissatisfaction and it ain't going to improve any time soon.

  9. greywarshark 9
    14 September 2020 at 10:54 am

    A shoe-in. National loves roads, and Jake is about cars and parking and traffic management, technology, efficiency and effectiveness and Maori.

    From a Henderson Rotary newsletter: https://jakebezzant.national.org.nz/jake_rotary_newsletter

    Technology is currently the 3rd biggest industry in New Zealand and will become our biggest earner within the next 10 years.

    His business Parking Sense was established in 2014. They broke into the US market by developing an APP which directed people to available parking spaces via their phone thereby turning countless hours of wasted time into productive time. Where their system has been introduced by large companies the time taken to park by em- ployees has dropped from an average of 35 minutes to 5 minutes. As a result they

    arrive at their work in a much better frame of mind and are immediately more productive….

    Because of this approach Kiwis are arguably the best innovators in the world but then we sell and the value goes overseas. The company is now developing technology for charging electric cars.

    Jake believes there are huge opportunities for new Zealanders in the development of technology. One of the changes we will see in the very near future is in the motor vehicle industry. Car manufacturers are now building electronics into vehicles which will enable it to do everything your phone can do and the car can be managed from your phone.

    From Dec.10/2019 Scoop about – which university where? Not noted in all google items I’ve seen.
    Jake Bezzant, 31, degree in Law and Politics/International Relations. Following his graduation, he worked for Smart Parking Limited as a Commercial Manager and Legal Officer.

    From – https://www.teaomaori.news/urban-national-candidate-looks-create-tech-focused-jobs
    Ngāti Ruanui’s Jake Bezzant is National’s candidate for Upper Harbour, the Auckland seat vacated by retiring MP Paula Bennett…
    “The opportunities I got as a Kiwi to travel the world, to build a company – that’s the diversity I bring and I think for Māori it’s an enormous opportunity for the future.”

  10. greywarshark 10
    14 September 2020 at 11:18 am

    I'm in moderation for some reason. Don't know why. Just background on Mr Bezzant.

  11. Byd0nz 11
    14 September 2020 at 12:23 pm

    I hope the Upper Harbourians put the boot in on National and kick them into touch.

    • Peter 11.1
      14 September 2020 at 9:41 pm

      It's Trump " I could shoot someone in 5th Avenue and they'd still support me" type territory in Upper Harbour.

  12. Hunter Thompson II 12
    14 September 2020 at 12:30 pm

    "Todd Muller has quickly jumped astride the unexpected gift horse that Jacinda Ardern sent him and played himself into being a clear contender for the September 19 election."

    [Fran O'Sullivan, NZ Herald, 20 June 2020 p C2]

    How quickly things can change these days (Todd who??) And I'll bet it's not over yet.

  13. Patricia Rive 13
    14 September 2020 at 1:31 pm

    And to add to the list of crap that this candidate has been able to also flout the level 3 restrictions on the announcement of the lockdown where exactly was Mr. Bezzant one wonders as a few days later was pictured with his fancy sign written vehicle in hamilton now bear in mind that his family is currently residing there An email was sent to him by a concerned member of the public due to Auckland in Lockdown well his reply to this person was he was there for his one-day off visit with his family when the announcement of the move in levels came through. Which is totally lies as you can look on his official Twitter account he was indeed in Massey Auckland the night of the announcement with Simon Bridges and others at a meeting on safety furthermore to this it is also been confirmed by his office that yes it is true he was in Auckland and that he was one of the many who then headed for the Auckland borders before it came in to effect at 12 pm and oh yes you can also bet that probably in relation to that he also got in some extra ski time as the picture of his vehicle comes complete with skis attached I mean seriously when will National learn not to Tell lies I mean seriously if you want to skip town just say that you skipped out before it came into force don't say you were already there when social media type platforms prove otherwise

    https://twitter.com/JakeBezzant/status/1293114092475932676?s=20

  14. Wensleydale 14
    14 September 2020 at 2:45 pm

    National’s problem is that there are only a few days before nominations close.

    I reckon their biggest problem is they don't have anyone with the complete skill-set to get away with their usual dirty politics shenanigans. It's not just enough to be dishonest, hypocritical, condescending and shady (and, in some instances, a pervert and/or fraudster) — those are just prerequisites for membership. You also have to be able to convincingly pretend you're none of those things (and appear suitably outraged by accusations of such) in the face of incontrovertible proof to the contrary. John Key was a master of defusing this sort of stuff with his "jolly japes" and "just a bit of banter/horseplay" act, whereas no one in National's current line-up has anywhere near that level of confidence/chutzpah to carry it off. Judith Collins seems to alternative between two modes — vindictive snark or 'The Crusher', and neither of those endear her to the voting public. (There's undoubtedly an audience for it, but they're slightly unhinged.) So you're left with the real problem, which is that people are seeing National for who and what they really are, and it's leaving an unpleasant taste in their mouths. I'm sure they'll cobble together a vaguely plausible disguise in due time, but for now, the Emperor has no clothes on, and it's glorious.

    • woodart 14.1
      14 September 2020 at 4:50 pm

      to be fair to collins she is trying a new persona. hard to do at her age. google carol miller (moms friendly robots )for example

  15. observer 15
    14 September 2020 at 2:59 pm

    If it's only about political advantage, then the "best" outcome is for Bezzant to stay. It doesn't affect the party vote or any tactical vote, and a National MP in trouble delivers much bigger (= worse) headlines than an unknown candidate. All they are doing is delaying and maximising the self-inflicted problem.

    Obviously that's not the best outcome for raising the bar of MPs' behaviour and fitness for office, but that's all on National. Nobody forced them to provide the Schadenfreude, but they do it anyway.

    Add Upper Harbour to the list of 2021 by-elections, with Papakura, Ilam etc.

  16. Jenny Kirk 16
    14 September 2020 at 4:13 pm

    Why isn't this news in our nationwide media ?

  17. Austringer 17
    14 September 2020 at 5:23 pm

    If you believe in Labour, never forgive what Muldoon did to Bill Rowling. Some say bury forgive and forget, never. Seen the stuff they are doing about our Prime Minister, I have not and won!t, those farm fences, their leader, hear her laugh if off. Since I!ve been married to him, he does what he wants to do, he does what he want!s as she smirks.

  18. Michael who failed Civics 18
    14 September 2020 at 6:29 pm

    False alarm. The Nats say they've checked Bezzant out and he's as pure as driven snow. Just like they did with all those other crooks, perverts and liars they had to kick out once their true characters reached the public.

  19. Shanreagh 19
    14 September 2020 at 6:45 pm

    whereas from Company records it appears that it was formed six months before he joined and that he was not a founding shareholder.

    Well my grandfather actually split the atom, he was on his way to register/publicise this when a dog ran out onto to the road and knocked him off his bike and ate the homework about the atom he was carrying. My grandfather was also a draper not a scientist but I am sure I am right.

    Why would anyone be so silly as to puff up their CV with points that are so easily proven wrong? And having done this what other aspects of his life thus far are suspect and how will he get on in the finicky world that he is trying to enter where fact checking is increasingly the norm?

    The Nats won't do anything I am predicting. 'You know mistakes happen' We're great, great team lying ahead.'

    • woodart 19.1
      14 September 2020 at 7:21 pm

      another way of looking at this occasion will be the sword of damocles hanging over this person any time any qualifications are in question. a lame duck m.p.

  20. barry 20
    14 September 2020 at 7:36 pm

    It can hardly be considered a problem to inflate your CV in the National party, or they would have no MPs left.

  21. Tricledrown 21
    15 September 2020 at 7:55 am

    Propping up Narcissists National have a huge credibility problem that just gets worse every day .l

  22. Maurice 22
    15 September 2020 at 12:36 pm

    We must not get too sure … they may be leading us up the garden path …

    … and be preparing to drop a ruddy great bomb shell!

    There is no doubt they have been digging for dirt – night and day.