Nats contradicting each other on panicked infrastructure policy
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- Date published:
8:40 am, August 8th, 2016 - 29 comments
Categories: bill english, housing, national, useless -
Tags: housing, housing crisis, nick smith, policy
The Nats are all over the place at the moment. Govt rushed $1b infrastructure fund, Labour claims –
The Government’s flagship $1 billion housing infrastructure fund was devised in just a month, according to official statements given to the Labour Party by ministers.
The policy was unveiled at the National Party’s annual conference in July.
There was no consultation with councils regarding how much money they needed, and they only found out about the initiative two days before it was made public.
It didn’t pass through a Cabinet committee before being signed off by Cabinet, which happened just five days before the conference. …
Didn’t even consult with councils? Right. Looks like they didn’t even consult with each other – Ministers seem at odds over infrastructure fund
Housing Minister Nick Smith and Finance Minister Bill English don’t seem to agree on whether the fund should only be for new housing developments and subdivisions – dubbed “greenfield areas” – or if it can be used in existing urban areas – dubbed “brownfields”.
Both ministers were sent a written parliamentary question from the Green Party asking: “Will loans from the new Housing Infrastructure Fund only be able to be used to fund infrastructure in new “greenfield” areas?”
Mr Smith replied: “Yes.”
Mr English replied: “No. It will be possible for the fund to be used to build infrastructure in existing urban areas provided councils can show that significant amounts of new housing will result from that investment and the other criteria are met.”
Making it up as they go along.
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- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Winston Peters must apologise
The Deputy Prime Minister should apologise to the public servant he named and blamed for something they did not do, and for misusing the rules of Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
The Government is taking action to ensure Southland farmers and growers are not affected by unreasonable regional farm plan deadlines, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.“Cabinet has agreed to provide more time for farmers and growers to comply with regional rules ...15 hours ago - Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...15 hours ago
- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
Fairer, more sensible rules about managing earthquake risks are a step closer with the passing of legislation and the appointment of an independent chair to provide expert advice, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The Government is committed to reinvigorating our cities and regions to support economic growth, ...16 hours ago
- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
People in Northland and Auckland will benefit from a new machine for cancer treatment installed at the Regional Cancer and Blood Service at Auckland City Hospital. The MV5 linear accelerator, or LINAC machine, officially opened today targets cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says this new, ...16 hours ago
- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...17 hours ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
Police have made their first arrests under the new gang patch legislation, with two gang members arrested, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement ...18 hours ago
- Better support for victims of sexual violence
The Government is proposing two major changes to name suppression laws that will put the views of victims of sexual violence first, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “We are committed to restoring law and order and these two proposed changes will help ensure the victims of crime are put at ...19 hours ago
- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...19 hours ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...20 hours ago
- Attendance rates increase, again
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...21 hours ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...1 day ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...2 days ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...2 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...2 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...2 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...2 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...2 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...2 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...3 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...3 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...3 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...3 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...3 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...3 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...3 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...3 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...4 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...4 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...4 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...4 days ago
- Launching the White Ribbon Ride
The Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, was on hand to wish riders well at the start of the North Island leg of the White Ribbon Ride in Whakatāne this morning. The ride helps mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ...5 days ago
- Construction to begin on next stage of Papakura to Drury
Construction on the next stage of the SH1 Papakura to Drury project will begin early next month, with the contract for works awarded to Fulton Hogan, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. "SH1 Papakura to Drury is a key project that will drive economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, and enable people ...6 days ago
- NZ signs trade deal with Costa Rica, Iceland and Switzerland
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has signed a pioneering trade agreement that prioritises New Zealand’s sustainable exports at a ceremony during APEC in Peru today. “The Agreement on Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS), between Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland was concluded in July of this year and opens up significant ...6 days ago
- Government and iwi work together on aquaculture
Five new Aquaculture Settlement Areas will help ensure Ngāi Tahu shares in the opportunities aquaculture offers for Southland’s economy, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. “The Aquaculture Settlement Areas (ASAs) I’m announcing today set aside space so the Crown and Ngāi Tahu can assess their potential for aquaculture development. ...7 days ago
- Government launches review to ensure electricity market is fit-for-purpose
The terms of reference for a review of the performance of the electricity market have been released. The review, initiated by the Coalition Government during the power crisis in winter will look at whether current regulations and market design support economic growth and access to reliable and affordable electricity, Energy Minister ...7 days ago
- Speech to Social Investment Hui: Jack and his whānau need our help
Kia ora koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai. Ki te mihi atu ahau, ki te manwhenua nei, Te Atiawa, Ngāti toa rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you, Andy, for your introduction. Let me acknowledge you as the new Chief Executive of the Social Investment ...7 days ago
- Minister of State for Trade heads to Brisbane for PACER Plus meeting
Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg has travelled to Australia to attend the PACER Plus Ministers Meeting in Brisbane. “Trade plays a critical role in driving employment, economic growth, and improving the standards of living in the Pacific Region. The Government is strongly committed to supporting Pacific Island countries ...7 days ago
- Proposals to modernise conservation released
Toitū te taiao – Our environment endures The Government is consulting on proposals to modernise New Zealand’s conservation management system, aiming to protect relevant natural areas while supporting sustainable growth in tourism and regional economies, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. “Today, the Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai is ...7 days ago
- Knowing superstitions aren’t real doesn’t stop us behaving superstitiously – why?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Gomes-Ng, Senior Lecturer of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Former New Zealand prime minister John Key has three white rabbits painted on his helicopter, a nod to his “massively superstitious” habit of repeating “white rabbits” three times at ...59 minutes ago - Government slammed for pushing ahead with boot camps while trial still under way
The coalition has "absolutely no intention of listening to the evidence that comes out of their experiment", Labour MP says. ...2 hours ago - Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate
Labour claims Government is ‘cherry-picking’ smoking trends data to hide decade-first increase in daily smokers The post Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 hours ago - Treasury bangs the drum on ‘unsustainable’ superannuation
The Government’s economic adviser is sending a message it doesn’t want to hear – superannuation is increasingly unaffordable The post Treasury bangs the drum on ‘unsustainable’ superannuation appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 hours ago
- Victims of sex offending welcome shift on name suppression laws
A man abused by a former political figure is "immensely relieved" at a government proposal to end secrecy around sex offenders' identities. ...2 hours ago
- This week three parties stood together – can they withstand the storm to come?
There is plenty yet to play out, but the next election is at this rate shaping up as trio versus trio, writes Toby Manhire. A subplot of this week’s historic hīkoi mō te Tiriti has been the sight of the three opposition parties presenting a unified front. Te Pāti Māori ...3 hours ago - All 33 malls in Auckland ranked from worst to best
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- NZ’s membership of Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in jeopardy
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- Raw Politics: Six months in a leaky Bill
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not meet the Treaty Principles Bill hikoi crowd, sees “nothing” of merit in the Act-proposed law but the Parliament his Government dominates will spend six months debating a “divisive” measure.That’s because he has accepted there needs to be “aeration” of people’s views on the Treaty, ...3 hours ago
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- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
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That is the only policy they have for anything now ….. Make it up as they go along…….they have become so lost in lie upon lie that they have now given up being coherent and everything is just done on the fly……. Vision less creeps. Imagine, screwing up a whole nation through greed and incompetence.
+ 1
+100 Nck
@Nck (1) … “Imagine, screwing up a whole nation through greed and incompetence.”
Yep. Greed, lies, corruption, subterfuge, indecisive policies one after the other, making policy up on the hoof … absolute incompetence!
And to think they are still there and could well be re elected next year! Reflects very poorly on the psyche of too many NZers, when it comes to politics and electing a government!
News Flash national don’t give a fuck if it doesn’t work, it got them a positive headline and that’s all they live for in this constant election cycle we seem to live in these days.
But they will have it all sorted in….let’s say 2050?
So true! And don’t be surprised if that $1b ever gets anywhere but in a newspaper headline.
Looks like panic too me.
You cant govern the country when you dont even follow proper cabinet procedures.
Looks like the C E O has lost control of Nat Corp and its one free for all.
It’s more like: Can’t govern the country when your ideology always fails and you have NFI WTF to do when it does.
No it’s brilliant politics, this way everyone’s happy. It’s the new “National” strategy.
One says yes one says no, spin Doctors win again.
Anyone seen any reliable polls recently??? Have not seen anything for a while?
There was just that weird outlier one from Roy Morgan last month.
Used to be better when Roy Morgan did one every few weeks. The outliers could be seen more regularly.
they must be going down in the polls by now..maybe no news is good news?…maybe the pollsters don’t like what they are getting?
…a free-fall for jonkey nact
Jono i wouldnt waste your anticipation you know how it will read , the same as the last 8 years.
National can govern alone at 47% and Labour is going backwards at 24%.
It will still read the same in a years time !
One day, two incompetent ministers.
This is becoming a habit for national.
Haven’t heard much from the Prime Minister lately – is he still around?
Hawaii
Still backing Helen Clark and the more he backs her, the worse she does.
I think this is no coincidence. The UN from what I understand is not particularly enamoured with neolib, socially unaware government policy which privatises social services and promotes increasing inequality like the John Key government is doing.
Key’s endorsement of Clark is a death knell and she shouldn’t have cosied up to him as much as she did.
Amateur, and corrupt backhander stuff.
And on stuff politics 4 tales on Helen and a couple on ex mayor of Wellington and one for the new candidates? And nothing about homeless or house prices, Saudi sheep and all the govts back flips and bendy steel or kiwi fruit b.s. etc. we need a new media along with new govt to turn our lovely country back to a place to be proud of.
Spot on Rob .Trouble is it won’t happen while Labour maintains its neolib National-lite approach.
Corbyn and Momentum,the SNP in Scotland and Sanders supporters have shown the media can be bypassed and confronted.
Sadly our neoliberal opposition Labour Party is happy to be part of the club and not do this.
To be fair, Muttonbird, anyone running for Sec Gen has to be nominated by the government of their country. At present, that’s National.
I doubt whether Key and Co are having much effect on the process. There are lots of variables in play and the powerful get to make the choice. I think Clarke would make a very good Sec Gen; she’s got the values, skills and experience. She’s certainly not amateur or corrupt, and the endorsement from Key doesn’t involve any “backhander”. He doesn’t agree with her on plenty of issues, but he’s still (presumably) keen to lift NZ’s international status.
There was a backhander. Clark publicly endorsed Key’s negotiation of the TPPA in return for his endorsement of her bid (for better or worse). These two events happened literally at the same time.
She said ‘it would be madness for New Zealand not to be part of the agreement’, while Andrew Little expressed caution and wanted more discussion and negotiation to protect NZ’s vulnerable. She dismissed Labour’s concerns over the agreement in order to gain fulsome support from the NZ government.
unfortunately yes…he is still around…and still talking smoothly… about kiwifruit and the Chinese
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201811214/nz-braces-for-effects-on-zespri's-halt-of-kiwifruit-exports
Yeah, right. Nothing to see here. This is a new fungus never before detected by China. No, they just found it now for the first time, right after a New Zealand steel manufacturer went to the WTO about steel dumping by China. Right after reports come out about the very poor quality of steel products shipped to NZ and Australia from corrupt China.
We are deliberately not being told the truth. No surprises there.
The string puller is taking a break.
One of the strategies for winning next year is too keep him out of the news unless its good publicity and he is never interviewed standing alone, he always has the henchmen and woman fawning over his every word Maggie Barry grinning like the cat with cream-pure Crosby Textor.
That’s what I think. So much smelly stuff surrounding the government at the moment that he is trying being told? to stay out of sight as much as a PM can do that.
Always amusing how high the standard this government holds local Councils to, with:
– Councils’ fully costed and depreciated budgets subject to complete public consultation (unlike the central government budget),
– Central government motorways and expressways with weak justification and bloated costs never held to account (unlike local government public transport projects),
– Ministers’ criticism of city plans such as the Auckland Unitary Plan and Christchurch post-quake blueprint (when they are by far the most comprehensive plans for cities and infrastructure ever produced in this country, and National not produced a plan for anything major since the 1970s)
– Ministers’ perpetual criticism of councils not doing enough, and too much, while stripping away all alternative income generation methods other than rates
– Ministers’ complaints about Council consent departments being too slow, at the same time as they take three years to draft a massive reform to the RMA (coming next Parliamentary sitting) that is going to hold developments up in the courts for years as new regulations are tested.
We need a change of government to one that has a plan, understands cities, has real muscle and cooperative will in its delivery agencies, and doesn’t change the legislative rules all the time with perpetual blaming. In many aspects, central government has a lot to learn from the local government of cities.
I am pretty sick of Minister Smith’s bloated ego and Brownlee’s failures of delivery. This government is the primary part of the problem when it comes to the nearly 50% of our population that lives in Auckland and Christchurch.
Boom, the stories have changed on that site. hmmmm the house tomorrow should be hot as the fluckers have had a ridiculous holiday!