Ngaro’s “apology” and National’s third term arrogance

Written By: - Date published: 6:13 am, May 16th, 2017 - 23 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, national - Tags: , , ,

Lloyd Burr at Newshub calls out Alfred Ngaro’s apology for the bullshit that it is – Alfred Ngaro’s threat to Willie Jackson was worse than just a brain fart

Alfred Ngaro’s threat that non-government organisations shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds is extraordinary.

Not just because of his complete lack of judgement, or the fact he did it on stage in front of hundreds of National Party members, or because it shows cracks in the party’s extreme culture of discipline.

It’s extraordinary because he didn’t back down from his comments until he was forced to.

It was much more than just a brain fart or a case of misspeaking.

In other words, he was saying if NGOs who receive government funding criticise the Government’s housing approach, they risk losing that funding.

Prime Minister Bill English and National’s campaign manager Steven Joyce were quick to activate damage control, downplaying the comments as “naive from a new minister”.

But before they could both get their hands on him and before the storm of bad PR hit, Mr Ngaro was still unapologetic when Newshub asked him to explain.

Since saying this, Mr Ngaro has issued a statement saying he “absolutely regrets” what he said in his speech, which he admits was “poorly worded”.

It begs the question – why did he repeat the sentiment in an interview on camera after the speech if he regretted saying them?

My guess – he didn’t regret it until he was told to.

An anonymous opinion piece on Stuff is pretty pointed – It’s a third term thing – why Alfred Ngaro hurt National

Alfred Ngaro has apologised to his cabinet colleagues for his conference blunder. But the damage has already been done. The junior minister delivered a speech at the weekend where he openly bragged about him and his colleagues having the power to punish any one that bagged the government by withholding their taxpayer funding.

How can it hurt National? Because it feeds the perception of third term arrogance and bullying that are the enemy of any third term government.

Ngaro might be sorry now but the circumstances of his original threat – not one delivered il sotto, in a smoky room, but from the stage to a crowded National Party conference – leaves worrying questions over whether his is an isolated view, or reflective of a wider culture among his colleagues.

I’ll take option two, “reflective of a wider culture among his colleagues”. Check out this piece on Checkpoint.

23 comments on “Ngaro’s “apology” and National’s third term arrogance ”

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  1. bwaghorn 1
    16 May 2017 at 7:15 am

    third term ? bennet was naming her enemies in the first.

    • tc 1.1
      16 May 2017 at 7:45 am

      Exactly so Alfred got some catching up to do.

      • dukeofurl 1.1.1
        16 May 2017 at 10:10 am

        Exactly , the new prefect has been listening to the table talk in the staffroom , so has wanted to please those at the top.

    • Robert Glennie 1.2
      16 May 2017 at 11:42 am

      Bennett’s enemies were anyone trying to get on the ladder that she was trying to pull up behind her. I suspect she knew very early on who she was going to after.

  2. Sacha 2
    16 May 2017 at 7:58 am

    Even tame hack Audrey Young is unimpressed with Ngaro (possibly a different faction): http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11856513

    • ianmac 2.1
      16 May 2017 at 8:29 am

      Audrey was pleased to write, “In fact, the evidence suggests the opposite. The last I heard the Salvation Army, it was on RNZ putting the boot into the Government’s housing policy and praising Labour’s.”

      So Audrey, the Salvation Army needs a sharp reminder as to who is in charge.

      • dukeofurl 2.1.1
        16 May 2017 at 10:15 am

        Audrey was concern trolling there.

        She was getting nationals message through. Shes too grand to write about real issues by meeting Nzers firsthand.

        Her stories are written from conversations around dining tables of Versailles Wellington high end restaurant tables.

  3. dv 3
    16 May 2017 at 8:00 am

    Hickey put his finger on the real problem!!

    The “social investment” approach means they take and store our data AND we are expected to TRUST them with it.

  4. Tamati Tautuhi 4
    16 May 2017 at 8:07 am

    Ngaro is just an apprentice, he is learning the ropes from Bennett, Collins etc, he just couldn’t hold back his enthusiasm for getting into some of these bludging organisations who are wasting hard earned taxpayers money ?

  5. ankerawshark 5
    16 May 2017 at 8:17 am

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/15-05-2017/national-is-cloning-labours-identity-and-other-lessons-from-its-weekend-conference/

    This article from Simon Wilson about the congress. It is a great article to show Tory’s who bleat on about Nats and the economy etc. It critiques and challenges what they are claiming success for.

    I find it deeply offensive that Paula Bennett showed a slide of a pair of shoes she bougt (?) Steven Joyces credit card for $950.00. I find this disgusting and obscene. I think this needs to get out in to the msn as an example of how out of touch they are…………………Perhaps on of the authors on the Standard could put a picture up of the shoes (enclosed in the article) with an appropriate heading…………………..

    • mary_a 5.1
      16 May 2017 at 4:59 pm

      @ ankerawshark (5) … I don’t think the Natz are out of touch. Not at all. In fact I think they are very aware of the reality of what life’s like for many vulnerable Kiwis, doing the hard yards!

      I think Natz enjoys rubbing our faces in the muck, because they know they can, without retaliation.

      Time is well overdue to stop this abuse, such as that of Bennett’s shoes and the like. We deserve better and come September we will get it, if we stand up and give the Natz the boot for good. It’s our game, not theirs and Natz needs to be reminded of this point!

  6. Terry win 6
    16 May 2017 at 8:18 am

    The questions not yet put to the National party about Minister Ngaro,s speech are; did his audience receive his views warmly? did they clap? Or did they cheer?

  7. michelle 7
    16 May 2017 at 8:40 am

    Ngaro means lost in Maori maybe he is lost in his parties spin

  8. Johan 8
    16 May 2017 at 8:51 am

    Ngaro fits nicely into the mold of National Party transgressions whose task is mainly to abuse anyone who has an alternative political view point. His alleged abuse of power at Tamaki College is interesting.

  9. One Anonymous Bloke 9
    16 May 2017 at 8:58 am

    The only valid response to the National Party is Section 48 of the Crimes Act.

    Every one is justified in using, in the defence of himself or herself or another, such force as, in the circumstances as he or she believes them to be, it is reasonable to use.

  10. michelle 10
    16 May 2017 at 9:01 am

    Johan they don’t only abuse those that don’t share the same views they deny them funding. We only have to look at our news and current affairs no one is allowed to critique the gnats and if they do they risk losing funds for there organization. I have been saying this for some time now as they have been doing this for 9 years. Ngaro has let the cat out of the bag and anyone that crosses them well they just cut there funding or reduce it and give it to someone who says nothing, sees nothing and hears nothing does this sound familiar

    • dukeofurl 10.1
      16 May 2017 at 10:22 am

      Compare with Paula Bennetts experience

      At 17 she was a solo mother with 1 child
      At 19 still a solo mother she was able to buy her own home, with state assistance
      At 21 she was able to start a BA and complete it , again with state assistance ( a pathway she later cut when Minister of Social Welfare)

      No NGO’s in sight in those days

  11. WILD KATIPO 11
    16 May 2017 at 12:38 pm

    Silence from the RWNJ ‘s I see…

    Pretty indefensible and they know it. They also know that National has an ingrained culture of bullying , and they’ve counted on a public that is politically disconnected because of a feeling of nothing will or can change.

    Well it will in September.

    And like others have said , – Ngaro has no remorse. None whatsoever . He is a political thug in a culture of thugs. If he had genuinely retracted his words and apologised from a sense of wrongdoing he would have done so. But he waited until he was forced to.

    That’s not an apology , – that’s a forced extraction to keep in line with the party’s desired projected public image.

    These people are bullshit.

  12. Draco T Bastard 12
    16 May 2017 at 4:11 pm

    An anonymous opinion piece on Stuff is pretty pointed – It’s a third term thing – why Alfred Ngaro hurt National

    But it’s not a third term thing – it’s how National operate all the damn time. It’s just now we have them saying so in so many words

  13. peterlepaysan 13
    16 May 2017 at 10:37 pm

    There is a cultural/religious subtext to this mafia style national party born to rule attitude displayed by ngaro.

    Self entitled playground bullies always choose familiar friends.

  14. Thinkerr 14
    17 May 2017 at 9:35 pm

    i haven’t read the other comments – came in late to this – so maybe someone’s said it, but I think the person Ngaro should also be apologising to is Willie Jackson. If I read the news correctly, though, it’s just his colleagues he apologised to.

    Maybe English should apologise to Jackson, if Ngaro can’t.

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