Nick Smith losing it

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 76 comments
Categories: national, water - Tags: , , ,

Typical Nick Smith…

Conservation Minister threatens legal action against Fish and Game

Conservation Minister Nick Smith is threatening legal action against Fish and Game council members who accused him of trying to gag the organisation.

The defense rests, Your Honour.

76 comments on “Nick Smith losing it ”

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  1. Andre 1
    28 July 2014 at 12:55 pm

    Tears by tea time. He has been caught out .

  2. One Anonymous Bloke 2
    28 July 2014 at 1:01 pm

    Nick Smith, the gift that keeps on giving.

  3. ropata 3
    28 July 2014 at 1:08 pm

    Smith was dissembling on Radio NZ this morning when legal action was mentioned.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/250742/minister-accused-of-political-interference

    Fish and Game chief executive Bryce Johnson said Dr Smith was hostile towards his organisation at the meeting […]
    “He said that he’s worried that Fish and Game is losing its way, that Fish and Game struggles with being a Government statutory body and instead is being a rabid NGO,” he said.
    “So he made it very clear to everyone there that he wants to see us toning down our advocacy for clean water.”
    People at the meeting were shocked and disgusted at the behaviour of the minister, Mr Johnson said.

    Fish and Game has taken a lead role in advocating for water quality over issues such as the Ruataniwha Dam and it also put up billboards across Canterbury saying “Irrigation – how much is too much?”
    Mr Haynes said there was no doubt this activity angered Dr Smith, and at the meeting the minister made it clear he wanted Fish and Game to shut up, stop carrying out its statutory function to advocate for clean rivers, and do as it was told.

    He said the minister indicated he wanted to “tweak” Fish and Game because its advocacy for clean rivers was standing in the way of economic growth.
    “Very clearly they were being castigated and that the idea of this tweaking was a threat – a threat to pull your neck in,” Mr Haynes said.
    “I was also surprised to hear him say ‘Fish and Game sometimes behaves like a rabid NGO, worse than Forest and Bird’, which is very insulting.”

    Three other people at the meeting spoken to by Radio New Zealand News agreed with Mr Haynes that the minister was trying to interfere with the statutory functions of Fish and Game [to advocate to maintain and enhance the quality of lakes and rivers]

    That has brought it into conflict with the National Party’s economic growth agenda to subsidise massive irrigation dams to intensify agriculture and boost the economy. Scientists agree that intensive agriculture is polluting our lakes and rivers at an increasing rate, and that more intensive agriculture will only create more polluted waterways.

    Original audio:
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/20143318/nick-smith-responds-to-fish-and-game-accusations

  4. vto 4
    28 July 2014 at 1:44 pm

    And this directly from the Fish and Game website on the threats and empty-headed colonial nonsense from Nick Smith

    http://northcanterbury.fishandgame.org.nz/newsitem/nzffa-presidents-piece-jul-2014

    What is the matter with our primary producers? Why don’t they just fuck off with their shit.

  5. karol 5
    28 July 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Is the “come back kid”, about to be the “gone again guy”?

  6. vto 6
    28 July 2014 at 1:53 pm

    Nick Smith to the public of New Zealand :

    “If you want computers and iphones then you must accept pollution”

    which translates as :

    “Your children can either play on computers and iphones or swim and fish in rivers”

    Nick Smith’s world …… frikkin’ barmy

  7. john 7
    28 July 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Smith is right.

    It costs a fortune to take my kids fishing. Many can’t afford it.

    That money should go to increasing the fish stocks – not wasted on expensive election billboards.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1
      28 July 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Quite right too: water quality has nothing to do with fish stocks, eh.

    • vto 7.2
      28 July 2014 at 2:24 pm

      such a thoughtless partisan hack ….

      At 70 cents per week per person for a family of four it costs significantly less than a computer or iphone and is infinitely more healthy (unless you drink or swim in the rivers Smith has shat in). And they look after the fish stocks, and try to look after the waterways (someone has to).

      If Fish & Game did not do the work they are legislated to do then the rest of our remaining unpolluted rivers will end up being polluted to the extent this government has permitted i.e. to the extent that all life is killed, the water is undrinkable, and unswimmable.

      The billboards do more to protect the waterway environment than anything else, by highlighting the issues to the public.

      You are a waste of space with such a hare-brained post like that

      • john 7.2.1
        28 July 2014 at 2:50 pm

        Yeah right – ALL four in our family go fishing EVERY day of the year.

        What a stupid way to work out the price when like most families I know, we fish a handful of times per year. You write that then talk about harebrained.

        Our best local fishing is irrigation dams – exactly that our licence money is being used to campaign against.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 7.2.1.1
          28 July 2014 at 3:07 pm

          That’s fishing the way it’s always been. You go to the reservoir and stand around it with your rods, apart from Graham and John on their boats, peeing off the deck.

        • vto 7.2.1.2
          28 July 2014 at 3:54 pm

          I said per week, not per day, wanker.

          And that you find the best fishing in reservoirs rather than natural streams says everything about you and your types and how you go about life. Shallow, brainless, unnatural and unsustainable.

          • Tracey 7.2.1.2.1
            28 July 2014 at 3:58 pm

            shooting fish in a barrel

          • john 7.2.1.2.2
            28 July 2014 at 4:23 pm

            And because of reservoirs, there’s a healthier population of fish in the streams.

            As anybody except a total simpleton would know.

            • vto 7.2.1.2.2.1
              28 July 2014 at 4:25 pm

              are you from the sahara? you are wrong and you are avoiding the point about pollution of waterways through use of the dams. waster.

            • framu 7.2.1.2.2.2
              28 July 2014 at 4:30 pm

              and a reservoirs does what do the natural ecosystem of the river john?

              you know how rivers have ecosystems that support fish that you can then catch? – worked for years – not so much these days. Your own words show this when you bang on about irrigation ponds, or is it reservoirs?

              cmon – let it rip. Im sure youve got a whole pond load of bile flecked stupid to go yet

    • bad12 7.3
      28 July 2014 at 2:45 pm

      Shallow even for you john, where are these ”increased fish stocks” to find a habitat when all the rivers become nothing more than toxic sewerage channels or mere streams having been raped of all their water resources,

      Will recreational fishing in the year 2060 become a matter of you pays your money to fish out of a mere swimming pool one of 1000’s of fish raised for the purpose because that is where the fresh water recreational fishery is headed under the auspices of the current rape’n’pillage water management regime proposed and being implemented by the current National Government,

      i take tongue in cheek issue with the wording of this Post, Nick Smith hasn’t lost ‘it’, He never had ‘it’ in the first instance and has simply failed here to keep that fact under wraps,(not for the first time i might add)…

      • john 7.3.1
        28 July 2014 at 4:29 pm

        A lot of our rivers are better than ever.

        The Waikato River had e-coli faecal counts 1000% higher in the 1970s and 1980s than it does now.

        We have waterways downstream for irrigation dams that are now guaranteed minimum flowss when previously they used to completely dry up and kill ALL the fish during droughts.

        • framu 7.3.1.1
          28 July 2014 at 4:32 pm

          yeah you might want some proof for that fairy story

        • vto 7.3.1.2
          28 July 2014 at 4:36 pm

          yet more horseshit from john

          “A lot of our rivers are better than ever.”
          The majority of our rivers have degraded massively over the last 10-20 years. This is scientific fact as outlined by the likes of respected scientist Mike Joy, who has been personally attacked by far right dairying fanatics.

          “The Waikato River had e-coli faecal counts 1000% higher in the 1970s and 1980s than it does now.”
          Thanks to the urbanites who have cleaned up their act and their sewer systems.

          “We have waterways downstream for irrigation dams that are now guaranteed minimum flowss when previously they used to completely dry up and kill ALL the fish during droughts.”
          Waterways that this National government and its farmer support base have just legislated that can be polluted to an extent that kills all animal and plant life in the waterway, makes the water undrinkable, and is too dangerous to swim in. What is the use of downstream waterways if they can’t support fish john? You know these things yet you ignore them in your posts. You are dishonest in the extreme.

          Wake up you useless partisan hack

          • Robert Atack 7.3.1.2.1
            28 July 2014 at 6:04 pm

            The majority of our rivers have degraded massively over the last 10-20 years

            And that is the current Gubberments fault?

            • vto 7.3.1.2.1.1
              28 July 2014 at 6:50 pm

              You are obviously a bit slow mr attack.

              It is the fault of a certain colonial attitude (that persists among the farming sector today).
              It is the fault of human greed.
              It is the fault of previous governments in allowing use of the land which cannot be supported.
              It is the fault of councils in granting resource consents for activities which are clearly unsustainable (you’re familiar with the rma right?)
              It is most definitely the fault of this government that it continues and is even encouraged ffs. They want to do more.

              Nick Smith’s utterances make the situation much much worse. He is at fault for encouraging more pollution and shitting in our rivers.

  8. john 8
    28 July 2014 at 2:35 pm

    The billboard I saw didn’t mention water quality – at all.

    It was only against irrigation.

    Irrigation dams often HELP fish stock. In times when drought would kill ALL the fish, they allow a continued minimum flow.

    And they provide a whole new fish breeding ground and place to fish.

    Some of the best fishing in Otago is Lake Onslow, Upper Mannorburn Dam, Great Moss Swamp/ Loganburn Reservoir, Greenlane Reservoir.

    They are ALL irrigation dams.

    • vto 8.1
      28 July 2014 at 2:36 pm

      pathetic

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.2
      28 July 2014 at 2:51 pm

      What a bunch of communists they are at Fish & Game, and obviously anti-jobs too.

      What’s wrong with them? It’s not like fishing involves anything more than wading, after all.

      I bet they’ve got data too, the sniveling wretches. I bet their wading stirs up the mud and causes high nitrogen levels in the water. It certainly needs further study, before they go and implement some sort of communist one-world government solution on everyone.

      • Tracey 8.2.1
        28 July 2014 at 3:06 pm

        Pretty sure this govt fucked over problem gambling in favour of sallies cos problem gambling criticised the govt…

        • Colonial Viper 8.2.1.1
          28 July 2014 at 7:49 pm

          Yeah, National basically screwing with the democratic fabric of our society.

      • Bearded Git 8.2.2
        28 July 2014 at 3:06 pm

        +1 OAB ha ha ha.

        This government has never responded well when someone takes them on with facts. Cunliffe et al take note.

    • Tracey 8.3
      28 July 2014 at 2:57 pm

      John

      You should have accepted Brownlee’s resignation

    • ropata 8.4
      28 July 2014 at 2:58 pm

      Marvellous for fishing way up that end of the river. Pretty sh*tty for everyone else downstream of the farmers eh.

      But she’ll be right mate, national party hacks are used to wallowing in it

    • Ennui 8.5
      28 July 2014 at 3:05 pm

      John, Irrigation dams take water the fish would be living in anyway. Some make it better, others dont, especially those in Otago you mention that dont hold a bar to a well watered stream. Trout dont breed in reservoirs, they go up streams. Cant pull the wool over us old trout fishers. Nuff said.

      • vto 8.5.1
        28 July 2014 at 3:59 pm

        Exactly ennui and was going to point all sorts of similar with john’s post. The problem was that his basic knowledge was so far short of anything useful it would have been like explaining the basics about river fishing to someone from the Sahara.

      • john 8.5.2
        28 July 2014 at 4:45 pm

        Without the reservoirs there wouldn’t be fish in the streams because they dry up every time there’s a drought.

        The fishing huts are beside Poolburn Dam, Falls Dam, Lake Onslow etc for a reason.

        • McFlock 8.5.2.1
          28 July 2014 at 4:49 pm

          Without the reservoirs there wouldn’t be fish in the streams because they dry up every time there’s a drought.

          So we didn’t have fish in our streams before the dams?

          Or is your position merely that the dams are now essential because of anthropogenic global warming?

          • john 8.5.2.1.1
            28 July 2014 at 7:52 pm

            McFlock asks “So we didn’t have fish in our streams before the dams?”

            Correct. According to Fish and Game, Poolburn Dam, Upper Mannorburn Dam, Greenland Reservoir etc, all became great trout fisheries when trout were introduced after these irrigation dams were filled.

            To quote Fish and Game about other irrigation dams in the region –
            “On the Maniototo there are several irrigation dams that have been built to collect water during the winter period for release over the summer. These dams never run dry and have
            turned into good fisheries.”

            Seems odd that they’re spending large amounts of licence money campaigning against what they call “good fisheries”.

            • McFlock 8.5.2.1.1.1
              28 July 2014 at 10:11 pm

              lol
              And there were no rabbits before they were introduced, either.

              But there were still lots of food animals on the land and fish in the waterways.

              You really are a bit of an idiot, aren’t you.

              • john …
                28 July 2014 at 10:17 pm

                Not as idiotic as someone who bleats on about rabbits and food animals that have zero relevance to irrigation dams. Duh!

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  28 July 2014 at 10:24 pm

                  Can’t you see the relevance? Sad for you.

                  Anyway, I think it’s time your relentless idiocy was cut off at the knees: here’s what F & G have to say:

                  Fish & Game supports water storage for agricultural use provided both the direct and indirect freshwater environmental effects are benign.

                  Specifically:

                  That the effects on freshwater resources of any altered land uses that occur down stream as a result of the storage scheme (including increased sediment, nutrient and effluent run off) are sufficiently well understood and assessed as being less than minor. This requirement is an integral component of any Fish & Game agreement with the initial scheme.
                  That in assessing effects on the freshwater environment, account is taken of the cumulative effects of apparently minor discharges, especially where the downstream water body is one which naturally accumulates contaminants (eg a lake or lagoon) or is less able to flush them out (eg. the lower reaches of lowland streams and estuaries).
                  That the catchment’s current in-stream ecological and recreational amenity values are formally recognised, and are retained or enhanced.
                  That the storage site is not located on the main stem of the catchment or on a major fish spawning tributary.
                  That fish passage is provided where there is any doubt as to the significance of a tributary for spawning.
                  That the water harvesting regime does not reduce fish or game habitat, recreational amenity values or ecosystem processes in the catchment.
                  That the water release and down stream flow regime reflects the natural process.
                  That provision is made for adequate flushing flows.
                  That released water is of a compatible chemical composition for fish and game habitat, and contact recreation.
                  That a reservoir that creates habitat for fisheries or wildlife has free, certain, enduring and practical public access for fishing, hunting and other recreation at all times.

                  I think the best place for dairy effluent is John.

                • McFlock …
                  28 July 2014 at 10:37 pm

                  John, john, john.

                  I get that you’re a moron. I understand it, and make allowances.
                  I get that you’re a fanboi zealot who will try to push the tory line against reality’s well-known liberal bias. I understand it, and make allowances.

                  But do you seriously expect us to believe that you missed the point that the mere fact that some introduced species (might or might not rely on some artificial topographic features to) thrive in NZ does not actually mean that no possible food or sport species existed in NZ before European or even Maori arrival?
                  Not even you can realistically be that stupid.

                  • john …
                    28 July 2014 at 11:00 pm

                    I didn’t miss the point – just didn’t expect you argue a point that
                    1/ had so little relevance, and
                    2/ showed you are ignorant of the fact that the fisheries are in much BETTER health because of the dams.

                    That’s two own goals.

                    • McFlock …
                      28 July 2014 at 11:06 pm

                      Okay, I stand corrected.
                      You might really be that dumb.

                      You have no concept of analogy, and an inability to grasp the fact that the dams are a benefit to introduced species because the waterways have been stripped of the bank vegetation that the indigenous species utilised as their habitat.

                      Mind you, there might be another genuinely irrelevant analogy there that you’re incapable of grasping, too.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      28 July 2014 at 11:10 pm

                      …and on and on John raved, jerking himself into a frenzy of partisan froth bearing no resemblance to Fish & Game’s position whatsoever.

                      Ridicule has a new name.

                    • john …
                      28 July 2014 at 11:27 pm

                      McFlock says “You have no concept of analogy, and an inability to grasp the fact that the dams are a benefit to introduced species because the waterways have been stripped of the bank vegetation that the indigenous species utilised as their habitat.”

                      But they locals streams around these irrigation dams haven’t been “stripped of their vegetation”.

                      So yet again you are wrong. Three own goals.

                    • McFlock …
                      28 July 2014 at 11:33 pm

                      Yes they have.

                      So all those “own goals” went through your goalposts.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 8.5.2.1.1.2
              28 July 2014 at 10:17 pm

              No it doesn’t: you’re saying it does out of politically motivated spite, lashing out like a child. It’s pathetic.

        • vto 8.5.2.2
          28 July 2014 at 4:51 pm

          so you are from the sahara….. ffs.

          “Without the reservoirs there wouldn’t be fish in the streams because they dry up every time there’s a drought.”

          No they dry up because all of the natural vegetation has been stripped away by farmers leaving the land dry and barren. In times of drought in the past the land would remain moist due to this cover and streams would keep running. This stripping of the vegetation is why farmers cry 500-year drought every 5 years today. They aint droughts they are just normal dry spells. The problem is the stripping of the natural cover.

          “The fishing huts are beside Poolburn Dam, Falls Dam, Lake Onslow etc for a reason.”
          Yeah, it is difficult to build a hut at the bottom of the lake where the river used to be.

          wake up john, you ignoramus. Pull your head out of your ideology and try thinking.

          • john 8.5.2.2.1
            28 July 2014 at 8:00 pm

            So in your world, the only reason a stream drys up is if a farmer clears the land.

            In my world, we have a thing called summer.

            It happens every year. Some years it’s even hotter and and it rains less than normal.

            You should visit a kindergarten and get a small child to teach you about it some time.

        • disturbed 8.5.2.3
          28 July 2014 at 10:46 pm

          100% Mc Flock.

          The Nat’s are following Hitler’s pattern by setting up a problem to have to deal with first such as a convenient problem, (this time drought) and then finding their own solution of pushing previously unpalatable dams upon the landscape..

          Take note opposition Parties.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 8.6
      28 July 2014 at 6:30 pm

      The Central Otago irrigation systems support pastoral ( mostly sheep) and orchards.

      The problems arise with dairying which is usually described as ‘dirty diarying’

      The high cost of new irrigation schemes means that dairying is the most likely use. This was the case in the recent central Hawkes bay scheme. The restriction on Nitrogen and Phosphorus meant is was uneconomic for dairying and too expensive for everything else

      Use this map to show who much of the SI is under irrigation .

      Very little of the irrigated areas are good for fishing.

      Cherry picking the central otago dams is like saying everybody lives in the treed suburbs like Epsom

  9. e 9
    28 July 2014 at 2:52 pm

    Dear Nick Smith, this is an invite to join Ennui on a trout fishing tour where I will make your day by:

    • introducing you to water free wading (despite Conservation Orders for minimum flow).
    • ensuring a pleasant wait at the doctors the following day after I have dipped you into the e-coli solution you call water.
    • patching you up after some of the cattle in the riverbed trample you.
    • bringing you home fish free, no messy gutting and filleting, the fish have long since departed.

    I suggest we come home via the Fish and Game office where you can report your concern as a license holder (yes you will need to buy one of those, a mere $120), and ask they represent you to the Minister.

  10. One Anonymous Bloke 10
    28 July 2014 at 3:21 pm

    …and the Lord so loved Dr. Smith that he came to him in a vision again. Saith the Lord:

    “Dr. Smith, listen unto me: blessed are the waders, for I shall send to them industrial strength protective garments” and Dr. Smith did glory in the Lord’s power and went among the people to tell them the good news.

    The people were filled with wickedness and lust for fresh water, and did not heed Dr. Smith, and cast him into a pond, without any industrial strength protective garments on.

    Here endeth the lesson.

  11. vto 11
    28 July 2014 at 4:16 pm

    Oh and look at this ….

    Nick Smith this morning on te wireless claimed he had not threatened Fish & Game, yet according to a commentator on the Stuff article, the notes of the “independent” DOC worker (who is an employee of Smith’s so hardly “independent”) say this …

    “”F&G need to work out what they want to be: a statutory body [with] legislation and a relationship with Government, or an NGO?””

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10319051/Nick-Smith-denies-bullying-Fish-and-Game

    Nick Smith appears to have lied. And directly threatened.

    What a surprise – a National MP is lying again …. and bullying and threatening.

    And how is Smith labelling Fish & Game as anti-dairy? They are anti-pollution of water. The fact that dairying occupies that space is nowt to do with F&G, solely dairy. It is their own fault. Obviously. It riles me that Nick Smith and his dairying disciples shit in our rivers. This directly affects us in a personal way. I resent it. I resent Nick Smith and his actions, and the people who pollute our waterways to this extent. I have no respect for them.

  12. BLiP 12
    28 July 2014 at 5:55 pm

    ‘

    Interesting to observe the attempting framing going on with this latest example of National Ltd™ defence of the indefensible. Advocates for clean rivers and fresh water are now being painted as “anti dairy industry” delineating them a threat to New Zealand’s economic stability. Surely this orchestrated “othering” of environmentalists must be the final nail in New Zealand’s “clean green 100% pure credentials”.

    The John Key-led National Ltd™ government really doesn’t have much option but to attack and try to silence its critics when it comes to the environment. National’s record in this regard speaks for itself. Since John Key became Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2008 his government has . . .

    been caught out repeatedly lying in the run up to and during the election campaign about its real intentions in relation to the environment

    celebrated the opening of the foreign-owned Pike River Coal Ltd mine on DOC land adjacent to the Paparoa National Park from which 1 megatonne of coal will be extracted per year for the next 20 years – Pike River Coal Ltd has announced that it has found additional coal in the national park

    cancelled a proposed efficiency standard (MEPS) on incandescent lightbulbs

    reversed a moratorium on building new gas/oil/coal power stations

    removed the bio fuel subsidy

    scrapped the scheme that would have penalised imported vehicles producing high emissions

    removed regulations for water efficient new housing by Order in Council

    renewed leases on sensitive high country farms which were meant to return to DOC

    reversed restrictions on the freeholding of vast swathes of land on the edge of the Southern Lakes

    arbitrarily excised 400 hectares from the brand new Oteake Conservation Park, including the most important and, ecologically, the rarest part of the new Park, the tussock and shrubland that went right down to the banks of the Manuherikia River, to enable future access to lignite

    said nothing to say in regard to the World Commission on Protected areas of IUCN’s severe criticism of its intention to investigate mineral resources and mining opportunities in protected conservation areas including our three UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Te Wahi Pounamu-South West New Zealand, Tongariro National Park and the Sub Antarctic Islands

    approved two prospecting permit applications lodged by Australian iron-ore giant Fortescue Metals Group subsidiary FMG Pacific lodged in June – areas covered by the two-year permits include an 8204-square-kilometre area of seabed adjoining the west coast from Cape Reinga to the Manukau Harbour and a 3798-square-kilometre prospecting area of land from Cape Reinga to the Kaipara Harbour including Ninety Mile Beach, the west side of the Aupouri Peninsula, Kaitaia and the Hokianga.

    approved an additional prospecting permit for Fortescue Metals in relation to 3568sq km right next door to the Kahurangi National Park where the Heaphy Track is

    was forced to release its Ministry of Economic Development (MED) report under the Official Information Act that proclaims “significant mineral potential” in the Fiordland, Kahurangi and Paparoa national parks – the report said the Waitutu area of the Fiordland National Park had sufficient petroleum reserves to be “worthy” of inclusion in a review of conservation land protected from mining

    secretly granted the minerals industry the right to veto proposed National Park boundaries and permission for any such vetoes to be kept confidential – in spite of recommendations from its own officials against any such a veto

    called for caring New Zealanders to halt their “emotional hysteria” and recognise that conservation land should be mined for minerals and went on to say “Mining in a modern, technological way can have a negligible effect”

    rubished the Department of Conservation (“Canterbury Farming” June 2010 issue – now offline) suggesting it was incapable of looking after the high country reserves and parks under its control

    gutted the home insulation scheme

    pulled $300 million out of public transport, walking and cycling schemes and added it to a pot of $2 billion to ‘upgrade’ state highways

    changed the law to provide billions of dollar in subsidies for polluters via the ETS casino

    begun a process of gutting the Resource Management Act to make it difficult/impossible for the public to lodge appeals against developers

    removed the ability of Auckland to introduce a fuel levy to fund planned public transport upgrades

    left electrification of the Auckland rail network up in the air without promised funding commitments and then came through with a dodgy loan scheme and then unilaterally reorganised the local government structure before finally setting about the privatisation-by-stealth model when busting KiwiRail

    removed the programme to make Government Departments ‘carbon neutral’ and also began its first wave of public sector redundancies starting with the Ministry for the Environment which was responsible for the scheme

    removed funding for public tv advertising on sustainability and energy efficiency

    pulled funding for small-town public litter bin recycling schemes

    displayed cabinet ministers expressing public support the bulldozing of Fiordland

    reduced Department of Conservation funding by $54 million over three years

    cancelled funding for the internationally acclaimed ‘Enviroschools’ programme

    usurped the democratic role of local Councils of determining policies for their citizens by requiring the abandonment of the efficient and well-established tree protection rules for urban areas

    set about revamping Auckland governance in a way that is likely to greatly reduce the ‘Environmental Watchdog’ role of the the current Regional Council (since completely fucked it up with the SuperShitty)

    removed Auckland’s metropolitan limits and opened the gateway for unfettered urban sprawl

    defended internationally the importation of rain-forest-wrecking palm kernel and stood silent while Federated Farmers called Greenpeace “despicable” criminals, traitors, and robbers

    stood silent while Godfrey Bloom, a Member of the European Parliament and infamous Climate Change Denialist, publicly rejoiced in the 1985 bombing of the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior – who was doing so while standing on a dock next to the replacement vessel

    took a 0% emissions reduction target to Copenhagen. Yes, seriously, that isn’t a misprint – that was the lower bound of their negotiation platform – then missed the 01/02/10 deadline for commitment to action it had agreed to – meanwhile 55 of the 80 countries which attended did make the deadline

    secretly cancelled the internationally recognised scheme for the mandatory labelling of exotic woods to ensure the timber has not been taken from rain forests in direct contradiction of its own statements made at the 13th World Forestry Congress in Argentina

    supported the Department of Conservation’s decision to open up the pristine Cathedral Cove to an ice-cream franchise

    gave the Department of Conservsation $1.7 million to further develop commercial activities on DOC land and started an “off set” plan allowing company’s to damage the conservation estate if they agree to improve land elsewhere – no monitoring regime has been suggested on put in place

    left DOC director-general Al Morrison to announce that DOC is to charge for services that had been free and, to soften the public up to the idea that there will be more “energy generation schemes” operating on DOC land

    took no action to reduce existing pollution pouring into the Manawatu River and is “leaving it up to industry” to come up with solutions to heal the river which was described by the Cawthorn Institute as “one of the worst polluted in the Western world”

    announced a $1.69 million industry subsidy to kick start marine farming without identifying no-go areas nor putting in place a consultation process for individiuals, communities, and other general coastal users

    been forced to release documents under the Official Information Act which confirm that DOC has “giving up” on ecologically valuable high-country land in the Mackenzie Basin because of funding cuts. The released documents cite “statements made by ministers”, “diminishing funding” and the Government’s new high-country policies as reasons for the changed stance – the comments from DOC were made after Land Information New Zealand (Linz), which manages the tenure review process, ignored DOC’s previous conservation recommendations for the farms

    used former National Party minister and current director of Open Country Cheese – a company convicted of filthy farming practices and found by the supreme court to be a dodgy employer – Wyatt Creech to head up an enquiry into Environment Canterbury which had been standing up the dairy farmers’ demands for more and more water resources and less and less regulation. The Creech report recommended the Environmental Canterbury be sacked and replaced with government appointments and the voters of Canterbury do without democracy until the water situation had been resolved. The Canterbury area holds 50 percent of New Zealand’s fresh water reserves and 50 percent of the water required for hyrdo energy. The Creech report said Environmental Centerbury put too much focus on the environment

    been subjected to international condemnation for knowing next to nothing about the parlous state of the New Zealand fisheries

    bucked international trends and poured more acid on the 100% Pure brand and increases the bluefin tuna quota

    squirmed when New Zealand is subject to international criticism for its backing of commericial whaling which National Ltd supports

    funded Government-owned company Solid Energy runs an essay competition entitled “ The role of coal in sustainable energy solutions for New Zealand” for school children. First prize is a trip to New Zealand’s largest coal customer, China.

    supported access fees for entrance onto DOC walkways – fee introduced following cuts to DOC’s budget.

    pressed on with PR bullshit about how New Zealand’s environment would profit from mining national parks, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson says.

    Department of Conservation director-general Al Morrison said the conservation estate created “opportunities to do a whole lot for a lot of different people . . . we’ve got to get away from this idea that somehow we have to protect one-third of New Zealand for a certain constituency and put it in a jar of formaldehyde and leave it

    created random fantasies of abundant wealth to promote all forms of mining

    ignored reports on sustained non-compliance with resource consents and worsening pollution of water ways.

    ignored its own Ministers possible conflicts of interest

    done nothing as both its own SOE Meridian and the Department of Conservation to withdraw appeals against an 85m high damn with a 14km long reservoir on conservation land.

    granted Energy Resources permission to ship Australian yellowcake uranium ore through New Zealand.

    apologised but does nothing else for breaching the Treaty of Waitangi by granting a mining exploration permit to Brazilian company Petrobras

    continued to remove environmental protection powers from local authorities

    totally reversed gains made in the protection of National Parks and other high-value conservation areas in the South Island.

    commenced a divide-and-rule strategy by attempting to paint New Zealanders interested in protecting the environment as outside of the “mainstream” and in defence of the fact that the media is catching to its bare-faced lies in the lead up to the 2008 election

    carried on with more lies by talking about modern mining like that at Reefton being carried out by Oceana Golds as being like “key hole surgery”

    appeared to believe that the tourists it is attempting to bring to New Zealand are all blind and won’t see for themselves the impact of the dairy farming it is subsidising to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars

    appeared itself to be blind when it comes to the Chairman of Fonterra

    forced the Commissioner for the Environment to delay the release of a report into the ramifications for climate change in regard to lignite mining and proposals to convert the lignite into diesel

    employed financial sleight of hand in shuffling funds towards business interests and away from community groups looking to protect the environment

    made more empty promises when a report showing that a third of New Zealand lankes have poor quality water is released

    backed down on promises to protect New Zealand children (and the environment cleaner by more informed disposal) from harmful chemicals by improving labeling and imposing mandatory standards on containers

    Ignored the findings by attacking the messenger when a World Health Organisation report confirms that New Zealand’s main centres have the worst air in Australasia and Auckland is the most polluted with twice the concentration of damaging airborne particles as Sydney.

    studiously ignored so as to take piss about dire warnings concerning the quality of drinking water in Reidstone

    failed to mention in its 100% Pure promotions that visitors to the Kerikeri Basin near the Stone Store – one of Northland’s iconic tourism and heritage sites – could come face-to-face with warning signs telling them the water is polluted

    failed to mention in its 100% Pure promotions that tourists in the Coromandel could come face to face with New Zealand’s environmental standards when finding hundreds of dead snapper washed up on Beaches

    presented bogus evidence concerning air pollution

    made more empty promises in relation to air pollution while also extending deadlines for local councils to reduce air pollution

    extended deadlines for businesses previously require to reduce air pollution by 2013

    put tourism operators in Akaroa at risk by refusing to make the harbour a marine reserve . . . and then rubs salt into their wounds

    done nothing after the United Nations finds that National Ltd™’s targets for reducing pollution are not consistent with the measures put in place to achieve those targets

    attempted to defend the Emissions Trading Scheme from comparisons with the Australian model while Environment Minister Nick Smith indicates there’s little chance of the two schemes being integrated any time soon

    then further slowed down the implentation of New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme

    allowed major retailers to reap the benefits of its earlier and secret decision to abandon the mandatory labelling of exotic woods after it is found that the retailers are contributing to the death of native Australian forests despite an independent, year-long investigation which finds otherwise

    tried to keep a meeting between John Key and mininng company Anadarko’s boss secret. The company is responsble for a massive oil spill and is looking to to start drilling off New Zealand soon

    continued to ignore yet more evidence of farmers failing to comply with environmental regulations

    handed over $400 million to farmers to extend water storage and allow for more land to be used for dairy farms. No mention or provision is made for additional protections required to deal with the increased pollution

    failed to point out in its 100% Pure promotion that tourists (and locals) should avoid the Opihi River along State Highway 1 because of the risk of exposure to toxins from phormidium

    failed to point out in its 100% Pure promotions that tourists arriving at New Zealand’s “nuclear free” sea ports will be sharing the environment with up to 5,000 tonnes of radioactive yellow cake uranium

    lied about how bad the RMA is

    ignored top scientists and academics who point out that its underfunding of the Department of Conservation will send more species into extinction and hurt its 100% Pure image.

    Ignored John Key making an international arse out of himself in regard to New Zealand’s 100% Pure image

    carried on with its lies as New Zealand is identified as jeoparising its good name by allowing us to become one of a small number of states stalling progress in forming an international climate agreement
    kept stringing us along even after Next thing, New Zealand received the 2nd place Fossil Award for “proposing the most Flexible Mechanism imaginable with no oversight or review. Bring on the wild west. They want to be able to use any market mechanisms they wish with absolutely no oversight or international review! There would be no way to ensure that the units from one mechanism have not been sold two or three times to another such mechanism. This would likely unleash a wild west carbon market with double or triple counting of offsets and a likely increase of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.”

    stood silent when Fonterra was caught out lying by overstating its farmer’s compliance on excluding stock from waterways by 100%

    put World class surfing waves and Maui’s dolphin’s at Raglan at severe risk by encouraging a proposed iron ore seabed mining in New Zealand’s coastal waters

    never followed up after the scientific models created by New Zealand and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to allow fishing are called into question

    set the scene for our children heading down to the park to find an overseas’ owned company had set up a dairy farm in one corner. Over time the shit builds up

    ignored data which shows the expansion of fish-farming in the Marlborough Sounds could cause unacceptable changes in the coastal environment

    strategically removed the word “environment” from the lexicon of local and central government

    failed to tell the tourists it hopes to attact with its 100% Pure campaign that every year, New Zealand drops huge quantities of poison-laced food into its forest ecosystems; enough poison to kill its human population 4 times over, every year. No country has ever done anything remotely similar, on such a scale

    failed to tell the tourists it hopes to attract with its 100% Pure campaign that more than a third of Auckland’s beaches fail water quality checks and are closed for swimming

    ignored the closing of the beaches, this time as extremely high concentrations of the bacteria enterococci are identified
    ignored Ministerial conflicts of interest, this time involving John Key who is identified as shareholder in the Bank Of America which is backing mining in New Zealand and Australia . . . even when more information is made available . . . and more information . . . and more information

    pressed on with additional policies that move away from the protection of the environment towards exploitation

    limited , as part of its effort to cash-in on the environment, access to some of New Zealand’s most endangered species and isolated islands only to those who those who contribute financially displacing conservation staff and scientists

    ignored a World Wildlife Fund report, Beyond Rio, which makes clear New Zealand now risks some of the highest rates of biodiversity loss on Earth unless urgent action is taken

    continued to give confidence to Fonterra director Colin Armer being convicted and fined $72,000 for “fouling” a Bay of Plenty waterway after a judge found he could have prevented the pollution were it not for his “systemic” failure to monitor what was happening on his company’s farm

    lied when it said New Zealand has the environmental laws and regulations to control oil and gas development on the continental shelf because there is no equivalent of the Resource Management Act to control oil and gas activity outside of the territorial sea (12 nautical miles offshore).
    lied when it had already agreed coastal plans to allow marine farming consent holders in the Waikato and Marlborough to move from mussel farming to finfish farming without considering the additional environmental effects imposed

    placed short-term business interests ahead of long-term consequences to New Zealand’s environment, particularly biodiversity by allowing damage in one area on the condition that it be “off set” in another creating a dangerous precedent in that such a provisin means that one part of biodiversity can be wrecked in return for “protecting” an area that was never under threat anyway.

    promoted proposals that include include a plant producing about 2 billion litres of diesel per year, using at least 12 million tonnes of lignite per year and another producing 3 billion litres using 12-17 million tonnes of lignite annually. A further project would produce by 2016 1.2 tonnes of the nitrogenous fertiliser, urea, using 2 million tonnes of lignite annually

    tried to hide the fact that its Department of Conservation was ordered to permit Meridian to to build a damn on the Mohikinui River despite its position that “the public conservation land within the Mokihinui River has such high value that it is most unlikely to be suitable for exchange at all

    continued to ignore the slow-motion extinction of Maui’s dolphins:

    gone into hiding after it was discovered that significant cuts to the Ministry for the Environment in the 2012 Budget are not publicly detailed or announced

    continued to ignore its international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to “protect and preserve” the martime environment

    refused in the face of repeated calls to set national standards for water quality despite mounting evidence of the need to do so

    further weakened protection for wild rivers in Canterbury with the ECan Act and indicates that further weakening provisions will follow.

    rubber stamped a motorway project with no economic benefit and likely to waste over $1 billion of tax payers’ funds.

    been forced to admit that it has spent $1.67 million in a survey of minerals on the West Coast of New Zealand, including within the Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand world heritage area. Te Wahipounamu is one of 183 natural heritage

    secretly ordered that world heritage sites on the West Coast be surveyed as part of a $3 million mineral study spanning more than 16,000 square kilometres. The survey was only puiblicy revealed after Green MP Catherine Delahunty asked for details in a parliamentary question

    appointed thoroughtly unsuitable but politically useful members to the Establishment Board for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

    facilitated by neglect the employment of inexperienced managers, making poor policy decisions resulting in additional threats to New Zealand’s biosecurity.

    under resourced New Zealand’s biosecurity system to such an extent that it is fundamentally flawed preventing any way of identifying how the Kiwifruit killer virus got into New Zealand and, thus, no way of preventing it from happening again.

    handed over a further $80 million to business and farmers to subsidise their pollution.

    ignored its own guidelines to provide consent the Milford Dart tunnel and Fiordland Link Experience which would otherwise never have been granted.

    appointed an advisory group to recommend a significant rewrite of the Resource Management Act to remove references to the protection of coastal areas, wetlands, lakes and rivers and indigenous flora and fauna.

    splashed tax payer cash around its consultants considering conservation and environmental protection of the Mackenze Basin and Waitaki Valley

    further weakened the resource consent process for foreign-owned mining companies,

    locked New Zealanders out of the consultation process on the alloting of areas being made available for resource exploration.

    ignored the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and scrapped government grants for solar water heating

    used the Navy along with police and Crown Law to bully environmental protesters in a legal case they knew could not be won

    put 23 massive blocks of deep and wild waters east of Wellington and Dunedin on the international market for exploratory oil drilling

    allowed its own consultants do a u-turn on the economic benefits of additional roading and then handed them a $200 million contract for further consultation work

    Supported the Department of Conservation into granting foreign-owned multinational mining company OceanaGold permission to destroy 55 hectares of beech forest so as to extend its Reefton mine to a total 81 hectares without public notification

    envouraged the Minerals Industry Association to bully local authorities to step aside from what little environmental protections they are able to impose

    reduced its environment agencies to little more than a ramshackle collection of underfunded and ineffective small back offices with no direction or policy for dealing with the vast marine resources of New Zealand

    eroded New Zealand’s bio-security to such an extent that Christchurch Airport is found to have failed at a basic level

    removed the directive terms “protect”, “preserve”, “maintain” and “enhance” from the RMA fundamentally weakening the legislation and deliberately introducing confusion as to its overall intent.

    futher ensured that New Zealand tax payers continue to subsidise 95% of big polluters’ emissions

    drastically reduced the size of proposed marine reserves off the West Coast so much so that one advocate says they are “an insult” to those who spent years trying to establish them

    instructed its delegates at the world’s largest conservation conference , the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s conference in Korea, to oppose any further measures to protect Maui and Hector dolphins in defiance of 117 other countries and 460 environmental organisations requesting New Zealand ban gill and trawl nets in waters up to 100 metres deep

    lied about the environmental impact of fraking

    refused to enforce its own legislation to protect the environment

    ignored concerns about fracking which has seen the practise banned around the world

    twisted the knife by exploiting news of redundancies at Solid Energy in a statement which claims opponents to a proposed mine are “getting in the way of” potential jobs as part of an effort to discourage legal action

    changed to law allowing a consideration of the effects on climate change to allow Australian-owned mining company Bathurst Resources (also known as Buller Coal) to build a 200-hectare open-cast coal mine on the plateau and excavate 80 million tonnes of coal that, when burnt, will release about 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

    further ensured the extinction of New Zealand sea lions by failing to extend necessary fishing restrictions

    failed to protect the New Zealand marine environment and ignored international obligation with its Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act oil drilling legislation

    continued to obfuscate and dither while More than half of monitored recreational sites on our rivers are declared unsafe for swimming

    ignored its own scientific evidence and advice from its own authorities to lock-in tax payer funding of business which pollutes New Zealand’s air

    refused to enforce its own laws in respect to water pollution

    changed the law to make it more difficult to build a deck on a house than it is to drill for oil

    avoided its international obligations “to ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their long-term sustainable use” while its fishers carry on with the barbaric practise of shark finning.

    ignored public support for conservation by ordering another round of cuts to the Department of Conservation.

    stood alone at the world’s largest conservation summit and voted against more protection for species at risk

    further gutted environmental protection legislation to speed up the building consent process for developers

    vancelled without notice the five-yearly State of the Environment report put together by the Ministry of the Environment, the report is the largest stock-take of trends relating to land, water, air, plants and animals

    abandoned the Kyoto agreement completely

    allowed its on lobbyist to publicly attack a prominent New Zealand scientist for speaking truth about New Zealand’s environment in an effort to silence the accurate reporting of scientific evidence

    attracted international mockery for the fact that the pristine landscape featured in The Hobbit and used as the basis for the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign as fantastical as dragons and wizards

    remained “relaxed” about the fact that New Zealand is now the 18th worst out of 189 nations when it came to preserving its natural environment

    pulled out of Kyoto just weeks after the OECD reports that global greenhouse gas emissions could rise 50 per cent by 2050 without more ambitious climate policies, as fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy mix

    laughed when New Zealand received two “Fossil of the Day” – first-equal and second place – awards on the first day of international climate talks in Doha, Qatar

    used Hobbiton – Waikato – as the centrepiece of its 100% Pure campaign when the area is the country’s major source of pollution to the Hauraki Gulf

    handed over responsibility for the monitoring and reporting of fraking activity , for which it has inadequate legal protections, to the foreign-owned multi-nationals which are carrying out that activity thus totally ignoring its own Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

    lied, obfuscated and used government resources to attack and undermined local authority plans to improve water quality
    sanctioned an unnamed foreign-owned multinational to go ahead with a major road through pristine South Island National Parks

    employed disingenuous gobbledeegook to defend its decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Agreement.

    turned a deaf ear to calls for New Zealand to assist pacfic island nations by taking a stronger position on climate change

    displayed contempt for existing agreements and Environment Case law by approving new salmon farms in recreational areas within the Marlborough Sounds

    refused to investigate the impact on increasing use of neonicotinoid pesticides which is likely to be a major contributor to the sudden and dramatic decline (aka colony collapse disorder) of the New Zealand honey bee population, National Ltd™ also refused to consider the development of a strategy to protect what is left of the honey bee population.

    lied about its commitment to addressing climate change

    failed to monitor Sanford Ltd’s pollution resulting in an international embarrassment

    allowed foreign-owned multinationals to proceed with oil exploration without the financial resources available to mitigate any environmental damage should it occur

    been caught out ignoring its own advice on implementing environmental monitoring procedures

    used changes to the Resource Management Act to remove local authorty’s rights and planning for the protection of trees

    commenced removing local authority’s rights to plan for housing

    allowed more than 53 percent of Canterbury’s major water users to avoid having meters installed

    mixed the cooperative model of climate change negotiations with the competitive model used in trade negotiations, thus putting outcomes in both areas a risk

    ducked questions asking for evidence as to the safety of genetically engineered food

    ignored the fact that New Zealand carbon credits are no longer the unit of choice in the New Zealand’s own carbon market. Figures from the official Emission Unit Registry show that emitters who initially supported NZUs are now using a range of international units to meet their carbon obligations under the Emissions Trading Scheme

    used highly dodgy figures in calculating the reduction New Zealand’s net carbon emissions by including trees due to be harvested in the next few years

    ignored news that New Zealand’s first glyphosate resistant weed has been found and the resulting call for the use of glyphosate (Monsanto’s “Roundup”) to cease

    stayed silent for five months after being advised that Fonterra’s milk product were contaminated with dicyandiamide (DCD) and now face an international backlash.

    set no maximum level of contamination of dicyandiamide (DCD) (AKA cyanoguanidine) in milk products for consumption by New Zealanders, stood silent while the farming industry says the withdrawal of dicyandiamide (DCD) will result in yet more pollution of New Zealand’s waterways

    stood silent as NIWA announced findings of research which showed 20 per cent of marine life in the Milford Sounds port area could be killed off as a result of copper leaching from anti-fouling paints on boat hulls

    secretly without consultation and any right of appeal used a short-term draconian law to ammend a water conservation order for the Rakaia River

    been locked out of the international carbon market because of its trucculent attitude

    continued in its efforts to eliminate tree protection of any kind in Auckland and elsewhere

    stood alone as the only developed country not to have tabled an unconditional single number target as part of the international climate change negotiations

    cut funding into research about protecting the last remaining giant kauri

    continued to endanger the 100% Pure brand

    been unable to explain how genetically engineered mould escaped from Massey University laboratories and remains unable or unwilling to provide further information

    introduced foreign species without a consideration of the risk to human health

    allowed oil companies to ignore breaches of resource consent and set neihhbours against neighbours

    obfuscated on the negative economic benefits of major raod works

    obfuscated on the level of cuts to the Department of Conservation

    disengaged the previously widely held concept of environmental protection from any consideration of economic development

    sacked 140 staff at the Department of Conservation

    inserted last minute changes to environmental legislation that were not announced and, thus, not considered during public submissions and earlier readings of Bills.

    lied about the practise of fracking going on in New Zealand for the past 30 years

    funded its Economic Development Ministry’s membership of the Coal Association lobby group

    staged a consultation process on the restructuring for the Department of Conservation and then completely ignored any submissions generated

    proposed handing over recreational paua gathering areas to commercial operators

    opened a further 190,000 square kilometers of New Zealand’s coastal waters for oil exploration

    allowed the Minister of Energy’s own political adviser to make public calls for the boycotting of the environmental iniative Earth House

    held secret meetings with oil company executives known international as irresponsible and mendacious

    exposed Auckland beaches to the unmonitored risk of oil exploration by companies unable to afford any clean up operations if required

    breached international law and used parliamentary urgency and ignored international guidelines to rush through legislation depriving New Zealanders of the right to protest against drilling for oil within 350 miles if New Zealand coast

    given permission for oil drilling to take place over earthquake ridden continental plate fault lines just off shore from Wellington

    stood idle while water quality used by households continyes to worsen

    ensured that the MacKenzie Basin is turned from a conservation estate into a development area

    used parliamentary urgency to avoid public notification, consultation and/or consideration of a law allowing companies with no experience nor financial resources to drill for oil on earthquake-ridden fault lines lying in New Zealand coastal waters

    here would be significant and irreversible adverse effects on the conservation values and overall ecological integrity of the application area and the Denniston Plateau should the proposed activity be approved”?

  13. Robert Atack 13
    28 July 2014 at 6:08 pm

    We/they are all to blame, if you want/need growth, then you have to keep fucking our environment, no growth equals no Kiwi Saver.
    Labour and the greens by forcing Kiwi Saver on kiwis, have committed us to economic growth or else.
    The billboard should show a Kiwi Saver fund on one side, and a ravaged world with no humans on the other.
    Kiwi Saver = escapism at best.

    • vto 13.1
      28 July 2014 at 6:53 pm

      You’re partly a lot right there mr atack.

      But are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

  14. Robert Atack 14
    28 July 2014 at 6:19 pm

    And least we forget, it was Smith in the hot seat when we started building leaky homes, against the advice from Canada. Thanks Nick,

  15. BruceTheMoose 15
    28 July 2014 at 6:50 pm

    I use to feel sorry for Nick once. He always reminded me of someone a bit down on their luck. He has this constant bloke with a drinking problem look about him. Who after a hard night out on it, comes home feeling a bit hungry, goes to the fridge, opens the door only to smack his head as it swings out – and he has stayed like that ever since.

    • disturbed 15.1
      28 July 2014 at 10:53 pm

      He was a god guy once but like all MP’s with this lot they all turn ugly after a while, it must be the culture they have as all Nat’ M.P.s are turning arrogant now.

  16. RedBaronCV 16
    28 July 2014 at 8:32 pm

    Anybody got any video of this on their phone? It’s always been a source of disappointment to me that when really interesting things happen (lockwood smith chased from an Albany hall by angry pensioners, Nat MP leaves Dunedin meeting through toilet window) there are no TV camera’s.

    • BruceTheMoose 16.1
      28 July 2014 at 9:17 pm

      Or last week when Chairman Johnny was in Christchurch for another of his smile and click moments, with the sole intention to peddle another manufactured story around the country to show how wonderful they are doing there. Usually they are highly secretive affairs, where not even local media are notified, however, word leaked out, and a size able group of protesters ambushed the scene with the main intention to put some hard questions to Key on the continual ignoring by his administration of various serious matters relating to substandard housing conditions and insurance issues. Naturally Key didn’t want to be pressed on the hard issues, so he had to called it all off and his security henchmen had to huddle him over a fence to his car and took off. Not a squeak in the media as usual. Some camera footage would have been hilarious.

  17. Jrobin 17
    28 July 2014 at 8:47 pm

    Slightly sinister little piece on TV3 presenting the sob story of poor ordinary NZ bloke harshly prosecuted by nasty Fish and Game for illegal trade in salmon. No mention of the bullying by Smith strangely, just this poisonous little attempt to undermine public confidence in Fish and Game. Anyone who stands up to these bullies gets the biased Mediaworks treatment, the threats of restructuring, ….. the Whaleoil slime will be next I expect.

  18. Saarbo 18
    28 July 2014 at 10:30 pm

    Nothing on TV3 news on this..WTF?

    • disturbed 18.1
      28 July 2014 at 11:04 pm

      Saarbo,
      TV1 is sanctioned by a selected Government panel of scrutinisers TV3 to by the looks of it as they get Government funding and have been equally threatened to do what they are told also. And we hear all media are also on warning also not slag the Government policy at this election cycle time, so effectively the media has been gaged by the Government and their storm troopers. Good that you now see the result, and hope others will as we get closer to the ballot box. Long live democracy that will return one sunny day.