Nick Smith must resign

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 66 comments
Categories: national, scoundrels - Tags:

Nick Smith’s got it wrong – again.

In a severe insult to irony he threatened bully-boy legal action against anyone who might call him a bully.  And he did try and bully Fish and Game out of their statutory obligations – the papers released to Radio NZ from the meeting show as much:

But notes obtained by Radio New Zealand News from the meeting where Dr Smith is accused of making the comments quote him saying its “perks of being a statutory body could go” if it continues to behave like a “rabid NGO.”

“I’m a fan of Fish and Game” however the legislation “requires a tweak,” the notes say.

The notes say Dr Smith referred to billboards erected by Fish and Game in Canterbury asking: “Irrigation – how much is too much?” as a “problem politically.” The notes say Dr Smith told council members “not to be noisy” and “when you cause trouble you burn goodwill.”

It’s the word of at least 5 – plus official notes – against the word of a politician who’s been caught lying before; just who are we meant to believe?

Nick Smith can only ever have been back on probation after his interfering in ACC for a friend, and his reputation for muzzling DoC over Ruataniwha shows a distinct precedent to what we have here.  And that’s before we go further back into his troubled past.

He should resign his ministerial warrant and never be let near one again…

66 comments on “Nick Smith must resign ”

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  1. Sacha 1
    28 July 2014 at 11:32 pm

    The guy is temperamentally suited to running a roadside vege stall, perhaps. Plenty of proof he’s not cut out for governance roles, that’s for sure.

    • Clemgeopin 1.1
      29 July 2014 at 12:11 am

      A job of a lolly pup man on a road repair spot wearing his Speedos would suit this nut. Gerry could be his assistant or substitute at times. Did you read about Nick Smith dissing fat people/politicians today? What is wrong with these National cabinet ministers? They are losing it! Time to go.

    • Tom Jackson 1.2
      29 July 2014 at 11:16 am

      Nah. Some customer would mistake him for a potato and turn him into chips.

  2. disturbed 2
    29 July 2014 at 12:04 am

    This shows how corrosive this Government really is on it’s members.
    Just watch this last parliament sitting this week, as the corrosive behaviour in Parliament resumes for the final time this week before the election.
    I get so upset after watching the snide remarks passed by Key and Co instead of actually answering the questions with a civil tongue, and Key is the worst.

    This constant combatant sniping is denigrating the whole parliamentary system and seems to be destroying formerly good National Party citizens, who did bat for what we are doing now, speaking out for our rights to freedom of democracy and free speech to fight for our future, and our families.

    I feel sorry for Nick also but it is the National clobbering culture that is at the heart of the reason why so many M.P.’s are going off the rails now.

    I would be driven mad by having to sit through years of this constant snipping at each other, and some just aren’t made out for this arrogant new political climate that has now evolved.

  3. Jrobin 3
    29 July 2014 at 3:37 am

    Disturbed….interesting comment. This term could be seen to be National’s equivalent to Rogernomics. A complete sell out to global corporate agendas and neoliberal theft. I’m not a fan of National anyway but do see your point about the downward spiral.in terms of ethics and democratic principles..

  4. lurgee 4
    29 July 2014 at 6:46 am

    I suspect Key will not be accepting any resignations, a month out from an election. But Mr Smith might find he needs to ‘pay more attention to his constituency’ shortly afterwards.

  5. Saarbo 5
    29 July 2014 at 7:08 am

    Nothing on this on TV3 news last night and framed weirdly in NZ Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11300504
    National biased media are playing this down.

    • Rosie 5.1
      29 July 2014 at 9:15 am

      I watched out for the Nick Smith show on 3News, but nothing. It would have only been a week after the Gerry Brownlee barge through the restricted security area gag and maybe they thought that airing the Nick Smith fiasco, would be a bad look for their friends in Government.

      Gotta look out for each other eh.

    • Bearded Git 5.2
      29 July 2014 at 9:30 am

      +1 saarbo.

      Espiner did a great job on the Nick Smith Fish and Game fiasco on Morning Report yesterday.

      The way the Herald, Dom Post, tv1 and tv3 have played this down really shows their agenda.

      • shorts 5.2.1
        29 July 2014 at 10:07 am

        nothing to do with agenda – unless you mean they won’t be pushing a RNZ story cause they missed their exclusive and gotcha, ie they don’t own the story

        reflects sadly on our crappy media… but not due their alleged political bias I’d say

        • Olwyn 5.2.1.1
          29 July 2014 at 10:30 am

          I don’t agree shorts. Think about David Cunliffe’s failure to remember an 11-year-old letter and his apology for being a man. These non-events were treated as the only game in town, with everyone’s stories about them feeding off everyone else’s. In comparison, when a National MP does something genuinely wrong, it gets reported, and that’s that. The actual misdeeds of Smith, Collins, McCully, Brownlee, Hauiti, etc, are treated as mere incidents, and no inferences are drawn from them. It may be more to do with deference to power than a conscious agenda, but that is what happens.

          • shorts 5.2.1.1.1
            29 July 2014 at 11:04 am

            there is obvious bias in the opinion pieces – given most come from tired old white guys (or upper middle class white woman) the obvious bias is tired old white guy world view – tending to be right wing (herald loves the ACT) and pro business, old business at that

            I’m not sold on the pro national line, though it seems so doesn’t make it so. Agree to the deference to power – if its the right sort of power (old white guy styles)

            In saying that, if I have a point it is those on the left shouldn’t continue with the “its not fair” line against the media – its a waste of time and only serves to make the left look childish and as it won’t change things for the better (not without a robust state broadcaster nad broadcasting ethic, its a poor tactic

            • Olwyn 5.2.1.1.1.1
              29 July 2014 at 12:04 pm

              It is true that whinging doesn’t help much. However, bearing in mind what is actually happening, and what we are up against, is worthwhile.

            • karol 5.2.1.1.1.2
              29 July 2014 at 12:12 pm

              The left is damned either way. Too many in senior positions in the MSM are out to damage the left, especially Labour.

              They say it’s folly to declare war on the MSM during an election – but, the MSM has already declared war on Labour and/or the left.

              • Macro …
                29 July 2014 at 4:49 pm

                +100
                When the Left eventually do hold the reins again the obvious bias of the media has to be addressed.
                There is no such thing as a democracy where the people are uninformed.

          • Rosie 5.2.1.1.2
            29 July 2014 at 1:09 pm

            +1 Olwyn @ 10.30am

      • Saarbo 5.2.2
        29 July 2014 at 10:49 am

        Yep, BG..

        Espiner is starting grow on me, must have realised his job is to challenge power rather than jump on the gallery band wagon…he’s getting better. Im back listening to Morning Report.

        • felix 5.2.2.1
          29 July 2014 at 7:48 pm

          Yep I’ve sensed that too. Maybe rnz has rubbed off on him rather than the other way around as expected (intended?)

    • disturbed 5.3
      29 July 2014 at 12:11 pm

      Saarbo,
      Nothing on TV3 today, but TV1 did a bit with Nick at midday at Parliament and Nick said “I get a lot of flack from Farmers and others and did not warn to pull funding from Fish & Game.

      Eyes roll.

      Temporary memory lapse affecting all National M.P’s so what are they putting in their brandy hip flasks?

      We are watching you!! Next please.

  6. vto 6
    29 July 2014 at 8:03 am

    Agree that Nick Smith must resign…

    for bullying
    for threatening
    for lying about his speech to RNZ
    for stepping way outside the rules and conventions for the purpose of partisan political gain

    It was appalling behaviour for a Minister. He shreds not just his own credibility and that of his government, but also the credibility of the government as an institution in NZ.

    The government is out of control at the moment – drunk on the power in its hands. We see it in Chch too.

    Nick Smith must resign.

  7. tc 7
    29 July 2014 at 8:27 am

    So teamshonkey go into the campaign with smith, brownlee, collins, mccully all with recent issues to go with their prior issues.

    Then we have claudette, phil, paula, pansy,aaron, richard with some known some unkown issues and paula still serving after a wilfull breach of privacy.

    Complemented by ministers like bridges, guy, foss I hope someone in opposition reminds NZ of the ‘higher’ standards on planet key and that they are working for NZ’s elite and overseas owners. Those who dont get paid off and sent on their way.

    • disturbed 7.1
      29 July 2014 at 12:24 pm

      Don’t forget the biggie as well, Maurice Williams property manager!!

      The ex maverick that killed DYI on your very own homes.

      Yes its the handyman for a rich Neighbours such as the non English speaking Chinese zillionare who bought the house Maurice Williams worked on! is he a registered builder under his new regime?

  8. Tracey 8
    29 July 2014 at 8:28 am

    This is common but what is unusual is there are notes verifying it. I have been in meetings where I have been told by a “crown entity” that (as they paid me a cheque for work done on a seperate matter), that I must see how it is hard for them to pay me for one thing when I am challenging them on another. I was representing a client challenging a decision not to appoint. The message was clear. If I wanted more work I needed to not do other work which upset them.

    I also know of meetings where a less powerful party to a “negotiation” asked to record the meeting so everyone could have accurate noes later and enable them to focus on the meeting. The CEO of this Crown Entity made an angry move toward this person and said “that’s not how we do things here”.

    The thing about all this kind of behaviour is that it is common, but hard to prove and take action upon.

    You frequently here politicians saying they dont interfere in crown entities cos they are independant. That is bollocks and most people are too scared to challenge it.

    Of course Smith should resign… he should have been sacked last night by the Pm of the highest ethical standards

  9. Lanthanide 9
    29 July 2014 at 9:10 am

    Btw, it was Nick Smith’s member’s bill that set up IPENZ originally. IPENZ has since been shown to have no teeth and hopeless legislation, where they are powerless to do anything about Alan Reay since he resigned from the organisation.

  10. Kiwiri 10
    29 July 2014 at 9:27 am

    Bloody hell.
    I am in two minds about this.
    Nick Smith is the greenest Nat MP imo.
    Another Nat twat replacing him would be even more awful.
    What to do? Vote out the whole Nat bunch on 20 Sep!
    A candidate – any candidate! – from Labour, Greens or Internet Party would be immensely better than Nick or his gang of thugs attacking our environment and the guardians of our environment.

    • Bearded Git 10.1
      29 July 2014 at 9:36 am

      Smith is very good at greenwash…..and bullying.

      The fact that he is the greenest cabinet minister and yet is willing to threaten to destroy Fish and Game, an independent organisation that is not publicly funded, simply for doing its job which happens not to suit the pollution economy supported by Key and friends, says everything about this government.

    • Richard 10.2
      29 July 2014 at 10:21 am

      Heard a Fed Farmers rep on National Radio saying Fish & Game should work with dairy farmers to allow them to intensify dairying without overly harming waterways? Why should the anglers of this country pay their licence fees to help the dairy farmers get richer? Why should they be subsidised? Isn’t the onus on them (dairy farmers) to come up with solutions or limit their activities if they will (or already have) degrade our waterways?

  11. rich the other 11
    29 July 2014 at 9:34 am

    Great idea , Nick should resign and make way for Simon Bridges , the two portfolios should be more closely aligned .
    This would be a great move for regional development .

    • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1
      29 July 2014 at 10:00 am

      Oh that’s a sure-fire winner, I hope you succeed in getting National to support it.

      • Lanthanide 11.1.1
        29 July 2014 at 10:51 am

        No! Simon has to keep his powder dry for when he tacks a crack at the leadership, which I expect will be about as successful as Blinglish’s short tenure.

  12. Lionel 12
    29 July 2014 at 9:55 am

    Agree with Disturbed.How long will it be into their 3rd term that the Nats will implode don’t think they are far away from tanking hence why the election is September not November Key and his PR Spin Doctors know
    this.

  13. ianmac 13
    29 July 2014 at 10:22 am

    Water cleanliness showed up as an important election issue recently. So I guess National want to dampen any discussion about it.
    Will there be room for Dr Smith’s valedictory speech this term?

    • fender 13.1
      29 July 2014 at 10:27 am

      “Will there be room for Dr Smith’s valedictory speech this term?”

      Should be! There’s Tau Henare’s time slot who said his favourite part of parliament was the goings on in the chamber but declined to give a valedictory saying it was a “waste of time”.

  14. NZJester 14
    29 July 2014 at 10:53 am

    This is standard National tactics.
    Bully someone and then claim the ones calling you out on this are bulling you. You just harp on to Nationals friends in the media that you are the victim in all this and have them write a piece vindicating you and demonizing your accusers and victims.
    National Government Tactics 101:
    Independent orginisation will not do what you want? Threaten to tweak the legislation to force them to do what you want.
    Minister done something wrong? Set up a commission of people loyal to you with a mandate that can only find one of the ministers underlings guilty of the crime. Also make sure any report will not see the light of day till after the election.
    Don’t like the statistics? Cherry pick what you can out of them and make up figures yourself as needed to prove your point.
    Statistics can not be cherry picked to say what you want them to or can easily prove your figures are made up? Mark them as highly confidential and not for public release or shut down the organisation that collects them. After all no statistics means you can make up your own and not be able to be proven wrong.
    Your opponent starting to go up in the polls? Call in your pet bloggers and release a smear campaign to them, But tell them to wait till John has time to hop on a plane out of New Zealand first so he is harder to reach for comment about it and can pretend to know nothing about it.
    Something big will eventually come out in early October showing just how bad the NZ economy is doing under your Government? Call an early election for September so you can try and get voted back in before it is known so you have 3 more years to let it blow over, or prove it was all the oppositions fault.
    Get caught with your hand in the cookie jar stealing cookies? No problem you just go crying with you fist still full of cookies to your friends that the nasty person scared you when they told you to take your hand out of the cookie jar.
    Punched someone in the face? Say you are the victim as they smashed their face into your fist and injured your hand.

    • Bearded Git 15.1
      29 July 2014 at 1:52 pm

      And now Key has said this today (from interest.co.nz):

      “Swimmable is a very, very high and expensive goal. If we were to make that the national standard it would have an enormous impact on the cost for rate payers — billions I think,” Key said.

      NZ’s gdp at 31st March 2014 is $227 billion*. Surely a quarter percent of this per year over the next 10 years (that is approximately $5.7 billion over this period) would be worth spending to make our rivers 99% swimmable?

      *Statistics NZ

      • vto 15.1.1
        29 July 2014 at 1:58 pm

        Key is on another planet. The fact he thinks it is “very very expensive … billions” provides evidence of how much cost farmers have dumped onto the public instead of carrying it themselves.

        Key has admitted that farmers have dumped billions in cost on ratepayers and the public.

        Farmers need to man up and own this. It is the farmers who need to pay this cleanup cost. Bloody cowards. Shitting in the rivers my children swim in – what arseholes.

        • Lanthanide 15.1.1.1
          29 July 2014 at 4:42 pm

          Farmers appear to be getting record payouts, in the billions of dollars, at present.

        • srylands 15.1.1.2
          29 July 2014 at 7:15 pm

          Your children should swim in the ocean or in chlorinated swimming pools.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1.1.2.1
            29 July 2014 at 7:39 pm

            S Rylands says Fish & Game deserve “a good kicking”. He’s projecting.

            • vto 15.1.1.2.1.1
              29 July 2014 at 7:48 pm

              yes he is getting a bit close to the bone too

              and should watch out things don’t jump out from the screen at him

          • ScottGN 15.1.1.2.2
            29 July 2014 at 7:51 pm

            How long though until the fucked up rivers fuck up the oceans and the publicly subsidized chlorinated swimming pools all go, because of course, they were just a ‘nice to have’?

          • ropata 15.1.1.2.3
            29 July 2014 at 9:04 pm

            lying randian

            why don’t your children swim in open sewers?

  16. vto 16
    29 July 2014 at 1:46 pm

    This entire issue is summed up the fact that Fish & Game have now called for the resignation of their own Minister.

    Nick Smith did exactly as F&G claimed in that meeting, and that conduct is a resignation offence 100%. Smith is outnumbered about 6:1 on the he said she said stakes.

    The chap being threatened with defamation should sue Smith for defamation – get the matter well into the public arena and the courts.

  17. Michael who failed Civics 17
    29 July 2014 at 5:32 pm

    And Smith must be the only Nat who has any interest at all in environmental matters. After all, he did can those mad proposals to put monorails and dig tunnels all over Fiordland. His outburst against F&G is all the more interesting – and I have no doubt the facts are those reported by F&G – because it might point to the amount of pressure Smith is under from other Nats who want to put the RMA through the shredder. I wonder, too, if its a coincidence that the Nats will have been soliciting donations from fatcats who hate the very idea of smelly Greenies interfering with their absolute property rights – even “vanilla” Greenies like the ones at F&G? As for Smith’s actions at ACC, if only he did sort those bastards out. Instead he stuck his oar in only on behalf of a female “friend”. His successor, Crusher Collins, has done more to bring ACC bureaucrats to heel than all the Labour Ministers put together. It’s just a shame, although not unexpected, that Crusher doesn’t give a fuck about people disabled by personal injury. OTOH, I have enjoyed watching her lash the bureaucrats, thereby giving them a small dose of their own medicine.

  18. srylands 18
    29 July 2014 at 7:12 pm

    Nick Smith is right. Fish and Game are primarily a regulatory body funded by compulsory levies. They can’t attack the government or the dairy industry. If they want to do so they can join the green Taliban or green peace. How has Nick Smith acted unlawfully? He was simply stating the obvious. Fish and Game were asking for a good kicking. Stop defending them.

    • vto 18.1
      29 July 2014 at 7:18 pm

      idiot.

      read their legislated mandate.

      so wrong.

      hence why Smith must resign.

      edit: you’ve been drinking haven’t you

      • Srylands 18.1.1
        29 July 2014 at 8:19 pm

        Idiot. I don’t drink. You are rude.

        • vto 18.1.1.1
          29 July 2014 at 8:23 pm

          piss off.

          i have no time for people who advocate for policies which have a direct and detrimental effect on the community around me.

          go swim in a poison river arsehole.

        • McFlock 18.1.1.2
          29 July 2014 at 10:38 pm

          Revelation of the day: Sslands is a bigger dickhead while sober than most drunk people were when I used to kick them out of bars.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 18.2
      29 July 2014 at 7:31 pm

      Sells faith based policy to willing buyers. Advocates violence against New Zealand citizens. The best place for dairy effluent is S Rylands.

      • Srylands 18.2.1
        29 July 2014 at 8:21 pm

        It is srylands. You are treading on very thin ice you are hole.

        • felix 18.2.1.1
          29 July 2014 at 8:35 pm

          You write like the haiku of a defective machine, S Rylands.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 18.2.1.2
          31 July 2014 at 8:29 am

          S Rylands you’re already swimming in metaphorical filth, some actual filth might offer you some perspective of the effluent you call your career.

    • ScottGN 18.3
      29 July 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Funny then that it’s Nick Smith that’s ended up with the good kicking eh? When the going gets tough Nick Smith always manages to blow a fuse.

      • Clemgeopin 18.3.1
        29 July 2014 at 10:06 pm

        Probably has mental issues. May be we need to be careful not to light his fuse. But hey, he seems to light them up himself! Bugger!

  19. Clemgeopin 19
    29 July 2014 at 8:23 pm

    ‘NICK SMITH’S crude intimidation of the Fish and Game Council points to the bleakest of environmental futures should National be re-elected on 20 September.’–Chris Trotter.

    It is now considerably clearer than 60 percent of New Zealand’s lakes, rivers and streams that there are no serious points of environmental resistance in John Key’s Cabinet. For 20 years Smith has been attempting to convince voters that he is, indeed, one such point of resistance, one brave voice raised in opposition to the milk-before-water lobbyists of Fonterra and Federated Farmers. Now we know that it is not true.

  20. Peter 20
    29 July 2014 at 10:11 pm

    So, only a matter of weeks out from an election and the top 5 headlines in the Standard are attacks on National politicians. Not the slightest whiff of policy discussion or vision that could help to restore the electorates faith in the Labour Party. Face it – the Labour party has failed – much like the left wing bloggers – to articulate any policy that differentiates it from the National government. The timidity of Cunliffe has not only been disappointing but infuriating. And in the place of courageous leadership we have the endless attacks on National MP’s for matters so trivial I start to think I’m watching a Monty Python sketch. I some times wonder if there is anyone on the left who actually knows what policy looks like. John Keys government has out maneuvered the Labour Party on nearly every front – Healthcare, Education and the economy – and made it look insipid and unconvincing.
    Labour is National-Lite there is no question in my mind or that of the voting public.
    Sue Bradford has got it absolutely right – the left lacks any sort of coherent policy forums and vision and has been reduced to a bunch of whining bores that the NZ electorate is wholeheartedly ignoring.
    This election is lost and afterwards there needs to be some serious blood letting from the top of Labour Party.

    [lprent: Between Labour, the Greens, and for that matter NZ First and Internet Mana party there are maybe one or two policy releases every two or three days. Authors write on them as they feel fit. But at best it isn’t likely that there are more than one or two posts per day in them. But we usually do between 5 and 10 posts per day. Oh that leaves a shortfall of what? 4 to 8 posts per day? So we write about the news. Often foolish dorks like Nick Smith falling over their tongue or Bill English being a spineless hypocrite as usual.

    If you want extensive writing on policy, then I suggest that you look at the links in the political party feed on the right. They usually manage to do a few more than we do about policies. After all that is what they are paid for. Whereas unlike the blogs of right, we don’t get paid by any one including any money from political parties or any other organizations.

    However you obviously haven’t read our policy have you? Banned for 8 weeks for trying to tell us how we should run our site. I really can’t be bothered with lazy whining fuckwits like you who are too stupid to read the about. Go off and start your own site if you want to set the rules you want to a blog to operate under. ]

  21. BruceTheMoose 21
    29 July 2014 at 10:26 pm

    Resigning from his ministerial post is one thing, but he sure needs to give the drinking. He looks like shit.

  22. Graham 22
    29 July 2014 at 10:37 pm

    The region with the poorest water quality is auckland it’s not exactly a power house of the dairy industry.
    In canterbury the two most polluted rivers are the avon and the heathcote again not in prime dairy areas
    I have been involved with Ecan and water user groups since 1995 in regards to the Ashburton system
    The biggest polluter there was the town sewerage system now that’s fixed it’s now the black back gulls as they nest in the river beds
    4 years ago I was leaching 35g of n a kgms
    Today it’s 21 g of n a kgms
    The target is 12g of n a kgms which we have 10 years to achieve
    In the real world we have to employ people but also look to the future and these steps are already underway.
    But if you want perfect water the city waste water systems and roads need to be redisgned
    Every time it rains the tar we use for our roads gets into the waste water systems and in most urban centres the overflows go into our harbours or streams
    No fisherman in his right mind would eat a fish from the Avon but they line up side by side to catch fish from the waimaki,rakiai ,Ashburton and the waitaki

  23. Graham 23
    29 July 2014 at 10:47 pm

    A few years ago there was a federated farmers president who’s name I forget that was constantly attacking labour , greens, fish and game but that’s all lovely for the activists but he achived nothing.
    At the same time Bryce Johnston at fish and game is responsible for farmers reducing acces to hunters and fisherman
    Sometime people are too long in their positions and fresh people can get the desired results
    The current management of fish and game aren’t getting results

  24. philj 24
    30 July 2014 at 7:57 am

    xox
    To Shorts, re. tiptoeing around the issue of media bias. Would you say the same if it was fascism? Nick Smith has done it again. Let’s face it. He’s the best they have got. Poor and dodgy shonky government .