Random thoughts on NZ Power
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7:10 am, April 24th, 2013 - 37 comments
Categories: Economy -
Tags: NZ Power
I’m not surprised that the finance crew are so upset about the gently social democratic policy that is NZ Power (the latest stupid claim is that it’ll mean higher mortgages). But what is surprising is the way in which they’ve made it very clear that they believe the economy should be geared toward the wealthy elite – it’s as if they think Kiwis are so stupid they’re not even bothering to disguised their class bias.
From a political communications point of view all they are doing is underlining the difference between National and Labour/Green – and not in a way that is likely to help National with swing voters.
Young Simon Bridges appears not to be allowed to speak on NZ Power anymore. Not surprising given his poor performance at the start. What is surprising is that Joyce is continuing to front despite doing such a cracker job of discrediting National’s response from the get-go – I wonder if he thinks it’ll help him when it comes to the leadership contest?
On the other hand, John Key gave a calm, measured critique of the policy on Breakfast on Monday. He should be fronting National’s response but will be too concerned about getting his hands dirty. As an aside, it’s interesting to see Key’s chief press sec Kevin Taylor get moved out of his job – his hostility has been pissing off journos for a while now.
And on something other than NZ Power – I’m sure the Nats will be holding their breath all the way through Maurice Williams’ talkshow interview – he’s got a reputation for opening his mouth and putting both feet right in.
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With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt must help save 230 manufacturing jobs
Labour is calling on the Government and Mercury Energy to find a solution to the proposed Winstone Pulp mill closure and save 230 manufacturing jobs. ...2 weeks ago
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The Green Party has called out the Government for allowing Whakaata Māori to effectively collapse to a shell of its former self as job cuts and programming cuts were announced at the broadcaster today. ...2 weeks ago
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Today New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will restore democratic control over transport management in Auckland City by disestablishing Auckland Transport (AT) and returning control to Auckland Council. The ‘Local Government (Auckland Council) (Disestablishment of Auckland Transport) Amendment Bill’ intends to restore democratic oversight, control, and accountability ...2 weeks ago - Release: PM fails in constitutional role and leadership
The failure of the Prime Minister to condemn his Minister for personally attacking the judiciary is another example of this Government riding roughshod over important constitutional rules. ...2 weeks ago
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- Release: Patient care at risk from redundancies
Patient care could suffer as a result of further cuts to the health system, which could lose thousands of staff who keep our hospitals and clinics running. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call on Govt to wake up on child poverty
The Green Party says the latest statistics on child poverty in this country highlight the callous approach that the Government is taking on this issue of national shame. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Police are off the beat under National
Foot patrols around the country have decreased 15 percent since National took office, despite National’s Mark Mitchell claiming otherwise. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Climate denial is an insult to Pacific leaders
Winston Peters’ climate denialism at the Pacific Islands’ Forum is an embarrassing new low. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt must end solitary confinement
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- Fossil fuels never the answer in climate crisis
The Government’s moves to enable the import of Liquefied Natural Gas is another step away from the sustainable and affordable energy network that this country needs. ...2 weeks ago
- Government must respect Court’s Uber employee decision
Today’s court ruling upholding the rights of Uber drivers is a message to the Government that it must not tamper with employment protections. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Uber court decision recognises workers’ rights
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- Driving structured literacy in schools
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Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them. ...5 hours ago
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- Government unlocking potential of AI
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The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...12 hours ago
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- Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech
E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward. Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...1 day ago
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The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...1 day ago
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Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...5 days ago
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- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...5 days ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...6 days ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
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Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...6 days ago
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- Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
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- Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations. “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...6 days ago
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...1 week ago
- International tourism continuing to bounce back
Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...1 week ago
- Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency
The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. “That is ...1 week ago
- Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape
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- Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...1 week ago
- Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review
Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...1 week ago
- Government backs women in horticulture
“The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says. “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...1 week ago
- Government to pause freshwater farm plan rollout
The Government will pause the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “Improving the freshwater farm plan system to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers is a priority for this ...1 week ago
- Milestone reached for fixing the Holidays Act 2003
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says yesterday Cabinet reached another milestone on fixing the Holidays Act with approval of the consultation exposure draft of the Bill ready for release next week to participants. “This Government will improve the Holidays Act with the help of businesses, workers, and ...1 week ago
- New priorities to protect future of conservation
Toitū te marae a Tāne Mahuta me Hineahuone, toitū te marae a Tangaroa me Hinemoana, toitū te taiao, toitū te tangata. The Government has introduced clear priorities to modernise Te Papa Atawhai - The Department of Conservation’s protection of our natural taonga. “Te Papa Atawhai manages nearly a third of our ...1 week ago
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The iwi has launched a legal challenge against the Kaipara District Council, which last month voted to abolish its Māori ward. ...1 hour ago - Six National Anti-Corruption Commission probes involve current or former parliamentarians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Six of the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s current investigations involve the conduct of current or former parliamentarians, according to statistics about its work released on Wednesday. While the NACC refers to six corruption investigations, it ...1 hour ago - Minister has ‘constructive’ meeting with group concerned about trans women in sport
More than 50 former Olympians signed an open letter where they say principles of fairness and safety in sport have been disrespected by Sports New Zealand's principles on inclusion. ...2 hours ago
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Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Winston Peters confirmed he had been briefed about it. ...5 hours ago
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Its great to see Nationals ‘partial privatisation’ derailed so effectively.
Did they really think they could have the next 18 months of nice warm messages about share price sales, lots of ( free for national) advertising.
The last thing they want to talk about is power prices and their agenda of total sell off.
If Key has toned it back , its only because the the phones at Curia having been running hot to test their counter messages.
As an aside about Williamson going on Ellen. Could he be about to come out?
After all, when he was described by some reports as ‘openly gay’ , his response was only that ‘it will be a surprise to his wife of 25 years’- well its the wives who are the last to know !
Good morning, TS junkies.
I went from disgust to delight with Key’s comment yesterday:
“Mighty River Power expects it would take at least four years for the Labour and Green party electricity policies to be enacted and Prime Minister John Key said this morning he didn’t think it would ever happen.”
With only a three year term in office, any fool knows a Labour/Green government will put through the changes ASAP so consumers get immediate rewards and re-elect Labour/Greens. I estimate one year at most.
When Key’s lies become transparently obvious to even the semi-literate, he is desperate.
I see today the Herald is trumpeting a different tune, explaining in plain language how we are being ripped off by the power companies.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10879443
In a related article they have a share salesman predicting: “We expect Mighty River to generate return on invested capital of 12.5 per cent on average over the next five years …” but the Herald fails to ask the critical question: “Why would anyone be stupid enough to sell a secure investment earning 12.5 per cent?”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10879410
Good piece by Brian Rudman too
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10879389
And I see Fran O’Sullivan is still spooked, which is a good thing.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/fran-osullivan/news/article.cfm?a_id=13&objectid=10879385
Read the comments underneath Old Chook Fran’s freaking-out article. They’re great.
While she probably does believe her dribble her freaking ain’t for the nation. It’s concern that there won’t be anymore boardroom tables to cackle around, plastic gin-palaces out of Westhaven on which to play Jackie Onassis, or BBQs at Shonkey Python’s place in Parnell. Where Aunty Fran is a hit for her hooting laugh as she instructs the prattish, entitled wee 17 year olds of the leafy suburb in the art of slickly vaunting business morals, while having none. Just like she did their daddies.
Some of the messaging out of the NATS which doesn’t quite make sense to us will be geared towards internal National power factions
It is good to see that you now realise just how badly you sodomised your own party with the indiscreet bile you spat over the leadership battle debacle, however, I don’t see much success in your attempts to foist the perception of “trouble at mill” onto the Nats.
LOL mate I disagree, I realise no such thing 😀
I can see Judith Collins, Steven Joyce and John Key in a three-way high-five over Key’s great work duping everyone with his story behind the Ian Fletcher appointment.
Hey CV……..KK at 3.1 above.
One can always depend on RWNJs to start spitting out allusions to impliedly indecent and brutal sexual behaviour when the going gets tough. Check out Slater Porn. The tendency is wickedly manifested there !
Ha ! As says the old fulla on “Dad’s Army” – “Oooooh, they do not like it up ’em…..!
Yes it’s a Freudian Field Day
“They donts Captain Mainwaring, they donts”
You are on the money there.
National are all at sea because they are adrift in a pool of cess. This and other issues have highlighted how they are bereft of thinking. No new policy initiatives, no critique or debate about the effectiveness of their ‘neolib’ and other approaches to near anything. No discussion of privatisation and its value. No discussion of the place of the free market. No discussion. No discussion or debate about anything. No thinking. They make no sense because they have nothing to say. They are stagnant. They have become stagnant and this issue has shone a torch on the flies and scum that are drifting around on top of the long-still pool that is the National Party. Whatever you do, don’t sniff.
This means that they are going backwards, soon to become apparent. They will then need to reinvigorate and adjust their place, start to think and articulate properly before they can even begin to move ahead again.
I sense a listing to starboard.
This ship’s not for turning! (just sinking)
First NZ Capital, a broking firm, who set to benefit from the sale of our assets are all over the media like a rash today.
First they were on Morning Report, where the interviewer, to his shame, never mentioned this conflict of interest, as they explained the dire consequences of the the NZ Power proposal. I would have expected Morning Report to have questioned the broking analyst’s stance.
Now, the next piece of spin, after the scaremongering of North Korea…higher interest rates…..Zimbabwe…..the crash of the stock market…etc etc, we have this news from them (to be found on that fair and balanced source of news, the NZ Herald.) that a “10 per cent reduction in power prices could be achieved through the current electricity market.” This begs the question….why hasn’t this happened already?
They also claim that “Despite the alleged “excessive price increase in the 13 years since 2000 we are not convinced the system is broken. If it isn’t, then it doesn’t need fixing,.” Note the word alleged. They don’t believe price rises have been excessive.
So the brokers don’t like the proposal.What a surprise.
And what a surprise that the owned media fails in any way to challenge the viewpoint. Wonder how many shares the owners and managers of the Herald were planning to buy.
from the “box”,
-3 are attempting to crucify Shearer and Labour also over NZPower
-NZ Shareholderes Assoc. “our credit ratings will go down”; really? oooh, is that right said the Wide-Mouthed Frogs, what shall we spawn next then?
-Martin Hawes on MRP float; “too great a risk for novice investors”.”repay debt before investment” .”people loading up credit cards to buy shares” (what drugs are these people on?)
This whole thing shows how artificial the electricity market in NZ has become. If it was a normal, natural market, the current furore caused by Labour/Greens announcement of policy would have no effect.
The panic when someone proposes bringing fairness into the market is odd. Normally us righties look to the market to bring fairness.
Labour and Greens are not home free on this however. Their intention to crank up carbon taxes would wipe out any savings accruing to ordinary households.
Just one shonky capitalist system being replaced by a leftist one.
HEP , geothermal wont pay much in the way of carbon taxex.
Bugger all of that though………nor should hydro.
We don’t need a market for electricity. Didn’t need it for 100 years, don’t need it now.
For a country the size of a European city to have such a plethora of generators, networks and retailers is really stoopid…..
but wait, how can more tickets be clipped and profits made without all those options?
Yep exactly.
“stihl got it Mr C”
Japan has only 10 generator companies , they operate in defined areas. 3 of those are for each of the main islands outside Honshu
Wow! ……..but how could we create an artificial market to rip off and pay ourselves HUGE salaries if that were the case – must change it.
Remember the head lobbyist for powercos in the Bradford era, Roger Sutton dropped hundreds of thousands of bucks to go from his cushy job as CEO of Orion, a monopoly network operator to CERA.
Big savings in my back pocket plus reduced profits for scum leeches = well earned huge salary.
“it’s only electricity that is being regulated”-Ganesh Nana. (not stoopid peoples brain-washing by the tele, sadly).
The OIA reply from Tony Ryall – where he repeats “.. if the Government doesn’t get a good price – the Government isn’t going to sell”.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ung4048v4cgtul7/Slevel6.3-c13031716040.pdf
How is the Government now going to get ‘a good price’ for Mighty River Power?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8588407/Uncertainty-swirls-round-MRP-float-shares
“The Government had previously said it expected to issue Mighty River shares to investors for $2.35 to $2.80 a share, but experts expect the shares may be sold for about $2.20 each. This would knock up to $400m from the proceeds of the sale.”
In whose interests is this National/ACT Government working?
Investors or taxpayers?
(Remembering that arguably – the majority of taxpayers are not investors?
And – arguably a number of investors are not taxpayers ? 🙂
Surely, if this National/ACT Government was working in the interests of the majority of taxpayers (and citizens) – they would be CALLING OFF THE SALE OF MIGHTY RIVER POWER?
So – why aren’t they?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Gosh – anyone would think the old (nationalised) NZ Department of Electricity and local Power Boards were some sort of BIG scary monster?
………………….. yawn……………………
Back in those ‘bad old ‘inefficient’ days – when you could afford to have a heater on in winter?
Unlike now.
(‘Inefficient’ is just ‘corporate-speak’ for ‘we haven’t yet got our filthy hands on it’ 🙂
Shows what garbage the competitive ‘market’ model is for a natural monopoly, such as the supply of electricity?
All the ‘competitive’ market model for electricity has done is duplicate resources and put up the price of power for residential customers.
FACT.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Well of course neo-liberal lynch mobs are going to be upset, lower prices are ‘criminal, what next higher standards of living, more jobs, economic growth, low unemployment? Terrifying isn’t it? /End sarcasm. 😉
Less than 10% of potential MRP buyers believe Key and Joyce’s shonky bullshit.
Perhaps they understand the necessity of saying one thing while doing another.
Lol
The ODT reports that the current market system can drop the real price of power by 10% over the next four years, so no change is needed.
Of course, that means that the current model means they’re overcharging by 10% right now, but that is no reason to change anything…
What the ODT should also report is the Nats spin machine going into fine pitch, and Labour’s spin machine sitting there, with someone desperately pulling the start cord and nothing happening?
don’t seem to be doing too badly
i think tide is coming in on key i still think the bugger is going to shoot through , we have the referendom as well whitch is effectively now a mini general election whitich key will take a bath and so will all those shareholders