#Sheepgate the cabinet papers
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8:26 am, June 18th, 2015 - 18 comments
Categories: john key, national -
Tags: murray mccully, nick smith, sheepgate
It is hard to work out which issue is damaging the Government more, Nick Smith’s omnishambles handling of Auckland’s housing crisis or Murray McCully’s Sheepgate fiasco. Both issues refuse to die and with pieces of information concerning both matters materialising regularly it is likely that both issues will continue to dominate the media. It may be a race between McCully and Smith to see who will be sacked as a minister first.
Two weeks after an urgent application was made by Audrey Young at the Herald the cabinet papers which John Key claimed showed that it was all Labour’s fault have now been released.
Key made a number of allegations a couple of weeks ago. He made statements like these:
I would take this opportunity to encourage the member to speak to Annette King and Phil Goff about the warnings that they received on these issues when they were in Government and about the actions that they were looking to take. He might be amazingly surprised to hear the answers …
it is not just this Government that was aware; actually, it was the previous Government. I encourage the member to look to his right and speak with Annette King and with Phil Goff, because he will become very aware that he has just been set up by his deputy leader …
[A]s paperwork may one day show, the heart of the issues was not actually with this Government; it was with the actions taken in 2007. And, by the way, the previous Government was well and truly aware of that …What lies at the heart of this problem are the actions taken in 2007. The record will show that the previous Government was well and truly aware of that. Mr Little has just been set up by Phil Goff and Annette King …
as maybe the record will show, in 2007 the previous Labour Government was well and truly aware of the situation and was looking to take its own actions. That member has been set up by Annette King and Phil Goff …
So what do the papers show? Do they show any sign of warnings of litigation because of the fifth labour government’s ban on live sheep export for slaughter? Do they show that the last Government knew of these risks?
Not that I can see. The papers mention that “restrictions on exports of livestock for slaughter would themselves entail international legal, commercial and diplomatic risks” but the passages which presumably discuss those risks have all been deleted. Most excisions are under section 6(a) of the Official Information Act which allows for the withholding of information if making that information available is likely “to prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations of the Government of New Zealand”. Note this applies to inter government relations and not to government-Saudi sheep farmer relations.
The only specific legal risk mentioned is that of a judicial review application of the decision to install the ban. Consultation was recommended to minimise this risk.
The most relevant passage I could see was in the Cabinet Paper of December 12, 2007. It said this:
A bilateral Arrangement has also been under negotiation to allow for the resumption of live sheep exports on a commercial basis, and the Saudis have received good-faith assurances from New Zealand to this end. The imposition of restrictive measures which adversely impacted on the success of the Awassi New Zealand project would have implications related to the attractiveness of New Zealand as a secure environment for investment, and failure to negotiate the reinstatement of the live sheep trade could result in some negative political fallout with Saudi Arabia.
The report clearly addresses reputational and political risks in relation to the Awassi New Zealand project and makes no reference to legal risks, presumably because there were none.
David Parker was interviewed on the matter by Radio New Zealand. He said this:
The papers show the original ban being extended because of concerns about inhumane treatment after landing, using slaughter methods not allowed in New Zealand.
National’s excuse was always nonsense. The actions of the prior Labour government were legal, and, indeed, renewed twice by National in 2010 and 2013.
No claim had ever been filed by Al-Khalaf, and would have expired under the Limitation Act even if it had been real.”
And the Government’s response? More obfuscation. Holy shifting goal posts! Acting Minister Todd McLay is reported as saying this:
Acting Foreign Minister Todd McClay said Labour was also repeatedly warned its actions carried legal, commercial and diplomatic risks.
“The documents show that live sheep exports for slaughter stopped in 2003 but in the following year Labour began to negotiate a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia to resume those exports.
“The papers show Labour knew it had a Saudi investor in New Zealand who was operating a breeding programme of sheep for export to Saudi Arabia, so it sought to address that by resuming live exports.
“Labour started to negotiate a deal with Saudi Arabia to resume live exports ‘on a commercial basis’.”
He said the then-Foreign Minister travelled to Riyadh in 2006 when he told a Saudi minister that New Zealand was happy with the deal and had no objections to its conclusion in the near future.
“However, Labour then changed its position and acted in bad faith.
“The papers show Labour reviewed settings around live exports and made a deliberate decision not to inform Saudi Arabia about the review until after it was completed.”
So no final deal had been agreed to, clearly there was no legal obligation to do so, and most importantly there was absolutely no sign of any litigation which would justify the payment of $4 million to a Saudi Sheep farmer.
To make matters even worse it has been reported that three quarters of the lambs born to the ewes who were transported to the farm have died from causes such as starvation, scours and issues around animal husbandry. Who would have thought that placing New Zealand sheep on a farm in the middle of a desert would be so disastrous?
Nick Smith is probably happy that in the clusterfuck race McCully has slightly edged ahead of him with these latest revelations. But the Government must be deeply concerned that its manufactured veneer of competence is being utterly trashed.
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Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
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Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
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...1 week ago
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Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...1 week ago
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Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...1 week ago
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The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
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For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
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Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
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The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
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The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
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The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
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Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Rebecca Guthrie as a District Court Judge. Judge Guthrie was admitted to the bar in 1997 following her graduation from the University of Canterbury in 1996 (LLB, BA). She commenced her legal career in Hastings in 1997 before moving to London in ...2 hours ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
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AND
FareFix leads a charm offensive story on behalf of the Saudi “farm owners”. Coincidence? They want to pay our sheep farmers $200 per sheep…
I’m sure it is a coincidence that this story appears today…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/sheep/69447755/saudi-company-would-pay-over-200-per-live-export-sheep
Given that National’s apparent contribution to the economy in NZ has been the the vast increase in spinners employed by the government, one hopes that they are doing something.
It is a pity that it isn’t anything productive.
Their other one of finding employment for their discarded MPs and cronies to feed directly and indirectly off the public purse certainly isn’t.
It beggars belief that Collins’ husband is again in murky waters and no calls for her to resign (again)
Oravida has pumped its national party political connections.
Jenny Shipley is now its Chairman
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/271820/jenny-shipley-to-lead-oravida-board.
while she is being sued for her last failed Chairship of Mainzeal
She resigned from cushy job as Chair of the Financial Services Council, which is the insurance and kiwisaver industry front.
“””We bought it on the advice of the late John Falloon [National Minister of Agriculture], who mentioned it would be hard to get a licence for a feedlot in the future so we took it hoping we could make good use of it, but we haven’t made much at all,” Assaf says””
This is the bit that got my attention ,it seems these chaps have been getting the inside running for years.!
wait for it… wait for it…
Labour did it too…
Except the years LP has governed compared to National in our history makes their cronyism far more damaging (if their notion that LP doe sit too is correct).
Licence for a feedlot ?
Would that be in regard to this:
“Animal Welfare (Sheep & Beef Cattle) Code of Welfare 2010 ”
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/animal-welfare/req/codes/sheep-beef-cattle/sheep-beef-cattle-code-2010.pdf
Who knew that a former minister could advise you to get around forthcoming regulations.
It would be interesting to know if Mr Assaf and his mate have donated much to national over the years.
‘a race between McCully and Smith to see who will be sacked as a minister first.’…comedy to start the day!
I was laughing at the idea that John key would sack a minister
Yes to all I suppose if National was a govt that had some depth in their policies they would have fixed the problem way back when they first signed to continue the previous deal done by Labour
Can someone go and kick McCully Smith and Key up the backside and tell them own their own fuck up and stop wasting the country’s time and money
8yrs and Key thinks he has the right o jump up and down and lie about all this
Can we get a treason petition started to stop this kind of the blatant abuse of power so that we arent constantly victims of it
OR reassure us that they (govt) will properly over see the shipments of live animals… to ensure minimal death and that they are actually to be used as stated (breeding) or whatever.
They just don’t do honesty or open dialogue. Everything is pre-determined and any discussion is actually manipulation.
Over the last few years at least I’ve watched GOP Reps in the US trying to out-batshitcrazy each other. Now it seems we have a situation here where National MPs are trying to out-corrupt/inept each other.
Oh never mind, they still have their servants in the MSM to sweep it all under the rug…..
Is it just me or are Todd McClay comments worse than disingenuous. He served as an ambassador, so he knows that what he is saying is more than the average horse dodo – we get from this government.
Mind you, dynastic Tory politicians’, So more intergenerational irrationality, and born to rule idiocy on display.
http://www.actionstation.org.nz/saudisheep
To the Auditor-General,
We call for a full investigation into the $11.5 million dollars of taxpayer money spent by Foreign Minister Murray McCully on Hamood Al-Ali Al-Khala’s sheep farm in Saudi Arabia.