Karen Chhour Claims Failed Boot Camp was a Success

The New Zealand Government’s military-style youth boot camp pilot, trumpeted as a cornerstone of their “tough on crime” agenda, has collapsed into a predictable quagmire of failure. Despite clear evidence of past boot camp failures and explicit warnings from various experts, Children’s Minister Karen Chhour and her coalition partners have persisted, touting success in a programme where seven of ten participants reoffended, one died, and three were incarcerated youth justice facilities. This is more than a policy blunder, it’s a glaring example of a government so disconnected from reality that it portrays calamity as achievement.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

Bootcamp re-offending rate revealed: 80% allegedly offended within the year

Most of the teenagers who took part in the military-style bootcamp pilot went on to allegedly re-offend within the year, the ministry has confirmed. But that doesn’t mean the Government views this as a failed experiment.

The Government had, for months, refused to confirm how many of the bootcamp participants had gone on to allegedly re-offend. But on Friday, a week after the pilot finished, Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive Iain Chapman confirmed the alleged re-offending rate sat at about 80%.

...

Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has since introduced a bill to continue the MSA programme, including giving the Youth Court power to force young people to participate in it.

“Zero re-offending was never going to be realistic, but the goal of this programme has always been to provide meaningful supports and an opportunity for these young people to make better choices,” she said.

That bill was expected to pass in time for a new cohort to start next year.

Yesterday, RNZ also reported:

Minister, OT hail boot camp success despite majority reoffending

Seven of the 10 young men involved in the controversial military-style academy (MSA) boot camp pilot reoffended, according to Oranga Tamariki.

But the agency and its Minister is calling the programme a success, after eight of the original 10 participants successfully completed the first 12-month pilot.

During the pilot, which has just concluded, participants ran away, one was kicked out of the programme and another was killed in a three-vehicle crash.

 

Let’s rewind. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care laid bare the horrors of earlier boot camp iterations, like the Te Whakapakari Youth Programme, where young people endured physical, psychological, and sexual abuse under the guise of rehabilitation. Research from as early as 1983 showed a 71% reoffending rate within a year, climbing to a staggering 92% by 1988. The 2010 Military Activity Camp (MAC) was no better, over 80% of participants reoffended within 12 months.

Experts, from Victoria University’s forensic psychologists to the Children’s Commissioner, screamed from the rooftops that these programmes don’t work. They exacerbate trauma, entrench anti-social attitudes, and fail to address the root causes of youth offending: poverty, family harm, and systemic inequity. Yet, the coalition of chaos government ignored these numerous warnings, resurrecting a failed model with a glossy new name: Military-Style Academies.

The results? Predictably dire. Seven of the ten young men in the pilot reoffended, two landed back in youth justice residences, and one tragically died in a car crash. Another absconded during a funeral, only to be arrested for attempted armed carjacking. Karen Chhour, with breathtaking audacity, somehow calls this a success.

Her crocodile tears over the death of a participant, just like her tears over ‘unsafe workplaces’ and ‘bullying behaviour’ in Parliament, ring hollow when she refuses to pause the programme or acknowledge its systemic failures. To claim, as she does, that “zero reoffending” was never the goal is a pathetic sidestep. What, then, if not to rehabilitate, is the point of a rehabilitation programme that funnels vulnerable youth back into crime or, worse, to their graves? What is the point of a boot camp that results in higher reoffending rates than would be seen by doing nothing?

Chhour’s assertion that families are “overwhelmingly positive” about the programme is laughable when weighed against the reality: participants running away, reoffending, and facing incarceration. Her defence, that these young men, mostly Māori, are too complex to expect better outcomes, smacks of defeatism and cultural insensitivity. It’s a convenient excuse for a minister who has consistently failed to deliver, on anything.

Chhour’s tenure as Minister for Children has been marred by serial incompetence, nowhere more evident than in her mishandling of Oranga Tamariki’s communication breakdowns. Her failure to be informed of a second abscondee from the boot camp pilot, described by her own words as “unacceptable” exposes a staggering lack of oversight. Oranga Tamariki’s acting chief executive, Andrew Bridgman, dismissed this as a “simple mistake” within a “big bureaucracy of 4000 people,” but Chhour’s inability to ensure basic communication channels function properly reflects her broader inadequacy. She was left in the dark about critical incidents, including absconding participants, until media scrutiny forced the issue into the open, undermining her claims of accountability.

This isn’t an isolated lapse, Oranga Tamariki’s systemic failure to communicate effectively with providers, as highlighted by the Public Service Association, saw long-standing services blindsided by funding cuts, with Chhour callously labelling them as “abusing funds” without any evidence to substantiate her claims. Her refusal to engage with the Children’s Commissioner on use-of-force powers in boot camps further underscores her aversion to scrutiny and collaborative governance.

Chhour’s failures extend beyond Oranga Tamariki to her role as Associate Minister of Police, where her oversight of firearms reform has been equally dismal. Charged with strengthening gun control in the wake of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, Chhour has failed to register her own weapons while presiding over a stalled Firearms Registry she wants to get rid off, with only 30% of licensed firearms owners registered by mid-2024, despite a five-year deadline. Her inability to drive compliance or address loopholes in the Arms Act has left communities vulnerable, with illegal firearms still circulating among criminals. This mirrors her approach to youth justice: loud promises, minimal delivery, and a refusal to heed expert warnings or accept her own limitations.

Luxon on bringing back boot camps:

"We're going to do things differently, we're going to try things. And some things may work, and some things may not work but we're going to do things differently."

That's cool, it's only the most vulnerable kids lives you're experimenting with https://t.co/J1pAGljZlv pic.twitter.com/N7TsCZgzOq

— Nick (@StrayDogNZ) July 4, 2024

However, this government’s disconnect extends well beyond beyond boot camps. Their obsession with punitive measures, extending Young Serious Offender designations to younger teens, slashing community support funding, and ignoring evidence-based interventions, shows a callous disregard for what actually reduces youth crime: early intervention, whānau support, and trauma-informed care...not to mention worthwhile employment, social cohesion and secure housing.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s “try something different” mantra is a hollow soundbite when the “something” is a recycled failure that costs $51 million over four years while Māori youth, who make up 80-85% of the cohort, bear the brunt. The coalition’s claim of success isn't just ludicrous, it’s a betrayal of vulnerable young people and a slap in the face to survivors of past boot camp abuses. Chhour and her government are not just out of touch; they’re wilfully blind, peddling a failed experiment as progress while the evidence, and the human cost, shows otherwise.

90% of NZ Lawyers Linked to Panama Papers Still Practicing

Back in 2016, the Panama Papers ripped the veil off New Zealand’s squeaky-clean image, exposing our foreign trust regime as a playground for tax dodgers and money launderers. The leak of 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, revealed how Kiwi lawyers facilitated secretive trusts for the global elite, some linked to fraud, corruption, and tax evasion.

Fast forward to 2025, and an estimated 45 of the 50 NZ lawyers implicated in the Panama Papers are still practicing, thumbing their noses at accountability. It’s a bloody disgrace, and these legal enablers should be struck off without further delay.

The Panama Papers showed NZ’s foreign trusts, numbering at the time around 11,500 before the leaks, were a magnet for shady characters. From Maltese ministers to Malaysian 1MDB crooks, trusts like the Rotorua Trust and Abbotsford Trust hid assets from tax authorities and accountability.

Lawyers from firms like Cone Marshall, Anchor Trustees, Asiaciti Trust, Bentleys New Zealand, and Staples Rodway were knee-deep in this muck. Named individuals such as Roger Thompson, Karen Marshall, John W. Hart, Michael Reynolds, Nicholas Shepherd, and Geoffrey Cone, played starring roles, setting up trusts or advising Mossack Fonseca on NZ’s lax rules.

Roger Thompson

In fact Named individuals like Roger Thompson, Karen Marshall, John W. Hart, Michael Reynolds, and Nicholas Shepherd, and those implicated like John Key's lawyer Geoffrey Cone, played starring roles, setting up trusts or advising Mossack Fonseca on NZ’s lax rules.

Thompson, Bentleys’ bigwig, appeared in over 4,500 documents, while Marshall’s Cone Marshall managed trusts for dodgy players like Brazilian politician Eduardo Cunha. Hart vouched for Reynolds and Shepherd, who ran Anchor Trustees’ dealings with Mossack Fonseca. These weren’t bit players; they were architects of the widespread laundering of dirty money.

Karen Marshall

The Shewan Inquiry in 2016 admitted some trusts likely enabled tax abuse, though it found no “direct evidence” of illicit funds. They obviously didn’t dig very deeply. The inquiry’s soft touch ignored cases like the 1MDB scandal, where NZ trusts held assets from a billion-dollar fraud, or the Maltese trusts shielding ministers’ wealth.

The problem; NZ’s pre-2017 rules let them hide "settlors and beneficiaries" cash, no questions asked. Staples Rodway even bragged to Mossack Fonseca about NZ’s loose “beneficial owner” definitions, making trust setups a breeze for tax evaders.

 

In 2016, RNZ reported:

Key responds to Panama Papers source

The anonymous leaker of the Panama Papers is confused about the New Zealand Prime Minister's responsibilities, John Key says.

Mr Key has responded to a claim by the leaker of the Panama Papers that he had been "curiously quiet" about New Zealand's role in enabling the "financial fraud Mecca" of the Cook Islands.

Watch John Key respond to claims made about him by the leaker of the Panama Papers.

The source of the leak, "John Doe", has made an 1800-word statement in which he was critical of official reactions to the leak, calling on Britain, the United States and the European Community to take "swift action" - though their leaders are not named.

Speaking in Auckland this afternoon, Mr Key said he had no responsibilities for tax jurisdiction in the Cook Islands.

"I have as much responsibility for tax in the Cook Islands as I do for Russia," said Mr Key.

Mr Key said New Zealand did try to support best tax practice by the Cook Islands government, and had sent officials to help, but the government there ultimately made its own decisions.

Mr Key said the leaker may be confused about the extent of New Zealand involvement because the Cook Islands use New Zealand dollars. But he said in the international media, New Zealand's involvement in the Panama Papers was barely a footnote.

John W. Hart

Post-Panama, John Key attempted and failed to downplay New Zealand’s roll in the extensive tax evasion outlined in the Panama Papers. It took a change of government before anything was done, with Labour mandating trust registration in 2017 and extending AML/CFT rules to lawyers in 2018.

Foreign trusts plummeted by 75–80% to under 3,000, proving many were extremely dodgy. Yet, no lawyers faced the chop.

The NZ Law Society (NZLS) and Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (LCDT) sat on their hands, hoping the scandal would blow over and letting Thompson, Marshall, Hart, and others escape any fallout.

Ken Whitney

Their actions were supposedly “legal” under New Zealand’s old rules. But that’s a complete cop-out. The UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime prohibits the type of money laundering outlined in the Panama Papers. These lawyers clearly profited from a system slammed globally as a tax haven, which hid ill-gotten gains and undermined NZ’s integrity.

Today, an estimated 45 of these 50 lawyers are still practicing without any proper oversight. Firms like Cone Marshall and Staples Rodway hum along, while Thompson’s Bentleys remains Mossack Fonseca’s NZ office. No suspensions, no strike-offs, no accountability.

Geoffrey Cone

The NZLS’s continued silence is deafening, and the public’s left largely in the dark wondering why legal ethics seem optional for lawyers? These dishonest people enabled global fraudsters, from Cunha to 1MDB looters, and their continued practice mocks our political and justice systems.

It’s time to clean house. The NZLS must properly investigate Panama Papers-linked lawyers, starting with Thompson, Marshall, Hart, Reynolds, and Shepherd, whose ties to Mossack Fonseca are undeniable.

In my opinion, Parliament should further tighten the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act to bar enablers of financial crime. NZ’s reputation took a hit; but we shouldn’t let 45 lawyers waltz free after they have spit in the face of good practice and undermined the integrity of our great country.

Trump’s Tariff Tantrum Is Causing Economic Chaos

Donald Trump, the orange-hued oligarch, is back at it again, wielding tariffs like a mob boss swinging a lead pipe. His latest economic edict; slapping hefty tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada, has the stench of a protectionist shakedown, cooked up in the fevered minds of his sycophantic advisors, a rogues’ gallery of grifters and ideologues. These aren’t policies; they’re the deranged manipulations of a man who thinks his ill-gotten gains will lead him to the promised land. The fallout? A politically poisonous United States, suffering from numerous self-inflicted wounds, making them the anathema of the world.

Let’s start with the economics. Trump’s tariffs are a tax on American consumers, plain and simple. The Cato Institute estimates his 10-20% tariffs could cost U.S. households an additional $2,600 annually as prices for everything—cars, groceries, electronics—skyrocket. Small businesses, already battered by high inflation, face supply chain chaos; manufacturers reliant on imported items are facing the prospect of widespread layoffs. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a bastion of lefty radicals, warns of a GDP hit of up to 1.2%. Meanwhile, retaliatory tariffs from trading partners are hitting American farmers and exporters where it hurts. Soybean growers? Screwed. Whiskey distillers? Toasted. This isn’t “America First”; it’s America fleeced by a conman in a red tie.

Politically, Trump’s playing with dynamite. His MAGA diehard base might lap up the “tough on China” shtick, but the rust-belt workers he claims to champion will feel the pinch when increased costs put their factories out of business. Midterm backlash is brewing; GOP strategists are sweating as swing-state voters face sticker shock at Walmart.

Even his own party’s senators, spineless as they are, are muttering dissent, terrified of the electoral bloodbath. And let’s not forget the global stage: allies like Canada and the EU are strategizing while China’s reasonable countermeasures are starting to bite. Trump’s turned the U.S. into a diplomatic pariah, a nation viewed as being led by a petulant toddler throwing trade tantrums like the trillions of dollars he’s incinerating don’t matter.

Who’s egging him on? A circle jerk of criminal enablers like Peter Navarro, a disgraced economist with the charisma of a damp sock, and Steve Bannon, the Rasputin of right-wing populism. These are men who’d sell their own children for a Fox News slot. Their vision? A dystopian fortress America, walled off from reality. The tragedy is the collateral damage: workers, consumers, and global stability, all sacrificed on the altar of Trump’s fragile ego. This isn’t leadership...it’s lunacy, and we’re all going to pay the price.

Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?

National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private matter.”

A recent Doc Studios video rips the veil off, featuring former members exposing the sect’s control and disturbing practices that seem designed to protect child molesters. As a member of Parliament, why’s Campbell still cozy with a group linked to such horrendous crimes? His evasive responses scream cover-up, not candor.

Time for answers, Hamish—voters deserve transparency, not political sidestepping from a member of a religious cult that has all the hallmarks of a pedophile ring.

#BHN Our response to the interview with Mike and Abbi from #Our2x2Story on TikTok wondering why those who were "just asking questions" about Benjamin Doyle following bread crumbs, are refusing to ask questions about a cult, that has a large number of convicted MAPS in it, that… pic.twitter.com/T5VSrHSPBA

— Pat Brittenden (@patbrittenden) April 14, 2025

Here's some research on the Two By Twos "church" that is awash with child abusers.
 

Key Points:

• National Party MP Hamish Campbell is associated with the Two By Twos church, which is under FBI investigation for child sexual abuse.
• It seems likely that over 900 alleged perpetrators and numerous victims are linked to the church, with reports spanning decades.
• The evidence leans toward the church's structure, like ministers living in homes, enabling abuse and cover-ups.

Background

Hamish Campbell, MP for Christchurch’s Ilam, has family ties to the Two By Twos, a secretive Christian sect also known as The Truth or The Way. This group is currently under scrutiny by the FBI and New Zealand Police for allegations of child sexual abuse, with reports highlighting a history of systemic failures.

Allegations and Scale

Investigations, such as those by ABC News, suggest over 900 alleged perpetrators have been identified across 30 countries, with victims reported from at least 34 U.S. states. A hotline in Australia and New Zealand received allegations involving about 130 people, and the BBC noted over 700 names reported for abuse.

Church Structure and Abuse

The church’s structure, with ministers living in members' homes and no central authority, seems to facilitate abuse. Reports indicate abusers were often moved to new locations instead of being reported, as seen in cases like Sheri Autrey’s, abused by a minister who was relocated rather than prosecuted.

Detailed Analysis of Hamish Campbell’s Association with the Two By Twos Church

This note provides a comprehensive examination of National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s association with the Two By Twos church, focusing on the church’s allegations of child sexual abuse, the scale of the issue, and how its structure may enable such crimes. The analysis is informed by recent investigations and reports, ensuring a thorough understanding for readers interested in the political and social implications.

Context and Campbell’s Connection

Hamish Campbell, the MP for Christchurch’s Ilam electorate, has publicly acknowledged his association with the Two By Twos, a Christian sect also referred to as The Truth or The Way. According to NZ Herald, Campbell has family ties to the group and has hosted study meetings in his home. He described the church as “a non-denominational Christian group just trying to live the best way possible,” but emphasized he has no personal knowledge of individuals involved in abuse allegations. RNZ News confirmed he was born into the group and still attends meetings when in Christchurch, highlighting a deep personal connection.

The Two By Twos church is currently under investigation by the FBI, New Zealand Police, and Australian authorities for child sexual abuse claims, as noted in ABC News Australia. This investigation, launched in February 2024, follows widespread reports of abuse, prompting concerns about Campbell’s association with a group facing such serious allegations.

Scale of Child Abuse Allegations

The scale of the abuse within the Two By Twos is alarming. San.com reported that survivors have identified allegations against more than 900 different abusers in 30 countries, with the abuse spanning generations. ABC News spoke to dozens of alleged survivors from at least 34 U.S. states, with one victim reporting abuse as early as 1955. In Australia and New Zealand, a hotline received allegations involving about 130 separate people, as per ABC News Australia. Additionally, the BBC noted over 700 names reported to a hotline set up for abuse claims, as seen in BBC News, indicating a global issue.

Specific cases, such as Raymond Zwiefelhofer’s conviction for possessing child sexual abuse material and sentencing to 120 years in prison, underscore the severity, as reported by ABC News. In New Zealand, Newstalk ZB mentioned a former minister admitting to 55 child sex abuse charges over three decades, further highlighting the extent of the problem.

Church Structure and Enabling Abuse

The Two By Twos’ structure appears to facilitate abuse, as detailed in various reports. Ministers, or “workers,” live with congregants, moving between homes, sometimes with just one suitcase, as noted in an ABC News investigation. This practice, combined with no official church buildings and meetings held in homes, creates opportunities for grooming and abuse. The church has no central leader, governed by overseers, which complicates accountability, as seen in CBS News.

Reports suggest a culture of cover-up, with alleged abusers moved to different states or countries instead of being reported, as evidenced by the case of Steve Rohs, who abused Sheri Autrey and was relocated rather than reported and prosecuted, according to ABC News. Former workers like Sara Knauss stated the church “pretended [child abuse] didn’t exist,” and attorney Mitchell Garabedian noted ministers groom families, with parents’ trust misplaced, as seen in the same report. This culture, combined with a disdain for “worldly” authorities like police, as mentioned in NZ Herald, has allowed abuse to go unreported and unpunished.
Table: Summary of Abuse Allegations and Church Practices

Implications for Campbell

Campbell’s association with the Two By Twos, given its history, raises serious questions about his judgment. While he claims no personal knowledge of the abusers, his hosting of meetings and deep family ties, as reported by 1News, suggest a level of involvement that could be seen as complicit. The church’s secretive practices, contrast starkly with Campbell's public role, showing clearly that a politicians’ so-called religious beliefs, particularly if they are involved with a cult like religion exhibiting a disproportionate amount of child abuse cases, shouldn't be hidden from public scrutiny.

As the investigation continues, Campbell faces pressure to clarify his stance. The church’s pledge to cooperate with police, as seen in The Economic Times, may not mitigate the damage to his reputation, especially with over 50 alleged perpetrators reported in New Zealand alone by Brave Truth Australia New Zealand.

Conclusion

The Two By Twos church’s structure, with ministers living in homes and a culture of moving abusers, has enabled a significant abuse scandal, with over 900 alleged perpetrators and numerous victims. Campbell’s association, while familial, places him at the center of a controversy that demands transparency and accountability, especially given his public role.

 

Key Citations:

Secretive Christian sect ignored sexual abuse for decades, congregants allege
National MP Hamish Campbell associated with Two by Twos, a religious sect under investigation by FBI for sexual abuse
National MP part of secretive religious sect
FBI investigating Two by Twos for historical child sexual abuse claims, including in Australia
Child sex abuse allegations emerge against Christian 'Two by Twos' sect
NZ victims of child sexual abuse in Two by Two church want answers amid FBI investigation
Member of secretive Christian sect sentenced to 120 years in prison
BBC confronts man who abused boy in secretive Christian church
My beliefs are a private matter - National MP part of underground sect probed by FBI
Two By Twos: Religious historian unpacks secretive sect
Ilam MP part of underground religious sect
New Zealand religious sect Two by Two accused of child abuse, MP Hamish Campbell admits family link with group
John MacDonald: Do politicians' religious beliefs matter to you?
Hamish Campbell - Wikipedia
FBI probing alleged child sex abuse in little-known Christian sect
Inside the secretive Church With No Name sect that’s under FBI investigation over decades of child sex abuse claims
Disturbing' details emerge about Bay Area religious sect, Two by Twos at center of FBI child sex abuse investigation
FBI investigating Two By Twos (2x2) religious sect operating in Bay Area following alleged child sex abuse

The Mirage of Chris Luxon's Pre-Election Promises

The New Zealand National Party has long mastered the art of crafting messaging that resonates with a large number of desperate, often white, middle-class voters. From their 2023 campaign mantra of “getting our country back on track” to promises of economic revival, safer streets, and better education, their rhetoric paints a picture of a brighter, more prosperous Aotearoa.

But when you peel back the glossy veneer, the gap between their optimistic pledges and real-world outcomes reveals a troubling pattern of inconsistencies that demands scrutiny. This isn’t just political spin...it’s a calculated disconnect that risks eroding public trust in our political system, which is something that will only benefit authoritarian right-wing political party's who wish for a more divided New Zealand.

Take the Prime Minister Chris Luxon's flagship economic promise to rebuild the economy so that it is “working for all New Zealanders.” In 2023, National campaigned hard on taming inflation, cutting wasteful spending, and delivering tax relief to ease the cost-of-living crisis. Social media posts from the party, like one in April 2023, criticized Labour’s “reckless spending” as the root of economic woes, promising disciplined fiscal management and more spending money in everyone's back pockets.
 

Fast forward to 2025, and the picture isn’t so rosy. Inflation remains stubbornly high, with core rates hovering around 4%, squeezing households despite global downward trends. Tax cuts, heralded as a lifeline, have disproportionately benefited higher earners, leaving low and middle-income families grappling with rising costs for basics like rent and groceries. The Reserve Bank’s aggressive rate hikes at the beginning of Luxon's governorship, which National implicitly endorsed while blaming the previous Labour-led government's over-spending, have hammered small businesses and first-home buyers. Business closures and mortgage arrears are at an all time high, thanks to the National Party's economic mismanagement.

More concerned with theatrics in order to keep people distracted from their numerous policy failures, the National Party has all but forgotten about the inclusive prosperity that they promised. It simply hasn't materialized and more people are now struggling, because the National Party hasn't delivered on anything.

On crime, National’s optimism was equally bold. Their pledge to “crack down on crime and ensure safer communities” suggested a zero-tolerance approach, with more police and tougher sentencing. Yet, recent data paints a different story. While police numbers have barely shifted, with just 17 extra police delivered compared to the 500 promised, violent crime rates in urban centers like Auckland and Christchurch haven’t budged significantly since 2023. Youth offending, a favorite National talking point, continues to spike, with ram raids and gang-related incidents dominating headlines.

Their much-touted by the mainstream media “social investment” model, meant to address root causes, feels more like a buzzword than a funded reality. If anything, communities feel less safe because of the National Party's austerity increasing the decline of New Zealand's institutions and as a consequence society as well.

Education policy offers another stark contrast. National’s 2023 pledge to “teach the basics brilliantly” and ban cell phones in schools was sold as a return to academic rigor. But the reality? Curriculum changes have been sluggish, with teachers reporting inadequate resources to implement new standards. Real education spending, adjusted for inflation, remains flat, echoing National’s historical trend of prioritizing efficiency over investment. Meanwhile, truancy rates are climbing, and PISA scores show no meaningful uptick. The optimistic vision of thriving classrooms feels like a distant dream when schools are still begging for basic support.

These inconsistencies aren’t just policy hiccups...they reflect a deeper issue. National’s messaging leans heavily on aspirational propaganda, banking on voter hope to gloss over their well-documented delivery gaps. The 2023 Coalition of Chaos with ACT and NZ First, billed as a unified front for change, has instead produced fractious debates over priorities, which combined with widespread budget cuts is diluting the National Party's ability to deliver. Climate policy, barely mentioned in their rhetoric, remains a glaring blind spot, with emissions targets slipping as global pressure mounts. But what else would you expect from a climate change denying political party that says one thing and does another.

The National Party’s promises consistently outpace outcomes, which breeds cynicism. New Zealanders deserve more than feel-good slogans; they need results. Until National bridges that gap, their messaging will remain a polished mirage, fading under the harsh light of reality.

Sam Uffindell must resign

You’ve got to wonder why the National Party knowingly hid information from the public about their newest MP, Sam Uffindell. Surely they must’ve realised that their secret would eventually leak into the public domain. New Zealand is far too small for cover-ups of this kind to be effective.

Despite his violent past, which should have automatically disqualified him from a position within a political party, Sam Uffindell was accepted as a candidate for the National Party with the proviso that he phone one of his victims to make an insincere apology.

National initially said that they knew about the serious aggravated assault when Uffindell applied to be a candidate. However their leadership “team” is now saying they only learned of the dormitory attack yesterday.

Uffindell is still refusing to say whether National Party leader Christopher Luxon knew. He also claims to not remember if he used a bed leg in the violent assault that left his victim with serious injuries.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

National MP Sam Uffindell 'asked to leave' prestigious King’s College after violent nighttime attack on younger boy

 The man said the original incident happened on the last night of term in 1999, inside one of the King’s College boarding houses.

He had been in bed in his dorm room after lights out, when four older boys came in and jumped on him and began beating him, he said. He thought the boys had been using wooden bed legs unscrewed from their dorm.

 

It seems rather incongruous that National holds itself up as the party of law and order while continuously selecting candidates that aren’t suitable because of their unlawfulness. The National Party must ensure that Uffindell resigns and then explain why they have such a low bar for their selection process?

It should go without saying that Sam Uffindell needs to leave politics. He has after all brought the House of Representatives into disrepute. But in my opinion the Police should also investigate the fact that a 13-year-old boy was badly beaten by multiple assailants using offensive weapons. Such crimes should not go unpunished just because one of the perpetrators is now in a position of power.

National's failed firearms bill cost over $390,000

We all know that New Zealand has a very large conservative voter base. That’s why the tough on crime campaigning of the past has worked well to get right wing political parties elected. 

However there’s a limit to how far right wing politicians can push the envelope when it comes to their us versus them rhetoric.

A perfect example of this was on display when NZ First leader Winston Peters made false accusations about Mongrel Mob advisor Harry Tam, who he claimed had illegally travelled across boarders with an associate who was Covid-19 positive.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

Winston Peters apologises for alleging Harry Tam link with Northland Covid-19 case

Former deputy prime minister Winston Peters has apologised for comments he made on national television alleging former Mongrel Mob member Harry Tam helped a Covid-positive case breach the Auckland border.

On Friday, Tam, a former senior civil servant who now works with gangs, sent the former deputy prime minister and NZ First leader a legal letter, calling for a public retraction and apology by 5pm on Tuesday.

The letter called on Peters to “account for your false comments and the harm those comments have caused him and the community...to avoid any further action being required”.

Five minutes before Tam’s deadline, Peters issued a statement apologising for naming Tam as the Mongrel Mob affiliate who entered Northland.

Whether Peters simply had a senior moment, was straight out lying or had received incorrect intel from his police mates is anyone’s guess? But whatever the reason for the former deputy PM making false accusations concerning Harry Tam, he has assuredly made a huge fool of himself.

But he’s not the only right wing politician to get egg on their face recently. National Party MP Simeon Brown also had a monumental cognitive and legislative failure yesterday when Parliament decided that his Firearms Amendment Bill was a really stupid idea.

Here’s the National Party’s press release:

Government Shoots Down Bill To Take Guns Off Gangs

The Government’s decision to vote down National’s Firearms Prohibition Orders Bill shows how out of touch the Government is when it comes to gangs, says National’s Police spokesperson Simeon Brown.

“This is the second time the Government has shot down legislation which will make it harder for gangs to get access to firearms and make it easier for Police to take firearms off gang members.

Here’s the guts of Simeon Browns’ Bill:

Clause 5(1) and (2) of the bill provides that a firearms licence must not be issued to a person who in the opinion of a commissioned officer of Police is a gang member or a person who is subject to a FPO.

However the Police can already decline a gang member a Firearms Licence. In fact the Police will always decline a gang member the legal right to own a firearm because they view them as not being fit and proper to do so.

Here’s the Police directive:

Some of the criteria that Police may take into account when determining if someone is fit and proper to possess firearms or airguns include whether (s24A):

The person is a member of, or has close affiliations with a gang or organised criminal group.

So Simeon’s Bill is a complete waste of Parliaments time, which is also therefore a complete waste of taxpayer’s money.

It costs well over $300 to run Parliament on a per minute basis, which means that every time a fool like Simeon Brown opens his mouth in the House of Representatives to grandstand about gangs the taxpayer gets penalised.

Brown and his idiotic colleagues have taken roughly three days of Parliaments time (21 hours) to waffle on about gun crime…propaganda to enact a law that already exists.

That’s a cost of well over $390,000 to the taxpayer just so the National Party can pontificate about being tough on crime, and in my book that’s a complete waste of taxpayers money.

Collins is crushing her own credibility

Even before Judith Collins became overlord of the National Party, you could tell there was a huge ideological divide between her questionable values and those of the party’s former leaders. And just over a year after becoming the opposition's de facto leader, that chasm between Crusher and what her party once stood for couldn’t be more apparent.

Under her misguided leadership, the National Party have not only been campaigning against policy that they themselves enacted while in power, they're also criticising law and order initiatives that Judith Collins had implemented when she was a Cabinet Minister of John Key's neoliberal Government.

It’s an unprecedented political situation that senior political reporter David Fisher delves into with some much-needed insight and detail.

On Friday, the (pay-walled) NZ Herald reported:

National's new tough on crime campaign uses bad data, cherry-picked stats and attacks a justice scheme Judith Collins helped set up

A new social media campaign by the National Party on law and order has criticised a strategy aimed at curbing crime that was set up when Judith Collins was a Cabinet minister overseeing it.

The criticism is based on linking Labour Party policies to a quote from police stating "arrest is now the exception" that fails to explain the comment was made in relation to some low-level offending that goes before iwi community panels. 

…

Collins, the National Party leader whose image fronts the social media campaign, was Minister of Police in 2010, then Minister of Justice in 2014, when her officials began an evaluation of the programme.

The evaluation was reported back in 2016, when Collins was again Minister of Police, and has since been rolled out across the country.

This is a shocking indictment of just how ideologically blind the blue "team" has become.

Not only is National ignoring irrefutable evidence with their unrelenting tough on crime dogma, they're also attacking law and order policies that Crusher Collins had previously authorised in her capacity as a Minister of the Crown.

But that’s not the only thing the National Party are getting entirely wrong in their fervour to remain politically relevant. They’re also completely disregarding what the New Zealand Police are saying concerning changes to reported crime statistics. 

Analysis of other areas targeted in National's social media post - increased victimisation and claims of gang numbers increase - appeared to show selective use of data or a reliance on discredited data.

On gang numbers, this and other social media posts had seen National push the claim gang numbers had increased despite police saying the data could not be used to show actual numbers of gang members.

An interview request to Collins on the claims in the social media campaign resulted in a statement - from her office - attributed to the party's police spokesman Simeon Brown.

You know your party has lost a lot of talent when your tight five consists of Simeon Brown. pic.twitter.com/bnGDrVDEEw

— Damian Christie (@damianchristie) July 16, 2020

The list was started in 2016 as an intelligence tool to monitor those in or associated with gangs and had been added to as police awareness grew. The number of people on the list had gone from 5343 in 2016 to 8061 last month.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says the National Gang List does not provide statistical insight into gang numbers.

The growth in numbers largely reflected increasing awareness by police of those with gang links. It also showed - as Commissioner Andrew Coster had acknowledged - how difficult it was to be removed from the list when an association with a gang ended, including through death.

However instead of believing the Police Commissioner like normal grownups, the National Party is busy intentionally burying their heads in the sand and trying to make mountains out of molehills. They are in effect increasing the anxiety already felt about crime within our communities, which isn’t just a socially foolish thing for elected officials to do; it’s morally reprehensible as well.

On victimisations, Brown provided data showing serious assault resulting in injury had doubled under the current government from 10,679 in 2017 to 21,344 in 2020.

It was an increase police had previously linked to new family violence offences introduced in December 2018 that "resulted in police recognising and recording these more serious offences".

"It has also resulted in the realignment of some domestic common assaults into these new offences."

The new offences came in under the Family Violence Act which was originally introduced to Parliament under the National government as the Family and Whānau Violence Legislation Bill.

Data shows the number of incidents in which people have been affected by crime to be stable around 265,000 victimisation.

It would be good to see the National Party actually holding the Government to account with some valid arguments for a change instead of crying wolf all the time. Because without a properly functioning opposition that isn’t hell bent on fomenting fear just to get attention, we cannot hope to tackle the more pressing issues that need to be addressed in New Zealand.

When tough on crime goes wrong

If there’s one thing that you can safely rely on, it’s right-wing politicians grandstanding with tough on crime rhetoric. It's understandable being that such propaganda is usually a sure bet, obviously because a very large proportion of the public wants to see less crime and fewer criminals in their communities.

However every once in a while the tough on crime message goes terribly awry, which is exactly what has happened for the National Party lately. Their law and order messaging has largely been lost because of Judith Collins over-egging the situation, not to mention the various missteps by National's current police spokesperson, Simeon Brown.

Crusher Collins, who is clearly fighting tooth and nail at the moment to keep her job as leader of the opposition, was again crying wolf this week when she point blank demanded that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sack her Police Minister, Poto Williams.

On Wednesday, Newshub reported:

National leader Judith Collins calls for Police Minister Poto Williams' sacking

Collins made the call after Williams was interviewed by Newstalk ZB about National MP Simeon Brown wanting to bring back Armed Response Teams (ARTs), which were trialled last year and discontinued. 

Williams was asked if she agreed with a statement issued by the group People Against Prisons Aotearoa after Police Commissioner Andrew Coster confirmed ARTs would not go ahead.

…

Williams said she was "not giving them the time of day", referring to People Against Prisons Aotearoa's statement, but she did not condemn Rākete's words either, which Collins says is unacceptable.

"The interview was a train wreck from beginning to end and quite frankly it is time the Prime Minister steps in to replace her with someone who is capable of advocating for and caring about police officers."

Trying to bully the Minister of Police by calling for her to be sacked over what is essentially a none-issue isn’t going to sit well with anybody but the most deluded right-wing supporter. In fact what this type of false accusation does is dilute National’s overall law and order campaigning, particularly when an opportunity to make political capital out of a topical issue does actually present itself.

However that’s not the only thing that’s been diluting what should be brand messaging for the National Party. The Government has been very proactive about developing policies concerning crime prevention, which means there just isn’t much leeway for the floundering opposition to get very tough on crime in the first place. That unfortunately hasn’t stopped them from trying though.

Last Sunday, Stuff reported:

National Party leader Judith Collins asks auditor general to investigate $2.75m for Mongrel Mob-led rehab programme

“The money should never have gone to the gang, but what makes it more concerning is that the recipient of the funds is senior Mongrel Mob member Harry Tam and his company H2R,” she said.

“This is serious. At best this is a very bad decision from a Government who would rather cosy up to gangs than keep New Zealanders safe.”

National Party police spokesman Simeon Brown also wrote to the Auditor General over the Chief Human Rights Commissioner’s $200 koha to the Waikato Mongrel Mob. Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt spoke at an event in May and a koha was laid at the pōwhiri in line with tikanga or Māori custom.

The problem for the National Party in this instance is that they’re arguing against good evidence showing that the gang-run rehabilitation program actually works. It therefore doesn’t matter how many times National MPs say that the money is going to support criminals, because the facts speak for themselves.

Most voters will realise that if a rehabilitation program results in fewer gang members using meth, then the Government should be funding it. Better yet, if that funding comes from the proceeds of crime, which essentially means that P money is being used to help people get off meth, then why would anybody oppose it?

A very high percentage of Kiwis will also have a pretty good understanding of what koha is and find it entirely acceptable for the Chief Human Rights Commissioner to provide a $200 payment at the appropriate time and place. In fact it would be more newsworthy if the Commissioner had somehow failed to make such a contribution.

In my opinion, Simeon Brown really does need to find a better bogyman than a Government official who is simply doing the right thing by following many decades of Maori protocol.

Likewise, Collins would be well advised to keep a lid on her unbridled hatred towards the Labour Party, who according to the world's third largest market research company Ipsos is now crushing National on all 20 top issues of public importance, including law and order.

The National Party should also have learnt an important lesson about too much tough on crime rhetoric. When the MSM started reporting on Michael Laws for instance, who was making similar anti-gang noises, it pretty much signalled an end to his political career.

That result could well be why most of the MSM has chosen not to report very much on National’s latest bout of unhinged bravado, not just because it isn’t very newsworthy, but also because it makes the blue “team” look unelectable and incredibly short sighted! So myopic in fact that most voters will simply look right past Crusher and her cabal of closed minded fools when deciding who should govern this great country of ours.

National looks desperate

As we get closer to the much-anticipated 2017 election, the National party is looking increasingly desperate. From making up allegations about fiscal holes to tough on crime rhetoric and beneficiary bashing, Bill English is playing a losing hand of out-dated ideas to empty venues all over the country.

But don’t take my word for it. Some of New Zealand’s most well known journalists are also pointing out one of the biggest flaws in National’s campaign strategy, which is policy developed on the fly because of desperation.

Yesterday, Tracey Watkins on Stuff reported:

Desperate and dangerous times on the campaign trail

Regardless of whether you buy into the argument that Joyce was just spinning or being deliberately misleading  - , National is not going to back down. With a campaign built on fiscal management, it's not about to concede any ground on the economy to Labour.

And National is something it wasn't a month ago - and that's desperate. Till now, it's ministers had never seriously contemplated losing the power and perks of office.

It’s not just the perks of office National should be worried about losing; it’s the fact that after nine long years they have lots of political skeletons in their closets to hide.

A change in government would allow more of their corruption and policy failings to become public knowledge. In fact that's likely the main reason for National’s current desperation.

Yesterday, John Armstrong on 1 News reported:

Joyce looks a proper fool, but it won't stop National throwing everything it can at Ardern

But the current ruling party does not enjoy the luxury of being able to wait for things to go wrong.

As Joyce has demonstrated, desperate times may call for desperate measures.

With little over two weeks to go until polling day, Labour will thus be bracing itself for National to conduct a none too subtle scare offensive on economic policy which will be short on fact and long on painting Labour as the fiscal equivalent of a methamphetamine addict when it comes to wasting money.

In chucking everything it can at Ardern — including the kitchen sink if that helps —National will not give a toss about the criticism that will be hurled in its direction for suddenly going negative.

National should give a toss because some of that criticism is being reported in widely read publications, and therefore equals lost votes.

It’s pretty clear Armstrong leans towards the political right, which makes his assessment of the National party all the more telling.

Labour’s finance spokesperson Grant Robertson also called out National’s ill-advised strategy.

On Monday, Bernard Hickey on Newsroom reported:

Election 2017 Live: Leaders clash in fiery debate

Robertson said Labour would also be asking Government departments to find efficiencies to offset some of the inflation and population pressures on costs.

"I think this is a desperate act from a flailing Finance Minister," he said.

"He's trying to mislead the New Zealand public. I believe they'll see through it."

Robertson reiterated Labour's previously stated policy of creating an independent office for budget analysis within Parliament, which would analyse Treasury's budgets and price the respective policies in a way similar to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Britain's Office for Budget Responsibility.

Even Cameron Slater thinks Bill English looks decidedly desperate.

The problem for National is there won’t be any significant increase in poll ratings by getting tough on crime or beneficiary bashing. The people who support such archaic policy ideas are already pretty entrenched in their respective belief systems and who they vote for. The vast majority won’t switch just because National is able to gain a few headlines by creating a bit of controversy.

Instead, National’s more intelligent and politically engaged supporters will see the desperate announcements for what they are; a grab for attention without any real substance. There is evidently no change from the failed policy direction of the last nine years and National is still the same old party, just without the Teflon.

National actually runs the risk of losing middle New Zealand voters to Labour by trying to siphon support from NZ First with badly performed policy announcements.

The error in National’s campaign methodology is apparent for all to see, even more so since Joyce’s attack on Labour’s fiscal plan instead blew a hole in National’s bow. There is no question this gaffe was a huge own goal for campaign strategist, Steven Joyce. The backlash over his economic nonsense will likely continue to eat away at National’s credibility well into polling day and beyond.

The increased pressure from such campaigning malfunctions could make National even more prone to mistakes and stressed about the prospect of a life on the opposition benches... compounding their already clearly evident desperation.

By employing such negative tactics, National runs the risk of going the way of the Act party, which is basically the basket case of New Zealand’s political right wing parties. Announcing controversial policy just to get attention has seen their support plummet to only 0.3%, and they now stand on the edge of political oblivion.

If a desperate National party continues with their failed and dirty political strategy, a change of government is almost assuredly on the cards. In fact it’s more likely now than this time out from the last three general elections.

National's own goal pandemic

The National party isn’t having a very good election campaign so far. Since their official launch in Auckland last week there have been three major own goals.

First it was Bill English who, during the initial TVNZ leaders debate, claimed that "JB Were are just wrong" when it comes to a productivity recession.

After a large number of critical tweets over the PM’s incorrect assertion, the Minister of Finance, Steven Joyce, jumped on Twitter to try and defend blundering old Bill’s credibility. However it didn’t take long for Joyce to also make a fool of himself.

On Friday, Newsroom reported:

Bernard Hickey: Bill English’s Trump-like denial of a productivity problem

Joyce said OECD figures showed New Zealand's GDP per hour worked had risen 9.6 percent since 2008, which was faster than Canada, Britain, Europe, Great Britain and the G7.

He used those figures again in a release put out on Friday.

But Joyce's figures include the natural bounce-back in productivity that happens during a recession when many businesses lay off workers. That was from 2008 to 2009, and another slowdown in 2011 and 2012. Over the last four to five years, productivity is flat, at best, as Ardern said in the debate.

So Ardern was right and English was wrong. I sense a pattern emerging here.

Former senior Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell also questioned the conclusion made by Joyce using the figures in a blog post on Friday. Reddell said productivity had gone slightly backwards over the last five years.

"That is sufficiently stark, and has now gone on for long enough, that it seems worth singling out," Reddell wrote.

Single it out was exactly what English inadvertently did when he made the blunder.

Just in case any politician is tempted to say (again) that NZ productivity is ok, here's Reddell again: https://t.co/FbtsfHwaqG With chart pic.twitter.com/PwxDjgujiH

— Bernard Hickey (@bernardchickey) September 4, 2017

Then it was Paula Bennett’s turn to look like a complete fool by saying that gang members had fewer human rights than others.

The next day, an undermined Prime Minister had to pathetically backtrack over Bennett’s tough on crime rhetoric.

Even the NZ Bar Association made a statement against National’s ridiculous policy announcement.

On Monday, Newshub reported:

Lawyers condemn Paula Bennett's 'fewer human rights' comments

Mr Elliott said under the law, everyone is treated equally.

"No matter how unpopular you are or whatever wrong you may have committed, you are entitled to be treated in the same way as anybody else, according to law. That includes the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial judiciary.

Under the law National proposes, everybody won’t be treated equally, which is a good way to get offside with most human rights lawyers.

Perhaps feeling a bit outdone in the own goal stakes, Joyce then had another go at making National look entirely incompetent.

The Minister of Finance claimed there was a $11.7 billion hole in Labour’s fiscal plan, a claim that clearly shocked a number of political pundits.

It took a day until National’s continued accusations were properly refuted, with a unanimous ruling by New Zealand’s top economists saying Joyce and English were categorically wrong!

Even TVNZ’s political reporter, Corin Dann, criticised Joyce for the own goal, which says a lot about just how terrible the false accusations actually were.

Yesterday, 1 News reported:

Corin Dann: 'He is looking very alone tonight' - five leading economists dismiss Steven Joyce's claim Labour has $11.7 billion hole in fiscal plan

National Party finance spokesman Steven Joyce's claim yesterday that Labour’s spending plan has a $11.7 billion hole in it has been dismissed by a number of New Zealand’s top economists.

Steven Joyce doubled down on his claim today saying "either Labour have their budget allowances wrong or they’ve left out billions and billions of dollars of government spending in future years from their plan".

But, Labour is adamant there is no $11.7 billion hole in its finances and plenty of senior economists who have looked at Labour’s plan agree.

Those spoken to by 1 NEWS today include ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie, Christina Leung from the NZIER, Eric Crampton from the New Zealand Initiative and independent economist Shamubeel Eaqub.

Most of those say Labour's spending plan does looks tight and that it will be a challenge to accommodate any new spending commitments in the future.

However, none of them believe there is an $11.7 billion hole in the plan.
"He is looking very alone tonight," 1 NEWS political editor Corin Dann said of Mr Joyce.

It certainly hasn’t been a week to remember for English, Bennett and Joyce. With only seventeen days of official campaigning before the election, I'm left wondering if the National party actually has any political credibility left at all?

Losing ground to the Labour party in recent polling has clearly spooked the National party, and they appear so bereft of ideas that they’re attempting political moves from last decades playbook. Wasn’t that when Bill English led National to it’s worst ever electoral defeat?

National’s tough on crime rhetoric

It's obligatory in election year for various right wing political parties to get tough on crime. This type of electioneering is nothing new and often follows a single incident that gains widespread public attention whereby politicians try to address New Zealand's high offending rates by proposing an increase in punitive measures such as harsher sentences.

Sometimes politicians lose all objectivity in their crusade to win votes, with the inevitable consequence being badly devised laws that do nothing at all to reduce offending.  More often than not there’s a complete lack of research to show any benefit to the proposed policy changes, with the only benefit being to raise the politicians profile in the hope of winning votes for the party they’re associated with.

That's the best way to summarise National's latest policy announcement: Whole of Government Action Plan on Tackling Gangs.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Govt plans to get tough on gangs 

Drug-sniffer beagles could soon be used at domestic airports and ferry terminals as part of a plan to intercept drug shipments and large amounts of cash moved around the country by gangs.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has sought advice on trialling drug dogs in air and maritime ports - including the Cook Strait ferry terminals - to detect shipments of illicit drugs, precursor ingredients, or large bundles of cash.

Perhaps the Police Minister believes drug couriers won't realise there are going to be sniffer dogs at domestic airports and ferry terminals? Clearly this policy isn't going to catch anybody apart from hung-over teenagers.

The minister said the dogs would only target drugs being transported by organised crime groups, and the beagles were trained to accurately sniff out more than $10,000 in cash, not single notes in a wallet.

Despite what the Minister claims, it will of course cause a large amount of inconvenience to anybody who uses cash. Sniffer dogs aren't able to differentiate between $100 cash and $10,000. They are trained to identify small odors, the strength of which will be determined by how the money is packaged.

Obviously sniffer dogs won’t only target drugs being transported by organised crime groups either, because a drug dog cannot tell if somebody is a gang member.

"The idea of this wouldn't be to catch the odd person that has a cannabis joint in their pocket," she said.

"We really want to get the guys at the top who are moving large amounts of drugs around the country."

Causing a huge inconvenience to law abiding citizens by having sniffer dogs at every domestic airport and ferry terminal isn’t going to catch any “guys at the top who are moving large amounts of drugs around the country.” Such a claim just shows how ignorant Anne Tolley is, ignorance that is clearly allowing the drug trade to flourish in New Zealand.

Furthermore, the National led government hasn’t done any budgeting to see if this policy is cost effective. The best they have come up with is funding of around $1.6 million over two years for the Intelligence Centre and an undisclosed sum for the GPS monitoring of 100 more offenders. Anne Tolley claims that; “detailed costing work for the taskforces is currently underway,” but you would expect that any policy National wants the general public to take seriously would already be properly budgeted for.

A lack of any proper costing's isn’t the only problem with National’s get tough on crime rhetoric! They’re also proposing more changes that actually already exist:

As well as more punitive proposals such as 24-hour GPS monitoring of released prisoners, Government wanted to extend rehabilitative policies such as giving gang members greater access to drug and alcohol treatment, education and job-training in prisons.

Here's the Minister of Police, Anne Tolley's Progressing the Sentencing (Electronic Monitoring) Amendment Bill (PDF), which clearly shows numerous reasons why National's proposals are entirely impractical.

Obviously 24-hour GPS monitoring is already available for high-risk offenders and targeting family violence offenders in this way is unlikely to work, because most family violence occurs in the home. Also, being affiliated with a gang shouldn’t automatic mean a person is GPS monitored. It is the offending that should determine the punishment, which is best left up to the courts and the parole board to determine.

If you need further evidence to show that Anne Tolley hasn't got a clue, here's a Radio NZ Checkpoint interview from yesterday:



The other irony here is that National has, over their last six years in power, ensured many drug and alcohol treatment centres have had to close because of a lack of government funding. They seem to think that treatment in prison is better, instead of providing services that might help people to keep out of prison in the first place. You might also recall that National has already announced an increase in rehabilitative services in prisons. They’re simply making the same announcement again in an attempt to gain media attention in the lead up to the September election.

Along with numerous proposed measures that will do nothing at all to reduce offending rates, National will also introduce bans on firearms for serious gang offenders. However there are already laws to prevent gang members from obtaining firearms and penalties for people who supply them. Basically Anne Tolley is announcing laws that already exist, laws that are already being applied.

Reinventing the wheel in election year makes it appear that National is desperately clutching at straws. Pretty soon they’ll start playing the race card as well, and you know where that end game leads…political oblivion!