Shane Jones is a Fascist

The spectre of authoritarianism rarely announces itself with jackboots and torchlight parades. More often, it arrives draped in the rhetoric of economic necessity, promising prosperity whilst systematically dismantling the institutions that protect democratic accountability. 

Such is the case with Shane Jones, New Zealand First's Resources Minister, whose latest tirade against regional councils represents a chilling escalation in his campaign to eliminate environmental oversight that stands between his corporate benefactors and unfettered resource extraction.

Jones' inflammatory rhetoric comparing the Otago Regional Council to the "Kremlin of the South Island" and dismissing its qualified staff as "KGB green zealots" would be laughable were it not so dangerously revealing of his authoritarian instincts. His call to "disestablish regional councils" because they dare to apply existing environmental law represents nothing less than an assault on New Zealand's democratic institutions. This is the language of a man who views legitimate democratic processes as obstacles to be eliminated rather than safeguards to be respected.

On Friday, the ODT reported:

 

‘Kremlin’ councils need to go: Jones

Resource Minister Shane Jones has called the Otago Regional Council "the Kremlin of the South Island" after an application to expand the Macraes gold mine ran into trouble.

Mr Jones, who is also the regional development minister, said the council was full of "KGB green zealots" and the episode showed why regional councils needed to be scrapped.

The Otago council’s assessment of environmental effects — which recommended Oceana-Gold’s application to expand its mine be declined in full — was "ideological scribbling".

Any other investor or miner in New Zealand would now quickly conclude they had to join the fast-track application process, "which will enable these economic saboteurs to be marginalised", he said.

 

The parallels to historical fascism are unmistakable. Like the dictators of the 1930s who railed against "enemies of the people" and "saboteurs," Jones employs inflammatory language to delegitimise any institution that challenges his pro-drill agenda. His dismissal of evidence-based environmental assessments as "ideological scribbling" echoes the fascist contempt for expertise and scientific inquiry that characterised regimes which prioritised ideology over evidence. 

When Jones describes regional councillors as "Politburo apparatchiks," he reveals his own authoritarian mindset, anyone who disagrees with his vision for environmental destruction must be part of some sinister conspiracy rather than public servants just doing their legally mandated jobs.

What makes Jones' extremism particularly troubling is the financial corruption that underpins it. The Resources Minister's relationships with mining companies extend far beyond policy alignment into the murky waters of financial influence. Analysis of political donation records reveals a staggering pattern of corporate capture that would make even the most cynical observer blush.

NZ First received at least $121,680 from donors linked to fast-track projects in 2024 alone, with Jones personally benefiting from quarry company J Swap in August 2023, the same company that subsequently donated $11,000 to NZ First and applied for fast-track approval. AJR Finance, connected to quarrying interests, contributed a massive $55,000 to NZ First. These figures represent just the tip of the iceberg in a system where corporate donors are literally buying policy outcomes.


Last year, RNZ reported:

Quarry company J Swap's fast track plea after donations to Shane Jones and NZ First

A NZ First donor wants Fast Track legislation to free up permanently protected land for quarrying.

J Swap, a company involved in quarrying, wants land protected under QEII covenants to be available to quarry. It donated $11,000 to NZ First in December, after the coalition was formed.

It also gave $5000 to NZ First's Shane Jones in August 2023 and $3000 to National's David MacLeod in September 2023.

The proposed Fast Track legislation is touted as a "one-stop shop" for approving infrastructure projects. It would sit over a range of existing acts and regulations and would mean an application would only need to go through one process for approval instead of several consents under the existing system.

Jones' undeclared dinners with mining company representatives, arranged by his own staff, demonstrate a level of impropriety that would have seen ministers resign in shame during more principled eras. That he refuses to answer questions about these meetings whilst simultaneously pushing legislation that directly benefits his dinner companions represents corruption in its most brazen form.

The Minister's attacks on environmental groups further reveal his authoritarian tendencies. His vitriolic campaigns against Greenpeace and the Green Party are not merely political rhetoric but systematic attempts to delegitimise opposition voices. When Jones declares that environmental organisations are "economic saboteurs," he employs the classic fascist tactic of painting political opponents as traitors to the nation. This is the language of autocrats who cannot tolerate dissent.

His promise that fast-track legislation will "enable these economic saboteurs to be marginalised" is perhaps the most revealing statement of all. Here, Jones explicitly acknowledges that his legislative agenda is designed not to improve environmental processes but to eliminate environmental opposition entirely. This is not governance; it is the systematic dismantling of democratic accountability.

The implications extend far beyond mining policy. If Jones succeeds in eliminating regional councils, institutions that employ thousands of professionals and manage critical functions, he will have destroyed a fundamental layer of New Zealand's democratic architecture. These councils don't just assess mining applications; they manage flood protection, biosecurity, civil defence, and public transport. Their elimination would represent the largest centralisation of power in New Zealand's modern history.

Regional councillor Alexa Forbes correctly identified Jones' rhetoric as undermining confidence in both central and local government. When ministers attack the institutions they're supposed to work with, they erode the very foundations of democratic governance. This is precisely how democratic backsliding occurs, not through military coups but through the gradual erosion of institutional safeguards by those entrusted to protect them.

Jones' vision of New Zealand is one where corporate donors write policy, environmental laws are ignored, and democratic institutions are eliminated if they prove inconvenient. His $3 billion mining export target comes with a hidden cost: the transformation of New Zealand into a corporate playground where profit trumps the environment and democracy becomes an obstacle to be overcome.

The tragedy is that this assault on our democratic institutions is being conducted by a minister whose own party received just 6.08% of the vote in 2023. Through the accidents of coalition politics, a fringe politician bankrolled by mining interests now wields the power to reshape New Zealand's governance structures according to his authoritarian vision.

History teaches us that democracy's greatest threats often come not from external enemies but from those within who promise prosperity whilst dismantling the institutions that protect the Kiwi way of life. Shane Jones embodies this threat, and his agenda must be recognised for what it truly is: not economic development but undemocratic destruction, funded by corporate interests and executed through authoritarian rhetoric that would make history's dictators proud.

Coalition’s Climate Cop-Out Risks $2 Billion Export Hit

New Zealand’s National-led coalition of chaos government has once again proven its inability to tackle the climate crisis with even a shred of competence. The world is watching, and the verdict is damning: Aotearoa is failing to curb CO2 emissions by any meaningful measure and the National-led government's 2025 Budget is kicking the climate change can down the road, prioritising carbon capture fantasies over genuine climate action.

Let’s start with agriculture, which accounts for nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, largely methane from livestock. Despite earlier promises to include agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) by 2025, the coalition has delayed this to 2030, bowing to pressure from farming lobbyists. This exemption, plus other pro-farming policies that will increase pollution, ensures that the sector responsible for 43.5% of our current methane emissions faces no real accountability.

The 2025 Budget, which will make any reductions harder to achieve, is a grim reflection of the government’s cowardice to curb agricultural emissions in any meaningful way. Instead, it allocates $200 million to fossil fuel developments at gas fields while slashing $56 million for electric buses. They're also cutting $100 million from climate resilience projects for the Pacific. Meanwhile, the coalition scrapped incentives for electric vehicles and cycleways, undermining low-emission transport. Then there’s the government’s losing bet on the lame horse that is carbon capture.

In May, RNZ reported: 

 

Climate solution all but buried before it begins

The CCS project - led by Todd Energy and backed by the government - aims to capture carbon dioxide from industrial processes and inject it deep underground in Taranaki, at the Kapuni gas field, locking it away for centuries.

The start date has been pencilled in for around 2027, and from then until 2030 it is expected to store a million tonnes of CO₂, with a further almost million tonnes stored over the following five years.

It is a big part of the government's broader plan to meet its legal obligations to cut emissions by 2030 - about a third of the carbon savings needed.

But Gibson tells The Detail the project's future is now uncertain unless Todd Energy gets "more money or less liability or a combination [of both]".

"There is a whole raft of things that have changed, one is the carbon price is low compared to other countries ... then there is the issue of the liability regime, so if there is a leak 15 years after you have filled up a field and closed it off, who is responsible for that ... so there is wrangling going on around the rules."

Globally, CCS has a mixed track record. Some projects, like Norway's Sleipner, have stored CO₂ safely for decades. Others have failed spectacularly, costing billions and storing less than promised.

Nicola Willis’ austerity budget also fails to bolster the ETS, which excludes agriculture and relies on a flawed cap that doesn’t prioritise gross emissions reductions. Instead, it pours funds into unproven carbon capture and sequestration technologies that are just pipe dreams. The Climate Change Commission projections showed the government won’t deliver any meaningful cuts, rendering younger generations to a future of climate chaos. Christopher Luxon's idiotic approach bets on “immature technologies” that may never be commercially viable, wasting resources that could be better spent on already consented solar and wind projects that are waiting in the wings.

Internationally, New Zealand’s backsliding is raising eyebrows. Our free trade agreements with the EU and UK, which include robust climate commitments, are at risk. The EU-NZ FTA, for instance, explicitly ties trade to Paris Agreement obligations, yet our reversal of the offshore oil and gas exploration ban and failure to cut agricultural emissions could breach these terms.

Breaching our FTA climate commitments could cripple New Zealand’s export sectors, with estimated losses of $1-$2 billion annually. Agriculture, contributing $29 billion to exports in 2023, faces the greatest risk. Dairy and meat exports to the EU, valued at $5.2 billion, could see tariff reinstatements costing $435-$870 million yearly, while trade disputes and penalties might add hundreds of millions more. Reputational damage in climate-conscious markets like the EU and UK could further erode demand for our “clean, green” products, threatening the economic backbone of our nation.

Climate campaigners, like 350.org Aotearoa, have slammed the coalition’s “pathetic” 2035 NDC target (51-55% emissions cuts below 2005 levels, barely a 1-5% improvement over the 2030 goal) calling it a “disgrace” compared to the UK’s 81% cut. But it’s not just New Zealand organisations that are noticing the National-led government’s climate failures.


On Tuesday, RNZ reported:

 

Climate change scientists accuse government of 'ignoring scientific evidence'

The prime minister has dismissed international climate scientists as "worthies" for criticising the government's approach to methane.

But the Green Party says New Zealand appears to be on a "climate denial bandwagon" and needs to end the speculation over what it plans to do about the country's single biggest source of emissions.

Christopher Luxon received a letter from 26 international climate change scientists accusing the government of "ignoring scientific evidence" over plans to lower its methane target.

New Zealand has one of the highest per-capita methane rates in the world because of its farming exports and the current target is reducing methane by between 24 and 47 percent by 2050.

Farmer lobby groups are demanding the government lower the target, and back away from any plans to put a price on methane.

What’s even worse, the government’s rhetoric is once again flirting with climate denial like the science isn't already settled. Coalition of chaos Minister’s have recently downplayed methane’s impact, with Agriculture Minister Todd McClay dismissing offshore carbon credits, saying they are unnecessary despite an 84-million-tonne shortfall in our Paris targets.

The government's head-in-the-sand approach not only impacts our potential for a clean and green economy but tarnishes our global image, which will affect not just our export sector, but also our already struggling tourism industry as well. The world is noticing, and New Zealand’s climate inaction will cost us dearly, both environmentally and economically.

Governments Are Letting Big Tech Trash Our Planet

Let’s rip the shiny plastic wrapping off a festering truth: planned obsolescence is a deliberate scam, and governments worldwide, including New Zealand’s, are complicit in letting tech giants churn out disposable junk. From flimsy smartphones that croak after two years to laptops with glued-in batteries, the tech industry’s business model thrives on waste. Meanwhile, our leaders twiddle their thumbs, failing to ensure companies produce products based on repairable designs or have robust recycling systems. Here in Aotearoa, we’re left drowning in e-waste, and the National government’s inaction is a disgrace.

Planned obsolescence isn’t an accident...it’s a strategy. Tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, and their ilk design products to fail. Batteries degrade by design, software updates throttle older devices, and proprietary screws make repairs a nightmare. Why? To keep us on the upgrade treadmill, shelling out for the latest overpriced gadget. The environmental cost is catastrophic, global e-waste hit 62 million tonnes in 2022, with projections of 82 million by 2030. Yet governments, including New Zealand’s, barely lift a finger to hold these corporations accountable. The only legislation moving things in the right direction in New Zealand, The Consumer Guarantees Act (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill, introduced by Hon Marama Davidson, is likely to be voted down at its second reading by the right block. Instead, we get toothless “sustainability” promises and corporate greenwashing.

The National Party loves to pat itself on the back for its “clean, green” image, but when it comes to e-waste, it’s a sham. New Zealand produces a disproportionate amount of e-waste per person, and because there’s no proper regulation or legislation, most of that e-waste isn’t recycled. In fact our recycling system is a fragmented mess, with local councils left to fend for themselves. The Ministry for the Environment admits only 20% of e-waste is collected for recycling, most ends up in landfills or shipped overseas to be someone else’s problem. Why? Because successive governments have failed to properly fund a national e-waste strategy or enforce producer responsibility schemes. Countries like France have laws forcing manufacturers to cover recycling costs and provide repair manuals. Here, we’re stuck with voluntary “take-back” programs that barely dent the problem. It’s pathetic!

The kicker? Repairing devices could slash waste and save consumers money, but Big Tech lobbies hard to keep repairs inaccessible. Right-to-repair laws, like those in the EU, force companies to make parts and tools available. New Zealand? So far its been crickets. Our government’s too busy cozying up to multinationals to demand accountability. Meanwhile, Kiwis are forced to bin perfectly fixable devices because replacement parts are either unavailable or cost as much as a new gadget. It’s a rigged system, and the government's letting it slide.

Then there’s the recycling farce. Even when Kiwis try to do the right thing, our infrastructure fails to properly recylce. Collection points are scarce, and many “recycled” electronics are downcycled into low-value materials rather than reused. Without government investment in advanced recycling tech or mandatory targets for manufacturers, we’re just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Compare that to South Korea, where over 30% of e-waste is properly recycled thanks to strict regulations. New Zealand’s government could learn a thing or two but seems allergic to bold action.

This isn’t just about waste...it’s about justice. Planned obsolescence hits hardest on low-income households who can’t afford constant upgrades. It’s an environmental crime that disproportionately burdens the Global South, where much of our e-waste is dumped. And it’s a betrayal of New Zealand’s supposed commitment to sustainability. The government must step up: mandate repairable designs, enforce producer responsibility, and build a real recycling system. Anything less is a cop-out.

Kiwis deserve better than a government that lets Big Tech trash our planet for profit. It’s time to demand accountability, repair what’s broken, and build a system that values people over corporate greed. Until then, every dead smartphone in a landfill is a monument to the coalition of chaos' failure.

Government must ban synthetic fertilisers

ECan’s science director Dr Tim Davie

Now I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the use of synthetic fertilisers on farms is polluting our water supplies. In fact the problem has become so bad that in some areas high levels of nitrates have made the water carcinogenic to drink.

But what’s even worse is that the regional councils tasked with keeping people safe by monitoring the levels of pollution in our water are fudging the stats in order to try and hide the true extent of the problem.

They are in effect placing the profits from intensive farming ahead of the health and wellbeing of the general population, which is of course an entirely unacceptable thing for duly elected officials to do.

Yesterday, Newsroom reported:

‘Tricky’ council masks nitrate effect, Mike Joy says

Environment Canterbury is ignoring its own data to cover-up nitrate pollution, freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy says. It’s a claim the regional council rejects.

Last Friday, ECan, as it’s known, released its annual groundwater quality survey, which showed that between 2011 and 2020, 47 percent of wells (118) had either likely increasing or very likely increasing nitrate-nitrogen concentrations.

This is important because high nitrate in groundwater can pose health risks to people drinking it. When it flows through to waterways and lakes it can kill fish, and cause excessive weed growth and algal blooms.

Intensive farming is one of the main reasons why New Zealand has such polluted waterways. It’s also why we have such high levels of colorectal cancer, because nitrate pollution has been shown to be carcinogenic to human beings.

So you can understand why certain people, including councils that are predominated by old white farmers, would want to downplay or cover-up this kind of information.

Some ECan well records stretch back to 1989 but the data are not used. In that way, Joy says, the “snapshot” survey uses “tricky stats”.

When he ran the numbers on ECan’s groundwater data two years ago, he found the trends for degraded wells were more pronounced than were being reported, at about two-thirds.

“They’re doing everything they can to gild the lily,” Joy says. “And if they were to stop that, and actually use the full-time record, and not try to do this ‘just 10 years’ bit, then they would actually get some truth around what’s happening.”

(The ECan report also notes its trends differ from those on the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa website because it uses different time periods and sampling frequencies. “It’s the same data,” Joy says with bewilderment. “LAWA isn’t a separate body that collects its own data, it’s a housing point for regional council data.”)

The Canterbury Regional Council can therefore not be trusted to factually report on the true extent of the problem, and like most councils, have been caught using selective data in order to try and hide what is a major environmental and health catastrophe for New Zealand.

This isn’t just a problem in terms of polluted groundwater either; it’s a legal liability issue as well. Because without accurate data showing exactly how polluted the water has become, proving that synthetic fertilisers are the cause of people’s ill health is even more difficult.

A Danish study published in the International Journal of Cancer three years ago, which followed 2.7 million people over 23 years, found increased risk of colorectal cancer for those exposed to high nitrate concentrations.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world.

Environmental groups in this country are using the Danish study to call for a 1 milligram per litre limit for nitrate in waterways. (The study, which suggests a threshold of 0.87mg/L for nitrate nitrogen, found a statistically significant increased risk above 3.87mg/L.)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) drinking water standard is 11.3mg/L, adopted as this country’s maximum acceptable value, after which bottle-fed babies are at an increased risk of blue baby syndrome.

In my opinion, the New Zealand Government should listen to the latest science on this issue and adopt a 0.87mg/L nitrate limit. This will of course render most of our aquifers unusable for tap water. But that’s a better price to pay than having numerous people suffering from ill health from pollution that is costing millions if not billions of taxpayer dollars each year to treat.

Clearly clean drinking water should be a fundamental human right and farmers should be the ones to pay for taking it away. But instead of realising that they’re legally liable for polluting our water and causing people cancer, the farmers are continuing to use synthetic fertilisers like there's no tomorrow.

Greenpeace has recently run nitrate testing in various parts of rural Canterbury, at which 450 samples have been tested, and in Southland. Abel, who has attended the testing, says people shouldn’t be left wondering.

“People trust the health limit is 11.3mg/L, that if they’re under that limit then, so far as the official word is, they’re avoiding health risk. The emerging science tells us something very different to that.”

ECan says it contacted the owners of all wells with concentrations over 11.3mg/L. (The highest recorded concentration was 22mg/L.) Most are not used for drinking water, groundwater science manager Carl Hanson said last week. Some owners have installed filters, others have replace their wells.

…

“The authorities need to stop worrying about covering their arses and think about their first obligation,” Abel says, “which is to make sure that the public are properly informed and advised of the potential health risks.”

He adds: “They need to face up to the fact that what we’ve done with 30 years of a near seven-fold increase in synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and a doubling of the dairy herd, is we are in the process of turning people’s drinking water carcinogenic.”

The aquifers will remain polluted though, perhaps for thousands if not millions of years. That’s why it’s imperative that synthetic fertilisers aren’t allowed to pollute the few remaining untainted groundwater supplies we have left in New Zealand, or continue to make the situation worse in aquifers that have already been polluted.

The only way to effectively do that is for the Government to place a total ban on the use of synthetic fertilisers. Because without a ban, the farmers and councils will assuredly continue to place profits ahead of people's health and wellbeing, which is something that must not be allowed to continue indefinitely.

Talley’s Group Ltd - Arsehole of the Week

In our modern world, it shouldn't be too much to ask that businesses operating in New Zealand be run in an ethical and safe manner, should it? I mean surely our fellow Kiwis should be treated fairly while undertaking an honest days work, shouldn't they?

It’s not as if any of our large food and beverage producing companies for instance, with exports worth well over $34 billion per year, are somehow unable to afford safe and healthy work sites.

In fact in my opinion, if such companies refuse to improve and cannot maintain the bare minimum of standards, then they should simply be shut down. Otherwise we risk a substantial percentage of our workforce being permanently incapacitated either through injury or death, which is a true disaster in not just an economic sense of the word.

However despite our lawful employment regulations being well known, which should ensure every employee is valued and gets to go home to their families after work, here we are once again talking about workers being mistreated. We're still seeing numerous employees being injured and killed while at work, which is simply not an acceptable nor sustainable way to operate.

Perhaps the worst offender in New Zealand for treating worker’s as an expendable commodity is a highly profitable food manufacturer called Talley’s Group Ltd. This unethical company has been inexplicably getting away with ignoring people's valid concerns and the Governments already weak health and safety requirements for numerous years.

Yesterday, 1 News reported:

Over 170 Talley's staff injured at three sites in one year, probe reveals

Food manufacturing giant Talley’s recorded 174 separate injuries to workers over the course of a single year at its three manufacturing sites in Marlborough, a 1 NEWS investigation can reveal.

Earlier this month, photos were leaked of filthy machines at the Ashburton factory despite Talley's CEO Tony Hazlett saying the machines are cleaned regularly.

The company runs a massive operation in Marlborough - their marketing material showing the production of seafood, vegetables and more.

But now, 1 NEWS has obtained leaked documents, revealing what those ads don't show - the human impact.

An internal report shows there were 174 injuries in Blenheim, Havelock and Picton alone between October 2019 and September 2020 - an average of one every two or three days.

It’s one thing to have a dangerous work site to begin with, but it’s quit another to continue to put workers at risk of injury, sickness or death knowing full well that those dangers exist. In effect Talley’s has been playing Russian roulette with people’s lives, which isn’t just a bad look for the company, it’s a bad look for New Zealand as well.

Of course Talley’s is fully aware of what this type of bad press will do to their bottom line. That’s why when news recently broke about the dangerous and unsanitary practices at Talley’s factories, their first reaction was to try and close down reporters by threatening legal action.

Thankfully those legal threats failed, mainly because 1 News has been careful to report only the facts. But you’ve got to wonder what other underhanded tactics Talley’s has been employing that has allowed them to continue with such bad health and safety practices for so long?

1 NEWS has spoken to two anonymous whistleblowers who add to that - claiming health and safety concerns are regularly ignored at the Blenheim plant.

“They just want to ignore you, and brush it under a carpet because there's paperwork that comes with it, and it's put in the too hard basket, or it's going to cost too much money,” one said.

It was also alleged that when staff do file reports, they're often not followed up.

“I never heard back about any of it - one was very serious, I wouldn't have gone home to my family,” a complainant said.

It’s not as if Talley’s Group Ltd cannot afford to make proper improvements to ensure workers are safe either. After all, they had annual revenue of nearly a billion dollars last year, so any failure to upgrade and therefore continue to put workers in danger is clearly not just an oversight. Instead it's a cold and calculated decision to maximise profits at their worker's expense.

However that’s not the only reason Talley’s has won this week's Arsehole Award. With the world currently crying out for ethically produced goods, we simply cannot allow our credibility as a world leading food producing nation to be tarnished by substandard companies like Talley’s.

Without question the bad business practices as those displayed by Talley’s Group Ltd risks wasting years of hard work and millions of dollars in Government funded advertising campaigns. Sadly that substantial investment and our hard won international reputation is something that Talley’s has been trying to flush down the toilet.

Combine this substantial cost with their Managing Director Peter Talley bribing corrupt right-wing politicians in order to try and stop any oversight of their environmentally damaging fishing practices plus the more recent reports of them just dumping untreated chemicals down the drain, and Talley's is a clear winner for a prized Arsehole Award.

In truth, and considering their previous unwarranted legal threats against now deceased union leader Helen Kelly, plus the historic mistreatment of workers during their brutal 2012 lockout, it's surprising that Talley’s Group Ltd hasn’t previously won a coveted Roger Award as well.

Perhaps CAFCA, given just how bad this shameful company has become, might consider starting those prestigious awards again? They've certainly got at least one worthwhile winner, and likely many more nominations for Talley's Group Ltd, who are justifiably now receiving the recognition they so clearly deserve.

To this effect, please consider supporting better business practices by banning Talley's produced products. Because without the public sending market signals to these unethical businesses, it's unlikely that anything will change for the better.

Plague ships put elimination strategy at risk

I’m sure you’ll agree that so far New Zealand has been very lucky in our fight against Covid-19. Even with the opening up of our borders with Australia, which is having a third wave of infections that's getting out of control, Aotearoa has dodged a bullet that most other countries haven’t been able to avoid.

However our luck might just be about to run out with the arrival of plague ships carrying numerous infected crew members who could potentially breach our borders, which are obviously a lot harder to maintain at harbours compared to international airports. 

On Sunday, 1 News reported:

Playa Zahara fishing vessel with Covid-positive crew arrives at Lyttelton Port

The Playa Zahara fishing vessel with 16 Covid-positive crew members on board has docked in Lyttelton Port this morning.

Three of the 18 crew members on the vessel Friday tested positive for the more contagious Delta variant, according to the Ministry of Health.

…

"The most recent crew aboard the Playa Zahara had arrived in New Zealand on June 18 and spent two days at a managed isolation facility in Auckland. They provided negative pre-departure tests before arriving in New Zealand and again tested negative before boarding the ship."

Two days in managed isolation is hardly enough time to ensure they weren't contagious. I mean who exactly is pulling the Ministry of Health’s strings here to get these fishermen released early?

But if that wasn’t bad enough, we also have container ships arriving with infected crews as well.

Today, 1 News reported:

Seven more crew onboard container ship at Bluff test positive for Covid-19

Seven more crew members onboard the Mattina container ship, currently in quarantine in Bluff, have now tested positive for Covid-19, this Ministry of Health has confirmed.

There are currently nine cases linked to the vessel after two were announced yesterday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel came into port on Sunday night and all 21 crew members were tested yesterday morning after two crew members initially reported having virus symptoms.

All crew remain on the ship as health officials from Southern DHB work with other agencies to determine the next steps, the ministry said.

…

A further 16 Covid-positive crew members onboard the Viking Bay fishing vessel were also transferred to quarantine facilities in Wellington. Thirteen of the cases tested positive for the more contagious Delta variant.

You’ve got to wonder why authorities allowed people who haven’t been properly tested or quarantined to get onto these vessels in the first place? You’ve also got to wonder why the taxpayer and not the fishing or shipping companies are now picking up the tab for this failure?

Furthermore, how exactly did all their tests initially come back negative when so many of these crew members are infected? This clearly shows that the testing these companies use isn’t robust enough and therefore cannot be relied upon.

Evidently the MoH's systems for checking crews in New Zealand aren’t up to scratch either. And until this problem is rectified, we should be putting a halt to all foreign fishing crews from working in our territorial waters. It’s not as if our already depleted fishing stock couldn’t do with a break if Covid free crews cannot be found. Yet here we are still importing foreign labor and putting our entire Covid-19 elimination strategy at risk.

It would only take one infected crew member to leave their ship for all our hard work to be undone. However there's another risk to not turning these plague ships around as well. Studies have shown that Covid can survive on frozen fish and packaging for a very long time. We should therefore be doing everything in our power to ensure no more infected crews arrive in New Zealand. Because if there’s one thing that Covid-19 should have taught us by now, it's that any weakness in our defences will be exploited.

Some farmers are sick puppies

I'm not sure if you're aware, but there's a significant problem within our farming community that needs to be addressed, and that’s this whole belief that Labour is anti-farming. The reality is that the current Government loves farmers. From free trade agreements that open up new markets to keeping farming largely out of the ETS and making trades training in critical industries like farming free, Labour has in fact done more for farming than National could ever have dreamed of.

The incorrect belief that Labour opposes farming couldn’t have been more evident than when a few farmers decided to have a protest this week. And despite all their bravado, the reason for the protest was as confused as the rabble that attended, who couldn’t write a good protest sign to save themselves. 

These signs are in fact the crux of the matter, so without further ado, here’s a sample of some of the more messed up messages that were on display:

This is not fantasy Island

We are at regulation saturation

David Parker hates farmers

Let farmers do what farmers do best - feeding our nation

You hug the mob and just leave us to growing food

What happened to being kind Jacinda?

Without farming you would be hungry, naked and sober

What does Jacinda & toilet paper have in common? They are both full of shit!

No! To the land grab!

No! To car tax No! To three waters No! To gangs

No farms No growers No food

Over ploughing through red tape

I am a proud NZ farmer NOT a Pakeha farmer “James Shaw”

Black Utes matter

Jacinda Kiwi’s do NOT want Communism

Fish + chips + Communism = your worst nightmare

You can buy my mongrel for $2.75 million

Minister Shaw will make us all poor

Farming is not an experiment

Aotearoa… the land of the long list of bullshit bureaucratic regulations

We want Democracy not Dictatorship!!

Cindy = Stalin

Taxinda is Uteless

Jacinda is a Communist bitch

Tanked economies ruin lives

Food for thought Less BS! More science

MAGA Make Ardern Go Away

Climate change happens every time it’s cold weather

Stop racial rural discrimination!!

Try milking a pine tree

Dump loony rules let us farm

No Utes No gas stoves No cows & sheep Just pine trees

Dirty coal = electric vehicles

Eat this Good intentions don’t excuse bad policy

We may be just some Pakeha farmers James Shaw, but guess what? You’re only an MP

We live in New Zealand not Aotearoa! Stop ramming Maori language down our throats.

Parker your tax up your arse!

No to Comy bitch

No farmer no food

We support Famers Labour Greens don’t

Don’t bite the hands that feed you

Us farmers love our land and love our animals. We are not rapists

Labour+Greens Policy Agenda = Systemic Genocide of NZ Famers

Judith Collins was even photographed posing next to that last sign in what could only be described as unspoken support for a claim that is clearly entirely incorrect! In fact most of those signs are well off the mark and make me wonder if there isn’t some sort of mass hysteria event going on?

The Government clearly isn’t trying to get rid of farms and no one is trying to ethnically cleanse farmers either. There’s also no comparison between the PM and Stalin nor any truth to the claim that Jacinda Ardern is a communist or a dictator.

Furthermore, the Government isn't ramming the Maori language down people’s throats. In fact my advice to anybody who doesn't like one of our official languages being used is to simply leave Aotearoa.

These racist right-wing farmers have clearly lost the plot, but none more so than this guy who took the time to paint a picture that depicts the Prime Minister raping a sheep.

But if all that wasn’t bad enough, the National Party also added to the cringe factor by running a hurt butt campaign as well.

On Friday, 1 News reported:

Farmers are 'getting it in the behind', Collins says of new National ad

"Farmers are actually really feeling like they're really getting it in the behind, they don't like it," Judith Collins said today as National released a new advertisement depicting arrows going into farmers' backsides. 

…

Collins said farmers were "united and the public are saying [that] too, they're with them".

Crusher is clearly living in la la land if she believes that a majority of the public thinks farmers are getting it in the behind from the Government. Even if there was some truth to the claim that farmers are being over-taxed or over-regulated (which there isn't), making light of anal rape is never a good thing, especially when we’re talking about an electioneering advert for the largest opposition party in Parliament. 

No wonder farmers and tradies are fed up. Labour’s taxes & ignorance about rural communities are unfair. #Demandthedebate pic.twitter.com/XMN6BwM5Sc

— Judith Collins (@JudithCollinsMP) July 15, 2021

This type of politicking is sure to turn middle New Zealand off of Collins and her small cabal of reactionary idiots, many of whom are more interested in producing juvenile Twitter memes than developing any actual new policy initiatives that might help our farmers feed the world.

In fact this type of extremism on display doesn’t bode well for the right wing. Trying to attract voters by getting your supporters to waive objectionable placards around or simply opposing everything the Government is doing with outrageous and factually incorrect slogans is going to result in a hiding to nowhere for the National Party.

And as a show of force for the right-wing, the farmer protest was pretty piss poor really. So weak in fact that they had to steal images from overseas farmer protests to try and make Kiwis believe that they’ve got the numbers.

New Zealand Farmers protest New Zealand Jacinda Arderns government taxes and water policy's, like never before. pic.twitter.com/MBIEBTEzMh

— Maurice (@Sparkymannz) July 16, 2021

These sick puppies really are pathetic!

Billionaire circle jerk

What is it about older men who reach a certain age and feel they need to prove something? Often referred to as a midlife crisis, the men this blog post is about are in fact well advanced in years and are a prime example that age doesn’t always equal wisdom.

I am of course talking about Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. These three billionaires have been acting like children and wasting millions of dollars on their flights of fancy, and what have they actually achieved? There isn't even a small advancement in space exploration just as there is no scientific merit to what these billionaires are doing. It is an utter waste of resources, resources that could be better utilised elsewhere in the world.

Yesterday, CNN reported:

Richard Branson's disappointing space jaunt

First, there's the environmental cost of space travel. Virgin Galactic claims that the carbon footprint for passengers of its suborbital space flight is comparable to that of a business class ticket on a transatlantic flight (which is about 0.2 kilograms per kilometer or 0.44 pounds per .62 miles -- amounting to a massive 2,220 kilo output per passenger over a typical 11,100-kilometer flight or 2.45 tons over a 6,897-mile flight).

But space flights are longer than transatlantic ones, and carry far fewer passengers. Per passenger, per kilometer, Branson's 11,260-kilometer (6,996-mile) journey to the edge of space cost 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of CO2. The company says that emissions will be offset -- but it's still an enormous price to pay for the sake of a few minutes in zero gravity.

Despite the world being in the grips of one of the worst pandemics ever, and the effects of climate change running rampant in numerous countries, these idiots are busy stroking their egos in lower orbit, and for what? So Branson can take some weightless selfies at 60 kilometres above the Earth in vainglorious self-promotion! No wonder there are petitions for these guys to not come back home.

For all Branson's enthusing over imagination, his trip into space was effectively a much-diluted, far posher version of a feat already achieved more than 60 years ago by Yuri Gagarin's groundbreaking flight in Vostok 1. Gagarin, a Soviet carpenter's son who survived the Nazi occupation of Russia, actually accomplished something far greater, by orbiting for 108 minutes before returning to Earth. With reserved tickets for future Virgin Galactic flights priced between $200,000 and $250,000, the only barrier Branson has broken is that between the super-rich and their ability to spend a few minutes floating just within the sub-orbital zone which allows passengers to experience weightlessness.

Instead of realising that they’re making complete dicks of themselves by going where a Russian astronaut already went six decades ago, these billionaires are busy trying to sell a dream to the common man, a dream no common man can actually afford.

Branson in particular is terribly deluded about what he’s realistically achieved. Not only did he only manage to get up in low orbit for four short minutes, he arguably hasn’t furthered real space travel in the slightest by blowing a load of rocket fuel all over the Stratosphere and Mesosphere.

It would therefore be good if the mainstream media weren’t falling over themselves to promote Branson's rampant immodesty. Clearly such a bad use of the world’s resources shouldn't be reported as some sort of worthwhile endeavour. In fact the only thing these billionaires have thus far proven is that a persons wealth doesn’t really equate to their intelligence in the slightest.

Tony Mair - Arsehole of the Week

What is it about environmentalists that make some people go crazy? They’re just normal human beings who want our natural world to be protected. It’s not like they’re terrorists or anything, just your bulk standard Kiwis who care a bit more about protecting nature than most folks.

So when environmentalists get set upon by a bunch of thugs in hi-vis jackets, and they use intimidation and violence to try to deter a peaceful protest, then you would expect the Police to intervene and do their job.

However that hasn’t been the case recently on Waiheke Island, where people who are just trying to protect Little Blue Penguins and their habitats were threatened and then assaulted by arseholes who work for an unethical developer called Tony Mair.

Yesterday, RNZ reported:

Waiheke Island marina: Video appears to show protester kicked in face

A video of an incident at the controversial marina development on Waiheke Island appears to show a protester being kicked in the face.

Protect Pūtiki has been occupying the site for 120 days, which they say endangers a nearby kororā (little blue penguin) colony. The developer rejects those claims.

Recent clashes between protesters and security guards for the development by Kennedy Point Boat Harbour Ltd have triggered police investigations.

In a video posted to Facebook, a protester on a pontoon is manhandled into the water by a man wearing a high-vis jacket.

While the protester is in the water, the man takes a step and kicks the person in the water in the head.

The video that has made the news is conclusive. The male security guard first throws the female protester in the water and while they’re trying to recover, he then kicks her directly in the face.

Unfortunately this isn’t the only case of excessive and potentially deadly force being used by these security guards either. If you watch the entire video, which is available on the Protect Pūtiki Facebook page, other security guards use kayak paddles they’ve stolen to assault protesters. At one stage a protester is strangled while they lay prone on the floating pontoon, another is held under the water in what could be considered attempted murder. One security guard even appears to use a can of pepper spray against a female protester, which is also against the law.

Obviously at least one security guard should be charged with assault here. There is no question about it. But other security guards should also be charged with possessing and using a prohibited weapon. Only the Police (and some corrections officers) are allowed to carry and use pepper spray in New Zealand, so unless they want to also look like a bunch thugs for hire, the Police must act to ensure charges are laid and the spray and other weapons are confiscated from these balaclava wearing goons. They must also ensure that all the items taken from these peaceful protesters are returned undamaged.

There is a hell of a lot wrong with this development. Firstly the gifting of public land to a private developer is highly questionable, but especially so because local iwi weren't properly consulted. The Auckland Council also giving the go ahead for such a large project on top of a Little Blue Penguin colony is suspect, and points to a secret deal being done at the old boys club.

Then there’s the work itself that’s not adhering to the consent. Penguins are clearly being endangered, which is reason enough to shut down the project. Then there are the multiple assaults on peaceful protesters, which categorically shows that the developer and his workers are a bunch of cutthroat bastards who are highly deserving of an Arsehole Award. Let's hope their pay packets are also docked when this environmentally damaging project gets closed down.

Leaked cabinet papers won’t help ACT

It was somewhat amusing to see the Act Party completely misread the room this week when they leaked a Labour Party document concerning our oceans and fisheries. It outlined the Government's intention to discuss several marine policies at cabinet, the most controversial being the installation of 300 cameras on commercial fishing vessels to ensure skippers report bycatch properly.

During the last Government the policy to keep an eye on commercial fishers was halted by NZ First, who had secretly been taking bribes (through a proxy foundation) from fishing industry heavyweight, Talley’s, and its managing director Peter Talley.

However now that Winston Peters has been voted out the Government can get on with doing what’s right, namely making policy to protect our marine environment. It's no small task, but even with the Act Party trying to suck all the oxygen from the room, David Parker has been doing well to promote the initiatives, which will undoubtedly gain not just widespread public support in New Zealand, but international support as well.

Today, RNZ reported:

Fishing vessel cameras aim to curb catch dumping

Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker said cameras would be installed on 300 vessels to ensure the unwanted bycatch was not thrown overboard instead.

Parker told Nine to Noon skippers would have no excuse not to follow the new rules once the cameras were in place.

"It's primarily about getting better outcomes with less discarding, but it also will have a benefit to encourage all fishers if they do accidentally catch a sea bird or a dolphin to report that, because it will be captured on the video footage and there will be no doubt about it," he said.

The rollout follows the installation of cameras on 20 vessels fishing in Māui dolphin habitats in 2019.

Greenpeace Aotearoa welcomed the move but wanted to see cameras on all commercial fishing vessels to ensure rules were followed.

Of course it’s not just environmental groups who’re for the most part welcoming these changes. A majority of voters also want an end to illegal fishing practices that are detrimental to not just our marine environment, but New Zealand’s clean and green image as well. Despite this obvious support, the Act Party still went ahead with their ignorant press release anyway.

On Thursday, Scoop reported:

ACT Announces Government’s Agenda For Fishing Policy

“The ACT Party can today release the Government’s agenda when it comes to fishing policy,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“ACT has been leaked a document from Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker which outlines the papers he is about to take to Cabinet.

“Parker plans to take seven papers to Cabinet which outline a range of initiatives, from new marine reserves and mandatory monitoring of boats in New Zealand waters with cameras.

“The Minister seems to have consulted Labour MPs before consulting with the industry.

The Act Party has completely ignored the bad example set by NZ First by similarly appearing to conspire with the fishing industry in order to undermine these worthwhile initiatives. As if the warning of Winston Peters’ downfall wasn’t enough…the Act Party seems to not understand that politicians who cuddle up to fishing industry cowboys are punished at the polls.

There is no question that NZ First lost not just their ministerial portfolios but also their position in Parliament precisely because they got into bed with vested interests. But despite this fact, David Seymour has decided to advocate for a continuance of environmentally damaging and unsustainable fishing practices, which are obviously not in New Zealand or the world's best interest.

Opposing these initiatives at the behest of fishing industry cowboys isn't just environmentally foolish, it’s politically stupid as well.

The Labour led Government putting an end to bycatch dumping and ensuring that our seafood products can be better marketed overseas is inevitable...so why would Seymour undermine his own country and the Act Party’s chances for re-election by going into bat for an industry that must change?

If you care about our marine environment, please sign the Greenpeace petition to call on the NZ Government to commit to implementing cameras on the whole commercial fishing fleet before the end of their term in 2023.

Collins’ husband threatens legal action

We should all know by now that Judith Collins, who has openly said she simply doesn’t care if wetlands are destroyed in the pursuit of swamp Kauri, isn’t exactly an environmentalist.

In fact she has promised to roll back most of the small gains made by the Green Party in Government, including reversing the ban on new oil and gas exploration.

But what many Kiwis aren’t aware of is that her husband, David Wong-Tung, is also into destroying New Zealand's once pristine environment for profit.


Today, Newsroom reported:

Wong-Tung threatens to sue Newsroom 

A mining company director demands Newsroom take down a story on rehabilitation conditions agreed with DoC for a former site on conservation land 

National leader Judith Collins' husband is threatening defamation action against Newsroom over a story about a West Coast mine site that the conservation department allowed to be left in a state likened to a "moonscape" by a conservationist. 

David Wong-Tung, a director of the mining company involved, claims the story outlining criticisms of DoC's amendment of site restoration conditions for the Mikonui site, defames him and wants it pulled from Newsroom.co.nz and to be given an apology.

The rest of the report generally outlines why the threat of legal action, by a QC no less, isn’t warranted. In fact it’s patently obvious that Wong-Tung is using the threat of legal action in an attempt to shut the press up about the environmental damage his company has been allowed to cause.

The problem here for Collins, and to a lessor extent her husband, is that the environment (prior to COVID-19) was listed as the number one issue for New Zealanders. Obviously a clear majority of voters don’t want to see pictures of destroyed conservation estate native forests, which places the current leader of the opposition in a bit of a predicament.

Judith Collins could attempt to try and mislead Kiwis about her true intentions towards the environment, but unfortunately for the National Party most people will see right through the charade. I mean Crusher and her husband's clear conflict of interest is pretty hard to miss.

National leader Judith Collins' husband is threatening defamation action against Newsroom over a story about a West Coast mine sitehttps://t.co/H3F0y2rhn6

— Newsroom (@NewsroomNZ) August 10, 2020

A Talley of NZ First's secret donations

Peter Talley - fishing industry mogul

I really don’t envy Jacinda Ardern’s position as Prime Minister of New Zealand sometimes. She’s probably got the hardest job in the country. Not only does she have to ensure her own MPs are behaving properly, she has to negotiate with Winston Peters and other NZ First MPs who seem to be dragging the Coalition Government into disrepute.

The NZ First Foundation’s funding scandal for instance, which is currently being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, is making the entire Government look bad! This latest controversy involves, but is probably not limited to, NZ First being caught red handed accepting secret donations, via their foundation, from one of New Zealand's largest food production and supply groups, Talley’s.

On Tuesday, RNZ reported:

Concerns over secret fisheries donations to NZ First Foundation 

One of the country's biggest fishing companies, Talley's, and its managing director donated nearly $27,000 to the New Zealand First Foundation, which has been bankrolling the New Zealand First Party. 

The foundation received $26,950 from seafood giant Talley's and from managing director Sir Peter Talley between 2017 and 2019, according to records viewed by RNZ.

First off, let’s make something absolutely clear. There is nothing materially different between the NZ First Foundation and the NZ First political party. They should be treated as the same organisation in the eyes of the law.

It received the money from Talley's in four amounts - all of which were below the threshold for public disclosure and so have not been publicly revealed until now. 

Greenpeace was concerned by the donations and believed the New Zealand First Party had too much sway over fishing policy and the party was too close to the industry. 

Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman called on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to review key fishing policy decisions, which he said were favourable to the seafood industry, in light of the donation revelations.

Russel Norman isn’t wrong. Key fishing policy decisions should be reviewed in light of the industry making secret donations.

While the rest of us recreational fisherfolk are lucky to catch anything these days, large fishing companies like Talley’s have been allowed to plunder the ocean, taking what most would consider undersized fish in numbers that mean fishing stocks are badly depleted. Most of these fish, including the pick of the catch, are exported at prices most of us Kiwis cannot afford here at home.

On 4 April, 2019, Talley's deposited $2500 into the foundation bank account. The next day Peter Talley personally made a $15,000 donation - one cent under the level at which donations are made public. 

Talley's followed that up with a "fast deposit" of $2000 on 29 July, 2019. 

… 

Peter Talley refused to comment when contacted by RNZ.

It’s no wonder Talley refused to comment. He has effectively been caught out making secret donations to ensure that the interests of his private business trump those of recreational fisherfolk. I mean it's not as if Talley can buy another knighthood.

There’s also the issue of the video surveillance cameras that were meant to monitor workers on commercial fishing vessels. In 2016, 80% of them weren’t working and there’s been no substantial improvement reported, apart from 28 more cameras to safeguard Maui dolphins, since the Government changed in 2017.

Winston Peters - NZ First leader

Peters claiming that he knew nothing doesn't wash when there's now clear evidence that NZ First accepted backhanders. There’s simply no reasonable explanation concerning Talley’s splitting up numerous donations to the NZ First Foundation (who is essentially NZ First) other than to avoid public and official scrutiny.

Joining the dots between The NZ First Foundation receiving secret donations from Talley’s and NZ First favouring their business model is a very simple exercise. It’s literally a straight line that resoundingly shows a corrupt practice and usurpation of our political donations system.

It’s for that reason alone Winston Peters needs to stop playing the fool and answer the mainstream medias questions. Because if he doesn’t NZ First will be judged harshly by the public even if they’re found not guilty in a court of law.

UPDATE: Today, Stuff reported a longer list of secret donors to the NZ First Foundation/NZ First Party.

National's negative campaigning

Anybody who looked into the Dirty Politics saga knows all too well that honesty is often in short supply within the National Party. You would think that after the exposure the John Key government received over their untruthful attack politics, the National Party would learn from its "mistakes" and leave such underhanded campaigns in the past where they belong. However that unfortunately doesn’t appear to be the case.

Simon Bridges - Current Leader of the National Party

The National Party, now under the feckless leadership of Simon Bridges, is using the same old dirty political tactics, along with assistance from a largely biased mainstream media, to manipulate voters into believing that the current Government isn’t doing its job properly.

National aren't providing any actual evidence though. Instead they're undertaking an entirely dishonest and unconstructive campaign in the lead up to the 2020 election, which basically confirms that National are, as their propagandists like to phrase it, haters and wreckers!

Here’s a recent negative and untruthful tweet authorised by Simon Bridges:

Here's how Labour's 'Year of Delivery' went. Astounding. pic.twitter.com/Tp3oCb62W4

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) January 13, 2020

Astounding disinformation indeed. So let’s address these false allegations.

1. Strong Economy

New Zealand’s economic growth is stronger than expected and better than most other major economies around the world. Even on a per person basis, New Zealand is doing better now than National’s last year in Government.

2. Reduced Child Poverty

In order to help achieve a significant and sustained reduction in child poverty, the Labour led Government passed the Child Poverty Reduction Act in 2018. Despite this legislation there hasn’t been a discernible reduction in the child poverty rate yet. In fact the latest statistics show that before housing costs are deducted, the child poverty rate has increased by around 1 per cent. 

However the most recent statistics account for only 9 months of the current administrations governance. For National to be arguing that 9 months is a long enough period of time to significantly reduce child poverty is dishonest! In the absence of available data, they’re simply trying to convince voters that they care more about impoverished children than Labour does, which is clearly a false narrative.

For National to be criticising the Government over Child Poverty, after 9 years of their neglect and significant cuts to social services, is simply ridiculous!

3. Light Rail

We all know that the National Party absolutely failed to do anything about Auckland’s congestion woes. That hasn’t stopped them attacking the Government over Auckland’s light rail though, which is still in the development stage. Cabinet is due to consider the two different proposals in February this year. Clearly the Labour Party never promised to build Auckland's light rail in 2019.

4. 1800 More Police

Once again the promise was to provide 1800 more Police within three years, not the year of delivery. Despite this, in September 2019, the Government announced that 1685 new Police constables had already been deployed and a further 220 aspiring Police officers were also training. That means the Government will exceed the Labour Party’s election promise.

5. Free Doctor Visits

This is another false claim by the National Party. 

The Labour led Government made GP visits free for under 14-year-olds in 2018. Also, the Government ensured that an adult with a Community Services Card won’t pay more than $19 to see the GP and young people aged 14 to 17 years, who have a parent or caregiver with a CSC, will be charged no more than $13.

6. More ECE Services

In the Labour led Government’s first Budget they increased funding for 100% qualified ECE centres by $276 million over four years. The promise was to boost ECE quality and the Government is in fact delivering on that promise.

7. One Billion Trees

Labour never promised to plant a billion trees in 2019. This is just more dishonest politicking from the National Party. The One Billion Trees Programme developed by the current Government has made significant progress and is on track to planting a billion trees by 2028.

8. Capital Gains Tax

The Government has failed to implement a Capital Gains Tax, likely because NZ First MPs are overly invested in property. The issue here is that Labour didn't campaign in 2017 on implementing a CGT. What they said is they would set up a Tax Working Group and then make a decision afterwards.

But why the National Party, who won’t implement a CGT either, is attacking the Government over this is nonsensical. The National Party clearly has no plan, or intention, of implementing policy that would make housing more affordable in New Zealand.

9. Kiwibuild

Labour’s plan was to build 100,000 high quality, affordable homes over 10 years. They now plan on building as many houses as they can, saying the initial figure was too ambitious. 

By October 2019, 726 houses had been built under the Kiwibuild scheme. However the Labour led Government has built 2837 houses since June 2018 when you include their community and state housing builds. Another 3563 Government housing programme houses (not including market supplied houses) are currently under construction. 

Contrast that with National’s plan to scrap Kiwibuild and replace it with nothing. In fact the previous right wing Government sold thousands of state houses to their developer mates at below market rates, which directly led to a prolonged housing crisis. There is no question that such corruption increased the number of homeless people in New Zealand.

We might not be seeing the amount of progress we want, but at least it’s progress.

The alternative to the Labour led Government's incrementalism on major things like Child Poverty and the Housing Crisis is a continuation of John Key's self-serving ideology and negativity from the National Party, which is obviously disappointing from a public and political perspective.

National aren't proposing any actual policy changes that are anywhere near researched or robust enough to even consider voting for. Instead they seem to be entrenched on the sidelines busily throwing stones, that with the truth getting in the way, are landing well clear of the mark.

Apathy in the face of disaster

Warning: This article contains topics that might trigger right wing snowflakes!

Unless you’ve had your head buried in a billabong for the last four months you’d of heard about the Australian bush fires. The fires have been unprecedented, with approximately five million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land burned nationwide. More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed and 9 people have now tragically lost their lives.

The world is watching with ever increasing unease about Australia's climate change related disaster. Not just because the fires aren't under control, but because the Australian Government is sitting on its hands while their country burns.

Youth environmental leader Greta Thunberg succinctly summed their apathy up in one of the most iconic tweets this year:

Not even catastrophes like these seem to bring any political action. How is this possible?
Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires
That's what has to change.
Now. https://t.co/DQcZViKJQz

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 22, 2019

So what are Aussie leaders doing to help fight these fires? Well going on holiday of course.

On 22 Dec, The Guardian reported:

Scott Morrison says Hawaii holiday was like taking 'that extra plumbing contract' on a Friday afternoon

In a series of interviews on Monday Morrison cited family commitments as the reason for his decision to holiday in Hawaii during the crisis, comparing himself to a plumber forced to choose between a Friday afternoon job or seeing his family.

Morrison returned to work on Sunday, cutting short the holiday by a day after the deaths of two volunteer firefighters on Thursday, but insisted he would not “panic” by increasing Australia’s ambition to fight global heating.

Asked about his judgment in taking the holiday, Morrison said the fires had been going since September – citing his earlier visits to bushfire areas – and “still have a time to run yet”.

Even before the bush fire season had officially started the fires had ravaged much of the Australian east coast causing widespread damage. That stark reality wasn’t enough for Morrison to stick around though. Instead he set about annoying environmentalists by saying burning and exporting more coal wouldn’t make any difference to Australia’s fire season. He then went on holiday to Hawaii.

Australian Prime Minister - Scott Morrison

With an ever-increasing body of evidence available you would think that a Prime Minister would make the simple connection between these unprecedented bush fires and climate change increasing temperatures in Australia. Not Scott Morrison though. He’s been steadfastly ignoring the numerous scientists and their warnings that a hotter, drier climate would contribute to Australia's fires becoming more frequent and intense.

So why would Morrison ignore the warnings and advice that Australia must curb its GHG emissions? Well money of course.

On 23 Dec, AFP reported:

Australia PM defends coal as climate-fuelled bushfires burn

Under-fire Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday rejected calls for "reckless" and "job-destroying" cuts to the country's vast coal industry in the face of a deadly climate-fuelled bushfire crisis.

Morrison's conservative government has fiercely defended the lucrative coal industry in Australia, which produces a third of global coal exports and provides work in swing electoral districts.

"I am not going to write off the jobs of thousands of Australians by walking away from traditional industries," Morrison told the Seven Network, in one of several morning interviews rejecting calls for further action.

"What we won't do is engage in reckless and job-destroying and economy-crunching targets which are being sought," he told Channel 9, responding to calls for more climate-friendly policies.

While Scott Morrison cites the potential job losses from the lucrative coal industry for not reducing Australia's record breaking coal production level, he blatantly ignores the many thousands of jobs that will be directly lost because of these bush fires. He also fails to consider the lost productivity because of record-breaking pollution levels.

On Dec 2, The New York Times reported:

Australia Burns Again, and Now Its Biggest City Is Choking

State officials have warned of the dangers. The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage said that “our network has recorded some of the highest air pollution ever seen” in the state.

In November, the department recorded 15 days of poor air quality, far beyond the monthly norm.  On Monday, the levels of PM2.5, the most harmful form of pollutant, were 22 times the accepted safety level — the equivalent of smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day. Pollution levels were expected to reach similar heights on Friday.

Even compared to the terrible fire seasons of 1994 and 2001, “this event,” state officials said, “is the longest and the most widespread in our records.”

It’s not just the human cost that should be counted either.

On 29 Dec, The Evening Standard reported:

Nearly 500 million animals killed in Australian bushfires, experts fear

Around 480 million animals are feared to have died in the bushfires sweeping Australia, including nearly a third of the koalas in New South Wales's main habitat.

Ecologists at the University of Sydney estimate around 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been killed, directly or indirectly, by the devastating blazes since they began in September, The Times reported.

This includes almost 8,000 koalas, which are believed to have burnt to death on the state’s mid-north coast.

So what will it take to get Scott (Scumo) Morrison to act in the nations and environments best interest…one of Australia’s cities burning down? Clearly a change in Government will be required in Australia before we see any meaningful reduction to their coal exports, which account for a whopping 7% of GHG emissions worldwide.

There is no question that increasingly hotter temperatures are fuelling these fires...and despite underfunded fire-fighters best efforts, the numerous infernos look set to continue destroying homes and livelihoods across Australia with little to no intervention from their climate change denying Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.