MUST READ – A Greek-style Fiscal Crisis in Auckland?

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New Zealand’s second-largest government is the Auckland Council. Auckland Council is in conflict with the central government, much as, this decade, the government of Greece has been in conflict with the government of Germany. Hapless Len ‘Papandreou‘ Brown versus righteous Bill ‘Wolfgang‘ English.

While Len Brown will soon depart the scene, the battleground in 2016 will be the Auckland Council election. Will the new Council be compliant to the government’s agenda, or will it be a ‘Syriza’, at least trying to resist the ruling plutocracy.

It is said by elite interests that a good crisis should never be allowed to go to waste. Certainly the US elite took full advantage of the 911 crisis in 2001 to advance its strategic interests. And Germany is creating an unholy Teutonic empire in Europe, made possible by its ability, as finance-meister of the Euro Area, to exploit the Euro debt crisis that took hold in 2010.

The New Zealand government wants Auckland Council to take actions that will give windfall speculative profits to those mainly New Zealand resident owners of rural land outside the metropolitan area. And the government, in the guise of fiscal probity, wants to force the Council to fund urban infrastructure on this rural land while making it difficult for the Council to either raise extra revenue to pay for it or to add to its existing public debt.

While the government’s power-play, if successful, will reward speculators in rural land close to metropolitan Auckland, it will also force the Auckland Council to sell its commercial assets, with the Port top of the asset list. The government is doing this by pretending that colonising rural land will solve the isthmus’s housing shortage, much as George Bush junior’s US government in 2001 created pretexts to invade Iraq by pretending that Saddam Hussein was amassing a cache of ‘weapons of mass destruction’.

I heard recently that the average residential tenancy in Auckland is 15 months (see Human Rights Commission, Right to Housing, p.218). Interestingly, this MBIE-published document (Exploring Security of Tenure through Co-design) puts a strange spin on the issue of rental tenure; it says (p.7):

“We also know that very few people are not [sic] signing up for long-term leases – on average, people in Auckland rent their homes for 15 months. There is nothing in the Residential Tenancies Act that prevents anyone from signing a fixed-term lease for longer so what is driving the desire [my emphasis] for short term leases?”)

So homelessness is presented as tenants’ own fault.

The reality is that Auckland rental-dwellings are on a sales churn, and each time a landlord sells a tenanted property there is too high a chance that neither a new tenant nor an owner-occupier resident will move in. Steadily, day-by-day, perfectly habitable (though often run-down) Auckland dwellings cease to be occupied. (Or they become family house-sits for the adult children of speculators.) These properties stand to become urban baches to non-residents, or sections which just happen to have houses on them. These properties are already served by Council-facilitated infrastructure, unlike those beyond the fringe.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

The New Zealand government is trying to exploit Auckland’s housing crisis rather than to solve it or to ease it. Its agenda appears to be threefold: to unseat a non-compliant Council, to force the sale of productive assets owned by the people of Auckland, and to reward those who seek to financially profit by holding rural land. It is using Auckland Council debt as a lever, much as German politicians and bureaucrats have used debt as a lever to force the wholesale privatisation of Greece.

42 COMMENTS

  1. Great analysis -spot on!!

    Also back to the rental bit, the other issue with why tenants don’t sign long term tenancies is that there is so little job security under National (and so few jobs) that they can’t afford too! So all this about rental conditions solving housing for people is not going to work – there needs to be a radical solution to the whole neoliberal mess of no jobs, insecure jobs, poor jobs, income not being enough to live on – global speculators and ‘gold bricks’ holdings, the environment, inequality etc

  2. This so called Kiwi wolf of wall St is destroyed NZ before he leaves next year.

    He doesn’t care anything about this country as he has lived overseas more then here and his family are recent arrivals not sixth generation pioneer stock from my great grandfather who arrived in 1940’s as I am, nor is he from a 1000 yr descendant of Māori and we all have a spiritual connection to this land but not Jonkey doddle dandy.

    He is simply a agent of Wall St Elite and not a real kiwi.

    he will rule as long as he can as his paymaster demand the full pound of his flesh while he sits in government.

    I am not surprised in the least that he wants to control the Auckland Council before he leave as his job as sales agent for NZ property demands this.

    Sad lot we are living with, long live Democracy & freedom ad the coming revolution in Politics to remove this evil regime.

    RNZ highlighted an article that the IMF have changed the borrowing rules to allow losses to countries like Greece now even if they cant pay it back and are admitting that Austerity has not worked and should be shelved?????

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/23/imf-warns-eu-bailout-greece-debt-relief

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

    IMF tells EU it must give Greece unconditional debt relief

    Fund’s debt assessment calls for ‘upfront and unconditional’ debt relief for Athens or it will refuse to part-fund latest bailout

    RE; Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

    Larry Elliott

    Monday 23 May 2016 18.55 BST Last modified on Tuesday 24 May 2016 00.50 BST

    The International Monetary Fund has called for “upfront” and “unconditional” debt relief for Greece as it warned that without immediate action the financial plight of the recession-ravaged country would deteriorate dramatically over the coming decades.

    In a strongly worded assessment, the IMF said that there was no prospect of Greece meeting the draconian terms of its current bailout plan and that interest payments on the soaring national debt would eat up 60% of the budget by 2060 in the absence of debt forgiveness.

    The debt sustainability analysis by the Washington-based Fund said Greece should have longer to pay, have the interest rate on its loans fixed at 1.5%, and that its creditors should make debt relief automatic once the bailout programme ends in 2018.

    “The implementation of debt relief should be completed by the end of the programme period”, the IMF said. “Providing an upfront, unconditional component to debt relief is critical to provide a strong and credible signal to markets about the commitment of official creditors to ensuring debt sustainability, which in itself could contribute to lowering market financing costs. An upfront component can also help garner more ownership for reforms.”

    The report’s hard-hitting nature makes it clear to the EU that the IMF is not prepared to put its own money into the €86bn bailout unless Germany and other eurozone countries ease their hardline stance towards Greece.

    EU finance ministers are likely to hand Greece an emergency lifeline of up to €11bn on Tuesday but believe that IMF cash would add to the plan’s credibility.

    In its debt sustainability analysis (DSA), the Fund insisted it would provide support for the third Greek bailout since 2010 on two conditions. It said it was “critical for the credibility of the DSA that it be based on ambitious but realistic policy commitments from the authorities”. However, it added that “front-loaded debt relief, to be fully delivered during the programme” was “equally important”.

    The Fund admitted its proposals for easing Greece’s debt burden would not be easy for some countries to accept, because it would involve member states making a commitment to compensate the European Stability Mechanism – Europe’s bailout fund – for any losses occurred from fixing interest rates at 1.5%.

    “This would clearly be highly controversial among member states in view of the constraints – political and legal – on such commitments within the currency union,” the report said.

    Greece close to bailout funds after austerity vote, but IMF warns on debt – as it happened

    Greek bonds and shares are rallying on hopes that the eurozone will hand over billions in loans tomorrow

    But it added that it was unrealistic to assume that Greece, faced with a prolonged period of slow growth following a 25% contraction in its economy since 2009, could run permanent budget surpluses excluding debt interest payments of 3.5% of GDP.

    The Syriza government headed by Alexis Tispras has agreed to far-reaching and painful measures in return for receiving financial help. On Sunday, the Greek parliament agreed to tax increases – including an increase in VAT – estimated to raise €1.8bn, together with contingency measures to raise more revenue in the event that the government in Athens fails to keep to its stringent budget plans.

    The IMF expressed strong doubts about Greece’s ability to undertake the sweeping economic reforms needed. “In all key policy areas – fiscal, financial sector stability, labour, product and service markets – the authorities’ current policy plans fall well short of what would be required to achieve their ambitious fiscal and growth targets.”

    It added: “Even if Greece, through a heroic effort, could temporarily reach a surplus close to 3.5% of GDP, few countries have managed to reach and sustain such high levels of primary balances for a decade or more, and it is highly unlikely that Greece can do so considering its still weak policy making institutions and projections suggesting that unemployment will remain at double digits for several decades.”

    The IMF said that Greece’s national debt as a share of GDP would fall from just over 180% this year to around 140% by 2030 if debt relief was provided. The alternative, it added, was that Greece would face an ever-higher bill for servicing its rising debts.

    • The other thing so disgusting about John Key is that he gained so much from NZ and just wants to destroy it into a wasteland.

      He got the state house. But is selling them off now he is PM.

      His mother was a refugee. But he only allows 750 refugees into NZ – even though National increased NZ population by 67,000 last year as PM.

      He says he gives his PM salary to charity but refuses to release his tax returns.

      He pretends to be an ‘ordinary’ kiwi but will not disclose to what extent he is a multimillionaire currency trader who supports tax havens and is IDU chairman and has nothing in common with 99% of Kiwis – let alone farmers – he can’t even nail up a sign.

      He is minister of tourism but holidays in Hawaii.

      He says he does not want Kiwis to be tenants in their own country but is privatising and selling off assets as fast as he can.

      • Key will go down in history as the worst prime minister we have ever had except for Shipley who lowered the drinking age to 18yrs and tried to force beneficiaries to eat her beneficiary soup. Now she is creaming it on 1k a day in Chch. I have never seen so many people struggling in our country and so many divided on social issues like housing and jobs. John key may not be welcome in our country after his term is up and we as a country are sick and tired of his poor leadership and divisiveness.

      • Smoke & mirrors they call it, the merchant banking community are basically parasites who dismantle existing businesses and sell off the parts they are like automotive car wreckers.

        NZ have gone from N0 1 in the OECD in 1975 to NO 27 in the OECD in 2015 and we have sold off most of our State Assets plus we are $120 Billion in the RED, not going super good I don’t think.

        The problem is most politicans are not qualified to run the country, they have little or no commercial experience and are puppets for the secret society which is controlling the country from outside of Parliament.

      • Smoke & mirrors they call it, the merchant banking community are basically parasites who dismantle existing businesses and sell off the parts they are like automotive car wreckers.

        NZ have gone from N0 1 in the OECD in 1975 to NO 27 in the OECD in 2015 and we have sold off most of our State Assets plus we are $120 Billion in the RED, not going super good I don’t think.

        The problem is most politicans are not qualified to run the country, they have little or no commercial experience and are puppets for the secret society which is controlling the country from outside of Parliament.

  3. “And Germany is creating an unholy Teutonic empire in Europe, made possible by its ability, as finance-meister of the Euro Area, to exploit the Euro debt crisis that took hold in 2010.”

    That line, I am afraid, totally disqualifies the writer of this post, as he has no clue, or does only misrepresent facts.

    Germany is having little control over the whole EU now, certainly very little since it lost its influence during the refugee crisis, where so many countries refused to accept refugees, while most went to countries like Germany, Sweden and so.

    Greece was not helped, but that was not the Germans’ fault.

    The Greek financial crisis is not yet over, but some agreement was recently reached to help them further, to finance their budgets.

    It is certainly not one woman in Berlin who dictates to Athens what goes and what not, nor a Mr Shauble, on his own, there is participation within the EU, so do not try to play on past wrongdoings turning Germany into the “evil” nation.

    We are getting less and less quality comments and writings, I note, that is usually in the MSM, so perhaps consider what and how you write your posts on TDB, Mr Rankin.

    • When it comes to the rental churn in Auckland, which I have myself experienced as being a renter, and when it comes to the government’s motives to reward land owners and developers, Keith is right though.

      What makes me angry is how the government is basically putting pressure on Auckland Council and indirectly also the Independent Hearing Panel that is supposed to formulate recommendations on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. They are interfering with the legal process under statute law (incl. the RMA) that must be followed fairly and independently, by already stating what the government in Wellington expects.

      I am astonished that the MSM has not reported more critically on this interference, but what do they ever report on anyway, I ask?

      As a renter I dread the future of living in this city of Auckland, as it is going to be grim for many years, that is for people like me, facing rent increases, and also for first home buyers.

      Whatever we will get will be a shocker, either many multi level dwellings in many places, needing to have units not bigger than 30 sqm, and ruining existing neighbourhoods, where they should perhaps not be built, and alternatively, perhaps at the same time, more urban sprawl.

      No infrastructure planning to serve the needs of 2.5 million anticipated Auckland population and just more motorways and streets for ever more cars, and not even sufficient water to supply such a population.

      We have idiots run the show in both Wellington and Auckland, and the mess will be immense, as already now a third of all building inspected by Council’s inspectors is flawed and poor work. It will make the leaky home fiasco look harmless, what I expect to come.

  4. JK and National are causing this crisis, it has been manufactured in the Beehive.

    WE HAVE MASS IMMIGRATION AND A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT WHO WILL NOT SPEND MONEY ON INFRASTRUCTURE IN AUCKLAND-FACT.

  5. Auckland City Coucil, the NZ Government and Fonterra are following the same business model – stupidity.

  6. Can somebody write an article and explain where the Auckland Council is going wrong and where they are spending all this money.

  7. Great Post @ Keith Rankin. Thanks.

    I have a suspicious, some might say paranoid, way of thinking.
    Hence.
    Is New Zealand being groomed as the New Occupied Territories? Are [we] going to become Palestinians of the South Pacific?

    Bizarrly inflated NZ house prices are to me an indication of a massive foreign land grab and the last time I looked God wasn’t making more Aotearoa/NZ’s elsewhere on Earth.

    NZ/Aotearoa is drone proof, disease resistant, has no immediate neighbours and is filthy rich in vital resources.

    9.7 Billion people are going to start to feel the pinch of their filthy ways and realise that, that zippy car and cell phone wasn’t worth poisoning vast tracks of lands where tens of millions of them live.

    Analogy Alert.
    I picked up a poor wretched and dead rat to drop in the bin the other day. As I lifted it up, millions of fleas came scuttling out of its fur to see if they could jump for it onto a new, living, warm blooded host.
    You can take the parasite out of the rat but you can’t take the rat out of the parasite. Yankee Doodle Psycho Jonky-Stien is a good example of that .

  8. What I find odd, is that with 8 years of intensive immigration of importing in hundreds of thousands of ‘skilled people’ for our massive ‘skill shortage’ John Key’s government has still have only built 1000 houses (while selling 2700 state houses) but we need hundreds of thousands more to house the ‘skilled people’.

    Talk about creating the crisis that did not used to exist.

    Soon the government can use all those extra people they personally imported in, to say we can’t support free health care, education, social welfare and superannuation and we have to privatise….

  9. Well said, Save NZ
    I will add, get out and vote Aucklander’s for a strong Council and Mayor,
    it is election Year!
    It is obvious that Key has run out of ideas as he is resorting to
    bullying and blaming .
    On a beautiful day like today, I cannot believe that there is a more beautiful city in the World.
    [there are solutions to increasing poverty]

    • @ Dotti, I will add, get out and vote Aucklander’s for a strong Council and Mayor,

      Hear, hear!

      Would be great if Waatea could run some stories about the left candidates to vote for.

      Not the Far Right, Right and Right Lite ones!

      Also agree gorgeous day in NZ, we still live in a beautiful country.

    • @ Dotti, I will add, get out and vote Aucklander’s for a strong Council and Mayor,

      Hear, hear!

      Would be great if Waatea could run some stories about the left candidates to vote for.

      Not the Far Right, Right and Right Lite ones!

      Also agree gorgeous day in NZ, we still live in a beautiful country.

  10. Give me a break! With such a simplistic view of politics like this it is no wonder the left are in the wilderness. This article and the responses to it are full of ridiculous character assassination and a childish analysis of Key’s motivations. For a start Key would undoubtedly have a far greater intelligence than the author or his other critics here. The idea that Key has such a venal and simplistic view as to be focused on just making money for land owners is plain stupid. People with serious money don’t need Keys support. The fact is the people with serious money are smarter and work harder than you. We don’t need or want Keys help. We just believe, as history has shown ad infinitum, that the lefts vision destroys economies and hammers the poor – see Venezuela.

      • 100% Frank,

        Wonder how/were he got his money and now has it hidden in some Tax haven in ——??????

      • Mark has the right to voice his ACT opinions here Frank, just as Andrew Little is allowed to talk about his MoU with the Greens on Paul Henry.

        People need uplifting by the people-friendly policies of ACT, especially here where there is gloom and doom being peddled and blamed solely on ACT ( a minor player in a governing coalition) for all the woes of New Zealand.

        ACT are a progressive party and that would welcome working with the Greens and Labour when they become the dominant coalition in 2021.

    • …………………………………………………………………………………………..
      ” The idea that Key has such a venal and simplistic view as to be focused on just making money for land owners is plain stupid.”
      …………………………………………………………………………………………..

      Hmmmm…. that stupid statement deserves a Gumpism.

      ‘ Stupid is as stupid does’ .

      And the fact is… he HAS got a venal and simplistic view – its called supply side economics / starve the beast .

      Otherwise known as neo liberalism.

      Probably the most dumbest and self serving ideology ever foistered on the working and middle classes ever by the wealthy.

      And the sad thing is?… they got away with the big fat lie for 3 decades. But not now… as the whole lie is crashing down around their ears. And every dumber than dumb statement and move they make serves to make them look more foolish by the day.

      It will be a govt of the Left in 2017.

      Guaranteed.

    • So tell me then, list 10 things Key has done to benefit all N.Zers.
      Remember we have just found out he lied to , of all people, The Salvation Army, how low can you really go?

  11. Key and whoever are purposely bankrupting NZ and Auckland City so the vultures can come in and pick over the carcasses, similar to what happened to BNZ and the Irish Economy, don’t worry this is all planned.

    Just like the Neoliberal Experiment which was formulated out of one of the Universities in the USA in the 1970’s-1980’s, fortunately some people are starting to wake up to what has been going on.

    Bernie Sanders in the USA is waking up the sleepy hobbits to Clinton and Trump, unfortunately most New Zealanders haven’t woken up to Key and the Natzis Social Engineering and Auckland’s Housing Ponzi Scheme.

  12. National blames everyone for their inept policies except taking responsibility for their own actions. Why am I not surprised.

  13. I agree Keith, but there is also a killing to be made by the private infrastructure lobby through PPPs, which are cash cows for the private sector with minimal risk. It is worth looking also at the links between the Demographia ‘housing affordability’ surveys and their solution to open up more land, the National government (including Brash when he was there) and the Productivity Commission.

    • We need a protest about housing that dwarfs 4FEB.

      For every person who would come out against the TPP, 10 will come out demanding action to end the housing crisis.

  14. After WWII, all of the nations of Europe were forced to rebuild housing that had been destroyed by the war, and they needed to do this quickly. Millions of returned citizen-soldiers were in *no* mood for argument. So all of the governments of Europe snapped-to, and built houses, apartments and infrastructure as quickly as it could be arranged.

    The explanation for their “can-do” attitude, versus our present “can’t-do” government is simple; the government then was afraid of the people, whereas today, the people fear their governments.

    A mood is shaping up in America, that the people have had enough, and soon, any politician who does not share the concerns of the people will be campaigned against in their own electorate until they are GONE from politics.

    This mood cannot come quickly enough to New Zealand.

    • Hence JK bolstering up the SIS,GCSB and the joining into the 5 Eyes Coalition, so they can spy on the masses and our own people.

      The terrorist threat is an illusion created by the Elite 1% percenters, however they have created the terrorist threat by indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations world wide, if your family had been bombed and killed by indiscriminate bombing would you hold grievances towards the parties who committed the atrocities.

      I was told by a Vietnamese colleague that 18 million Vietnamese were killed by the bombing and the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, online information indicates 1.5 million, you wonder why some of these people still have a dislike for certain sections of the Western World.

      Read recently a retired US General said no one would be interested in the Middle East if it wasn’t for the oil reserves, I used to think that was humbug however I have since changed my mind after reading articles online.

  15. Basically what is happening in Auckland is what has already in the speculative housing market in China where you have whole cities of empty apartment buildings – the houses are too expensive for people to live in so half of Auckland’s houses will be empty or close to empty while the other half are stocked with families to a bedroom (or garage) as that will be the only way they can afford to pay the rent.

    Sadly we will soon be seeing the (bad) joke of the average Auckland house price being over $1 million with no end in sight to price rises as you have the entire wealthy classes of the world able to buy into the market, meaning unlimited funds to keep pushing this investment bubble higher.

    • All right here as this administration has lost it’s way check this next killer for National.

      Transport is a big election issue now emerging for the coalition between the opposition parties as we go forward now towards the next year’s election and we expect we should see National’s wild wanton destruction of our public Kiwirail regional rail asset to finally cease.

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/288334/kiwirail-calls-for-support-for-trains

      Kiwirail’s Chair and CEO have recently pleaded like beggars on Radio NZ for the National administration to help save regional rail, but these begging efforts were greeted with a surly NO but this mat now be tempered with the recent joining of opposition parties to work together on issues to defeat the government during next years election on several fronts.

      Within all regions there are deep serious community concerns from all quarters over all those region’s now facing rail closures, that may well cause a shift in National loosing several seats in these regions in the next election.

      This is because of the National applying severe political interference to curtail Kiwirail’s attempts to revitalise the regional rail services, or even to cross lease parts of the network as PPP to some regional Local Councils, such as HB regional Council are now attempting to do, to save the whole Eastland rail services.

      Similarly National’s careless abandonment of all regional funding to save the Northland, East Coast, Tararua, Wairarapa, Taranaki, Waikato, and many south Island regional rail services will cost them several seats in parliament if they continue their wanton destruction of these urgently needed rail services as they cut and slash Kiwi rail’s budget and instead “redirect all funding” to assist private interests operating the Auckland passenger rail and Wellington commuter rail all now being set up to be run both by private overseas European companies, casing a loss of all future revenues from supporting Kiwirail also there.

      National are acting recklessly there now, and stand to loose the next election for certain, unless they suddenly reverse their financial throttling of Kiwi rail’s budget and finally save all these productive regions rail freight and passenger services soon.

      Put this up on your calendar as a biggie for the election please.

  16. WHAT! John Key; A LIAR??????? Well——————————

    1.I promise to always be honest
    2.I will not be hiring Crosby/Textor
    3.The Government I lead will be a Government of good standards.
    4.we are not going to sack public servants, the attrition rate will reduce costs
    5.we are not going to cut working for families
    6.I firmly believe in climate change and always have
    7.We seek a 50% reduction in New Zealand’s carbon-equivalent net emissions, as compared to 1990 levels, by 2050. 50 by 50. We will write the target into law.
    8.National Ltd™ will provide a consistent incentive for both biofuel and biodiesel by exempting them from excise tax or road user charges
    9.National Ltd™ will increase the number of front line police officers by 600 before the end of 2011
    10.there is no truth in Nicky Hager’s book “The Hollowmen”
    11.I didn’t know about The Bretheren election tactics
    12.If they came to us now with that proposal [re trans-Tasman Therapeutic Goods regime], we will sign it
    13.I can’t remember my position on the 1981 Springbok Tour
    14. Tranzrail shares
    15.I did not mislead the House (1)
    16. Lord Ashcroft
    17.National Ltd™ would not have sent troops into Iraq
    18.Standard & Poors credit downgrade
    19.the double-down grade doesn’t really matter and its only about private sector debt
    20.I did not mislead the House (2)
    21.I didn’t say I want wages to drop
    22.I can’t remember why I voted against increasing the minimum wage
    23.lifting the minimum wage to $15 an hour will increase unemployment
    24.the real rate of inflation is 3.3 percent.
    25.the tourism sector has not lost 7,000 jobs
    26.no I have never heard of Whitechapel
    27.I won’t raise GST
    28.people who are on the average wage and have a child are $48 a week better off after the rise in GST
    29.the purchase of farmland, by overseas buyers will be limited to ten farms per purchase
    30.the Pike River Mine was consented to under a Labour Government
    31.no promises were made to get the remains of the miners out of the Pike River mine
    32.I did not provide a view on the safety of the Pike River coalmine
    33.I did not mislead the House (3)
    34.capping, not cutting the public service
    35.raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will cost 6000 jobs
    36.north of $50 a week
    37.privatisation won’t significantly help the economy
    38.wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones
    39.I never offered Brash a diplomatic job in London
    40.Tariana Turia is “totally fine” with the Tuhoe Treaty Claim deal
    41.Kiwisaver
    42.National Ltd™ is not going to radically reorganise the structure of the public sector
    43.tax cuts won’t require additional borrowing
    44.New Zealand does not have a debt problem
    45.New Zealand troops in Afghanistan will only be involved in training, not fighting
    46.the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia has closed under my National Ltd™ government
    47.It took 9 years for Labour to make a complete and utter mess of the economy
    48.National Ltd™ has changed the Overseas Investment Act to include 19 different criteria
    49.the price of goods and services has risen by 6 percent since the last election, while the after-tax average wage has actually gone up by 16 percent
    50.no, although its a week ago and here I am being interviewed on television about them, I havn’t seen Gerry Brownlee’s comments regarding demolitions in Christchurch and which caused such outrage, but I can talk all about them
    51.our SAS soldiers were not involved in the Kabul Hotel gunfight
    52.the use of the Vela brother’s helicopter was required so I could attend meetings relating to national/international security concerns
    53.the DPS makes the decision about accompanying the Prime Minister or not, I had no choice but to take them on holiday to Hawaii
    54.I did not mislead the House (4)
    55.oh, maybe our SAS soldiers were in the Kabul hotel gun fight but they weren’t wounded by friendly fire
    56.New Zealand has lost $12 billion from GDP due to the Christchurch earthquake . . . oh, it might actually be around $15 billion from GDP due to the Christchurch earthquake . . . Blinglish said what?
    57.10,000 houses will have to be demolished in Christchurch due to the earthquake
    58.14,000 new apprentices will start training over the next five years, over and above the number previously forecast
    59.our amendments to the ETS ensure we will continue to do our fair share internationally
    60.we are committed to honouring our Kyoto Protocol obligations
    61.any changes to the ETS will be fiscally neutral
    62.New Zealand has grown for eight of the last nine quarters”
    63.National Ltd™ will tender out the government banking contract
    64.we will be back in surplus by 2014-15
    65.Nicky Hager’s book “Other People’s Wars” is a work of fiction
    66.unemployment is starting to fall
    67.we have created 60,000 jobs
    68.we have created 45,000 jobs
    69.the 2011 Budget will create in the order of 170,000 jobs
    70.I don’t know if I own a vineyard
    71.no, I did not mislead the House (5)
    72.the Isreali spy killed in the Christchurch quake had “only one” passport
    73.the Police will not need to make savings by losing jobs
    74.I voted to keep the drinking age at 20
    75.New Zealand is 100% Pure
    76.I’ve been prime minister for four years, and it’s really 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year
    77.baseball in New Zealand is attracting more government support
    78.the decision to buy brand new BMWs was made by the Department of Internal Affairs without reference either to their minister or to me
    79.I didn’t have a clue that Ministerial Services, which I am in charge of, was going to buy brand new BMWs
    80.even though four of my ministers knew all about it, I didn’t have a clue that brand new BMWs were being bought.
    81.even though my Chief of Staff met with officials to discuss purchase of the the brand new BMWs, I didn’t have a clue
    82.even though I personally signed papers discussing the matter, I still didn’t have a clue
    83.Labour forced us into buying the brand new BMWs, its their fault
    84.ummm, look, sorry about that BMW thing , it was because I was so upset
    85.I did not describe David Beckam as thick as batshit
    86.I did not mislead the House (6)
    87.the public demanded that we change the labour laws for The Hobbit
    88.“The Hobbit” created 3000 new jobs
    89.we have delivered 800 extra doctors in the public service
    90.I did not mislead the House (7)
    91.I wasn’t working at Elders when the sham foreign exchange deals took place
    92.I was starting School Certificate exams in 1978
    93.I don’t know who arrived on the CIA jet to visit the spies I am responsible for
    94.reducing barriers to property developers will increase the availability of affordable housing
    95.Labour left the economy in poor shape
    96.forecasts show unemployment will fall
    97.we have closed the wage gap with Australia by $27
    98.Ngati Porou and Whanau Apanui are not opposed to mining
    99.I have not had any meetings with Media Works
    100.our [NZ’s] terms of trade remain high
    101.the TPPA is an example of democracy
    102.the TPPA will still have to be ratified by Parliament
    103.National Ltd™ will use the proceeds of state asset sales to invest in other public assets, like schools and hospitals
    104.New Zealand troops will be out of Afghanistan by April 2013
    105.overseas investment in New Zealand adds to what New Zealanders can invest on their own
    106.overseas investment in New Zealand creates jobs, boosts incomes, and helps the economy grow
    107.National Ltd™ will build 2000 houses over the next two years
    108.there are only 4 New Zealand SAS soldiers in Bamiyan and all working in the area of logistics and planning only
    109.selling state assets will give cash equity to those companies
    110.the Sky City deal will provide 1000 construction jobs and 800 casino jobs
    111.all five bidders for the convention centre were treated equally
    112.my office has had no correspondence, no discussions, no involvement with the Sky City deal
    113.I did not mislead the House (8)
    114.I can’t remember what was discussed at my meeting with the SkyCity Chief Executive on 14 May 2009
    115.I have no record of the 12 November 2009 email from Treasury advising that the SkyCity deal was dodgy and needed to be referred to the Auditor General
    116.there was nothing improper about the Sky City deal
    117.SkyCity will only get “a few more” pokie machines at the margins
    118.any changes to gambling regulations will be subject to a full public submission process
    119.Sky City has approached TVNZ about the purchase/use of government-owned land
    120.I did not mislead the House (9)
    121.this government has been very transparent about all its dealings with SkyCity
    122.I did not mislead the House (10)
    123.the Auditor General has fully vindicated National over the Sky City deal
    124.I did not mislead the House (11)
    125.the Deputy Auditor General supports the view that there was nothing inappropriate about the Sky City deal
    126.I did not mislead the House (12)
    127.I did not breach the confidentiality of the Auditor General’s Report into the Sky City deal
    128.the Labour Government did exactly the same sort of deal back in 2001
    129.Labour has promised to not revoke the Sky City legislation
    130.the construction of the new SkyCity convention centre will not cost taxpayers or ratepayers a cent with SkyCity meeting the full project costs in return for some concessions from the Government
    131.there’s a 50/50 chance the Hobbit is going off shore unless we do something
    132.David Shearer has signed up for the purchase of shares in Mighty River
    133.Solid Energy asked the government for a $1 billion capital investment
    134.National will not be using $100 million from the sale of Mighty River Power shares to bail out Solid Energy
    135.fracking has been going safely on in Taranaki for the past 30 years without any issues
    136.no frontline positions will be lost at DOC
    137.Iain Rennie came to me and recommended Fletcher for the GCSB job
    138.I told Cabinet that I knew Ian Fletcher
    139.I forgot that after I scrapped the shortlist for GCSB job I phoned a life-long friend to tell him to apply for the position
    140.I told Iain Rennie I would contact Fletcher
    141.I haven’t seen Ian Fletcher in a long time.
    142.I did not mislead the House (13)
    143.I have no reason to doubt at this stage that Peter Dunne did not leak the GCSB report
    144.I called directory service to get Ian Fletcher’s number
    145.the new legislation narrows the scope of the GCSB
    146.the GCSB has been prevented from carrying out its functions because of the law governing its functions
    147.because the opposition is opposed the GCSB law amendments, parliamentary urgency is required
    148.the increasing number of cyber intrusions which I can’t detail or discuss prove that the GCSB laws need to be extended to protect private enterprise
    149.it was always the intent of the GCSB Act to be able to spy on New Zealanders on behalf of the SIS and police
    150.National Ltd™ is not explanding the activities of the GCSB with this new law
    151.cyber terrorists have attempted to gain access to information about weapons of mass destruction held on New Zealand computers
    152.the law which says the GCSB cannot spy on New Zealanders is not clear
    153.it totally incorrect that the Government effectively through GCSB will be able to wholesale spy on New Zealanders
    154.we self identified that there was a problem with the GCSB spying on Kim Dotcom
    155.the illegal spying on Kim Dotcom was an isolated incident
    156.The advice I have had in 4 years as a Minister is that in no way ever has there been an indication of unlawful spying
    157.the Ministerial Warrant signed by Bill English did not cover anything up
    158.I wasn’t briefed about the raid on Kim Dotcom’s home.
    159.first I heard I heard about Kim Dotcom was on 19 January 2012
    160.first I heard about the illegal spying on Kim Dotcom was in 17 September 2012
    161.I did not mislead the House (14)
    162.I won’t be discussing Kim Dotcom during my Hollywood visit.
    163.The Human Rights Commission couldn’t get its submission on the GCSB legislation in on time.
    164.it would cost too much to for the police and SIS to carry out the spying on New Zealanders that this new legislation will permit
    165.critics of the GCSB legislation, including the Law Society, the Human Rights Commission, and the Privacy Commission, are all uninformed
    166.no, I did not mislead the House (15)
    167.I do not know how Mr Henry is conducting the Inquiry
    168.no, I did not mislead the House (16)
    169.the Henry Inquiry had permission to view Ministers’ emails
    170.no, I did not mislead the House (??)
    171.we do not spy on journalists
    172.the passing of phone records to the Henry Inquiry was an error on the part of a contractor
    173.I wasn’t aware that my own Chief of Staff was instructing Parliamentary Services to hand over information concerning journalist Andrea Vance
    174.National Ltd™ has never tried to impinge on the role of the media
    175.I had nothing to do with information on a journalist being handed over to the inquiry into the leaking of the GCSB report
    176.the terms of the inquiry made it clear to everyone that it was only the phone records of parliamentary staff and ministers that were to be provided
    177.I have the utmost respect for the media and the role it plays in New Zealand’s democracy
    178.the Henry Inquiry did not access a journalist’s building-access records
    179.the Henry Inquiry did not ask for phone and email records
    180.no, I did not mislead the House (17)
    181.the Greens are opposed to the GCSB and the SIS even existing
    182.the GCSB needs to spy on New Zealanders because there are al-Qaeda terrorists in New Zealand
    183.the GCSB is not sharing meta-data with the NSA
    184.John Minto is in the Green Party
    185.the GCSB needs to spy on New Zealanders because of the terrorist threat, even though official reports released over my signature say there is no risk and the SIS has the matter in hand
    186.the GCSB Bill does not give the GCSB the power to look at the content of communications as part of its cyber-security functions
    187.no, I did not mislead the House (18)
    188.Edward Snowden hacked into the NSA data base to obtain the documents which show details of the GCSB setting up a mass surveillance system
    189.I will release documents which show that an operation to provide mass surveillance data only ever made it to the business plan stage.
    190.Ummm . . . now that people are paying attention, the programme got underway but I stopped in in March 2013 or, askshully, it might have been September 2013.
    191.Kim Dotcom is paying Glenn Greenwald to come to New Zealand
    192.There’s no ambiguity. No middle ground. I’m right and Glenn Greenwald is wrong,
    193.I’ll resign if the GCSB conducts mass surveillance
    194.there never has been any mass surveillance and New Zealand has not gathered mass information and provided it to international agencies.
    195.The GCSB does not have the physical capability to carry out mass surveillance
    196.New Zealand has not gathered mass information and provided it to international agencies.”
    197.there will be no mining on Conservation land in the Corromandel
    198.no, I did not say we would follow the US and Australia into a war against North Korea
    199.New Zealand has an arrangement to have asylum seekers processed in Australian detention camps
    200.I did not mislead the house (19)
    201.I paid for that lunch and I’ve got the credit card bill to prove it
    202.I am honest and upfront
    203.the only way net new jobs can be created is by private investors putting their money into businesses in New Zealand
    204.you can’t hide if yuu’re Prime Minister
    205.an increase in the number of people looking for work indicates that confidence is returning to the economy
    206.the 10 percent of taxpayers in New Zealand who are the top earners pay 76 percent of all net personal tax.
    207.I did not mislead the House (20)
    208.Aaron Gilmour was one of a number of people in a group who were badly behaved
    209.the substantial wage growth under Labour was eroded by inflation
    210.National Ltd™’s 2010 tax changes were fiscally neutral
    211.I did not mislead the House (21)
    212.the bulk of New Zealanders earn between $45,000 and $75,000 a year
    213.Pike River Coal did not put profits and its production ahead of the safety and lives of those 29 workers.
    214.Radio Live had sought advice from the Electoral Commission about my show just before the election
    215.it is because of National Ltd™’s policies that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables has dropped.
    216.the length-of-the-country cycleway will create 4000 jobs.
    217.police training for next year has not been cancelled
    218.National Ltd™ has only cut back-office jobs in the health service
    219.The Crown’s dividend stream from the Meridians, the Mighty Rivers of the world is large and there is no motivation to sell assets; actually we’re about creating assets not selling assets.”
    220.National believes employment law should treat all parties fairly. It should . . . Protect employees and employers.
    221.I am not trying to tackle such issues in a “fearful” way ahead of the next election
    222.Wellington City is dying.
    223.National Ltd™ has been working on a number of things with New Zealand First on a number of things one of which has a financial component but I can’t talk about it
    224.the best way to get growth in the economy is to reduce public debt
    225.New Zealand mum and dad investors will be our number one priority in the allocation of Mighty River shares
    226.we won’t let “cowboy” oil exploration companies operate here in New Zealand
    227.the Green Party is racist by not allowing Chinese residents in New Zealand to buy a house
    228.the Labour Party is promising a four-bedroom house in Auckland for $300,000
    229.the food in schools programme is in the 2013 budget
    230.the meat exports are being held up in China because of issues in relation to the Chinese looking to trace counterfeit meat
    231.its notoriously difficult to win three elections in a row
    232.I am deeply concerned about every child in New Zealand who is in poverty
    233.there is no manufacturing crisis in New Zealand
    234.the government’s exposure to MediaWorks’ going into receivership is reasonably limited
    235.the money from the sale of state assets will not be used to prop up Solid Energy
    236.I don’t see a place for a Winston Peters-led New Zealand First in a government that I lead. It’s not a matter of political convenience, it’s a matter of political principle.
    237.The vast majority of the buildings in Christchurch came through the earthquakes in good shape
    238.the commemoration of New Zealand’s involvement in the Korean War will not be used to bolster trade talks
    239.third generation Chinese New Zealanders will be required to present their passport before buying a house under the Labour government
    240.the Labour housing policy is an attempt by David Shearer to save his leadership
    241.the Labour housing policy is in breach of free trade agreements
    242.only 2% of the proceeds of the sale of Mighty River will be spent on the sales process
    243.David Cunliffe is lying to you
    244.Labour wants to nationalise the super market industry
    245.The government will engage in no further negotiations with Rio Tinto
    246.Without a government subsidy of hundreds of millions of dollars Chorus will go broke
    247.No, I did not mislead the House (??)
    248.the justice system is already adequate for handling situations involving new evidence
    249.my Minister Nick Smith was not aware of the content of the leaked draft submission on the Ruataniwha situation until 17 September
    250.New Zealand First will nationalise a host of industries and businesses
    251.I have no responsibility for the statements I make
    252.Mark Mitchell was just gossiping at a cocktail party when he tipped Webster off about Len Brown’s affair
    253.it was a lack of external analysis and accountability which put Solid Energy into its debt crisis
    254.the Commerce Commission misinterpreted the law when deciding the price for access to the Chorus copper infrastructure
    255.no analyist predicted that the cost of access to the copper infrastructure would go down
    256.there has been only one problem with oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
    257.If it was my vote, it would be no pay increases for Mps
    258.Greenpeace are just scare mongering about any oil leaks off the New Zealand coast
    259.For every election for the last five elections , we have had royal visitors to New Zealand.
    260.No decision has been made on the timing of the sale of Air New Zealand shares
    261.its not true that in New Zealand the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer
    262.This summer is the most active season ever for oil and gas exploration, with the industry spending up to $750 million. At the same time, the Government is strengthening the regulations that govern drilling, particularly in deep water.
    263.Labour is trying to mislead people about eligibility for Best Start because they don’t get the payment while they also get paid parental leave.
    264.A mountain of evidence shows that the quality of teaching – inside the classroom – is the biggest influence on kids’ achievement
    265.Governor General Jerry Mateparae has been jostled while walking onto Te Tii Marae at Waitangi .
    266.Cameron Slater, who I speak to regularly and who told me about Winston meeting Kim Dot Com, has got absolutely nothing to do with the National Party.
    267.Cameron Slater rang me
    268.What I do know is that when this Government came in, there were predictions that unemployment would rise to over 10 percent.
    269.The Cabinet Office had cleared Judith Collins of a conflict of interest
    270.The golf tournament in which I played the chairman of Oravida was for charity.
    271.The Cabinet Office has cleared Collins of a conflict of interest after it translated comments on Oravida’s website which stated that she had praised its products
    272.My Justice Minister, Judith Collins, didn’t lie to Parliament, she just didn’t understand the question.
    273.The [MFAT] paperwork shows right through this that not only did the Minister have a very busy programme, all on judicial and justice issues, but, secondly, all the way through it talks about a private dinner.
    274.No, I did not mislead parliament. (??)
    275.No, I did not mislead the House(??)
    276.The Unions decide the leadership of the Labour Party and picked David Cunliffe
    277.Unions give the Labour Party millions of dollars a year
    278.The economic mess inherited by the Abbott government in Australia can be likened to the economic mess inherited by National Ltd™ when it came into office in 2008.
    279.National Ltd™ inherited an economic mess from Labour
    280.National Ltd™ inherited an economic mess from Labour in 2008
    281.No, I did not mislead the House(??)
    282.Twelve percent of New Zealand households pay 76 percent of all net tax in New Zealand
    283.Natinal Ltd™ ignored the plight of babies living in the poorest famililies because there is other assistance available
    284.the Malaysian government declined to waive diplomatic immunity for the man charged with burglary and attempted rape
    285.the UN officials visiting down south are focussing on sustainable agriculture
    286.I would apologise to the woman if I knew who she was
    287.My government has led the charge on the transperancy of MPs’ spending
    288.Only 1 percent of New Zealand farm land is in foreign ownership
    289.Internet Mana put together the video depicting a burning effigy of me.
    290.Under National Ltd™ the prison population has gone down.
    291.National Ltd™ has been nowwhere near the Labour party computer system
    292.The OIA request to the SIS about Phil Goff’s briefing on the Isreali spies had nothing to do with my office.
    293.National Ltd™ talks to the blogs exactly the same way we talk to the MSM
    294.The allegations in Nicky Hager’s book are all wrong.
    295.Nicky Hager has got nothing to prove any of the allegations.
    296.All this stuff in “Dirty Politics” is coming from the left.
    297.National Ltd™ is not using blogs as attack sites any more than anyone would do
    298.The release of “Dirty Politics” is part of a coordinated attack from the left because it is unable to win the discussion on the issues that matter.
    299.Very little of the book “Diry Politics” is about me.
    300.Most of the assumptions and allegations made by Nicky Hager in “Dirty Politics” are dissolving before his eyes.
    301.All of Nicky Hager’s allegations are unravelling.
    302.Nicky Hager didn’t check the facts before publishing “Dirty Politics
    303.When National came into office the economy was in tatters.
    304.Over the last year an extra 84,000 jobs were created.
    305.In our party we believe in supporting families.
    306.The Greens have two co-leaders who want to be co-deputy-prime ministers in some kind of bizarre job-sharing experiment.
    307.“Internet-Mana put the burning efigy video together
    308.No one other than Cameron Slater asked for the SIS document confirming that Phil Goff had been breifed on the Israeli spies in Christchurch.
    309.I wasn’t informed that the SIS was going to release the information about the Israeli spies in Christchurch to Cameron Slater.
    310.Under Labour, family homes held in a trust will attract the Capital Gains Trust
    311.More than 300,000 New Zealanders have their homes held in a trust
    312.New Zealand already has a Capital Gains Tax
    313.2014 Election
    314.There will be no New Zealand military intervention in Iraq, barring an unlikely United Nations Security Council mission
    315.There will be no more asset sales
    316.David Seymour did not ask for a Ministerial position with the National Party
    317.The New Zealand military personnel are just attending a regular ordinary meeting in the United States (x 13 times)
    318.New Zealand is not involved in any coalition to fight in the Middle East
    319.It is not currently illegal for someone to fight overseas for a terrorist group
    320.When it comes to requests for official information, my ministers always act within the law.
    321.I have never called or texted Cameron Slater in my capacity as Prime Minister
    322.No, I did not mislead the House. (??)
    323.I did not admit to having abused the OIA process.
    324.I did not mislead the House(??)
    325.The Gwynn Report into the handling of OIA requests by the SIS completely exonerated me
    326.Its not true that the process I put in place for the SIS reporting to me was politicised
    327.The review into Judith Collins has got nothing to do with the release of information to Cameron Slater
    328.My office had nothing to do with the release of information to Cameron Slater
    329.No, I did not mislead the House (??)
    330.I can’t remember all the phone texts I exchanged except when I say I can
    331.I did not engage in an exchange of text messages with Cameron Slater, I just acknowledged one unsolicited message from him
    332.The DPMC head attended the Roger Sutton PR conference because his department is taking over Cera next year.
    333.New Zealand was one of the very few countries in the world that were settled peacefully.
    334.I was being asked a specific question about the Chisholm report when I said I had had not contact with Cameron Slater
    335.No, I did not mislead the House
    336.When the particular question was asked there was quite a lot of noise in the house and so I only heard the first bit.
    337.I have not been in contact with Cameron Slater ahead of the release of Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Cheryl Gwyn’s report into the SIS’s role in Slater’s 2011 political attack on former Labour Leader Phil Goff.
    338.No, I did not mislead the House (??)
    339.The number of children in those low decile schools which I have visited who actually require lunch is the odd one or two
    340.The Greens are responsible for the rise in income equality within New Zealand
    341.I don’t want to overly concern or frighten people about the threat of a terrorist action in New Zealand.
    342.Labour is promoting a separatist approach to dealing with the Treaty of Waitangi which could result in Northland becoming an independent republic
    343.The owner of Oravida, Stone Shi, won a round of golf with me after he placed the winning bid at a charity auction
    344.I didn’t know until late January 2015 that Mike Sabin was facing family issues which may lead to his resignation
    345.My meeting with Donghua Liu was not a Cabinet Club meeting, oh, hang on, yes it was, oh, maybe it wasn’t
    346.Labour did not seek a Parliamentary vote when sending SAS troops into Afghanistan on a combat mission and didn’t even tell New Zealand they were going
    347.When I said “the price of The Club” I meant “The Club” was all the 62 nations in the US-led coalition of troops to fight in Iraq
    348.New Zealanders gave National Ltd™ a two year mandate to send troops into Iraq as part of the US-led coalition
    349.News about repairing bridges in Northland is just the standard release of policy
    350.Nicky Hager and Kim Dotcom prevented National Ltd™ from announcing the decision to upgrade ten bridges in Northland.
    351.New Zealand gas emissions have not increased since I became Prime Minister
    352.If you think about iTunes, if you download a song and it’s $1.29, there’s no reason the GST shouldn’t apply to that. In reality, GST would be 2 cents
    353.The timing of the release of information about GCSB spying on Tim Grocer’s WTO rivals was deliberate and all part of a particular agenda by Nicky Hager and some others
    354.Major roading projects and the free trade deal with Korea will be at risk if Winston Peters wins the Northland election
    355.It was my office, not the police, which was the first to be told about the 1080 infant formula blackmail threat.
    356.There is no housing crisis in Auckland
    357.I promise that “metadata” will be defined in legislation
    358.You are allowed to use the resources of the officials during an election in terms of what would be Government policy
    359.No, I did not mislead the House (??)
    360.As long as Simon Bridges didn’t get any policy advice from his officials about developing the “10 bridges for your vote!” bribe, then there’s no possible problem under the Cabinet Manual.
    361.Labour did the same thing as Bridges when it used “officials actually in my opinion actually” to get policy advice as they did in the 2008 campaign with deposit guarantees, but they actually maybe they shouldn’t have done it”
    362.I assumed that all ten bridges up for double-laning in Northland were justified on a cost benefit analysis
    363.Claims the GCSB was planning to hack into a data link run by the Chinese embassy are unproven.
    364.When it comes to the GCSB you’ve got a bunch of people who’ve been out there propagating information that’s actually been proven to be incorrect.
    365.When I gave her the two bottles of wine, the cafe worker thanked me for that and said ‘that’s all fine, no drama’”.
    366.At the Hip Group’s coffee shop we have lots of fun and games, there’s always lots of practical jokes and things.
    367.I will talk to the King of Saudi Arabia about women’s rights including the right to vote
    368.House prices rose faster under Labour
    369.The $1,000 kick-start for new KiwiSaver members will remain as it is now
    370.There will be no new taxes
    371.Over the next two years we are going to create 150,000 new jobs
    372.The average wage will move from $55,000 to $62,000
    373.We spent $11.5 million for a Saudi Arabian to set up a farm in order to avoid potential legal claims
    374.Andrew Little has been set up by Annette King and Phil Goff
    375.The problem requiring the $11.5 million bribe was caused by Labour’s previous Minister of Trade, Phil Goff
    376.No, I did not mislead the House (???)
    377.I was not aware of any potential legal action by the Saudis involved in the live sheep trade.
    378.Labour was looking to make the same sort of deal with the Saudis and knew all about the possibility of legal action.
    379.Details in cabinet papers confirming what I’ve said about Labour have been redacted by officials.
    380.Signifcantly reducing New Zealand’s green-house gas emissions would be disastrous for the economy
    381.We don’t have to give iwi first right of refusal on the Auckland land the government intends for private housing development
    382.No decisions have yet been made about future housing developments on specific pieces of land
    383.Nick Smith Smith was helpfully providing journalists with a “conceptual” view of the amount of vacant land in Auckland, not necessarily places where houses might be built.
    384.Between 3000 and 4000 refugees were welcomed into New Zealand every year once the family reunification scheme was taken into account.
    385.New Zealand is sixth in the world when it comes to accepting in UNHCR refugees.
    386.Australia takes in 20,000 refugees a year and has been doing so for a long time.(2)
    387.Milk is more expensive in the UK than it is in New Zealand
    388.Milk powder prices won’t stay down for long
    389.Formal advice from the Inland Revenue Department states that the removal of the $1,000 kickstart contribution will not make a blind bit of difference to the number of people who join KiwiSaver
    390.No, I did not mislead the House (??)
    391.I never said that a whole month of Maori language would make people bored.
    392.I would never give an answer with “an intention to embarrass someone or make someone upset”
    393.Yes, my team of crack ministers are going to give Mr Al-Khalaf $11 million or whatever it is, but he’s putting in $80 million
    394.National Ltd™ has been way more transparent than any other Government that’s been around
    395.Treasury was consulted about the details of the Saudi sheep farm deal
    396.the Saudi sheep farm deal was for the purchase of services, intellectual property, and a network of contacts
    397.When asked by Radio New Zealand about what exact services, intellectual property, and contacts New Zealand gained from the deal I answered the questions absolutely but Susie Fergusson didn’t want to hear that the whole issue was Labour’s fault
    398.The problem which led up to the Saudi sheep farm deal was caused by Labour.
    399.The Saudi sheep farm deal was never about compensation even though I said earlier it was because Labour left the government liable for a claim for compensation
    400.Labour misled the Saudi investors about the live sheep trade
    401.No, I did not mislead the House. (??)
    402.There was no suggestion made to a Saudi businessman that he could sue the New Zealand Government
    403.Protesters against TPPA are misinformed and only about one-third of them are genuine
    404.There isn’t a single Canadian on this planet who would want to change their flag back to the old one
    405.Changing the flag will deliver billions of dollars to the New Zealand economy
    406.Maurice Williamson wasn’t acting in his capacity as a member of parliament when he made his series of disgusting jokes
    407.My government’s target of reducing 100% Pure Clean Green New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions to 11 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 is not inadequate.
    408.New Zealand cannot take any more refugees until we have sorted out the process and had a look at housing stock.
    409.National will set up two recreational fishing parks, one in the Haukraki and another in Marlborough sounds
    410.If the “Red Peak” design does not get on the ballot paper the sole person responsible for that is Andrew Little
    411.New Zealand doesn’t need a policy on dealing with climate change refugees because that’s not an issue we are going to need to deal with in the next year or two
    412.“To accept any other flag … we would have to change the law, and we’re not going back to Parliament to change the law.” John Key Sep 7.
    413.Assets bought out of the
    Future Investment Fund will be long-lived, here in New Zealand, and owned by the Crown on behalf of all taxpayers
    414.I promise to spend $1 billion on health, $1 billion on schools and $400 million on irrigation from the proceeds of asset sales.
    415.As the personal who signs off on sending troops to Iraq I feel very intimately involved with this operation. I take personal responsibility.
    416.I did not know about the report into the conditions at Taji prior to my arrival there even though the report was released on 30 September
    417.It was the Overseas Investment Office which refused permission for Shanghai Pengxin to buy Lochinver Station
    418.My office and I both obey the word and the spirit of the OIA law
    419.Labour prefers to protect the interests of rapists and child molesters rather than those of ordinary New Zealanders
    420.New Zealand citizens detained on Christmas Island are there voluntarily
    421.New Zealanders held on Christmas Island include murderers and rapists
    422.“The question about broader detainees.”
    423.Australia and New Zealand share common values, including a strong commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
    424.Labour wants to fly the Christmas Island detainees back to NZ’
    425.I’ve never been asked to apologise for saying the opposition supports rapists and murderers
    426.I’m making sure New Zealanders are protected’
    427.With regard to emission from agriculture and our high level of renewable electricity generation, New Zealand faces unique domestic challenges in reducing its emissions,”
    428.Judith Collins was completely cleared by an independent inquiry
    429.A major contributor to the fact that there are so many children living in poverty is because their parents are using drugs
    430.The reason there is poverty in New Zealand is due to people not working
    431.The science around climate change predictions is doubtful
    432.The TPP has to go through our Parliament has to be ratified by our Parliament and has to bear scrutiny
    433.Not a single part of TPP cuts across the Treaty of Waitangi
    SURE WE CAN FIND SOME MORE SINCE 2015.

    Needs updating since 2015?

    HELP YOURSELF FOLKS.

  17. English is interviewed by Lisa Owen on The Nation: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1605/S00426/on-the-nation-lisa-owen-interviews-bill-english.htm Transcript

    The thing is you point the finger at the council there, but the council has been very clear about the fact it needs help with infrastructure. it says it needs 3 billion in the next 10 years for infrastructure. Where do you think that money’s coming from? Because the council’s nudging its debt ceiling. It can’t rate people off their properties. So where is the money coming from?

    Well, fundamentally, that’s Auckland’s issue to deal with. We are certainly contributing. I mean, right now we’re in intensive negotiation for a contribution of over $1 billion from the taxpayer to an Auckland City Council transport project called the Central Rail Link. Now, in the normal course of events, they would pay for that. We’re negotiating where taxpayers will pay for that. That’s a significant reduction in the burden on the council, and it allows them to pay for other infrastructure.

    Minister, isn’t it central government’s responsibility to assist with that infrastructure?

    No, fundamentally it isn’t. It is the council’s responsibility. That’s the deal. They get to decide on how their city is planned, and they get to pay for the development. And for a lot of the people living outside Auckland and inside Auckland, there are real benefits from growth. And part of the puzzle here is that as more people turn up in Auckland and as incomes rise, growth is good. The council benefits from that, and so do ratepayers. And so they’ve just got to work out a better alignment between the funding and the growth.

    In terms of that better alignment between funding and growth, then surely when you come up with the national policy statement in a few weeks’ time, it has to make some kind of allowance for the council to raise money, using a congestion charge or something similar.

    The government generally keeps out of their way, and generally councils don’t want government interfering with how they run their affairs. The national policy statement won’t cover all the issues. It’ll focus on primarily…

    English is creating a Greek State out of Auckland and the Stazi Natzkis will blitzkrieg Auckland and take over (like they did in Christchurch) unless Auckland’s housing crisis and blocked roads don’t stop embarrassing the Government.

    When Key and English and Joyce supported by ACT, Maori Party and Dunn remove Auckland’s democratically elected council (or appoint their own mayor like the tried to do with the Len Brown Honeypot Scandal, will they appoint apparatchik Palino?

    Or apparatchik Phil Goff to run the Independent State of Auckland?

    • Most Aucklanders will in their usual dumb fashion vote in another incompetent mayor and Council, as they have in the past. Those that will cast the crucial votes will be the property owning ones and those with business, and the disaffected will not bother to vote, thinking it is all a foregone conclusion. Goff or whosoever, it will make little difference to what we have and will get under the present Council, it is all thoroughly screwed up, thoroughly screwed up, and will only get worse.

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