The Jonesy is right about Air NZ and why NZ First’s regional investment is so important

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
20
1

NZ owns 51% of Air NZ – like it or not they have a social obligation to provide services to provincial NZ and for Air NZ to attack the new Government’s criticism is extraordinary.

NZ First’s real economic agenda as hammered out in the secret agreement with Labour, is far more radical than most media pundits comprehend. It’s so radical in its managed capitalism and nationalism over globalisation that the Labour Wellington hierarchy originally wanted to spike the negotiations and lose to National.

What we are starting to see is NZ First flex its muscles. They are completely right about Air NZ shitting on the regions. Seeing as we own 51% of Air NZ, they have a social obligation that goes beyond their profit driven free market pretensions and Shane was articulating that this Government intends to be far more hands on in demanding those values are listened to.

When Winston declared free market capitalism was the enemy at his announcement that NZ First was backing Labour…

“Far too many New Zealanders have come to view today’s capitalism, not as their friend, but as their foe. And they are not all wrong. That is why we believe that capitalism must regain its responsible – its human face. That perception has influenced our negotiations.”

…many political pundits refused to understand how radical and serious Winston was about resetting the neoliberal economic hegemony.

Shane Jones reminded everyone of that this week.

That’s why the regional fund is so important. It’s an attempt by this Government to go beyond the free market and place a far more hands on Government in place who are focused on developmental managed capitalism, not the free market mutation.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

 

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20 COMMENTS

  2. Air nz are a bunch of hypocrites and they can be racist to.They use our Maori culture when it suits them (lip service) and crap on it when it doesn’t suit their agenda. For example the young Maori women that had a facial moko couldn’t get a job but its alright for them to use our haka when they want and they have a koru on their plane tails.
    Many are on big fat salaries and these need to be made public. Also how come they haven’t received the same level of criticism that Plunket have.

    • Our NGO letter of support went to all Labour coalition ministers this morning 22/3/18.

      Public COMMUNITY letter;
      22nd March 2018.

      Hon’ Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Development & other Ministers.
      Dear Ministers,

      This is a letter of support for and a challenge to Shane jones as our “champion of all our provinces” We agree Government is to be held accountable and we encourage anyone who wants to hold all authorities accountable for environmental issues should be supported also.

      Thank you for your hard work and diligence to keep authorities accountable Shane & Winston.

      Our SOE Kiwi rail is now in need of serious investigation as it has also a bad CEO in need of being replaced by a real rail engineer and not just a patsy for the previous National Government policies who hated using rail to lower the climate change emissions, which will become the “nuclear moment our children’s future.”

      National encouraged closing regional rail freight in favour of using road freight which is seriously degrading our air and water quality and causing catastrophic weather events and floods, public health injuries, and declining health and this current Labour Government are not yet radically increasing any regional rail freight use to meet their future climate change emissions target that government have signed up to by 2035-50 as a carbon neutral policy.

      Save the Gisborne rail service as it is not being considered for inclusion by Labour yet.

      Kiwi rail CEO Peter Reidy must go as he is not supporting labour coalition plans to use rail freight policy in line with the Labour party’s 2005-15 “National rail strategy” to connect all ports to rail services to lower climate change emissions.

      http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Import/Documents/nationalrailstrategy.pdf

      QUOTE from ISBN 0-478-10005-1 Forward from Pete Hodgson 2005 as Minister of Transport.

      “Now we have brought New Zealand’s rail infrastructure back into public ownership, and the vision and objectives of the New Zealand Transport Strategy will be applied to New Zealand’s railway network.

      Through the National Rail Strategy, the Government is demonstrating its commitment to retaining the existing network; to investigating the development of a number of new railway lines; and to maximising the use of rail transport. The aim is to move people out of cars for urban journeys, and freight off roads, wherever possible. For freight this means a focus on bulk or containerised loads, including traffic such as milk or logs. For passengers it means a focus on busy urban corridors in the larger centres, and using smart thinking to manage congestion.

      This is an exciting time in New Zealand transport, with a dynamic vision beginning to achieve real results, working towards an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive, and sustainable transport system. The Labour Progressive government acknowledges the contribution of the Green Party to the development of this Strategy, and both the Green Party and the United Party’s support of the government’s transport policy.-
      Hon Pete Hodgson”
      Minister of Transport 2005

      Consider this as an official request for you to arrange to come and attend our conference to show our side of the story of rail here in Tairawhiti.

      We await your acceptance.
      Founding members of the Gisborne Rail Action Group since 2009.
      Warmest regards,

    • We NZ citizens as a 51% “public” shareholder of AIR NZ say you are owned by Kiwis, so we see this as our SOE; – and not a bloody ‘private company’ that is acting in the interests of the minority and not us as the majority owner.

      So AIR NZ get it right!!!; – you are should still be effectively functioning as a SOE to us majority owner!!!!!!

      So to us consider yourselves as a SOE under the Act you need to comply with those rules otherwise we will sue your sorry ass in court!!!!

  4. Air NZ needs to be reminded who bailed them out when they almost went belly up (as a private company). It was the tax payer, (and Michael Cullen) those same annoying pests who now want to be able to fly around the country.

  5. The Investor Centre section of Air New Zealand’s website states the NZ Government owning 52% of ordinary shares.

    While it’s easy to sympathise with Jones’ and NZ First’s arguments, it’s likely any changes will be minimal.

    Consider the example of Jones’ criticism of Progressive Enterprises and the supermarket duopoly in this country in the past, everything has prevailed as normal after a Commerce Commission investigation and while the Labour Party at the time sought to have an inquiry into supermarket competition if elected at the time, nothing of the sort this time and they appear quick to criticise Jones on the current issue.

    Big business appears to be a sacred cow in this country.

  6. How did signing up to the TPPA fit into that radical anti-globalist agenda Martyn? Hope we start seeing something concrete soon.
    Seems Shane has been reprimanded for voicing his opinion, He didn’t sack anyone. Pretty hard not to have an opinion, especially if you’r Shane Jones.
    But if there’s going to be about half the ownership in private hands, there’s probably some legal requirement to maximise profits for shareholders. It is probably necessary to take back full ownership by the state to prioritise provincial services and target a social service that doesn’t make a profit.
    And even then I expect the TPPA has a clause that says that’s not allowed cause it’s the state unfairly competing with other international airlines in subsidising its operation out of taxpayer’s money.
    N F’s secret programme does need to be radical if things are to change.
    D J S

    • As in my press release (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1803/S00314/shane-jones-airnz-demands-would-breach-the-tppa.htm) the TPPA requires the government to ensure that SOEs such as Air NZ (as defined in the TPPA chapter, not in NZ law) act on purely commercial considerations, unless there is an explicit public mandate to do otherwise. The government would need to formally instruct AirNZ to engage in unprofitable regional operations. There are other rules regarding special treatment of SOEs that harm competition, but this is the most relevant one for now. The irony is, of course, that Shane Jones is a champion of the TPPA.

      • So Jane
        If Shane Jones is an enthusiastic advocate of the TPPA, and has been instrumental in its adoption by this government, his ignorance of it’s content must be close to criminal. But the great wrongs against the masses aren’t called crimes are they, They’r called politics. Or statesmanship.
        But Shane Jones isn’t uneducated or ignorant is he ; he can read stuff ’cause he’s been to Harvard university on a scholarship. and has an arts degree from Auckland. So does he actually know what’s in the TPPA or not?, ’cause if he does know then he has castigated the Air NZ board for simply doing it’s job within the constraints that Jones himself has an active hand in setting in place. He is accusing the Air NZ board of a wrong for which he himself is responsible , and the board are manifestly not, they are just operating within their brief. Isn’t ” hypocrisy” a more appropriate word than “irony”?
        Cheers D J S

  7. With the exception of our MP from Iran, the Green Party have turned out as useful as tits on a bull. They may well look at New Zealand First as the answer why they are making themselves irrelevant .!!!

  8. Air New Zealand is an independent company operating in a free market economy. The NZ government is a shareholder and as such it’s only duty is to ensure a maximum return on that holding. To do anything else would be to break the unwritten laws of capitalism – profit above all else.
    I don’t believe Shane Jones is doing anything more than bolstering his own political career (his track record on taking career choices over political integrity is well known). He has absolutely no intention (despite the articles optimistic reading of NZ Firsts economic agenda) of questioning the fundamental operating nature of Air New Zealand and the type of economic structures which underpin the decisions of it’s leadership.
    Let’s get one thing very clear – unless Jones is proposing nationalizing Air New Zealand and has the balls and policy detail to back that up he is blowing hot air up the NZ public’s collective bottom hole and he needs to stop.
    How many more “hot air” politicians does the world need? – I for one am growing tired of the all talk and no trousers democracy we live in.

  9. We know that the globalized financial system is on the brink of a major ‘correction’ that will lead to its collapse because of the extraordinary levels of debt and waste that afflict western nations. Indeed, the ongoing decline in the value of US stocks suggests the ‘correction’ already is underway.

    We know that the US has a madman as president, and that the trade wars he is promoting will terminate the globalized financial system and lead to global financial and political chaos.

    We know that the extraction of oil is being propped up by artificially low interest rates and junk bonds. And we know that New Zealand’s capacity to import oil (and aircraft fuel) is dependent on very fragile arrangements that will ‘implode’ some time in the near future.

    We know that atmospheric CO2 is at an all-time high for the time of year (410 ppm and headed for 212 ppm this year) and will continue to rise in an out-of-control manner in the immediate future, bring greater planetary overheating and more violent, destructive weather events.

    We know that the ice in the Arctic region is at an all-time low (within the timeframe of human societies), and that further loss of ice will have catastrophic effects across the entire planet.

    In summation, we know that present economic arrangements -based on the burning of fossil fuels (including those burned in aircraft engines) are wrecking everything, and that such arrangements have no long-term future. Indeed, we know that an economy founded on the burning of fossil fuels very likely doesn’t have much of a short-term future.

    So why are our politicians ignoring every elephant in the room and pretending aberrant arrangements that were the product of cheap and abundant oil and stable geochemistry will continue for decades (the timeframe for investment in infrastructure)?

    Why are the politicians pretending there is a future for air travel when it is abundantly clear there isn’t?

  12. Now lets get this correct. Did Air N Z fund Barak Obama,s New Zealand trip while at the same time cutting regional services ? Or have I got this totally wrong. Can somebody enlighten me please.

  13. For internal travel we’ve got sirjonkey’s bicycle track.
    Soon air travel for the Elite only. UN Agenda 21 says so.
    Not long now before Chinese credit system rolls into place. Good credit pick up bike and go…bad credit bike stays in shed.
    Interesting sirjonkey is esteemed member of Air NZ Board. Now he gets to slip and slide under the radar with undocumented pax load. A VIP indeed.

  14. I have never had a lot of time for Shane Jones in the past. However, his coming out as the champion for retaining regional air transport, has definitely renewed my faith in him as a minister. Even more so now, rubbing Air NZ’s nose into the proverbial at this particular time, when the airline has gone all out at great expense to promote the visit of former US President Barack Obama, while cutting vital air transport to the regions.

    Well done Shane Jones. Keep up the good work. Now for regional rail ….

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