Look.
We all love The Faff.
He’s the person Chippy and Robbo put into a Ministry when they want nothing achieved.
The Faff’s nickname is ‘The Blocker’ and he’s been great at that.
His inability to get any reform done on anything unless it’s been subcontracted out to Tracey Martin, his handing of vast sums of money to media for ‘journalism’ and his remarkable talent of not being able to answer basic questions over legislation he is pushing all mark him out as a great bloke you’d have a beer with in the safe knowledge that nothing will ever get done.
Now I’m not suggesting for one second that The Faff is our most hopeless Minister, Poto Williams and Carmel Sepuloni are locked in a death cage match for that honour, but The Faff ain’t our sharpest tool in the shed either eh, and that’s why we are all universally concerned that he is the last person to sign off on a geopolitically destabilising decision that will have profound global ramifications, and if you aren’t worried that Chris’s name is appearing in a sentence that includes the words ‘geopolitically destabilising’ and ‘profound global ramifications’, you aren’t paying attention…
New Zealand faces global pressure over move to let resident be extradited to China
New Zealand is under international pressure to stop the extradition of a resident to China, after a landmark supreme court decision allowed the government to send a man accused of murder to Shanghai to face trial.
The decision was a reversal of previous court rulings, which blocked extradition on the grounds that Kyung Yup Kim, the accused, would be at high risk of torture or an unfair trial.
Now legislators and members of parliament from around the world, including the UK, Australia and Europe, have now written to prime minister Jacinda Ardern and justice minister Kris Faafoi, saying the case would set “a dangerous precedent” and could open the door to other extraditions. If it proceeds, Kim’s case will be the first time New Zealand has sent a resident to face trial in China.
…how the fuck our Supreme Court came up with this brain fart of a decision is a debate for another day, but that it’s been left to The Faff is deeply alarming!
I appreciate Grant, Chippy, Nania, Willie Jackson, Andrew Little, Kiri Allan and David Parker are all very busy, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut surely this is a decision that the Immigration Minister shouldn’t be making on his own here eh?
Like, there should be an adult in the room while Chris makes this enormous geopolitical decision right?
Right?
Someone tell me there will be another Cabinet Minister (not Poto or Carmel) in the room when he makes the decision.
A decision that could plunge NZ into turmoil with our allies or start a trade war with China at a time when geopolitical tensions are rising as China moves a military base directly into our Pacific neighbourhood.
We aren’t going to let The Faff make this call on his own eh?
Right?
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You missed Megan Woods off the terminally useless list. Don’t let her near it either. There’s just so many to choose from!
I think it’s time, a long time coming in fact, where NZ gets its head around deports, both ways, sets a clear path for citizenship and how you retain that, and overhaul who comes here and with what entitlements that carries.
Deports to despot run countries, I.e. dictators, is always off the list but can they be tried here? We don’t want dangerous people walking our streets and a carte blanche rule to say a paedophile or murderer is safe in NZ is insanity simply because they now live here cannot apply.
And 501’s. Australia itself lends its political culture toward kiwi’s failing because there is no support whatsoever if something goes wrong. John Howard saw to that, the same John Howard loved by the National Party. That policy in itself magnifies what may have been an smaller issue into a major one.
Signify an end to the trans Tasman visa arrangements. I strongly suspect their access to cheap similarly educated non union labour suits them nicely but it is causing us more harm than good. Go to a stock standard visa application like going to any other country. So, you leave to settle there, you sign a waiver acknowledging your citizenship expires as you must take up theirs, or you fail to return and contribute to the PAYE system for a continuous 2 years every 5, and you’re persona non grata to us. Then when Australia tries to ship out “their rubbish”, we reject it! And if Aussies throw their toys out of the cot, so be it! Personal decisions to migrate to high risk low reward zones like Australia that amplify failure should not haunt the rest of us when it goes wrong.
Our inconsistent, complex and politicised immigration system is harming good people here, daily. Time it changed!
” Personal decisions to migrate to high risk low reward zones like Australia “???
Kiwis immigrate to Aussie because it is a low risk high reward work environment.
So fixed that for ya!
It is a low reward zone if you are uneducated, unskilled, and brown skinned.that racism is changing ( but not fast enough) as those Australians who are hard working are also decent people and are prepared to give kiwis a start.
My family would be unsuccessful and living in poverty if this was not the case.
So would thousands of other New Zealanders.
If you follow the basics and make sure you have skills and or education to offer you will always get a better paying job across the ditch and oodles more opportunity to grow your career.
I generally find your comments informative x ray, but clearly you know diddly squat about the Australian employment scene.
It’s all good if it things go well, the pay is better, food cheaper, fuel cheaper but Aussie is suffering all the same problems as us, ridiculously high housing costs plus shortages and a rising cost of living. So yes the financial rewards are a better immediately but…
When the shit hits the fan, it’s all bad. Floods, fires, unemployment, a number of hidden expenses not afforded to “Special Visa” holders, you’re a kiwi and you’re on your own. Not so many rewards anymore. You’re second class!
It looks good in the brochures and if you’re happy to pay full taxation but get bugger all back in return except that higher wage then fine by me. But the risks are much higher!
What risk???? Kiwis get to access Australia’s superannuation scheme. Health care is more often than not subsidized by your employer. Any way the health insurance is actually affordable and the health care available is superior to NZ rents are cheaper outside of NSW power is cheaper wages and salaries higher and kiwis can invest in property on both sides of the ditch without any barriers. If you are self employed there are tax breaks not available here and insurance is half the cost of NZ. Sorry xray but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
https://www.emigrationnewzealand.com/what-is-the-cost-of-living-in-new-zealand-vs-australia/#:~:text=When%20comparing%20the%20cost%20of,cost%20less%20in%20New%20Zealand.
There is site after site using varying samples that show its cheaper in NZ than Australia overall. Not for everything and not all jobs pay less or similar but some may surprise you.
I don’t live there but have travelled there, I dont buy new cars but I took a real interest when I heard both through the media and by the odd person I know that Kiwi’s can and do get burnt there because of the plain inequality that being a kiwi brings plus that it’s not what the old myths make it out to be.
I’m sure some places in Aussie are cheaper for some things and it varies but it’s the same here.
It ain’t the land of milk and honey Shona that you think it is. Especially when the state don’t want to know you!
Actually, Australia is the destination of choice because it is easier to get there, and when there is work (Australia is a “boom/bust economy while it relies on mining) the money is phenomenal..
This makes it a great place to go to build up a decent nest egg, and prior to the Key government munting NZ’s property market, and through that its economy, an easy way to get a deposit for a house… I am able to make a living as a blues guitarist there, while I can’t even get a people to jam with me in NZ.. One word sums up NZ immigration to OZ… Opportunity… Stop wasting everybodies time trying to sound erudite when you are plainly ignorant of the reality there.. I would still be there if it wasn’t for family issues dragging me back just in time to go into lockdown.. When that “issue” has resolved itself, I will be hightailing it out of here before kiwis do the stupid again, and install a bankrupt, and corrupt national party, and the rape and pillage starts all over again..
We have so much more to lose vis a vis he relationship with Australia. They can as easily import cheap labour from other nations and I really don’t think they’d even notice let alone care if there were less Kiwis going there to be drivers, miners, chefs or whatever.
Ok, it is great for some who want to get rich quick. However, factor in the social costs for the rest of us who have to deal with criminals who learned their trade in Australia, and whose families were excluded from the welfare citizens got when times were rough, and who have no support network when they get here apart from gangs.
Then factor in the effects climate change is starting to have there. We do not need their future refugees anymore than Australia needed the Tampa refugees.
As an ex-UK citizen and proud kiwi citizen for over 25YRS, I really think ‘want to come to NZ’ doesn’t cut it anymore the line should be ‘does NZ need you’ sorry I know it sounds a bit gammomy but if we don’t build shit we simply cannot accomodate…cheap labour that causes social problems is NOT a nett economic gain to the country…employers yes they profit as they don’t pay the actual real world costs of their indentured servants…society does.
Oh look, another former media type Labour MP doing nothing …what a shock!
Who are the adults in the Labour Government?
Which adults? Other than Chippy who looks belie his age and ability I’m not aware of any adults in Labour (from the perspective of people being capable of critical thinking alongside getting shit done whilst also being able to communicate clearly rather than mouthing empty slogans or endless word salad).
bob the self same question applies to nats/act
gagarin “ The self-same question applies to nats/act.” Not really. Remember that when demonstrators were occupying the Parliamentary precinct, Labour, National, and the Greens all agreed to not listen to them for rather weak reasons: the protest was unlawful, there weren’t identifiable leaders and so on. As far as I know, the Act leader was the only one who went out and talked with them. Labour behaved like juvenile delinquents blasting them with loud music and turning sprinklers on throughout a cold and stormy night, are resisting having their antics reviewed or called to account, and, I think, making deliberately misleading statements about this.
oh holly did your ikkle wikkle feety get all cold and wet wet in wellington….shoulda wore wellies then
The shit libs are dying in a ditch for a murderer deportation from New Zealand but have nothing to say on Assange, an Australian locked up in Britain for years for bail violation awaiting extradition to America, a country he is not a citizen of, for exposing their WAR CRIMES using journalism. There are no adults in charge.
We should be offering him and his family permanent refugee status (should he ever somehow escape), for the shortened time he may have left on the planet.
What next, extraditing a permanent resident for crimes against NZ copyright?
indeed ethan NZ hypocrisy in action
This is hilarious! Faafoi HAS to make a decision. Aha ha ha.
Brilliant choice by the PM to have him in all these roles for which he is unqualified.
Justice is another portfolio he holds . Why ?? Why ? Why?
So many clowns so many laughs and our country rapidly goes further down the drain due to Labour’s ineptitude.
Andrew Little was a bloody good Justice Minister.
But this time around he was given the unending, thankless task of trying to make a frayed, neglected, worn down Health System Covid-adequate.
There are one or two “green shoots” still in Labour, (“in that space, going forward” rhubarb rhubarb @ Shona, but if they don’t wake up to the spin and bullshit before too long, me thinks they’re munted.
The only reason I still have an ear for JA is that she’s simply a child of her era and background, and well schooled in the ‘art’? of media, spin and meerkating.
Most of them think they’ve done well (and they’ll proudly cite their achievements), and nothing is going to change that other than a bloody big shock at the next election – which may or may not happen. I mean they’ve managed to alienate the last left-leaning tradie. a bloody big portion of immigrant essential workers (those that aren’t planning to get the fuck out of here before it’s too late – including those we need), a sizeable proportion of people who’ve done their Facebook and Twitter research, and a number of others.
It saddens me that the likes of the Faaff, Megan and others are incapable of understanding where their problems lay. I doubt they ever will and I kind of wish they’d fuck off now – give them gigs as overseas diplomats, promises of the Honours List, or some deep and meaningful position in local politics if necessary.
If they can pull off REAL supermarket reform, and one or two other things, they might make it. My fingers are double crossed because the alternative(s) are far worse, but I’ll be fucked if I’m going to party vote Labour (after a lifetime) given the absolute cruelty and hypocrisy they’ve managed to inflict on various people. It’s going to be bloody hard to even give an electorate vote where I find myself located.
As one gets older and starts to run out of life, and in consideration of the battles won for things like MMP, open gummint and progressive change, Labour is being fucking abusive and arrogant towards the electorate and the people who have, and continue to battle for them.
Between the Faaff and about half a dozen Ministry for Everything muddle/senior ‘officials’, (before we even get to other agencies) – the next election could be lost for Labour.
IF things like the RNZ/TVNZ merger happen to work out for example, you can be sure it won’t be down to the Faaff – more like Tracey M and one or two others. JA’s definately running out of time
I hate to raise the issue as it’s red meat for our rightard comrades BUT how much of the lack of talent and ineptitude amongst pollies generally (let’s face it the nats front bench is no more impressive than labours) down to inertia and how much to lack of any kind of capability and/or fitness for their roles…most seem surprised as a stunned mullet at their luck in gaining high office.
IS this level of drab underachivement due to ‘box ticking’ their respective ideologies and attending enough committee meetings? the sheer doggedness of the unimaginative middle manager in action.
juz askin.
I’ll bite but perhaps surprisingly agree – both sides of the house need to recruit people from all walks of life who have experience outside of politics and have been through highs and lows. The current crop of uni grad to political advisor to MP (think Jacinda and Grant or Chris Bishop and Muller) are not adding much value however this is a global problem.
Is the issue really that 24 hour news cycles, Twatter and all the other lovely algorithm driven monstrosities out there mean that the really talented and successful people out there just don’t want to suffer all the slings and arrows that now come with the job?
Agree.
gagarin I agree with you. But they’re worse than dogged middle management, some of whom are good people and sometimes surprisingly astute – and nobody – I hope – could be whackier than the Greens. In my humdrum street alone, there are people with life skills and achievements and experiences beyond the competence and comprehension of the majority of persons in Parliament who lack even the reference points to be able to relate to the social community or to act in it’s interest. The shocking homelessness situation alone is a hell of an indictment on all of them – they’re mainly awful and a scandalous waste of money.
Should this not be discussed at Cabinet ? a mixture of teens and adults at least.
locked in a death cage match for that honour,
My money’s on the Sep.
Best Blocker Ever.
Here is something that really needs to be unblocked:
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/04/10/overstayers-affected-by-tonga-volcano-eruption-seeking-work-visas/
Their island homes have been destroyed by the eruption.
Sending them back there now is inhumane.