Property industry tops political donations
An RNZ analysis of political donations since 2021 shows people involved in the property industry are giving the most – and almost all of it is going to National, ACT and NZ First.
Since 2021, people aligned with the property industry have donated more than $2.5 million to political parties.
More than half of the cash from the property industry went to the National Party (53 percent), followed by ACT (32 percent) and New Zealand First (12 percent). Labour received 2 percent.
The figures have been derived by RNZ by examining political donation returns alongside Companies Office records. Private donors to political parties were matched to the predominant industries where they were listed as a company director.
After property, the second biggest industry to donate in this period was the finance sector ($1.97m), followed by the manufacturing and retail sector ($1.92m). These industries also donated mostly to National, ACT and NZ First.
Just a reminder that the background conflict building in NZ is an undeclared class war between Speculative Landlords and Renters.
As fears from the Māori Kings call on Saturday builds to fever pitch screams of race war over at the foam be speckled Democracy Project, the underlying economic realities of low wage exploitation, under regulated capitalism and absentee trans national corporates robbing us of monopoly rentals continue to sap hope and optimism from those with the least.
Without including the context of inequality and our rigged Capitalism, the punditry misread the anger from Māori and define is as a threat that must be physically put down by the State.
The inequality and rigged capitalism that robs the State of the resources to build the proper infrastructure that can fulfil the promise of Democracy and the Treaty is the underlying disease in New Zealand.
Misrepresenting the symptoms of our bleeding gum inequality as the beginning of a race war only helps the extremists.
Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.
If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media.
All those manufacturers and retailers donating to suppress wage growth and worker protection, are kind of in competition with the property industry who are trying to avoid paying tax or maximising their returns….which translates to upward pressure on the wages as workers can’t live close to the source of employment based on their pay. How f’ing stupid
Who was it that said NZ has a real estate market with an economy tacked on, or words to that effect? Real estate plays an overly big role here in NZ it seems. Increasingly so now that land is becoming a scarcer and scarcer resource, and governments of all colours appear to have no appetite for meaningful social intervention. Not that it doesn’t occur elsewhere. Real estate has trebled in recent years in some places I can mention. Good if you can get foothold. Mums and dads on the property ladder have benefited, but no more so than well-healed young investors and the really big players who know that real estate out-performs other investments. On a bigger scale of course, wars are fought over territory. Well before the capitalist system. But capitalism and its neo-isms have surely fueled the fire. Here in NZ also. Ask the tangata whenua. Now it seems the conflict over resources is increasingly played out in urban settings and impacts the very essence of well-being – a secure roof over your head. Something has gone wrong.