Bulls on Parade: Seymour, the Atlas Network Tour, and Shane Jones’ Singapore oil push
Seymour, Atlas Network, and the Question of Association
When MATA questioned David Seymour about his links to the international free-market think tank network Atlas Network, he rejected the premise and dismissed the line of questioning.
Yet public records and event listings show Seymour speaking at an Atlas Network–associated event in Britain last week, alongside other figures aligned with the organisation’s free-market agenda.
That raises a reasonable question: what constitutes “having nothing to do with” a network if one appears on its platforms?
New Zealand voters are entitled to clarity.
Public officials can disagree with critics — that’s politics. But if domestic messaging differs from overseas appearances, it is fair to ask why.
Seymour also recently participated in the Oxford Union debate circuit before appearing at events connected to Atlas Network–aligned groups.
The optics matter.
Transparency matters.
Shane Jones and the Oil & Gas Announcement
Meanwhile, Shane Jones was in Singapore addressing representatives of the international oil and gas industry.
If confirmed, that would represent a significant shift in energy policy.
The concern is not that policy is debated internationally — it should be. The concern is whether New Zealanders are hearing about major regulatory shifts at the same time as global industry stakeholders.
When announcements appear to land offshore before they are fully debated at home, people understandably ask questions.
Why Transparency Matters
Political leaders often operate on international stages.
But if the domestic message differs from the international one, voters will notice.
And in the age of the internet, they will compare notes.
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.
Saw Jones on Maori TV on Monday night.
A program about a child being murdered in Kaikohe.
He claimed to be a leader but he immediately blamed drugs for this incident and all of Northland’s other issues.
His solution, lock them up. He didn’t say who to lock up. Was it the users who create the market or the supplier who services that market.
He made no reference to applying his mind to the underlying causes of family violence, poverty or drug misuse.
He is just a pompous twat who has no imagination and is living in a 1970s world.
His attitude to mining and fishing is also embedded in the past.
I wonder what his children think about his ideas. Maybe they have never been allowed to think.
As for Seymour he is a puppet whose strings are pulled by money grubbers. Unfortunately those strings seem to be attached to Luxon and Peters as well.
They most likely appreciate that overseas someone many actually be listening. The right wing always feels the need to hide their actions. Its almost as though they know they are doing something wrong.
Right on gordon walker he is two face and gutless our PM. And now we have Bishop overriding council powers, yet the National party said they wanted the council to have autonomy over their water, the water they claimed the maaaaris are stealing, how dumb are those NZers that fell for all this bullshit and spin and went on to vote these stealing lying mongrels in power
Just call them spuds, brown on the outside, white on the inside
So are coconuts by the way.
And if you remove the coo from coconuts you get a word which describes them well and is interchangeable with the babbling Brooke van Velden.
When I wrote to Shane Jones about my concerns about ‘Fast Track’ legislation he replied and referred me to MBIE’s Minerals Strategy for New Zealand 2040.
Here are guiding principles for that strategy.
Minerals developments in New Zealand will happen in a responsible manner
where environmental protection, the health and safety of our workers, and
impacts on regional communities inform all sector initiatives.
Minerals production will not come at the expense of our
environment, the health and safety of workers, or the
communities in which activity takes place. All mineral
production needs to be done in a responsible way.
This means ensuring we balance environmental
protection and long-term environmental sustainability
with the need for resource development. All actions
that come out of this strategy will be informed by
measures to minimise environmental impacts, ensure
best practice rehabilitation plans, and mitigate
environmental risks associated with mining. This
specifically includes ensuring ongoing protection of
areas of high value recognised as Schedule 4 land in
the Crown Minerals Act 1991.
The safety and wellbeing of our people and
communities is non-negotiable. There have been times
when our workers have not returned to their families
and our communities have suffered. Government and
the sector carry both the weight of these failures and
the lessons they taught us. Our work to cut red tape
does not mean that we are cutting corners. The actions
that are progressed under this strategy will support
responsible practices that ensure the safety of our
workers and the wellbeing of the communities where
our workers come from.’
I plead with all our comrades to read this document
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/a-minerals-strategy-for-new-zealand-to-2040.pdf
so they can quote it when they oppose mining proposals.
Constant public pressure is our best hope.
(I hate being fair to Shane Jones but he did at least, or his office, did at least reply to my letter).
It’s very funny how Seymour originally lied and said he ‘paid his own way’ to the Oxford Union debate.
Funny how he didn’t admit that his Atlas puppetmasters paid for his trip over, just like they pay for every action he takes in New Zealand against the interests of the people of this country.
The coalition made it clear to everyone that they would change the exploration rules re gas . Jacinda may have learnt Brownie points for her next career but it left NZ in a bind by ending gas exploration without having an alternative source of energy.
I cannot stand Jones but I hope hecis successful in his quest to get back some exploration companies but unfortunately the harm has been done to our reputation as a good place to do business
Our reputation was fine until this CoC did its reset. Now they’re back on the idiotic immigration bandwagon, the low wage economy that will set us back decades.
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/06/new-zealand-is-an-economic-basket-case/
This under Luxon, Peter’s and Seymour and the batshit Willis who bypasses protocols to ” get things done”. Shame about the Ferries not getting done.
$20 a bottle of olive oil
$9 a block of butter, not sure you’re getting any brownie points for that.
As you well know Trev ,no existing exploration licenses were cancelled .Those companies hand some in others let them laps because it is way too expensive to explore for oil in NZ where there are no major fields left to find .If there was a massive amount of oil sitting around do you think the greedy pricks would have left it sitting the ground after spending millions to find it .I hear fiction about a massive off the coast of Kawhia but I dont see anyone rushing to extract it so clearly another right wing myth .
paaart maaaris Seymor & Jones are just a bunch of lies and they don’t care one term govt
Jones out selling the last of the Maori land ,national parks ,to who ever wants to come and destroy them .And Seymour just spreading lies again about how the Maori worship the ground he walks on .Then there is our Maori bashing PM fogging of Maori culture to the tourists in China ,what a two faced cunt he is .
Right on gordon walker he is two face and gutless to boot our PM
I think Gordon it may be they’re worshiping the ground he’ll lie under.
A pair of shifty sods. How anyone would vote for these wankers is a mystery
follow the money