This Government’s Fast Track Corruption
Ministers Shane Jones and Chris Bishop continued to make decisions about several fast-track projects despite their respective parties receiving donations linked to the applicants.
One political scientist says such donations could be perceived as a conflict of interest and erode public trust in government.
However, both ministers said that donations to parties were not considered to be a conflict.
“The long-standing approach of the Cabinet Office to donations to political parties is that they are not generally treated as resulting in a pecuniary conflict of interest for individual Ministers belonging to the party,” a statement said.
Political donation data released last week shows NZ First received donations from seafood company Sanford, mining company McCallum Bros and the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust.
National received donations from Russell Property Group and the company’s director, Brett Russell. It also received a donation from Gibbston Valley Wines, which has directors linked to the Gibbston Valley residential project. Projects from these companies are included in the Fast-track legislation.
Fast-track legislation formed part of the coalition agreement between NZ First and the National Party. The legislation, which is described as a one-stop-shop for infrastructure and development project approvals, passed into law in December 2024. It included a list of 149 projects which can skip a referral stage and move straight to assessment by expert panels.
The final 149 were whittled down from 342 projects put forward by an independent advisory group. Most panellists in the independent group were put forward by ministers or political parties.
Shane Jones, a NZ First MP, assessed projects put forward by an advisory group which fell into mining, quarrying and aquaculture. He declared a conflict of interest for eight projects, and stood aside for these. He did not declare a conflict of interest for applications from Sanford, McCallum Bros, or the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust.
NZ First also received donations from Melrose Private Capital. Jones declared a conflict of interest and stood aside from assessing the Taharoa Sand project, of which Melrose Private Capital is a part owner.
Chris Bishop, a National MP, assessed projects related to housing, land development and infrastructure. He stood aside for one project, the assessment of Winton’s Sunfield development as he had advocated for it in the past. He did not stand aside for the assessment of Russell Property Group’s Beachlands South, or Gibbston Village.
This anti-women, anti-Māori, anti-Treaty, anti-worker, anti-disabled, anti-renter, anti environment Government is strangling the common good for their donors interests…
Growing calls for independent watchdog to keep politicians honest
…the last election as a bitter post-covid grudge fuck against Labour with voters electing a hard right Government they didn’t fully comprehend and this malaise of crony capitalism is everywhere…
Wayne’s mate’s rates – $300k a year contract
…the corrosion is everywhere
Alcohol lobbyists given input on health policies, documents reveal
Booze industry lobbyists have been granted input into the development of alcohol policies, including how to deal with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Documents obtained by RNZ also show that references to a review of safe drinking guidelines were removed from an Health New Zealand website after an alcohol lobbyist complained to Ross Bell, a manager with the Ministry of Health’s Public Health Agency.
The papers, released under the Official Information Act and sent anonymously to RNZ, show the booze industry has been given input into several government initiatives to tackle alcohol harm.
An October 2024 email from New Zealand Winegrowers to Bell, which copies in a lobbyist with the spirits industry, shows the extent to which alcohol lobbyists are involved in the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) strategy.
…Labour is starting to fight back…
Labour proposes law to restrict big tobacco lobbyists influence on government
Labour has taken aim at big tobacco lobbyists with a proposal designed to severely restrict their influence on government.
The opposition party has repeatedly accused the coalition of being in thrall to the tobacco industry after it rolled back Smokefree laws early this term.
…but look at what National did last week when no one was looming, appoint a Dairy Polluter as the Chief Science advisor…
Greenpeace slams PM’s science pick: “Polluters are running the show”
Greenpeace says the appointment of a former DairyNZ scientist as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s Chief Science Advisor shows the Government is handing power to polluters.
“For years, DairyNZ has ignored science and lobbied to weaken protections for rivers, drinking water, and the climate,” says Greenpeace campaigner Amanda Larsson.
“We’re facing a climate and nature crisis. The dairy industry is New Zealand’s worst environmental polluter, and science shows we need strong limits on it to protect the environment and our future. But instead of taking action to restrict intensive dairy’s pollution, Luxon is allowing industry lobbyists to sit at key decision-making tables.”
Larsson warns that the appointment could further undermine action on climate change. She says DairyNZ has led efforts to promote misleading methods for measuring methane emissions from livestock – methods that downplay the need for real cuts to climate pollution from intensive dairy.
…appointing a climate denier for the Dairy Industry to be the Chief Science Advisor is like appointing a pedophile to run a kindergarten FFS!
The NZ Political Right are strangling the common good for their donors interests and mates rates and you are allowing them.
For shame Kiwi.
For shame.
How bitter are you at Jacinda for this to be acceptable?
Take a look in the mirror Kiwi. Take a look in the mirror.
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After failing to gain approval in court, several times, fast track consent has been given to mine offshore at Taranaki. Our local MP received personal donations from one of the owners of the now successful company, was due to Chair the committee involved in applications and “forgot” to declare his donations. The police agreed that there was nothing to see here.
By the way, Jacinda, who is now completely irrelevant to anything in NZ, was a dedicated communist who wanted to strip away democracy and decision making from local communities and concentrate power into the centralized hands of Wellington bureaucrats and Iwi elites.
You are correct that financial corruption is as intrinsically Tory as other greed-based crimes, such as tax evasion. But Ardern was about as communist as John Key (i.e. not at all)
What a crock of shit .The difference between Jacinda and the hate fueled bitches in this government is quite simple ,Jacinda actually cared for everyone and the current lot only care for them selves and the top 1%, whom screw them over in the next couple of years after they have plundered whats left of NZ .
Both Jones and the buffoon Bishop have a fetish for crayfish so are easily bribed by the developers .Winton want to build a town on a flood zone near Auckland so a chilly bin of crays gets it fast tracked after the council has said no .Next thing Auckland rates will double to pay for the failed drainage the cheep arse developer puts in and the massive tanks needed for the storage of sewage like the developments in west Auckland that have no sewage connection to sewage treatment plants .
I wish that last statement was a load of sewage Gordon W. Can you give a source, I’d like to have that on record.
No other GOVT has bypassed democratic process as much as luxons GOVT in NZ History. Fact!
Of course these political donations are Conflicts of Interest so are linked to corruption and bribery and being used extensively by those with no moral fibre or human decency, ie the mob running our country now and their supporters. Donations need to be limited. It’s way too easy for the ‘haves’ to buy their way into anything that is of benefit to them and their cronies. As for the immoral Fast-track Bill– how in the hell has this been let loose and the same with the disgraceful Resource Management Amendment Bill [fast-tracked too!] How are minor parties allowed to dictate to our entire country? There are insufficient checks and balances, lots of lying, smoke and mirrors, distractions – in fact it’s endless. This dishonest CoC has to go and the sooner the better.
8m announced for an inland port at Mosgiel as well. The owner of that inland port? Peter Dynes of Dynes Transport, a donor to NZ First last year.
It’s so obvious..
Enough said .
But….Is it going to be good for the region? An aid to coastal shipping to meet with other ports? It’s not enough to dismiss it because there is a connection to some large local company. If it is good, and local money, then it could be very good for all and the business is investing locally.
The problem will be if the council moguls in your area don’t take ownership of the idea, and put in investment from their putea, and also have first dibs on any new shares that are issued and be prepared to buy outright – set up a local investment fund for that and be ready. Keep ownership local or it will eventually be in the kangaroo pouch of some Aussie like Gina meinhardt or be a wee jewel in Ali Musk’s treasure chest…or..?
There was another local company who was going to do it themselves, fully funded. No taxpayer money, no donations to get across the line. Plus in a much better location with room to scale.
Clearly CoC backing their mates over sensible outcomes
But….Is it going to be good for the donor?
On stuff this morning the sea bed mining company said they would contribute $1 billion to the NZ economy every year .No where did they show they would be paying anywhere near a billion in tax or royalties .In fact their sales did not even come to that amount .If these minerals are so rare and valuable I would have thought sales would be in the billions per year not thousands .Much the same as the $575 million donation to the big film studios for no return to NZ inc .If we are investing in the films we should be getting a slice of the box office billions .This government is so called investing in fantasy .