If National wins ...

[Joshuatree]

Far too late; National fiddling around the edges doing nothing in fear of losing their populist national, rental owning followers and now affordable houses; whoops sorry don't know how many we've created as there is no measuring system for that. Lol,yeah right , pass me a tui and keep digging that hole.

[BlackPeter]

Far too late; National fiddling around the edges doing nothing in fear of losing their populist national, rental owning followers and now affordable houses; whoops sorry don't know how many we've created as there is no measuring system for that. Lol,yeah right , pass me a tui and keep digging that hole.

Populist? So you are saying the Winston First will go with National? He is the only populist I know in NZ politics.

[Bjauck]

Never works out well if the government is trying to control the market (and that's what you are asking for).

Just about all products, services and markets have regulations and controls, often including to whom and by whom the products/services can be sold.

Allowing overseas-based foreigners to have relatively unrestricted competition with NZers for NZ housing (especially existing housing stock) is inherently unfair for NZ-based residents (with round or other eyes!) insofar as foreigners can take advantage of foreign conditions, capital raising abilities and exchange fluctuations.


Just about all other countries control the residential housing market in some way. Including our commonwealth neighbours:
Australia: http://firb.gov.au/real-estate/
Singapore - http://www.sla.gov.sg/Services/Restr...anded-Property
Fiji - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-1...p-laws/5962152

As well - I assume these Chinese buyers had at least NZ residency? So what are we talking now - sell houses only to legal NZ residents with round eyes?

LOL.
Why do you assume the buyers have NZ residency when the indications are to the contrary? The agent, who has residency, specifically said "these overseas buyers are the ones who are prepared to pay." They had just stepped off the plane. NZ allows overseas based foreign buyers (with round or other eyes!) to buy existing residential housing. It happens.

...
But yes, jumping on the populist train is obviously more - eh ... popular - isn't it? Just watch the US and the UK to see how this works out ...

I am guessing that National may think that it is still more popular (among its potential voters) at the moment not to introduced measured and sensible controls on overseas-based foreign ownership.

[Joshuatree]

Agree; there has been none more populist the National for some time. anything to stay in power. What a disaster they've knowingly created over a long time frame and now too little to late; leaving the mess to another Little to have to try and clean it up; what a legacy and to think key got a knighthood for that, offensive .

[craic]

Key got a knighthood for being the Prime Minister of NZ - They all do, and fair enough, people get knighted for all manner of reasons, taking the leadership of the country is one of the better ones. Key was one of the most popular leaders in my fifty-seven years here. Key resigned in office at the height of his popularity - most leaders on both sides leave when they are losers. The only thing that I find offensive is that a losing party will try to get people to accept the leadership of a politician who has never been able to win a seat.

[Bjauck]

Key got a knighthood for being the Prime Minister of NZ - They all do, and fair enough, people get knighted for all manner of reasons, taking the leadership of the country is one of the better ones. Key was one of the most popular leaders in my fifty-seven years here. Key resigned in office at the height of his popularity - most leaders on both sides leave when they are losers. The only thing that I find offensive is that a losing party will try to get people to accept the leadership of a politician who has never been able to win a seat.

Yep. Just about all the ex-PMs get honoured. The republican ones don't accept a title but join the ONZ. It would have been surprising if JK had remained plain citizen JK since he had reintroduced the horsey honorific!

Of the six rt hon ex-PMs who served as PMs since 1990 -
Three accepted titles:
Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC (Lab)
Dame Jenny Shipley (Nat)
Sir John Key (Nat)

and three remain untitled.

[Blackrose]

What I'm finding interesting on this little corner of the internet, is that we really are letting fly with the comments around the up coming general election here in NZ.

It is not as one sided as say some facebook threads from News.com and comments around Paula Bennett which have been nothing but vitriolic anger. What I can get is that the current Blue Team under Bill English, is trying to resell a "steady as she goes" approach to governance. Which is jolly great stuff for share holders such as ourselves this has meant we've been left to passive income this **** which makes living in NZ worth it I guess.

But the gutted have nothings that have been under the Arnie "Wheel of Pain" stuff with low wages, skyrocketing uni fees, home ownership shot to hell, and the rise of an underclass that Bennett seems to think can be contained with precarious emergency accommodation/revolving credit line that makes a bad situation dire... there is an accounting to be had here.
(Here is that classic clip...from Conan the Barbarian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5KYZ74OAak&t=131s)

Little is promising a trade union-y deal which could make life a bit more bearable work wise. The zero hours **** and the tinkering of **** under the blue team has killed lots of R&D and productivity. This means we can't afford high mortgages. Mr Morgan offers some useful stuff, and the Greens these days are stacked with pragmatic fund managers that did study accounting at Auckland Uni. No one gives a **** about pot anymore, and even some of their own core group of insane hippies have been counteracted by scientists that are concerned with rising C02 levels.

All things the Blue Team has ignored. Alot. So there's a lot of discontent really.

[elZorro]

I'd missed that background historical info about Paula Bennett, most sites running scared but there is a bit still posted if you search for it. Can't say I'm surprised, if it's all true. The guy has put his name to it. Paula is threatening legal action.

I think it takes a lot of ego to be an MP, is it too much to hope that this ego is well founded, that they are all straight-up people?

[BlackPeter]

I'd missed that background historical info about Paula Bennett, most sites running scared but there is a bit still posted if you search for it. Can't say I'm surprised, if it's all true. The guy has put his name to it. Paula is threatening legal action.

I think it takes a lot of ego to be an MP, is it too much to hope that this ego is well founded, that they are all straight-up people?

EZ, no idea what you are talking about .... are you now trying to imply there might be mud for Labour to throw so dirty that you are afraid to put your pen name to it? Labour must be really desperate - do they develop into a Trump 2.0 party, just less honest and more cowardly? Difference is - Trump managed to find enough useful idiots who voted for him, he seems to be more inspirational than Little .

[fungus pudding]

EZ, no idea what you are talking about ....

Neither has he.