Labour govt 2020-23

[Logen Ninefingers]

I think most New Zealanders would say that they want to live in a modern democratic country. And constitutionally it looks like we do live in one. But I do not know if this is actually the case now. I guess that 'full and final' Treaty settlements in the past - along with fullsome apologies - aimed to salve what was once referred to as 'the greviance industry', but I am personally unsure if that is the case. It seems that contempory ideas have moved some way past settlements to address past wrongs with a view to establishing New Zealand as a harmonious modern constitutional democracy. Now we have entered a new era where Maori ambition - with some governmental acquiesance - encompasses a view that they truly will govern New Zealand in conjuction with a government that is elected by all the citizens of New Zealand. And indeed, in many areas and in many ways Iwi groups actually do appear to be co-governing New Zealand along with the elected central and local government entities.

Moreover, we have crossed a line from a view of 'full and final' Treaty settlements to a kind of endless stream of 'reparations' (for want of a better term) for 'the harm wrought on the Maori people by colonisation'. (If you are endlessly referring back to 'colonisation', can you ever truly 'move on'?)

There are a lot of terms that have fallen out of favour in this new paradigm that we live in. It used to be fashionable to talk about a 'Treaty gravy train' or a 'Treaty industry'. These days the Waitangi Tribunal does its business quietly but perpetually. The Waitangi Tribunal seems to be an entity that has always been with us and will always be with us. Their 'work' seems to now consist of reporting on ways that 'the Crown' is 'failing in its Treaty obligations to Maori'. I think many people would have thought that the Tribunal was set up to negotiate on Treaty settlements, although maybe the ground has shifted and - once again - we are being introduced to a new reality.

If you listen to Te Pati Maori, then you would form a view that Maori in general have never been poorer or more down-trodden, and this is mainly due to the Crown who shirk their obligations at every turn. For an opposing view, we may consider that there was $1 Billion of funding specifically targeted at Maori in last years budget (as an example). And for another view again, we may consider the following -

The Māori economy is also diversifying, with new investment areas including geothermal, digital, services, education, tourism and housing. Chapman Tripp's 2017 “Te Ao Māori - Trends and Insights” estimated the value of the Māori asset base at over $50 billion.

Sometimes what is presented as 'truth' by a particular growth may be a form of lobbying or politiking. But to the forelock tugging and ever so 'umble general populace it seems that whatever is presented as truth in the case of Maori hardship is readily accepted, and the self-flagellation begins again. I don't really know where we are at with 'the process' of making the country into a place where Maori are truly content with their lives as a group. Chris Hipkins says there is still "much work to do"....perhaps he believes we are only at step one of a road that will never end.

I wonder where Rawiri Waititi thinks we are at with our 'process'. I wonder if we are salving a sense of greviance, or stoking and fuelling it. I wonder how many maori Waititi is speaking for when he says what he does say....

Waititi went on to say the British crown had “rained war on every continent on Earth” and “inherited power based on stolen wealth”.

“This Crown, both directly and through its successor colonial governments, continues to be an illegal occupation of … Indigenous nations throughout the world,” he said.

[Logen Ninefingers]

Perhaps over future decades the co-governance model with become embedded and accepted by all. Maybe the future is a place where the Maori economy continues to grown exponentially, from $50 billion of assets in 2017 to hundreds of billions by the year 2060. Maybe by then the Crown and Iwi govern the country arm in arm in perfect harmony, with both these parties assuming 50/50 responsibility for all citizens of New Zealand. Maybe in this New Zealand of the future the Maori half of the partnership is funded by burgeoning tribal revenues, while the Crown contributes the other 50% of funding. So in practice the Health system would be funded 50% from tribal revenues, 50% from the Crown accounts.

[iceman]

Interesting article in the NZ Herald today: ‘No such thing as a free lunch?’
It’s behind a paywall, the gist is that it is currently costing $274 million for a ‘free school lunches’ programme in a quarter of NZ schools, and a cabal of academics & ‘health providers’ are seeking to get this state overreach extended to half of all NZ schools.
Robbo has been booking the costs of the free lunches up to the ‘COVID’ slush fund, despite Treasury advice that it should come from the ordinary budget process.
Watch this space to see what happens next with regards to what the Labour nanny-state outfit will do.

Sadly much of this food ends up in scrap bins. A typical do-gooder program with noble intentions that achieves very little

[Logen Ninefingers]

Sadly much of this food ends up in scrap bins. A typical do-gooder program with noble intentions that achieves very little

It's not really targeted either, like so much this government does. Winter energy payments for millionaires, clean car rebates for millionaires, subsidised hearing aids for millionaires, free school lunches for the kids of millionaires. It's a creeping socialism that's spreading its tentacles far and wide, and the result is mounting debt and inflation and a clouded economic outlook.

[Getty]

That means that Debbie is more Irish than Maori. I doubt if her dad was 100% Maori as that was long gone. So really she is in the wrong party.

That's why l just refer to Te Pati, without adding Maori.

It's really Te Patrick Pakeha!

[Logen Ninefingers]

That's why l just refer to Te Pati, without adding Maori.

It's really Te Patrick Pakeha!

Te Be Sure, Te Be Sure.

[iceman]

Haven’t seen anything in the media about the fact that Labour is severely cutting road maintenance in the Budget

This from the Mayor of Nelson:

“Shocked by massive cuts in road maintenance funding in this weeks Budget.

Found it on Vol1 Page 305 (copied below) that has Local Roads Maintenance cut $315 million (42%) and State Highway Maintenance cut $164 million (25%). The total cut is $479 million but to keep up with 7% inflation it would have needed to go up $98 m - so a cut in real terms of $577million.

This is a real worry for Councils. I am already getting a lot of criticism on state of our roads over potholes and insufficient maintenance. I will be asking questions through Regional Transport Committee and through LGNZ - I cannot see any logic in such dramatic reductions in basic road maintenance.”

[Logen Ninefingers]

Haven’t seen anything in the media about the fact that Labour is severely cutting road maintenance in the Budget

This from the Mayor of Nelson:

“Shocked by massive cuts in road maintenance funding in this weeks Budget.

Found it on Vol1 Page 305 (copied below) that has Local Roads Maintenance cut $315 million (42%) and State Highway Maintenance cut $164 million (25%). The total cut is $479 million but to keep up with 7% inflation it would have needed to go up $98 m - so a cut in real terms of $577million.

This is a real worry for Councils. I am already getting a lot of criticism on state of our roads over potholes and insufficient maintenance. I will be asking questions through Regional Transport Committee and through LGNZ - I cannot see any logic in such dramatic reductions in basic road maintenance.”

Disgusting. The media should be all over this but are missing in action, as usual. Our roads are falling apart.

[Getty]

Disgusting. The media should be all over this but are missing in action, as usual. Our roads are falling apart.

This is the influence of Julie Ann Genter and the silly Greens coming through.

She thinks everyone and everything can be moved by bicycle and rickshaw.

As for Elizabeth Kerekere, she has demonstrated everyone should be paddling their own waka...

[Logen Ninefingers]

In today’s ‘attack the opposition’ cartoon from rabid socialist media outlet ‘Stuff’, cartoonist ‘Jeff Bell’ has Nicola Willis his cross-hairs. He has her saying that ‘bread and butter’ is a nice to have and presents Nationals alternative budget: a bowl of flour & a jug of water.

This is the media reinforcing the Labour spin that Robbo produced a no-frills, ‘bread and butter’ budget. The reality is that it is anything but. Spending has blown out to the extent that the government will post a huge deficit next year -

‘A deficit for next year that is $7.1 billion higher than expected only six months ago is a pretty big number. Debt will remain higher for longer.’

I think NZ governments are certainly capable of producing no frills budgets, ones that don’t drive inflation & drive up interest rates & massively increase borrowing. But it hasn’t happened lately.