Tag Archives: Government

Banking, Corporations, Government, Housing, Money

NZ needs a Consul-General (and a $6.2 mill mansion) in Hawaii because ‘the US has big defense headquarters in Honolulu’ … really?

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Our pretend government aka corporation is borrowing $27 mill a day to keep us afloat, and has spent $6.2 mill on a house that is double the value of surrounding houses. It’s not a house it’s a mansion fit for a king. Our corporation is also flogging off our state housing, whilst many Kiwis are homeless and doesn’t give a toss about kids in poverty. Here then is a blatant example of ‘let them eat cake’. Something has gone terribly wrong with this country that once stamped out poverty and homelessness. Our CEO is a banker folks, he’s not a leader. He simply poses as one.

john-key-swimming-pool-metro-2006

In case you missed it, the corporatization of our nation & its former government departments has led to a bottom line of maximizing profits. People no longer matter.

Read TV3’s story & watch the video ….

Untitled
$6.2 mill mansion for NZ Diplomat

“Would you like to own a $6.2 million house in Hawaii? Good news – you already do. But bad news – the Government has bought the place for a diplomat.

It has inspired Story to start up a brand new segment called Silly Spending.

One of the many real estate ads for the home describes it as “ultimate modern luxury”.

“The crystal chandeliers are a great touch. The whole effect is one of a jewel box.”

It is 570 square metres of exceptional floor plan. It’s about four times bigger than your house, if you live in an average New Zealand home.

It’s got a pool and spa deck and it’s one block from the beach. The house is almost twice the average price of houses around it.

We bought the pad last year for diplomat Rob Kaiwai. He’s New Zealand’s first-ever Consul-General in Hawaii. We set up that posting last year to help out the 14 diplomatic postings we already had across the United States.

If you’re thinking he might need his house for high-powered meetings, that’s what the office in downtown Honolulu is for.”

Watch the video for the full Story report.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/story/62m-hawaiian-pad-paid-for-by-taxpayers-2015092918#ixzz3nABLpqQ2

Banking, Corporations, Government, Money

Who’s checking the promises as Kiwi land ownership is lost? – Winston Peters

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Certainly NZ is being sold lock, stock and barrel. The National Government seems indeed set on disposing of land hand over fist, along with our State Housing and other assets. This is the way of corporations … remember, our government is a corporation. The face of our country is truly changing in a very disturbing way. Watch this space.     EnvirowatchRangitikei

From Radio Live 31 Aug 2015

court-510750_1280“New Zealand land continues to go under the hammer to foreign buyers but no one is holding buyers to their promises of job and wealth creation for New Zealanders.

Strange, given the approvals are based on those promises. Oddly, no applications get rejected. In the last two years they have all been approved.

The promises, which give them the go ahead, include job creation, investment, protection of indigenous plants, donations to local organisations or schools, etc.

The Overseas Investment Office, the apparent guardian of our precious land, is letting us down. But the fault lies with the government which should be staffing it adequately and giving it the correct mandate…”

Winston Peters is NZ First leader 

Read more: http://www.radiolive.co.nz/WINSTON-PETERS-Whos-checking-the-promises-as-Kiwi-land-ownership-is-lost/tabid/615/articleID/95724/Default.aspx

Corporations, Economics, Housing, Money

Another week of neoliberal economics – (and who cares about the poor?) – from the Daily Blog

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From the Daily Blog in NZ, a thought provoking look at the world of economics where policy fallout on human populations is of no particular importance. Discussing also the incentives (are there any?) for mothers to leave their babies in day care and take up paid employment. Many are apparently worse off for working full time.
Capitalism is not about free competitive choices among people who are reasonably equal in their buying and selling of economic power, it is about concentrating capital, concentrating economic power in very few hands using that power to trash everyone who gets in their way. (David Korten)

By   /   August 29, 2015
“In the world of economics there are no crises, no gender issues, no growing inequality, no precariat hanging on in a fragile labour market by their toenails. No families ‘choosing’ to be cold and sick so they can pay the rent, no mothers  sent to jail for infringing 19th century rules,  no children spluttering up sputum from 3rd world diseases because our  housing is so bad ,no inconvenient  hungry students with enormous debt ….
mansion-411128_1280Thus it was this week on Monday at the 13th annual economists breakfast  at the Heritage hotel in Auckland…

Economists after economist pontificated on whether interest rates and exchange  rates are going up or down and why and the virtues of quantitative easing that didn’t happen soon enough, apparently, except in the US.  Never a mention of fiscal policy, except the bad effects of increase in GST in Japan…
…of course, there was no mention by the economists of high rates of poverty, , casualisation, low pay and uncertain hours, rampant speculative activity in real estate and growing inequality, even though the IMF and the OECD are regularly warning of the dangers…

When the inevitable downturn produces higher unemployment, more foodbank demand, foreclosures and poor-330395_1280widespread mental illness, who asks or cares whether the economic system works for low and middle income people and their children?”

“

Banking, Corporations, Money, Smart Meters

Kiwis lose $871 million from power company privatisations, power is up 3.8% & the elderly freeze

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Whilst many elderly are stopping in bed all day to keep warm because they are paying outrageous prices for power (courtesy of Smart Meters) the CEOs of the powercos are on salaries of 1-2 million dollars. This is the insanity of corporate greed at its finest.

Today’s business corporation is an artificial creation, shielding owners and managers while preserving corporate privilege and existence. Artificial or not, corporations have won more rights under law than people have – rights which government has protected with armed force
Richard L Grossman and Frank T Adams
Recent articles in Nelson have illustrated what can happen following the installation of Smart Meters with accounts coming in at double the normal price and beyond. (Post to come on that one). The Greens in this article have highlighted the nonsensical world of privatisation … a thinly veiled scheme that clearly benefits the corporate world while claiming to benefit all. Remember, we were told the asset sales would get us out of debt (clearly wrong as our debt continues to climb). We were also told that more powercos meant more competition (free enterprise, the market and all that)  which would mean lower prices … wrong again.
“…free enterprise, [is] a term that refers, in practice, to a system of public subsidy and private profit, with massive government intervention in the economy to maintain a welfare state for the rich.”   Noam Chomsky
Gareth Hughes MP on Friday, August 28, 2015

“New analysis of the financial statements of Genesis, Mighty River Power, and Meridian released by the Green Party today shows that National’s partial privatisation of power companies has cost New Zealand taxpayers $871 million, the Green Party said.

“The latest data shows that National’s sale of 49 percent of shares in the power companies was a massive transfer of wealth from the people of New Zealand to a few select investors, many who live overseas,” Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said.

“If the Crown still owned 100 percent of these companies, taxpayers could collectively have earned another $381 million this year alone and a whopping $775 million since the selloff.

“Add to that the $96 million of costs associated with the sale process, including bonus shares to sweeten the deal for private investors, and the New Zealand taxpayer is $871 million worse off because of National’s failed privatisation plan.

“Consumers are hurting because power prices are up 3.8 percent – meanwhile power companies are paying out massive salaries to their CEOs and directors.

“The CEOs of the three partially privatised power companies now all earn over a million dollars each, and Meridian’s CEO gets close to $2 million when extra perks are included.

“Rising salaries for power company CEOs are cold comfort for Kiwi households facing higher power bills,” said Mr Hughes.

Mighty River Power’s announcement today of a special shareholder dividend means it will pay out almost $300 million for the year, and caps off a string of recent profit announcements from the partially privatised power companies. Contact and Meridian are also paying special dividends, while Genesis’ profit doubled from the previous year.

The Green Party has released new analysis, undertaken by the Parliamentary Library, of the financial statements of the recently partially privatised power companies Genesis, Mighty River Power, and Meridian.

SOURCE: https://www.greens.org.nz/news/press-releases/kiwis-lose-871-million-power-company-privatisations

Money Trail, TPPA

Dairy access stalled as TPP talks get more serious … NZ Herald

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“The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact does not yet include an acceptable deal on access for New Zealand’s most important exports, dairy products, with little more than a month to go before the controversial 12- nation trade deal could be concluded.

“I think the way I would describe it is there’s a deal….”

Read the article here:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11469377

For further information on the TPPA and how it will affect NZ if signed, visit the TPPA page on this site.

For all updates from Prof Jane Kelsey at itsourfuture website go here: http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/tag/professor-jane-kelsey/ 

Health, Smart Meters

Britain’s IoD: “Smart Meters are a government IT disaster waiting to happen”

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This comes from the Take Back Your Power website, a must read if you are interested in protecting your health:

“The UK’s leading business network of company directors has issued a damning report and warning against the UK’s planned “smart” meter rollout…

IoD calls for Smart Meters scheme to be ‘halted, altered or scrapped’ to avoid ‘unjustified, over-engineered and expensive mistake’

The Government’s rollout of Smart Meters, digital energy meters designed to provide real-time usage statistics, should be “halted, altered or scrapped” to avoid a potentially catastrophic government IT disaster, the Institute of Directors warns today…”

Read the article HERE

I’ve been invited to speak to the Hunterville Senior Citizens group (my home town) and present information on smart meters. I’m always glad of the opportunity to supply folks with some of the pertinent facts and to encourage them to research for themselves and make their own informed decisions. So much we are told is motivated by profit nowadays we need to be wise and educate ourselves. I will upload my notes at the weekend as they’re a handy condensed version of the basics to be aware of. In the meantime you can view information on smart meters here at the Smart Meters page. You’ll find links there to the excellent NZ site that provides the latest info relevant to Kiwis … http://www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz

~ envirowatchrangitikei ~