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NZCPR CAMPAIGNS
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Frank Newman
What we have seen is false advertising and orchestrated ‘news’ items on mainstream media to promote a perception that there is a need for reform. We have been given false assurances that the councils will retain ‘ownership’ of their water assets despite councils having no benefits of ownership and a report prepared by the Internal Affairs Department for Standard & Poors admitting water entities will have “limited Local Authority oversight”.
My first reaction to the "compelling" financial benefits claimed by Minister Mahuta was scepticism, for two reasons. First, the figures seem too good to be true. And second, as someone familiar with discounted cash flow analysis, I'm aware that minor "adjustment" to an underlying assumption can result in a significantly different result - the difference between a favourable or unfavourable recommendation.
Labour will be solely responsible for its achievements over the next three years, and fully accountable for its failures. Those who believe in the merits of a free market economy will have a historic opportunity to reaffirm the long-proven truth that the socialist ideal of a utopian society is a myth.
If the government wants to get New Zealand working it should get rid of the Resource Management Act. Even one of its architects, Geoffrey Palmer, has said the RMA is broken.
Investing is an act of optimism. The greater threat for our economy is the damage that has been done to business confidence. Pessimists don't invest.
The Reserve Bank's action says things are now more dire than they were during the Global Financial Crisis. This is in contrast to the buzz from the Beehive which is: 'Don't worry, be happy'!
The claims process is an opportunistic attempt by Maori interests to gain control of what was previously regarded as public space for the benefit of everyone. I have no doubt the end goal is to securing a perpetual income stream from the granting of use rights to third parties.
Labour promised something special, but Budget 2019 delivered something quite ordinary. Those who believe governments should foster a vibrant economy will find nothing of real substance to applaud, while those who have been promised a transformational change in social policy will be left feeling they have been short-changed.
Fairness has been talked about a lot lately, by the government. It appears to be justifying everything by saying "it's the fair thing to do". Fairness has replaced housing affordability as the primary justification for the government wanting to introduce a capital gains tax
This really points to the absurdity of the KiwiBuild scheme. It will not help a low income household at all - even “cost” price is too great, so those who are not on a wage on a par with a student doctor and IT expert will have to continue to rent and pay more as rents rise, thanks to all of the new rental-housing related regulations that the Government is bringing in
