After the 2017 election, when ‘kingmaker’ Winston Peters chose Labour and the Greens to be in Government rather than National, 1,152,075 Kiwis felt jilted. Traditionally in this country the party that gets most of the votes on election night has been part of any new Government.
But not this time.
Winston Peters justified his actions by claiming that free market capitalism is failing New Zealand: “Far too many New Zealanders have come to view today’s capitalism, not as their friend, but as their foe. That is why we believe that capitalism must regain its human face.”
He clearly decided that a good dose of socialism was the answer. And the newly anointed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern agreed, describing capitalism as a ‘blatant failure’.
Under National, New Zealand’s market economy had been one of the fastest growing in the OECD. Yet in spite of successfully managing the country through the global financial crisis and putting us onto the path to prosperity, Winston Peters chose the most extreme left-wing alliance in this country’s history as our new government.
Mr Peters also prophesised an impending slowdown: “Our negotiations have taken place against a backdrop of changing international and internal economic circumstances which we cannot ignore. We in New Zealand First believe that an economic correction, or a slowdown, is looming, and that the first signs are already here.”
He was right. An economic slowdown has arrived. And the parties he put into power are exacerbating the decline.
The Reserve Bank’s shock decision to cut the Official Cash Rate by 0.5 percent to a record low of 1 percent is a clear sign that economic troubles lie ahead. It is only the fourth time in our history that the OCR has been cut by 50 basis points. The first was after the 9/11 terrorist attack in the US, the second was during the global financial crisis, and the third was after the Christchurch earthquake.
So what has spooked the Reserve Bank into taking this “crisis” step? And why is this Governor rejecting the advice of his predecessors – that New Zealanders must save more – by calling for the public to now borrow and spend?
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator economic analyst Frank Newman believes that in attempting to boost consumer confidence with their extraordinary rate cut, the Reserve Bank has probably done the opposite:
“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!
“Given how little faith people have in politicians, I suspect consumers and business owners will take a lead from the actions of the Reserve Bank, but not the words of the Governor who says, Save the economy: Borrow and spend. Most consumers are prudent and will respond to his words by doing exactly the opposite. This will cause business confidence to decline at a faster rate than it is already.” (Read the full article HERE).
Ever since the Government was announced, business confidence has been falling. Businesses are suspicious of socialist governments that believe they know better than the free market collective what’s good for everyone.
The business sector foresaw massive union interference in the workforce and unaffordable increases in the minimum wage. They knew that new rules and regulations over things like health and safety would make running their businesses far more difficult.
They could see the new Government’s pledge to restrict immigration would leave them struggling to find workers – just like the country’s major strawberry grower, who was interviewed on the news last week, explaining that her application for the 1200 workers she would need during the growing season had been turned down, potentially threatening supplies of affordable strawberries at Christmas time.
It was also clear from day one that Labour was going to persecute private property investors, with a suite of expensive new regulations that would force up the cost of rents and make operating far more difficult.
But their anti-business agenda has gone well beyond landlords. By anointing the Greens into government, Winston Peters unleashed a vindictive attack on farmers.
The Greens want fewer cows and sheep, and fewer farms. They don’t care about the impact on food prices, the economy, or living standards. As well as forcing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme and limiting methane emissions through the Zero Carbon Bill, new fresh water regulations are about to be imposed that will make running a farm even more difficult. Shane Jones summed up the effects when he recently said that the country is now at “peak cow”. In other words, peak incomes for farmers, meaning it is all downhill from here.
With dairy farmers needing a price of $6.20 per kg of milk solids to break even, and with the troubled Fonterra forecasting $6.30 to $6.40 for this season, highly indebted farmers will struggle to find the finance necessary to meet the new environmental standards.
As a result of government persecution, some dairy farms are already selling at a discount of over 20 percent. The situation will only get worse.
Of course, not only farming is in the sights of the socialists now resident in the Beehive. The seafood industry is also under attack, with proposals to close vast areas of ocean to save a rare dolphin – that is not under threat from fishing, but from disease.
The ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration came as a complete shock to the New Zealand business sector. It was done without notice or Cabinet approval – and has led to concerns that no industry is safe from the Prime Minister’s authoritarianism.
The Prime Minister’s vindictive treatment of law-abiding gun owners also came out of the blue. While her swift response to the Christchurch tragedy gained her plaudits on the international stage, her heavy-handed response here at home was profoundly anti-democratic.
Then there was the massive disruption caused by her plan to impose a capital gains tax onto New Zealand. And even though the immediate danger has disappeared, the fact that the PM said she personally supports such a tax leaves the fear that she could introduce measures that are equally punitive and destructive.
In fact, punitive and destructive is what her unilateral decision to commit New Zealand to the harshest possible carbon restrictions required under the Paris Agreement really is. It demonstrates an alarming lack of wisdom and a dangerous worship of idealism. As a result, not only will food prices escalate, but so too will energy prices, leading to higher unemployment and significant damage to industries that were once the backbone of our wealth.
With business confidence heading south, consumer confidence has now slumped as well. The chill winds of the economic slowdown that Winston Peters predicted when he announced the new Government are here. His Government is putting New Zealand onto the path to failure.
The United States has been down the same destructive path that we are now on. In response, the think tank Free Market America produced a video, If I Wanted America to Fail. It’s message is as relevant to New Zealand today as it was in the US in 2012 when their fight-back began. The video went viral. Whether it played a part in the regime change that later took place is difficult to tell, but the unsettling message it conveyed is impossible to forget.
Here is the 4-minute video to watch:
CLICK TO VIEW
If that video was adapted to New Zealand this is how If I Wanted New Zealand to Fail would read:
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
To suffer, not prosper; to despair, not dream.
I would start with energy.
I’d cut off much of New Zealand’s supply of cheap, abundant energy. I couldn’t take it by force. So, I’d make New Zealanders feel guilty for using the energy that heats their homes, fuels their cars, runs their businesses, and powers their economy.
I’d make cheap energy expensive, so that expensive energy would seem cheap.
I would all-but-outlaw New Zealand’s abundant sources of oil, gas and coal – making it necessary to import it from overseas.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
I’d use our schools to teach one generation of children that our factories and cars and cows are causing runaway Global Warming, and I’d muster a straight face so I could teach the next generation that their parents are to blame for killing the planet.
And when it’s cold outside, I’d call it Climate Change instead.
I’d imply that New Zealand’s cities and factories could run on hydro, wind and solar power, without a fossil fuel backup for when the rain doesn’t fall, the wind doesn’t blow, and the sun doesn’t shine.
I’d teach children how to ignore the hypocrisy of condemning logging, mining and farming — while having roofs over their heads, heat in their homes and food on their tables.
I would ridicule as “deniers” those who question the climate scaremongering of politicians, and when they remind people about the laws of nature – that climate change is natural and mankind’s impact is minimal – I’d enlist a sympathetic media to drown them out.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail…
I would create countless new regulations and seldom cancel old ones. They would be so complicated that only bureaucrats, lawyers and lobbyists could understand them. That way small businesses with big ideas wouldn’t stand a chance.
I would never teach children that the free market is the only force in human history to uplift the poor, establish the middle class and create lasting prosperity.
Instead, I’d demonise wealth creators, property owners, and prosperity itself, so they will not miss what they will never have.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
I would empower bureaucrats to bully Kiwis out of their dreams and their property rights by imposing such strict and costly regulations that it’d be almost impossible for farmers to farm, miners to mine, loggers to log, and builders to build.
And because I don’t believe in free markets, I’d invent false ones. I’d devise fictitious products – like carbon credits – and trade them in imaginary markets. I’d convince people that this would create jobs and be good for the economy, but I would never say where the new jobs will be found.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
For every concern, I’d invent a crisis; and for every crisis, I’d invent a cause; like shutting down entire industries and killing tens of thousands of jobs in the name of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and saving the planet. And when everyone learned the stunning irony that imported oil and gas and coal would create more emissions than home-grown products, it would already be decades too late.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
I’d make it easier to stop commerce than start it – easier to kill jobs than create them – more fashionable to resent success than to seek it.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
I would transform the environmental agenda from a document of conservation to an economic suicide pact. I would concede entire industries like farming and mining and exploration to our economic rivals by imposing regulations that cost billions. I would celebrate those who preach environmental austerity in public while indulging lavish lifestyles in private.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail …
I’d convince New Zealanders that capitalism is harmful, and that socialism and more regulation is the answer.
I would prey on the goodness and decency of ordinary New Zealanders.
I would only need to convince them … that all of this is for the greater good.
If I wanted New Zealand to fail, I suppose I wouldn’t change a thing.
We are proposing to create such a video for New Zealand – if you would like to support this important new project, please click HERE to help.
THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
Do you believe New Zealand is being set up to fail?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| Absolutely! | Maddi |
| with the no hopers we have in control, there will be no other outcome | Bill |
| Yes. Most certainly and by the enemies of the working population of the country. Socialists. Idealists and Fools. | Grahame |
| We in NZ are being brainwashed by the labour govt. and the communist based press into a vast hole in the universe. I believe that there should be a revolt by sane and intelligent NZers to resist idiotic reporters and TV NEWS PRESENTERS who promote regressive actions . | Allan |
| NZ is being run by a totally incompetent coalition Govt that are leading us all down a road of ruin. | Wayne |
| This Government would have to be the worst Government this country has ever had. It is slowly but surely wrecking what was once a country to be reckoned with. Hopefully we can get rid of them before too much damage has been done. Shame on Ardern and company | Mike |
| nearly inevitably | Pieter |
| to be compliant un followers we need to fail | Dean |
| To set up a free trade agreement with the third world is preposterous, of course it was done to appease the UN objective of bringing down the first world to third world status. It’s just not possible to survive trading on equal terms with countries who pay per week what we pay per hour, it’s ludicrous. But our puppet Governments bow to the UN in hope of what? Yes, what? Would you want to bring your country down to 3rd world level? | George |
| New Zealand first will learn at the next election how big the mistake was they made all because Winston new he could get the slush fund in an attempt to buy an electoral seat | Hugh |
| We ate being governed by a group of idiots who have never worked in the real world and fed b.s. by a gullible media | Laurie |
| worse government ever | Tony |
| A vendetta-fueled against National Winston Peters, knew from the moment he chose this govt., he was setting NZ up to fail and that was why he had to justify his actions. Along with an infantile PM, their poor leadership has turned our society into a neurotic one with the Greens screaming about climate change and Maori only matter and no-one telling the truth while trying to enforce collectivism on us. Will this be the end of MMP because we desperately need to vote out forever the Greens, Labour party leadership and NZF so WP never holds power again? | Monica |
| We need people of expertise in parliament, not a few charming only people | Dawid |
| We all agree NZ is being run as a Socialist country. IN 2019 we have a rich world history behind us, of centuries. No government need to cause a disaster in their country, if they are only WILLING to do proper research and learn from history.. Nowhere in history did any socialist government brought love, peace and well being among its citizens. See Mussolini, Stalin, Karl Marx AND Hitler; communists, dictators who rose to power and reigned with an iron hand. Oh and ALL of them did that in the name of Socialism, Workers socialism and more. Yes see statistics, Stalin and Hitler killed tens of thousands of their own people; every body(woman, men, children and disabled people) that did not seems to fit into their ideology and tyranny. But because many( supposedly all politicians) do not know history; the leaders think they can promise to set up a ‘perfect socialist country–sending New Zealand and its citizens heading for a disaster– not only materially; but may be even killing some ‘UNWANTED” New Zealanders in the future. | Anna |
| And it’s not all the current Government. That left-of-centre, short-term deal maker, John Key ensured National would created lasting damage to our lifestyles and race relations. | Fiona |
| Yes – there is a definite pattern emerging amongst Western nations that once espoused the concepts of freedom and liberty, which allowed them to prosper. These ideals are rapidly being overwhelmed by Globalism (which I equate with Communism on a world-wide scale), brokered by the UN, using the same game plan that Hitler and Stalin followed in their quest for a Totalitarian system of Government. Thanks to Winnie, we now have a Marxist/Socialist cabal, headed by a Communist, with no respect for citizens’ rights and freedoms, driven by policies that will only result in an equal sharing of misery – once they run out of someone else’s money! If the Law, in essence, is a defence of the right to own property, and this so-called Government can legislate to override this, then it can only be concluded that we have a lawless Government! Given the absence of an effective Parliamentary Opposition, I fear that the 2020 election may come too late to save us from ruin, unless some sort of radical change takes place. | Scott |
| Well written and very true | John |
| She is a communist | Neil |
| I have always believed climate change is political, | Grant |
| Our commie/socialist Ardern is following the guide book by Saul Alinsky (google it) on how to become a socialist/communist country. She is destroying NZ and is being guided by Helen Clark and the evil UN who are hell bent on control by the New World Order/one World Govt. Unless NZers wake up we are set to fail. The alternative govt (National) are a pathetic lot, far too left leaning, and need a strong coalition partner to pull them back to their traditional roll. Just before the next election we will see a (beautiful) bride or a cute toddler which will sell the election to the socialists for another 3 years. Imagine the damage she will do! God save NZ. As for the vast sums she is giving away to the islands and climate change bowfins, Pres. Trump is the only leader with the brains and backbone to walk away from this nonsense and says his country comes first. He is a breath of fresh air! | Carolyn |
| It’s been happening for years. Remember Muldoon/Birch’s Think Big? The enactment of the Resource Management Act which was meant to be permissive with no need for local body planning documents (ha ha). I got out of the mineral exploration interestingly when it was introduced. Then are the latest measures of the Labour Government discussed in your article…. Oh, of course I should mention the almost continuous running of balance of payments deficits which means to keep afloat New Zealand needs to borrow abroad and/or sell assets to foreigners. Great work guys. | Colin |
| Absolutely — with the daft Greens and other lefties destroying our farms and the dumbing down of bank, insurance and Govt. departments etc we are doomed if we keep going this way. Look at that Genter woman — and her madness against cars — she is a nothing human being and what the hell gives her the right to tell us what we can and cannot do. We would leave NZ if we could but sadly cannot afford it and this will only get worse !!!! | Alan |
| Nothing is more certain than with this appalling coalition Government | Craig |
| Yes, we are being set up to fail. Broadly speaking, if free market capitalism is stifled there will be no socialist welfare state. If nothing is produced freely there will be nothing of any consequence for any government to take. Socialist politicians and their followers are counting on incentive-driven entrepreneurs to never give up under severe taxation, regulations and controls. This link contains all one needs to know about our PM Jacsinister Ardern. What was it about leopards and spots? Comrade Jacinda https://youtu.be/g9rsxFaq6Ig. | Don |
| Will People never realise socialism has never succeeded without ruing a prosperous country wherever it is in the world | Brianb |
| NZ is small on some maps we don’t even appear. We need to be heard, Jacinda is our ideal ambassador to play to an international audience how we can punch above our weight and by cutting our 0.6% share of greenhouse gases we alone can save the planet from destruction. Puff out your chest and feel proud. We are going to provide some sort of lesson to the rest of the world probably like Venezuela showing how socialism is done. | Mervyn |
| Cannot believe that such a bunch of losers got selected on the Green list and what havoc they can cause | Catherine |
| Try not to mix comment and opinion with facts that NZ so badly needs, via your research base | mike |
| And it is not by accident or just incompetence. This is by design. Winston is having his revenge on all of us for daring to question his honesty and brilliance and she who can eat a watermelon through a fence is behaving exactly per the Marxist play book. Her fellow cabinet members are just plain dumb. We will never recover from the damage that NZ is suffering from right now unless we vote for the only party that can be trusted and that has binding referenda as a vital policy plank. For New Zealands long term survival and prosperity we absolutely must get this policy as the law of the country. It is the only way to make sure that the present situation of government must never be able to happen again. | Ronmac |
| We are already well down the failure track. | John |
| I wonder if you could produce a shortish book on the subject of comparing the conservative/Judean Christian basis of our education & justice systems/capitalist/free market. | Cyril |
| Actually not set up so much as already doing so thanks to the Globalist puppet CLOWNS led by tooth-fairy herself replete with her Muslim attire at every opportunity. When will THAT PLACE be more PC (The new religion alongside Climate Catastrophe pseudoscience) renamed MuslimMosque so we can all embrace and bleet in unison the destruction of NZ by a LOSING Govt made up of idiot LOSERS. Meanwhile China does what IT WANTS 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1000 FROLLY Phd. (YouTube-look it up) | zoran |
| They are attacking all areas of business and society They are creating and encouraging a Maori Pakeha divide | tony |
| Adern. Weak leader. Clueless MPs. Flip-flop policies. No vision. A Govt that has become hypnotised by the UN and its crazy lust to implement a one-size-fits-all and ‘control-all’ agenda. Next year’s elections can’t come soon enough. Wake up NZ. Stand up NZ. Let’s drive these idealists into oblivion. | Robert |
| The red greens are definitely sponsored by a UN driven agenda to screw up the countries of the West. | Allen |
| Not only setup to fail, but being forced downwards at an ever increasing rate. There is way too much ideology and not any attempt to assess the effect of the ideology pat. | Mike |
| I’m a farmer and the last 10 years has been 1 attack on the industry after another. These regulations are coming in faster than we can financially adapt. I want to leave the farm in a better environmental position that when we started but I have to do this around putting kids through their schooling (2 of which have to board) and paying the mortgage. As each regulation comes in the cost is paid by us and not passed on, making our bottom line skinnier. Small businesses in NZ are suffering with all the bureaucratic BS that this government is steamrolling into our day to day lives. | Alan |
| The Greens are a dangerous bunch with wacky ideas that just will not work. | Digby |
| This rampant socialist along with her greenie mates is killing us slowly. Fancy having a idealistic greenie in charge of transport portfolio. Says it all for me. | Mike |
| Why? The lack of practical action!! | Tony |
| NZ led by criminal socialists and a senile self serving Winston Peters is a disaster. MMP is a disaster | Richard |
| The deception is huge and without major catastrophe nothing will change. Even top business is on the deception train on the road to nowhere. | Dene |
| Absolutely, the sooner the current government is voted out the better. | David |
| Government is hell-bent on destroying our economy, our environment and our way of life, all on the back of the climate scam. | Barbara |
| For a government who is led by individuals that keep telling us it is a government that cares, one can only say that it only seems to care about how quickly it can make the majority of its citizens dependant upon the state! I cannot believe that the government benches are all occupied by individuals who seem to have no economic or business sense but blindly adhere firmly to political dogma and how “well and enlightened” they appear on the International stage.. So much for leadership | Michael |
| Nobody should be allowed to be a politician unless they know how to successfully run a business, because that is what a country’s economy is. | Nick |
| your 30 yrs too late to ask this | stj |
| Climate change is a hoax – the ‘science’ promoted by the UN is not nearly as sure footed as it is made out to be | anon |
| Without a doubt. The writing on the wall is becoming clearer by the day. It really is unbelievable how a government can get away with it and that we don’t have civil disobedience breaking out everywhere. The Commos have to go before it’s too late. Will take years to repair the damage. | Graeme |
| that is obvious | norm |
| If this Government continues down its current path we will be bankrupt and with the change of government in 2020 they will have one hell of a job bring us back to a stable economy and we as New Zealanders will bare some pain. This has happened in the past with a socialist government. | Ken |
| I think the tide is slowly changing. | John |
| Marxist ideology works towards having citizens reliant upon them for quality of life. There are a number of ways to do this by deliberately destroying the economy and/or overpopulation, Both methods have been at play in NZ since 1974.with National and Labor governments trying to out-do each other. Currently, the Clark, Key and Adern governments have filled the country with people we never needed and allowed China to dump their products, destroying local producers and jobs and disadvantaging the citizens who were already here – al in the name of socialism/ Marxism and globalism. . We didn’t learn from the mistakes other countries made and have lost the advantage of a low population. We are too ready to accept the words of politicians – chosen laziness and ignorance! | Rex |
| turn NZ into a communist state | John |
| If it is not being set up , they are doing a good job on wrecking the place. With out even trying. | John |
| Nearly everything this three party Govt has done will led the country into economic disaster. Stopping oil exploration and coal mining will push energy prices up. Allowing good farm land to be sold for forestry will greatly reduce our exports of primary food products. Liberalizing Cannabis rules will end in social chaos with increased road crashes, burglary and violence. | Graeme |
| yes,but the propaganda has been going on for years | Barry |
| They are all about hand out not hand up | Lila |
| Scaremongering | Alan |
| Fostering an industry of ignorance. People declaring their ignorance by having heaps to say about things they know nothing about. Hopping on pitiful bandwagons like never before. Abolition of truth, principled values, standards, respect, self-respect, discipline, self-discipline, morality, ethics, courtesies, manners, loyalty, and much more. Perversion of Truth. Truth is singular. Two truths that say different things cannot both be right. And yet most people’s feelings and emotions determine truth for them.. The evil of political correctness. The failure of academia. Ignorant and gutless politicians. | Jack |
| It’s a death cult that we’re witnessing. | Julie |
| Socialism does not Work and will never work That plus the Dark Greens agenda to rid the planet of Humans and so solve all environmental problems will be totally catastrophic for NZ Unfortunately the more right wing and sensible Government to follow will get bad press because of the financial restraints that will need to be imposed to correct the problem Oh well the cycle continues | Robin |
| There is absolutely no doubt ! The economy is already half dead, it is simply a matter of time before the collapse will come !! | Pierre |
| Yes we are being set up to fail, but the tragedy is that the current administration believe that they are right and are steadily convincing many New Zealanders of the validity of the erroneous thinking. | Peter |
| It is international events causing uncertainty in New Zealand. 1. U.S. Trade War 2. Brexit 3. Synthetic food developments (ag industry) 4. Climate impact. Our Government has done the right thing raising wages, it stimulates local purchasing. They’ve also insisted on the banks being more cautious. | Simon |
| The current direction the Labour government are pushing this country in can only have one outcome in the future and that is failure. | Lawrie |
| Most definitely. Think of Ardrn’s action on just two topics: Oil & Gas explorations – banned overnight without consulting the industry. Also, virtually with listening to any other advice – Banning classes of firearms owned by Police-vetted ‘Fit & proper’ citizens. Hitler used to do these things, but we don’t need him – we have Ardern. | Carl |
| We’re currently being run by nutters | Dave |
| SOCIALISM doesn’t work ! Who creates the wealth in NZ ? Surely it is business owners who take all the risks. SME’s including ALL farmers. The major thing NZ is good at is producing food to feed the world ! That is NOT created by Socialism but entrepreneurs who create jobs mainly for the Socialists. | Andrew |
| No doubt about it. | Don |
| Winston Peters betrayed thousands of voters when he decided to let the crazy greens and loony Labourites into power to wreak their havoc. It is imperitive that the government is changed at the next election | Bruce |
| I am seriously depressed by all that is happening in NZ – the break down of our economic basis, the push toward Maori Supremacy, creating a socialist, apartheid state. The future will be ugly. | Joyce |
| The government socialists are determined to get rid of capitalism because in their pie eyes it is evil they don’t see where their three other fingers are pointing socialism has never worked anywhere on earth and it wont work here so yes they will destroy NZ to reach their stupid idealism | Warren |
| Too many changes too soon. Too many Dollars being spent in a short time. Too much Kowtowing to one sector of the community. We are all New Zealanders | Laurel |
| With A socialist Prime Minister and a communist Deputy what could possibly go wrong? | Mitch |
| More each day. | Martin |
| This socialist government is so destructive for New Zealand and I am very scared about the direction our country is heading. This is not what the majority of New Zealanders want and I feel many do not understand the significance of what is being forced upon us. | Vivienne |
| This is being done by indoctrinating the young and innocent,by convincing them that we here in this little country at the bottom of the planet are creating vast amounts of pollution. | Bryan |
| By Helen Clark and her apprentice Jacinda Adern plus obscure assistants and others behind the scene who want to see NZ on the scrap heap. | IAN |
| I am ashamed of NZ | Trevor |
| Absolutely. However, we’re not alone. This push towards “communism” is worldwide. A redistribution of wealth is underway. | Simon |
| That’s where we are heading until we throw this stupid ideology out. | Peter |
| Attacking our farming communities is the first step. | Ken |
| I believe, as already stated, that removal for a child’s safety should be for that reason alone, regardless of race, creed or religion. | Mary |
| Yes, I don’t have much confidence unfortunately. | Lea |
| This COLosers has an agenda to communise NZ. Unfortunately more than half the electors are economic illiterates, and believe that this is a good idea. | Bob |
| Muriel you’ve said it all. Excellent commentary. | Ronnie |
| If these People in Government are putting all New Zealanders in Harms way, then there should be a Law to charge them with. An amendment to the Crimes Act to encompass a felonious deliberate endangerment of it’s Citizens by an incumbent Government. | Geoff |
| Very definitely. I have no confidence in Bureaucrats, Our government, Politicians in general, and more than anything else I despise the Auckland Super City and its Mayer | Tony |
| This government has lost the plot. Its taking all that is good about NZ and setting it up to underperform or be demoralised. The damage they are doing will cost this country for many years to come. | Stewart |
| We have a government of incompetents. Most are political elites who have never had a real job. They stumble from one poor decision to the next. | Lee |
| Yes this government is doing just that. Whether it is a deliberate act or a simple lack of the in-depth of understanding required to run a country for prosperity of all its citizens. The quality of our current crop of MPs is beyond belief. The word “thick” comes to mind. The current ideology lead by the PM is a disgrace to this once forward thinking and proud nation. My only hope is that voters come to their senses by next year. | Chris |
| Economically, politically, morally with questionable leadership wisdom. | Maurice |
| With all the talk about sustainability these days, why can’t people see that socialism is not sustainable? Doomed to fail from the start. | Bill |
| Absolutely, the sad thing being that Jacinda and her buffoon followers do mot have the ability to see where the various decisions are leading us. | Tom |
| socialism has never ever worked, even at the point of a gun | Sam |
| It would certainly seem so. The truth about Winston Peters must be broadcast far and wide | Colin |
| Yes. But our children and grandchildren are not stupid. They can read and so far the Government has not started closing libraries. But give them time. No doubt they are working on it. | Paloma |
| Without a shadow of a doubt! | Ed |
| amateurs doing a very amateurish job | John |
| Hopefully not on purpose, but by ideology and deranged ignorance. Regretfully though, I feel they are just plain rotten at the core. | Alan |
| As a small business owner I am experiencing this everyday | Roger |
| If you thought the NWO, GLOBALIST GOVERNMENT suggestion was just a silly conspiracy theory, think again. The previous administration put everything in place, e.g signing the Paris climate accord, signing the UN indigenous people pact, & even the TPP which flags our sovereignty, big time. So don’t think by voting National at the next election you will have dodged a bullet. National & Labour have worked in tandem for the last thirty years, to get us at the place we now find our selves. Time to move outside the square & back a new horse, like New Conservative.. | A.G.R. |
| Every time labour gets into power our economy slides down. This time it has been helped to slide faster by both the greens and NZ first. If that video can be made and shown on prime TV I am sure it would be a big wake up for the majority of our citizens. | Dennis |
| Socialism has never worked anywhere and NZ standard of living has steadily fallen under all recent Governments! | Ken |
| The current government is on track to do this and cause a major downturn in our economy with consequences that will take years to correct. | Brian |
| I do not believe that NZ is deliberately being set up to fail. I do believe that the course the present govt is on will cause many sectors much hardship. The present govt does not seem to have a clue where it is headed and is stumbling from one misguided policy to the next. But deliberately setting NZ up to fail? No, they are just incompetent. | Richard |
| The Voter must face the realities expressed by the CFPR for NZ to escape economic failure driven by the Socialists. One of these realities is the notion that the rest of the world is “Honest.” including China!!! The rest of the world is in fact dishonest! President Trump is merely trying to return PRODUCTION back to the US to avoid economic failure – NZ should do the same. Thus a variation to the FREE MARKET. Remember “NOTHING IS FREE.” | Frederick |
| It is the Labour/Greens agenda that failure will usher in a Global socialist government. | John |
| A truer word could not have been spoken. Greens and Labour, along with their kow-tow-ing “NZ First” friend are, indeed setting this country up to fail. “Our beloved leader,” as socialists might call our well-fanged prime minister, is leading the charge with undemocratic snap decisions such as banning oil and gas exploration (to the plaudits of the idiot greens) and banning firearms (because an Australian criminal had been empowered to an incompetent police administration to use them here). How bad does it need to get before we throw these commisars out at an election and also get rid of the MMP election system that allowed them power? | Rob |
| Most definitely. | Helen |
| The present government focus is on promoting ideology before the people and bowing down to the elite Maori and gain favours with the international elite to massage their ego to ensure they stay in power. Integrity is a foreign word to most politicians. | John |
| Darn right it is and Labour and their cohorts are hell bent on making it happen along with Maori. They wont be happy until they completely destroy this New Zealand. | Fraser |
| All the The 3 stoves are in power every days a failure out with red and in with the blue.’ | Rita |
| It’s the same old story, labour stuffs up the country and National has the job of clearing it up. I’ve watched this happen over my 89 years. | Athol |
| Unfortunately this was always a chance under a Socialist led government. | Darryl |
| I seriously doubt that the present political regime intends such an outcome but the combination of so many adverse factors inherent in their policies make such an outcome inevitable. | Victor |
| This government is in la la land. The prime minister must be giddy from trying to please all parties Labour are in bed with. | Paul |
| Yes – and they don’t realise it. | Gerry |
| The road to hell is paved with good intentions. | Ron |
| That was the marxist plan under UN Agenda 21 and continues under UN Agenda 2030. It is exemplified in ICLEI which governs most local town planning. Not one of these centralist secular economies have been shown to be successful excepting they fake prosperity by thieving the peoples commons resources and sell them off. | Richard |
| The so called free market and neo liberalism experiment has failed as gap between the rich and poor grows larger each year and and the wealth flows towards the top and doesn’t trickle down.as our children go hungry and the rentiers get more and more control.Over trillion $in asset sales go untaxed each year to who’s benefit ? | Anthony |
| It is written in the stars by the looney left | Warren |
| With the negativity coming from the Government we retired folk are disheartened to see the overspending wastage of tax money on advisors and committees, set up to suggest how this floundering, inexperienced Labour party should operate. As was suspected at the last election they have wrecked the industries which work to improve and progress our country like roading, farming and industry successfully. Every week comes more grants to pay for mad schemes dreamed up to buy votes in marginal seats. Borrow to the maximum, spend more than is borrowed, increase the tax take, run the country into the ground. The doom and gloom becomes self fulfilling. Shares are too much of a risk to invest in, Term deposits in banks show low return and we could be paying the bank to hold our investments soon. Rental property is not worth the trouble now with high costs of maintenance and tenants who damage then leave owing weeks of unpaid rent and meth damaged rooms. Been there done all that. | Chris |
| Socialism is, and always has been, a creed based on envy which employs subtle deceit and outrageous lies in finely judged proportions, to woo the less able into their camp with the promise of the redistribution of wealth. Their only real policy is to retain power at all costs! The tragedy is that so many people are taken in by it. | TOBY |
| I can’t believe how totally inept this government is and as for Winston Peters!!?? I see only disaster ahead. | Janet |
| Socialism, bureaucrats, and the killer of all industries, particularly farming, that once made NZ God’s Own, have inept dreamers and Winston taking our country and it’s investment in Children to absolutely fail. | Chris |
| Farming is, and must be, the lifeblood of NZ economy. Zero carbon emissions is daft. Waterways cleansing is not. We need enterprise not needless restrictions. | Doug |
| Frightening because we are half way there!!! | Sandra |
| Karl Marx would be rubbing his hands! | Don |
| We are doing it to ourselves and it is worrying. | Mike |
| This gang of anti-everything incompetents led by the incompetent-in-chief, are well down the path of ruining NZ. Their idiotic war on farmers and the ban on offshore oil & gas exploration will eventually have disastrous effects on our economy. | Doug |
| The combination of Labour and Green politicians mostly made up of idealists and not practible people are heading this country to drop from where were on the economic scale were in the world. | Frank |
| Due to socialism, communism, Maoriism,, and a lot of other dangerously adverse influences our incompetent Govt is allowing. The PM is going to Ihumatao – what a foolish decision!!! | Russell |
| We have a ‘left/green, socialist/communistic’ government, not far removed from the ‘left’ leaning previous government. It is only future generations that will shoulder the consequences of today’s stupidities. | Maureen |
| Socialism will destroy. | David |
| Yes, thanks to United Nations and their One World Governance philosophy (socialism etc) as, I believe, Comrade Ardern is vigorously promoting. | Stuart |
| Great video and transcript says it all. | Dick |
| Socialist ideology and the anti farming lobby are killing this country. What will the Greenies and the Pinkos due when the moneys run out and they begin to realise they have literally killed the goose that was laying the golden eggs | Russ |
| The greatest threat to NZ is not climate change but wrong-headed policies introduced to combat it. Humanity hasn’t really changed since the days when human sacrifices were made to appease nature. | Stan |
| This is the destruction of not only capitalism but democracy. How any intelligent person can be taken in by the government’s crap is beyond me. We are in for dire times. | Jenny |
| It already has.This bunch of misfits are so far out of their depth,I wish global warming would hurry up and drown the lot of them. | Ross |
| Fail is a strong word and perhaps excessive ,but there are signs things are deteriorating ?? | David |
| jacindas UNDEMOCRATIC race based policies (for only 10% of N.Zealanders) NEEDS to be EXPOSED EVERYWHERE in the world so shes NOT the celebrity people THINK she is. | Cindy |
| Lies,lies and more lies. So much for “a more transparent Government”. If by some remote chance, New Zealand was to be totally 100% carbon free next week, that would have absolutely no effect on global warming, climate change or rising sea levels.We all know who are the biggest polluters on earth, yet the the current Government sees fit to go down the path forcing the idea that things, like electric motor vehicles,imported fuel and tree planting is the answer,knowing full well that much of the components are manufactured by the largest polluters. In the meantime we will suffer the failure | Barry |
| Given its becoming harder and more expensive (or even illegal) to do things previously accepted as normal, we are being manipulated to fail by control freaks. | Maurice |
| And this Col Government are only hastening the process… I wan an election NOW…. | Carl |
| Yes, it is going to go backwards again. | Jane |
| We have seen more Infrastructure progress under this current Government, than we have seen since the sixties. Go, Jacinda!! | Mika |
| I fear much of the damage is already done | Frank |
| ABSOLUTELY! | Murray |
| …we all see and feel this… NZ is heading down the “Path of Poverty “…Time for Grit or Shall we just Quit..?? | CHowes |
| Excellent summary | Deborah |
| It has been for a long while – even National was not impervious to the agenda. | Tony |
| Socialism always fails. | George |
| The greens anti business ideology will destroy NZ,unless we get rid of them next year | Sid |
| To many political lies. | John |
| The signs have been there for some time now………but frighteningly!, increasing in speed | Joe |
| That’s for sure!. I gave up dairy farming and became a developer – I should have done nothing because that’s what NZ wants with so many stupid rules and regulations. I’ve had enough. It’s not worth all the hassle. | Don |
| With the current government we are. | Andrew |
| Absolutely so all part of the socialist agenda | Bruce |
| Excellent article. New Zealand is absolutely being set up to fail both economically and racially/socially. The same crisis alarmist over Made-up carbon emissions trading is applied to maori and the TOW so called partnership. Not only will the economy fail but NZ will be controlled by a minority race. Winston has a lot to answer for. | Sam |
| We are being fed lies about in particular the environment, with the so called independent press jumping on the band wagon. This situation is quickly spreading to adversely affect our whole way of life. Gone is the expectation that if you work hard you will prosper. | Ian |
| Yes – by the current Govt. and radical Maori such as Tariana Turia who are very good at twisting the facts! | Donald |
| You are absolutely correct | Garry |
| I feel ashamed that I gave, for the first and certainly the last time, Peters my party vote last election because of several of his “bottom line” policies which I supported, which he just dropped to support the socialist left government and gained so called prestige for himself. I will never believe another word he spews. | Murray |
| I dread to think where our country will be in a very short time. It really seems to be going downhill very quickly. How on earth can we get rid of MMP? It really has to go when you see how it is responsible for the mess this country is increasingly getting into. | Helen |
| Amateur politicians at the helm | Jim |
| I can’t believe it’s happened so quickly. Jacinda’s ‘comrade’ speech should be broadcast far and wide for her adoring followers to see the monster she really is. | Chris |
| Absolutely | Brett |
| Certainly doing a very good impression of it anyway! Climate alarmism and the racial thing are enough on their own to bring us down. | Roger |
| Unless something dramatic happens, in 5 years we will be like Venezuela – frightening. | Rod |
| The PM apparently has a deep hatred and fear of private enterprise and freedom of speech. History will describe her as a Nero watching her country self destruct. | Bruce |
| We are being led by ignorant socialist daydreamers. I grew up in East Germany and experienced socialism at its most controlling. I always felt hungry. | Eb |
| Not deliberately, as that video suggests. But some of the Govts decisions are not creating positive vibes, or paving our way forward. | Hugh |
| We now have the most inept government in power that New Zealand has ever had!! | Bruce |
| National must get rid of Bridges to give National a chance | Christopher |
| There’s no doubt about it: the socialists in power are determined to pursue their pig-headed ideology, regardless of its practical consequences. Even if a National-led government is voted into power at the next election, the damage already done to this country by the envy-driven Coalition will take decades to repair. Socialism is a failed experiment, and we are all paying the cost. | Graham |
| This govt is set on a course which they allege is intended to solve the world’s environmental problems by introducing legislative and other controls which will only succeed in ruining NZ’s already fragile economy | Peter |
| when the Reserve Bank starts talking negative interest rates it says we are going down. There will be more to come as the socialists turn the screws | John |
| sooner we get rid of this incompetent lot the better | Eddie |
| I am so disappointed in this stupid Govt. Jacinda is a nice lady and very polite but not strong enough to run NZ she has to toady to others. I am not infavour of coalition Govts. | Barbara |
| Govenor of the Reserve bank is a labour lackey. Labour want NZ to become a Republic. The only way we can undo this , we know best, government is to get rid of Jacinda and her mob. She must hate cuddling up to almost everyone she meets. In the street. | Brian |
| It certainly seems like especially what they teach in the schools and universities I feel we are. Being brain washed I just hope we don%u2019t go past the point of no return | Peter |
| A terrible socialist government – hopefully out at the next election | Jim |
| We brought on the clowns. What the electors sowed we now reap! | Bruce |
| Two words: United and Nations. = FAIL.. | Geoff |
| It is all too obvious that JA and her cronies were chosen to put up a front for a rather sinister UN agenda. The utter lack of common sense and any skills whatsoever does not matter but is rather helpful to drive this agenda relentlessly. I said it before and repeat it here again: We are also suffering from a serious lack of sound political opposition. National has most likely been negatively influenced by left/ socialist/ race based agendas for some time now which calls for the emergence of a truly conservative political party to represent that part of NZ which are the true backbone and the salt of the earth of our country: I am talking about our true working class people, our entrepreneurs, our farmers, our skilled people in all our industries, people who promote traditional family values , self reliance and personal responsibility. The list is long !! But instead we are driven by a small group of ruthless ideologists supported by a propaganda MSM into utter decay. It is up to the real people in this country to cast their vote for a conservative alternative. The rest will only act like the lemmings they are. | Michael |
| Make the video. I will help. You are completely right. | Neil |
| History will look back and condemn these people who are pushing man made climate change. I can’t believe they are getting away with it. | Roy |
| And I think it is deliberate. Ardern’s communist upbringing and staunch adherence to U.N. doctrine requires the country to be brought to it’s knees as part of the stealthy conversion to One World Governance /aka communism. Venezuela is the perfect recent example. Bankrupted by it’s socialist upper house. | Bruce C |
| Will NZ fail? The ideologies and incompetence of the Coalition of Losers that was launched at the last election almost guarantees it. | Graham |
| Never did understand what Orr was/is doing. Put his rules back to inflation only. Another major problem is the idealistic left wing press. | Martyn |
| I fear we are a testing ground for the one world order scheme of things and Arden along with others being steered in their every move by the puppet masters. I just cant understand why Kiwi’s have put up with such damming governments failings and tragedies such as the never ending Treaty sinkhole. | Kev |
| NZ is down the gurgler now all economic growth we had is gone our Jacinda has done an excellent job of wrecking every good thing we had | Russell |
| It Socialist doctrine so the government can control everything and steal all your money for themselves | Greg |
| The idiots in government are so drunk with their idealism, they can’t see the reality.No wonder school children protest climate action when this is all they are taught. The media is terrifying them! | Willy |
| Cinderella and her incompetent ministers are destroying our country on a socialist agenda. | Jeff |
| My comment is unprintable, because one bitter old man couldn’t get what was promised to him, he’d rather take us all down with his spite. | Merryl |
| Any observant person would have by now analysed the sheer incompetence of all of the main Labour and Green Ministers.All led by a PM who is just straight out dumb.Only one of these people has ever had a proper job in commercial life.Sad that our political system allows for this to happen and frankly there are many people who have a vote that shouldn’t . | Don |
| Only one year to go | Andi |
| this govt has already fallen | Graeme |
| Man made climate change is a global scam designed to redistribute wealth designed by left wing socialists and the to like. Climate change is natural, not man made, and if we are not causing it why spend billions trying to stop something we do not control? Like the YK2 event in 1999 / 2000, there are vested interests making a fortune out of this rubbish. Anyone who is prepared to spend a little time can see this clearly for themselves by looking at the data. Anyone who disagrees is shut down either by compliant media or by demonising the “deniers”. Either our politicians are stupid or in league with the “foxes in the henhouse”. I despair for our collective future. | Roy |
| Without a doubt. It has already been proven that we are in a downward spiral that will not end until C3 is put down the gurgler along with their destructive policies. The path back to country prosperity will be a hard road for all. | Robyn |
| From the moment I heard Winston 7% utter that capitalism has failed I knew what we were in for. And now here we are except that it’s all happening a lot faster than expected. Winnie and Jac will go down in history as the fools who wrecked NZ. | John |
| labor will always make the country fail in the short run and some long term damage is beyond belief ; repairing their damage will take a lot more time . | Roy |
| Inevitable with this Government | Bob |
| Using weather to push a socialist agenda every step of the way. | Scott |
| Agree, but STOP importing our eternal mortal enemies and BAN and EXPEL all submitters to the evil cult of | Coral |
| Dismantling our primary industries while claiming sustainability and inclusiveness clearly shows their intent . | Max |
| sick of this govt… | Darryl |
| A PM who is inexperienced, idealistic driven by unseen hands rather than the correct application of the Westminster System is a millstone around our necks. | Collin |
| By this labour coalition…. | Graeme |
| Real science is being ignored while alarmist opinions get centre stage | Peter |
| Pinko politics will castrate the country | Peter |
| NZ is witnessing the death of common sense. | Alan |
| Dairying needs to reduce to sustainable grass fed farming, no imported Palm Cornel. Less stock numbers for better animal health. | Hone |
| Yes the COL is operating at full noise and we need to have a transmogrification of political endeavour in this country if our grandchildren are to enjoy the life we have had .At least they cant take that off us | Phil |
| What a worry for all the hard working seniors who have saved to have something to help with their living in old age this Gov will have us all living in penury! | Chris |
| no thought being given to the elderly who have behaved responsibly by saving for their retirement and suggesting that the stock market is better than term deposits, forgetting those who lost their savings on the stock market, blue chip institutions, etc | John |
| The present government are the most incompetent lot in power I have ever known. Let hope Winston and the Greens are are gone at the next elections The y are strangling the country with new regulations Blaming us oldies for the so called Climate change which I believe is the biggest con since Ponzi. Brainwashing the kids in the schools and pandering to the Maori IwI It is a wonder the wheels have not fallen of the economic cart already. | Colin |
| Maybe at the end of the death spiral, Trump will purchase New Zealand for a pittance. | Dave |
| UN agendas.. | Rosemary |
| It’s too late now – barring a miracle. And that’s up to the voters. | Peter |
| This government is bashing the hell out of good, hard working, risk-taking and capital providing citizens. Little wonder our mental health decay is rapidly spreading onto NewZealand%u2019s good, honest, independent and otherwise self-starting community. | David |
| Global warming became climate change to cover the climate variance of hot and cold. It’s the biggest hoax of all time. It’s designed so that if climate change ends they can claim success regardless of whether man has caused it or not. | Trevor |
| I am deeply worried about all that was mentioned in the If I wanted NZ to fail piece but I assume like most Kiwis I don’t know how to wrest the country back from the socialists and I also suspect that most kiwis can%u2019t even see what is happening under their very noses. Help we need to set this right but how? | Chris |
| I love my country and always wanted to spend my last years here. for the first time I have considered leaving if this government were to get a second term. However I won’t. I’ll stay and fight for common sense. However I fear the damage to the next generation with the loss of critical thinking about climate change is all but complete. | peter |
| Not ‘is being’ but ‘has been’ thanks to the socialist COL. | Mark |
| Of course it is. | John |
| Absolutely our social policies are killing the drive of New Zealanders and making it almost impossible to effectively do business in New Zealand | Sharon |
| New Zealand is absolutely being set up to fail. Your articles say it all. Winston Peters is to blame. His party does not deserve to get back in at the next election. | Sue |
| Labour is an appalling government and the Greens are extremely dangerous. This will later be recognised as a very dark period in New Zealand’s history. | Nigel |
| The country is going downhill fast and Winston Peters is to blame. He should have listened to voters and gone in with National, not the loony left. | Rod |
| It is depressing watching on as Labour ruins the country. | Chris |
| A video “If I Wanted New Zealand to Fail” definitely needs to be made. It would provide people with a shocking realisation of just what is being done to the country. It might also wake up National from their slumber so they start looking like an alternative government. | Bevan |