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Michael Laws on Child Poverty
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Sucking on the Taxpayers’ Tit, Ctd

by Whaleoil on August 23, 2012

The other week I let the Whaleoil army know about a bunch of troughers sucking on the taxpayers’ tit. The response was interesting and indicated strongly held views.

My spies have even told me that Minister Jo Goodhew’s office (who you ask?) was deeply concerned about the comments flowing forth from that breastfeeding hui  – not the least the idea of a wet nurse or a milk bank or banning NZ exports of infant formula.

True to my word, I’ve been looking at these troughers. The tip line has also provided a treasure trove of information about some of these groups. What I was surprised about was just how deep some of them were in the government’s public trough.

Here’s a list (it’s not conclusive by the way).

It’s not conclusive as it doesn’t show other hangers-on, for example an outfit called Quigley & Watts. But more on them later.

What’s interesting is that the list above comes directly from the Goodhew’s Ministry of Health. What I’m interested in is what some of these other troughers are getting – yes the ones coming up with weird and novel ideas.

Naturally, I have more documents dripping in from the tip-line. So if you’re on this list, you’re also on WO’s list of troughers – and that is not a good list to be on.

Tagged: • • • •

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  • Mr Sackunkrak

    The New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority … do we really need an authority on breastfeeding? Build a trough and they will come.

  • Naylor

    Hell so Goodhew is signing off of $2m of public money to tell mums that they should be breastfeeding! WTF. What a rort.

    • Dave

      Given there was 63,180 live births registered in New Zealand in the March 2011 year, and working on an average of 60,000 live berths P/A, thats $33.33 for every child born in a typical berth year. As others have pointed out, sweet stuff all gets to teh mothers, its sucked up to cover conferences and admin, leaving the real work to Midwives and nursing staff. Look at how many groups revolve around people from pacific islands or Maori……. and suck up 75% of the handouts. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know the travel costs to the conference, how many went full economy, and spent hours in Koru for more free food, and then what were the OUTCOMES for the 60,000 potential new clients they get each year.

  • Hillary

    As a mum that struggled with breast feeding I was amazed at the grief some so-called carers were giving me when I reached for the bottle of formula. I was made to feel like an incompetent mother. To see that these sorts of people are all getting my taxpayer dollars really annoys me. Thanks Whale for taking the time to expose some of them.

  • Patrick

    So keep this post in mind next time a hornets nest is stirred in the media – all the shrill voices & outlandish claims are made for one reason & one reason only – ultimately the end goal is to invent an issue, create a focus group, become recognised as the “expert” , apply (& receive) government funding. Once that is achieved submit patsy reports to the media of how significant the problem is (child poverty?) and then more patsy press releases on how wonderfully you organisation is doing combating said problem.
    Oh & a minor point – most of the (taxpayer supplied) government funding will be siphoned off to pay over inflated salaries to yourself & close family members for the expertise you supply.
    Any wonder the cynics out there refuse to contribute to the masses of charity organisations?

    • Gazzaw

      You have it in one Patrick & I concur totally with the comments re donations to charity.

  • Phar Lap

    Most of the troughers started” sucking” off the taxpayer when Truby King ,at another time told mothers to scrub their nipples with a toothbrush to toughen their teats, as when the baby locked on they would not feel sore.Modern mothers of today would be abhorred with such a suggestion.So to soften the” feeling” of the “suck” .the troughers saw a way to instead” suck” off the taxpayers.Seems with such a long list of they know best troughers ,we are in fact the “suckers”..

    • Pokerface

      Ha Ha… I hadn’t heard the toothbrush theory, but we were encouraged to rub nipples with white spirit to toughen them up.

    • Phar Lap

      Also anyone who has the temerity to mention” bottle feeding” and the mentioned groups get to hear about it.The roster kicks in, and the alternative view gets white anted.Seems when anyone else wants to get on the bandwagon,they are too late, the troughers rules must be obeyed,there is too much friendly money at stake.Ours,and now theirs.

      • Phar Lap

        A bible thrown into a Mosque has more chance of surviving than a” feeding bottle” introduced into a group of breast feeders in full flight.Reasons the troughers are on twenty four hour patrol protecting their money tree cash flow,or is it milk flow.

  • johnbronkhorst

    from left field…….looking at this list (the 2nd one)….is this why women’s salaries have closed on mens?

  • Buggers muddle

    Seems the more noise you make for a new restriction/ban/law the more dosh you receive from the government departments. Talk about back door lobbying by the officials – something I thought was against the State Services Code of Conduct. But apparently not by what it seems here.

  • Engineer

    The brestapo pay themselves well don’t they.

    Whale, looking at the attendance list, I suggest you contact Georgina Rigoni for Nestle, Jim Meaney from Pfizer (he must have felt like the odd one out at the confeence) and Katherine Rich from the NZ food and Grocery Council (ex Nationl MP isn’t she?). They should not be feeding at the government trough as they are representing companies, so it would be interesting to see what they say.

  • Goldie

    WTF?! Jo Goodhew needs a right bollocking at Cabinet for this.
    My wife had difficulty breastfeeding and these breastfeeding fanatics made her life Hell. It makes me furious that my taxes are actually paying for these fanatics.
    Good work Whale.

  • david W

    As much as I loath throughers, this should be seen as an investment in health like the money for stopping smoking. Sure it needs some clean up, should be output focused and funding depending upon clear achievement of goals aka behavioral change (just like stop smoking funding should be). From a biochemical/health perspective breast feeding is one of the best things on can do to help have a healthy baby/child/adult. I’m not sure of the cost/benefit for breast feeding as much less research has been done on breast feeding compared to stopping smoking, but I would suspect is was rather substantial. BTW I am talking about breast feeding till 6 months of age, not 6 years !

    • Mr Sackunkrak

      6 years? I don’t quite know why, but I have a mental image of that moustachioed lot demanding breastfeeding ’till 45.

      • david W

        I did once read of a Lactation Consultant who was older than middle aged who drunk a cup of fresh breast milk everynight while in hospital for cancer……. came out “cured”. That was like way to much info! and decidedly creepy. Though I can see her point from a nutritional side of things

      • Bunswalla

        Bitty. I want bitty.

        • Mr Sackunkrak

          Classic Little Britan!

  • Bunswalla

    In the first list, isn’t it amazing how (with one exception) each of these troughers managed to spend exactly the same amount – to the dollar – in each of the last two years, and also intends to spend exactly the same amount this year?
    The one exception being the Wimmins Health Action Trough, I mean Trust – they decided to see if they could get away with upping the troughing amount by 70%, and have done so.
    Even though he works for big pharma and is doubtless on a huge salary and benefits, you have to feel sorry for Jim Meaney of Pfizer – the lone male amongst the almost 30 wimmin attending some hui or other.

    • Gazzaw

      Maybe Jim has big man-breasts.

    • Callum

      You do realise that those are the contract allocations NOT the cost for the provider to complete those contracts? MoH tends to run two or three year contracts so you would expect them to pay the same amount year to year. Hopefully MoH is monitoring outputs (they normally do) but that info tells you nothing of the services provided for those $$$.

  • Apolonia

    When we are borrowing $300,000,000 a week, the government need to keep thinking of new ways to waste our money.
    Blue Labour are almost as good as red Labour.

  • Mr_Blobby

    The list of troughing organisations would number well over a thousand, the number of individuals benefiting monetarily in the form of wages and fees would number 10’s of thousands.
    The results speak for themselves. Despite the money spent not much else has been achieved apart from providing jobs for the elite.

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