Citizens and Ratepayers

When is Len Brown going to honour his promise of a referendum on Maori Seats for the Auckland Council?

He made this promise throughout the campaign, but has chickened out of a referendum. On Q&A he was trying to buy himself some wriggle room.

On TVNZ’s Q & A yesterday, Mr Brown said a referendum on creating Maori seats on the council “may well” be possible in the next three years

This blog has reminded him of his promise here, here and here.

Unkind souls probably feel that he is so busy trying to remember the 100 achievements in the first 100 days he has forgotten the Maori Seat Referendum. Hopefully when his highly talented spin weasel Conor Roberts gets back from holiday Len will miraculously remember the 48 missing achievements so we can stop the charade and get on with issues that matter. Like setting up the referendum.

Meanwhile we have Maori representation being foisted on us by stealth in a manner which Len Brown was never elected to do. Worse is Christine Fletchers attitude to the same move.

“I think this would surprise most Aucklanders, that Maori Statutory Board members that have not been elected by the public will be able to vote at committee meetings and arguably sway the vote and influence the result.”

Mr Brewer said the council was evenly split politically, so it was possible the two Maori votes could influence a result many times.

Citizens & Ratepayers co-leader Christine Fletcher welcomed the move to have two board members on committees.

“I think it can produce a really good partnership and I think they can be a really good balance between the different factions on council.”

Why is it that Christine Fletcher, apparently C&R and Maori along with Len Brown don’t seem to believe in democracy and want unelected people, appointees essentially having a disproportionate amount of representation and voting power. There is nothing in law or the treaty that suggests this should be the course of action, yet the Night-Mayor, enabled by hand-wringing liberals like Christine Fletcher that allows un-democratic tokenism to infect our systems.

We know what Len Brown thinks of open-nes and transparency, he showed us that with his secret meetings and board appointments. Now we know that Christine Fletcher also believes in un-elected, un-accountable , appointees holding the blalce of power in our city. She is wrong and so is Len Brown.

Len Brown needs to honour his promise for a referendum on Maori representation and he needs to stop making excuses.

Christine Fletcher seems to have forgotten she was elected as a C&R councillor.

Citizens & Ratepayers co-leader Christine Fletcher says the centre-right group does not support an attempt by co-leader Jami-Lee Ross to have board appointments of council-controlled organisations discussed in public.

But Mrs Fletcher has refused to say whether she thinks Mr Ross is playing politics on the issue after he issued a press release which criticised appointments based on “long-standing friendships and political campaign connections”.

The issue has widened following online reports that two people with close links to Mayor Len Brown – former Manukau City Council chief executive Leigh Auton and former Manukau deputy mayor Gary Troup – would be appointed to CCO boards tomorrow.

Why ever not Christine? Why doesn’t C&R support open-ness and transparency? Why do you as a councillor like to keep secrets? What do you have to hide?

Of course Councillor Ross is playing politics, that is what he is paid to do, not play happy families and enable a veteran trougher and transparency dodger. If you conducted a straw poll on the streets I know that the results would back Councillor Ross’ stance almost 100%.

Christine Fletcher is a disgrace, a flake and now a patsy hack for Len Brown. She should be stripped of her leadership. Give it to George Wood.

On another note I hear the meeting, originally scheduled to be held tomorrow has now been cancelled by Len Brown. Not because of the outcry over his secrecy but because he is wanting to attend the National Service in Greymouth.

Frankly I’m not surprised, after all he is the new messiah of the left, and no one since Jesus has been persecuted more. Perhaps he will go down there and lay his hands on the entrance of the mine and the Clark 29 will raise themselves from the mine and walk free.

Citizens and Ratepayers has announced this morning some of their candidates for the upcoming Local Body Elections in Auckland. (Candidate Summary Profile Pack)

They are:

Albany Ward
Cr Linda Cooper    Waitakere City Councillor
Ms Josephine Kim   Barrister and Solicitor

Albert-Eden-Roskill Ward
Hon Christine Fletcher QSO Former Mayor of Auckland
Cr Paul Goldsmith   Auckland City Councillor

Franklin Ward
Cr Des Morrison   Franklin District Councillor

Maungakiekie-Tamaki Ward
Mr Alfred Ngaro   Community Development Consultant

Orakei Ward
Cr Douglas Armstrong QSO Auckland City Councillor

Te Irirangi (Howick) Ward
Cr Dick Quax    Manukau City Councillor
Cr Jami-Lee Ross   Manukau City Councillor

Waitamata and Gulf Ward
Cr Michael Barnett   Auckland Regional Councillor

Whau Ward
Cr Noelene Raffills   Auckland City Councillor

There are 6 European, 2 Maori, 1 Cook Islander and 1 Korean candidates, 4 women and 7 men. The balance of the team so far, age, (some young ones) experience, ethnic mix, gender mix is pretty good, very hard for the repeaters to criticise these selections so far.

The only one who is a bit scatter-brained is Christine Fletcher, but hey, she was elected mayor once so who knows.

I think scoring Alfred Ngaro is a coup, he is very well respected in the Pasifika community and I’ve heard will be a stunning candidate.

Undeclared donation ‘a mistake’ says NZ First MP – New Zealand First’s failure to declare a reported $50,0000 has been labelled a mistake by one of its MPs. It follows reports The Spencer Trust paid the party the money before the 2005 election. National is questioning whether… [NZ Herald Politics]

Winston Raymond Peters, 63, List MP of no fixed abode has now got his MP’s lying their asses off for him. Peter Brown was put up to try to farcically explain that it was all a mistake. Except they got all of their fact wrong as DPF helpfully points out.

The MSM still haven’t cottoned on to the fact that it is impossible for a cheque from Sir Robert to have shown up on the Spencer Trust documents as displayed.

Newsflash Winston, you are a liar, and we all know it.

WOBH was mentioned in parliament today by Rodney Hide. He also mentioned the video and was making progress until Mallard and Cullen conspired to try to cover everything up again. Interestingly Mallard brushes off all the matters as simply a programming matter.

7. RODNEY HIDE (Leader-ACT) to the Minister of Broadcasting: Would he expect to be advised by TVNZ if TVNZ recorded allegations of illegal behaviour; and has he received any such advice?

Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Broadcasting) : No and no.

Rodney Hide: Has he seen or had any reports on the New Zealand blog Whale Oil Beef Hooked at www.whaleoil.co.nz that contains a 2004 Television New Zealand (TVNZ) interview by Brent Fraser, where a former fisheries skipper, Wayne Crapper, explains how Peter Simunovich’s boss and his lawyer coached him to lie to the scampi inquiry, and to perjure himself in an affidavit; would he expect to have been advised of that?

So Mallard as Broadcasting minister doesn’t expect to have any knowledge of these matters despite there being a $30 million dollar defamation action against TVNZ that Simunovich Fisheries and Winston Peters have already lost and are appealing to keep the case alive. Not only that the footage shows a serious criminal action may have take place and still the minister knows nothing about it. It stretching further credibility that they know nothing of a $30 million dollar action against the State Broadcaster when it is standard business practice to record pending litigation agains the accounts as a contingent liability and that credibility is stretched to breaking point when one of the board members who leaked everything to the Prime miister about Judy Bailey was also on the board when this $30 million contingent liability was incurred. We are seriously expected to believe that Ann Hercus whispered everything to Helen Clark expect the pesky little fact that TVNZ had a $30 million dollar contingent liability from legal actions.

As the Serious Fraud Office has now moved on obtained documents regarding the alleged corruption of Winston Raymond Peters, 63, List MP of no fixed abode it begs the question as to what else there may be out there.

While the previously secret video clip questions Suminovich’s credibility I’m not sure it is the smoking gun it was touted to be against Peters.

The SFO should revisit Yvonne Dossetter’s 2004 affidavit claiming that Peters received cash payments in the order of $300,000 from Suminovich via her former partner Ross Meurant. The affidavit did the rounds of Parliament (clerk of the house, David Carter [as chair of the SC], the Speaker, back to Carter) followed by Peters unsuccessfully suing Carter, TVNZ et al.

As predicted by Matthew Hooton on Nine to Noon yesterday Ngai Tahu has announced it will be taking the Clark/Peters Government to the Waitangi Tribunal to try to stop the Emissions Trading Scheme. Sir Douglas Graham, who should know, says the Ngai Tahu move has merit.

WOBH normally doesn’t have much time for Maoris whingeing but this is different. In 1997, the Government gave Ngai Tahu $170 million as a final settlement. Now – just like every other major forest owner – Ngai Tahu faces land value loses of many tens of millions of dollars. So Ngai Tahu isn’t saying “we want more”. It’s saying “we don’t want David Parker destroying the value that we agreed to”. It’s not saying the settlement wasn’t final. It’s saying it wants the Clark/Peters Government to accept it is final and not try to devalue it.

Expect other large land owners to come out in Ngai Tahu’s support in the next few hours. This might be a big Treaty of Waitangi issue but it’s an even bigger commercial issue for everyone who owns land.

How thick is the Clark/Peters Government that it is so hellbent on ramming through the ETS, it is going to risk destroying any goodwill that there is on the Treaty settlement issue?

Go Ngai Tahu!

I can’t assist Peters inquiry, says Clark – Helen Clark says she has nothing to contribute to the privileges committee inquiry into the $100,000 Owen Glenn donation, despite confirming yesterday that Mr Glenn told her Winston Peters asked for the money. The Prime Minister… [NZ Herald Politics]

Helen Clark is becoming a psychologists dream, or should that be nightmare. She is displaying all the classic sign s of someone with a Narcissistic personality Disorder. With her constant slurring and blaming of others to her refusal to accept responsibility she now displays yet another example of why WOBH fears that Helen Clark suffers from NPD.

She, in telling everyone that she “can’t assist” the Privileges Committee is displaying need to control everything, o shut down debate, indeed to pre-judge situations. All classic symptoms of NPD.

She, of course, can’t possibly know whether the information she has could or could not assist hte Committee. She simply has decided that is can’t therefore that must be. Classic stuff.

The Privileges Committee must call Clark and Trevor Mallard to give evidence, if only to watch them both refuse.

Spencer Trust financial records revealed – 3 News has been given an extract of the Spencer Trust’s financial records which show a $25,000 donation made by Sir Robert Jones did go to New Zealand first. [3 News Politics]

So a trustee of the Spencer Trust has shown some bank statements and they think this all gets Winston Raymond peters, 63, List MP of no fixed abode off the hook?

Wrong.

It dumps him even further in the crap because those donations in 2005 were never declared to the Electoral Commission in NZ First’s annual returns. Not ever have NZ First declared any donation from the Spencer Trust.

That means that they broke the law, but oh so conveniently they can’t be prosecuted because the time for that has expired.

Meanwhile WRP, 63, LMPONFA has shown to be a Class A hypocrite, whilst he and his party were in receipt of funds from large corporate backers he was passing a law to prevent such donations all the time squaeling in the parliament that his arty never recieved such terrible, tainted moneys. LIAR!

Last week in the parliament Labour along with Winston Raymond Peters, 63, List MP of no fixed abode colluded to silence Rodney Hide. They used the assertion that the items that Rodney was trying to raise and table including the now published secret tape fron TVNZ were sub-judice.

Well that is complete bollocks and Labour, WRP, 63, LMPONFA and the Speaker all know it.

Here is the judgement from that case that supposedly, according to WRP, 63, LMPONFA is still on-going and therefore subject to his ridiculous world view of what sub-judice is.

The judgement makes it plain as the nose on your face that there is no defamation, no issues and indeed, that being the case, then leads one to suggest that there are very real claims of corruption, bribery and perversion of the course of justice.

This why it is shameful that Michael Cullen and Margaret Wilson supported WRP, 63, LMPONFA from bringing the disinfectant of sunlight on these murky dealings.

We urgently need an Independent Commission against Corruption, we irgently need some sort of inquiry into how a parliamentary select committee was nobbled by dodgy evidence and why WRP, 63, LMPONFA changed his tune and did $300,000 help change his mind?