"It's clear, from what is on the public record, that the likelihood of Mr Liu passing any objective good character test may be about as high as Kim Dotcom becoming Weight Watcher of the Year"
Movie mogul James Cameron has continued to snap up land in Wairarapa, adding a further three properties to his growing Kiwi empire.The Overseas Investment Office has given Cameron the green light to buy nearly 30 hectares in south Wairarapa, where he already owns over 1000ha of farmland.Spread across three properties on Western Lake Rd, the prices are all listed as confidential.The OIO summary of Cameron's latest purchase states that the director plans to reside "indefinitely" in New Zealand with his family."They are acquiring the land as part of a larger acquisition of land in South Wairarapa, which they will use as a residence and working farm, " it states.Cameron and wife Suzy Amis have said they want to raise their children - 10-year-old twins Claire and Quinn, and Elizabeth Rose, 5 - "close to the land and with a strong work ethic".It is believed Cameron paid about $20 million in January for two large rural Wairarapa properties, one a 250ha dairy farm, the other a much larger 817ha hillside property overlooking Lake Pounui - a lake he also now owns.
The parents of six children killed in an arson attack on their home in Derby have been charged with murder.Derbyshire Police had arrested Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, on suspicion of murder on Tuesday.The pair will appear before Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning.A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "The evidence was reviewed by a Crown Advocate from the CPS East Midlands complex casework unit, who decided that there was sufficient evidence to charge and that it is in the public interest for a prosecution to take place."It is important to note that the defendants are entitled to a fair trial and nothing should be said or reported that would prejudice that right."Duwayne Philpott, 13, Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John Philpott, nine, Jack Philpott, seven, Jessie Philpott, six, and Jayden Philpott, five, all died as a result of the fire.The fire broke out at the house, in Victory Road, Allenton, in the early hours of May 11.Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: "Following the appeal yesterday a number of people have come forward with more information but I want to stress that the two charges this evening should not be seen as the end of the investigation."We are determined to get to the truth of what happened and still want people to speak to us to tell us what they know about this tragedy."
Jaime Ridge is set to go toe-to-toe in the boxing ring with one of the stars of TV show The GC, as she battles to secure her own reality TV show.Ridge, 18, will fight Rosanna Arkle, who is understood to be boxing in just a bikini, during an undercard match at the KFC Godfather of Fight Nights in Auckland on July 5.The organiser of the event, David Higgins, was this morning reluctant to talk about Ridge's inclusion in the event as a formal announcement was scheduled for 11am, but he confirmed she would fight.He would not comment on her opponent, but it's believed it will be Arkle, 23, a Whangarei-raised self-declared glamour model, who is one of the female stars of TV3's The GC.The show follows a group of young Maori living on the Gold Coast.Arkle flew into Auckland yesterday.The pair will fight over three two-minute rounds.The main bout, held at the SkyCity Convention Centre, is between heavyweights Shane Cameron and American Monte Barrett.The daughter of former Kiwis captain and All Black Matthew Ridge has been training with former Warrior and boxer Monty Betham and the pair have been tweeting about her progress."That is how you train. Have to breakdown before you can rebuild stronger. Great workout today at Boxing Alley," Betham tweeted on May 24.Ridge wrote on the same day: "Got to go through the pain to gain."She also tweeted about an early morning shopping trip to Britomart to buy "my new training outfit".The fight is no doubt more made-for-TV fodder for a reality TV pilot Ridge is filming with her mother Sally. The pair have been seen with a camera crew catching up with gal-pals at Ponsonby hotspot SPQR and were recently followed to Colin Mathura-Jeffree's 40th birthday party.
Jesse Ryder and New Zealand Cricket have had an amicable parting of ways, leaving his international playing future in limbo.
The troubled but gifted New Zealand batsman will cease employment with NZC on August 1 after making himself unavailable for a national contract for 2012-13.
Ryder, 27, was unlikely to be offered one anyway after his recent off-field and fitness issues, but told NZC's director of cricket John Buchanan of his decision at his annual player review in Wellington yesterday as he works towards "a number of health and fitness-related goals".
His manager, Aaron Klee, and NZ Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills, accompanied Ryder to the review and supported his decision.
NZC chief executive David White, in England on ICC business, was briefed last night.
"All of the evidence shows that Jesse is on the right track, both on and off the field, but we're aware that there are still steps to be made," White said.
"While cricket remains an important part of his life, it is his health and wellbeing that need to be the primary focus. Jesse wants to concentrate on his personal goals without the media pressures, commercial pressures and other demands associated with being a contracted player."
Mortgage rates have hit rock bottom as banks offer thousands of dollars in cash and slash advertised interest rates in response to pressure from home-buyers for deals.A mortgage broker has described the market as "frantic" and "the best it's ever going to get" after negotiating rates as low as 4.75 per cent for clients."Banks are cutting each other's lunch. They are incredibly good rates ... but these kinds of deals are not sustainable the more people jump on the bus."Advertised fixed-interest rates on home loans are at historic lows, but customers can save thousands more dollars by haggling for even lower rates. The Herald has spoken to new home-owners who negotiated large cash bonuses and heavily reduced rates.One, who asked not to be named, was given cash as well as a 4.9 per cent one-year rate after asking ANZ to match Kiwibank's 4.99 per cent offer.Another couple switched from ASB to ANZ after being offered $2000 in legal costs and cash back and 0.5 per cent off the advertised floating rates.
A new Auckland restaurant that serves only puffer fish is struggling to convince diners it is safe to eat the dishes on its menu.Chowon Puffer, a Korean-styled restaurant in Takapuna, has a range of puffer-fish dishes - barbecued, boiled, steamed, deep fried and in noodles or rice porridge.But because it does not have trained chefs to prepare the fish, some diners are worried meals could be poisonous.The toxin tetrodotoxin - up to 1200 times more lethal than cyanide - is found in the puffer's liver, ovaries, testes, intestines and skin. There is no known antidote, and ingesting it can cause death within minutes.But the restaurant owner, James Ahn, says he does not need trained chefs, as his fish is imported from South Korea with the toxins removed.
Mr Ahn said business at the Hurstmere Rd restaurant had been "slow" since it opened on April 18."I wanted my restaurant to be different from the others in New Zealand, but I know some people are still afraid that eating puffer fish is poisonous," he said."I have placed advertisements in the [local] Korean newspapers to tell customers our puffer-fish meat comes from a safe source and has New Zealand food safety approval, but outside the Korean community it is still difficult."He remained optimistic demand for the delicacy would increase.English-language teacher Ross Manson left the restaurant without ordering last weekend when he learned it did not have chefs trained to prepare puffer fish."I pride myself on being adventurous with food, but I am not stupid," said Mr Manson, who works in Japan.
Puffer fish is also a delicacy in Japan, where it is known as "fugu".Japanese chefs are required to undergo at least three years of training and apprenticeship, followed by a test that only one-third pass, before they are allowed to prepare their first fish.Traditionally, fugu chefs who caused the death of a customer by not preparing the dish correctly were obliged to commit ritual suicide using their own fish knife.The Ministry for Primary Industries, which oversees food safety, said the onus was on the restaurateur to ensure puffer fish was safe and suitable.
The much-maligned but best-selling Double Down burger is coming back, along with a new product to tempt your palate.Fast-food chain KFC has confirmed it's bringing back the successful Double Down burger later this year and is also putting its own Kiwi pie on the menu, possibly as early as next week.The notorious Double Down sent sales soaring around the country in May last year and was even dubbed an extremely unhealthy "crime against food".KFC is planning to sell the bunless burger later this year as it seeks to boost revenue after reporting deflated first quarter sales yesterday. For the uninitiated, the burger has bacon and cheese served between two chicken fillets instead of bread.KFC, one of three major brands operated by the stock exchange-listed company Restaurant Brands, relies on new product releases - like its popular $5 lunch box deal - to help beef up its bottom line.That's where the KFC pie comes in. "They're not intended to be as big as Double Down but certainly they're strong propositions," group chief executive Russel Creedy said.A first for the KFC brand globally, the pie will contain chicken, potato mash and gravy."I can confirm I had a few and it's an excellent product. It's New Zealand-made as well," Creedy saidKiwis' passion for pies is not lost on the company - it even debated calling the offering George the Pie, a nod to the now-defunct Georgie Pie chain. Creedy said he believed the calorie count on the KFC chicken pie would be similar to standard pies on the market.Restaurant Brands will gauge the pie's popularity before it makes any firm decisions about how long it will be on sale."If it's a fantastic product we'll certainly look to put it on the menu permanently," Creedy said.
Inquiry into citizenship decision
30 May 2012The Auditor-General, Lyn Provost, has decided to carry out an inquiry into the decision by the former Associate Minister of Immigration, Mr Shane Jones, to grant citizenship to Mr Yong Ming Yan (also known as Yang (Bill) Liu).This document sets out the terms of reference for the inquiry.Background
Mr Yan was granted permanent residency in 2002 and subsequently applied for citizenship. The Minister of Internal Affairs decides whether to grant citizenship, supported by the Department of Internal Affairs. Mr Jones, as the Minister who dealt with the application, approved Mr Yan’s application for citizenship in 2008.The Leader of the Opposition, Mr David Shearer, has asked the Auditor-General to carry out an inquiry into the probity of the decision to grant citizenship to Mr Yan. We have agreed to do so. The inquiry is being undertaken with the agreement of Mr Jones.The inquiry
The inquiry will examine:
- the policies and practices of the Department of Internal Affairs when advising the Minister on applications for citizenship, in particular where the applicant’s ‘good character’ is in question;
- how and why the Minister decided to grant citizenship to Mr Yan; and
- any other matters the Auditor-General considers it desirable to report on.
Francis Cooke QC has been appointed to lead the inquiry, which is being carried out under sections 16 and 18(1) of the Public Audit Act 2001. We will publish a report when the inquiry is completed.
The families of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mine have quit their battle to retrieve the bodies.The decision was made at a meeting in Greymouth last night, where the families were told that a recovery operation was too dangerous.Families spokesman Bernie Monk this afternoon said two Australian experts told the families that there was only a five to 10 per cent chance for the bodies to be recovered."In our hearts, we know it's not going to happen," he said."[The families] knew this day would come. They just wanted to explore every avenue."The decision was a drastic u-turn by the families. Just two weeks ago, when Solid Energy confirmed it bought the mine for $7.5 million, they threatened to physically stop the company from taking coal from the site, if it started mining before recovering the bodies.Solid Energy had said it would recover the bodies only as part of future commercial mining operations and if it was "safe, technically feasible and financially credible to do so"."The families are hostile and they're not putting up with it," Monk said at the time.But today, he said their position had changed.The families would still push if any opportunity to recover the bodies arose, but had come to the realisation that safety of other people came first.It had taken 18 months to get officials to sit the families down to show them the "wider picture" and look at them in the eyes, Monk said."They didn't tell us anything we didn't know. It was just the wider picture, the implications and the hardship of recovery.""No one has ever come to us until now, and spoken the truth to us on what has to be done down there," he said.
Pamphlets promoting white supremacy ideals and dropped in letter boxes have disgusted a resident in a Hawke's Bay suburb.
Households in Havelock North received the pamphlets in the mail on Wednesday, asking them to "support the Right Wing Resistance" because "it's alright to be white".
One Napier Rd resident who received the pamphlet - and did not want to be named for fears of his safety - said the propaganda was shocking.
"It smacks of a racist, xenophobic, totalitarian, right-wing flavour, and anything like that sends off warning bells for me," he said.
"It's not something that we expect in a place we like to think of as civilised, I like to think of New Zealand as being open to different cultures and ethnicities."
The Right Wing Resistance website described its organisation as having a "mission," and listed Hawke's Bay as one of it's Central Region branches.
"We are an organised unified resistance movement against mass immigration, the dilution of our European culture and pride, and the current multicultural agenda created by the current government networks designed to destroy our colonial rights and identity.
"Our primary purpose is to recruit like-minded individuals and groups into an organisation of active men and women,"the website said.
The resident spoken to by Hawke's Bay Today said he threw the flyer away, but the message it delivered was "unbelievable".
"The human race is one species, not fragmented into a hierarchy.
"I am European and I don't understand what these sort of people believe in."
The Maori Party's former MP for Te Tai Tonga Rahui Katene says constituents are seeking her help because her Labour successor can't keep up with his workload - but until yesterday was advertising herself as the current member of Parliament.Labour's Rino Tirikatene says Katene has "sour grapes" over losing the seat and has lodged a complaint with the Speaker of the House that her Facebook page had listed her as the MP for Te Tai Tonga.Katene said today she had been fielding inquiries for the past few months from people who thought she was still their MP."I walk into a mall and people come up to me and ask me. I've been getting phone calls. It wasn't just at the beginning when people might have thought I was still the MP."I certainly hoped that by now they realise that I'm not, even though I'd still love to be. But because they can't get in touch with their MP, they find it easier to come up and talk to me."Katene admitted until yesterday her Facebook page still said she was the MP.
"Unfortunately I couldn't get into it. The person who had the password actually had gone overseas so it was just yesterday that I managed to get the password so I could make the change."I could get into it from my ipad but I couldn't make the change because it didn't allow me into that section."Katene said despite having 2600 Facebook friends, she didn't believe it contributed to people believing she was still the MP."At least two of the people that saw me don't have access to electronic and social networking media so it wouldn't have been that at all."
Out-of-Parliament support for Green MPs
I have had it confirmed that the Greens are using taxpayer funds to hire staff to collect signatures for the asset sales petition, as speculated yesterday.This is effectively an abuse of what the CIR process is about. First of all the idea behind citizen’s initiated referenda are that it gives a chance for non MPs to petition Parliament and force a vote on an issue. It has never before been used by the losing parties in a general election to try and over-throw the results of an election, by holding a referendum on the policy which was at the centre of the election campaign. The history of CIR is that they have been on issues for which no party had explicitly campaigned at a previous election.So bad enough that Labour and the Greens are pushing a referendum on a policy that was debated for 11 months during the election campaign, but even worse that the Greens are using some of their $1.3m of taxpayer funding to purchase signatures for the petition. The same Greens who decry money in politics. CIR are meant to be about showing the level of community support for a vote on an issue. Using taxpayer funds to hire people to collect signatures will demonstrate little other than how much taxpayer money the Greens are prepared to spend on it.So much for being the party of grass-roots activism.At least it is a step up from the Labour MP who was paying an 11 year old girl $10 an hour to wave Labour Party placards during the election campaign.
Nearly half of the Government's Cabinet ministers send or have sent their children to elite schools which are unlikely to feel the effects of changes to classroom sizes.A Herald survey of ministers found that at least seven of the sixteen Cabinet ministers with school-aged children sent all or some of their children to private schools. Four ministers refused to say where their children attended or could not respond, and five ministers said they had enrolled their kids in state schools.Education Minister Hekia Parata announced as part of the Budget the new standardised ratio for Years 2 to 10 would be 27.5 students per teacher - up four students per teacher.Critics of the changes to class sizes point out the National-led Government has doubled state subsidies to private schools in its time in charge, allowing them to keep class sizes smaller.Quality Public Education Coalition chairman John Minto argued in the Herald yesterday that ministers had enrolled their children in schools which were unaffected by the proposed changes.
Minister provides assurances to schools
Education Minister Hekia Parata says no school will lose more than two full-time teachers (FTTEs) as a result of the policy changes in Budget 2012.“As we've previously said, about 90% of schools will either gain, or have a net loss of less than one FTTE as a result of the combined effect of the ratio changes and projected roll growth,’’ Ms Parata says.“We have examined the effect on the other 10 per cent of schools, and some would be affected more than we would accept.“Schools will be given a guarantee that their staffing entitlement will not be reduced by more than two FTTEs over the next three years as a result of the policy changes.“It is also not the intention of the policy to undermine the specialist technology provision at Levels 7 and 8. The Ministry of Education, together with the sector working group to be established by the Ministry, will ensure that technology provision continues.“Either way no school will end up with more than two FTTEs fewer than they currently have, because of these policy changes.”Any additional cost from these changes will be met from a contingency set aside by the Ministry of Education to manage the transition to the new ratios, Ms Parata says.
George Gwaze has been found not guilty of murdering his 10-year-old niece.The jury of seven men and five women considered their verdict for almost six hours on Friday and another seven hours yesterday after a four-week retrial at the High Court in Christchurch, before coming to a decision today.Gwaze had denied one count of murder and two charges of sexual violation of HIV positive Charlene at their family home in Christchurch in January 2007.The Crown alleged that Charlene, who had HIV, was sexually attacked and suffocated by her uncle.The defence claimed she had HIV which she had carried since birth, and that was what killed her.
George Gwaze will face a retrial for the rape and murder of his niece in Christchurch after the Supreme Court overturned the jury's not guilty verdict and ordered a new trial.The Crown has succeeded in a last-ditch bid in the Supreme Court to have murder-accused Gwaze retried.The Supreme Court released its decision at 4pm to allow the Crown appeal and quashed Gwaze's previous acquittals.A certified direction for new trial will be issued to the registrar of the High Court at Christchurch, the decision says.It is believed to be the first time the Supreme Court has overturned a not guilty verdict on a murder charge.
A Paeroa College student watched as a fellow student knocked a girl out of his way before allegedly pointing a BB gun at his face and shooting him between the eyes."He was like real angry," the teen told the Times last night."He got me in the temple then I went under [the desk] and he got me in the back of the head."The teen – whom cannot be named for legal reasons – was sitting in class about 10am when the 14-year-old allegedly strode in wearing a gang bandana – covering everything but his eyes.In his hand was a spring-loaded replica gun."I thought it was a real gun because it looked like it."As the boy pointed the gun at him, the teen sat stunned. Thinking it was loaded with bullets, his first instinct was to duck under the desk, but he wasn't quick enough with one of the plastic pellets getting him right between the eyes.When the boy's teacher – Felise Tai'i – yelled for the boy to stop, the armed student allegedly turned the gun on him firing three to four times.Acting quickly, Mr Tai'i "clotheslined" the attacker, taking him to ground with an outstretched arm as the boy continued to shoot the gun towards the wall.Mr Tai'i kept the teen subdued until police arrived and took him into custody, with a stopover at Thames Hospital to ensure that the "minor" injuries he received during his struggle with the Mr Tai'i were not too serious.Last night the victim's father was "pissed off" and distraught to see his son so upset."He could have lost an eye. It was a plastic gun but he had full intention to use it as a weapon. If he had real gun he could have killed someone."The teen said his alleged attacker's aggression towards him could have stemmed from an incident last Friday in which a BB gun he'd taken to school fell out of his bag.He claimed the student picked it up and started pointing at people and was later stood down.However, the Times understands it's not the first instance of bad behaviour from the alleged attacker this term.
Eastern Waikato area commander Inspector Dana McDonald said the accused would appear in Hamilton Youth Court this morning."The actions of the teacher were highly commendable in that he put himself in harm's way to protect students in the class."This was one of those incidents I doubt they train you for at teachers' college."
It is too much to hope that the sentencing of the "Urewera Four" will end a divisive affair that has dragged on for too long, but it should.By using firearms at military-style training camps in the Ureweras, Tame Iti, Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara, Urs Signer and Emily Bailey broke the law. They did so repeatedly and in a manner that damaged relations between the Crown and the Tuhoe people. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has yet to rule on the police conduct of the raids that terrified the residents of the eastern Bay of Plenty township of Ruatoki but, whatever it finds, the ultimate responsibility for the raids rests with the four convicted of firearms offences. If they, and others, had not been playing at soldiers in the bush and taking part in alarming discussions, the raids would not have occurred.The facts, as set out during sentencing by Justice Rodney Hansen, are these: in January, September and October 2007 Iti organised, and the others participated in, a series of camps, or rama, near Ruatoki. During the camps semi-automatic weapons, sawn-off shotguns, and sporting rifles were fired. In addition, Molotov cocktails were made and thrown at one of the camps. When police terminated their surveillance operation, three rifles, two of them semi-automatic, were found under a tarpaulin at Iti's Ruatoki house, four rifles and a semi-automatic shotgun were found in the boot of Kemara's car and in a caravan he occupied, and a .22 rifle was found in a backpack at a Wellington campsite occupied by Signer and Bailey.The explanations proffered by defence counsel for the camps and the use of firearms that participants were being taught bushcraft and survival skills or that they were being trained for employment in the security industry were dismissed by the judge as "utterly implausible".The evidence pointed, he said, to the establishment of a private militia. That those running the camps did not know what they were doing and posed a greater danger to themselves than the general public is beside the point. So, too, is the fact that the judge concluded they were motivated by a sense of altruism rather than criminality. They wanted to redress Tuhoe grievances.A crime committed in pursuit of laudable objectives is just as much a crime as a crime committed for base motives. Those who have rushed to defend Iti and his fellows should ask themselves how they would react if a group of white supremacists was found to be covertly preparing for guerilla warfare.The judge sentenced Iti and Kemara to two-and-a-half-years' imprisonment. He indicated he was prepared to consider a sentence of nine months' home detention for Signer and Bailey provided a suitable address could be found. They had played a lesser role in the offending.The sentences are just. They serve as a warning not just to Iti and his fellows, but to others of all political persuasions that political activity must fall within the bounds of the law.The rule of law depends upon all being equal before the law.
Education funding reforms go too far for some intermediate schools, Prime Minister John Key admits.Changes announced in last week's Budget will see teacher numbers capped over the next four years. The cap is achieved by a series of changes to funding formulas, which rebalance the spread of about 52,500 teachers across the nation's schools.It is likely some teachers will be laid off as a result of the changes as some schools are forced to meet new, lower budgets.While the overall number of teachers will not change much, new teachers will likely be competing with more candidates for fewer new positions.Mr Key admitted there were a few schools where "a significant number of teachers" would have to leave under the proposed changes."That would be too many for the Government, so we'll have to work on that," Mr Key said."For the overwhelming bulk of schools, we're comfortable – change is very modest. For some, it's more extreme, it's at the harder end and I think we need to look at addressing that harder end."
- Yan moved to New Zealand and purchased two properties worth $7.4m. He paid cash for them.
- Yan claims to be a member of Falun Gong, and cites this as why he left China. However Falun Gong prohibit gambling, and Yan was the largest customer of the Sky City casino.
- Paid Labour Party fund-raiser Shane Te Pou $5,000 to help his citizenship application. Te Pou (whom Clark had banned from the Beehive over ethical concerns) introduced him to Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker. Te Pou was also campaign manager to Dover Samuels, whom his brother had also worked for.
- Samuels received a $5,000 donation from a Tamaki Wu who appears to be a fictitious person, and whose listed address is owned by Daniel Philips, brother of Shane Te Pou.
- Yan also donated $5,000 to Chris Carter and to Pansy Wong. Rick Barker also received an “anonymous” $5,000 donation the same year. It is also a matter of record that Labour held several fundraising dinners at the Jade Terrace restaurant, attended by Yan. At these dinners the “bucket” is literally passed around and no one knows how much any one individual contributed. They are reputed to sometimes raise a six figure sum in one evening.
- Barker did not recuse himself immediately on the basis of his friendship With Yan. In fact he stayed involved until quite late in the piece when he delegated the decision to Shane Jones (Jones was not the Associate DIA Minister, and any Minister could have been chosen) – the one Minister whose most senior office staffer was the brother of Shane Te Pou who was being paid to help him get citizenship.
- Jones was strongly advised not to grant citizenship, on the multiple grounds of the Interpol warrants, the criminal charges in China, the multiple identities and the ongoing investigation by Immigration NZ over whether he was even entitled to residency. Jones granted citizenship.
- Yan given citizenship by Dover Samuels in the Maori Affairs Select Committee Room on 11 August 2008, five days after the decision.
It is a toss-up which is more embarrassing for the Labour Party – former associate immigration minister Shane Jones' explanation for granting citizenship to a shadowy Chinese millionaire with multiple identities or leader David Shearer's initial acceptance of that explanation.According to Mr Jones he granted citizenship to Yong Ming Yan, otherwise known as Bill Liu, because an official told him Mr Yan would be arrested, executed and his "organs harvested" if he returned to China.According to Mr Shearer, he chose not to take action after speaking to Mr Jones about the case because the process by which the former minister ignored official advice appeared "considered and proper".It was not till others pointed out the incongruity of Mr Jones' claims that Mr Yan's life was at risk if he was denied citizenship and Mr Yan's claims to have fostered better relations between New Zealand and China that the Labour leader decided to stand Mr Jones down as a party spokesman and ask the auditor-general to investigate.However, Labour's problems go far deeper than Mr Shearer's timorous leadership and Mr Jones' quixotic approach to his ministerial responsibilities.
While Labour's leader and senior spokespeople um and ah about what they would do differently from the Government, its putative ally, the Green Party, is eating its lunch.Having shed itself of the nutty Sue Bradford, now helping the Mana Party plumb public opinion poll depths, its 14 MPs are bringing a previously unseen focus to environmental issues.There will be many who shudder at the prospect of the introduction of a carbon tax, and the other tax changes proposed by Green Party co-leader Russel Norman in a pre-Budget article in last week's Dominion Post. The party's philosophical objections to major roading projects and its feel-good plans for state-owned power companies are equally alarming.However, there is no disputing that the Greens know their stuff and are arguing from a position of principle. The contrast with Labour could not be starker. It is apparent every day – in Parliament during question time, and on the airwaves.The Greens are sharper and more intellectually rigorous. Labour's MPs give the impression they are waiting to be told by their researchers what the public thinks about an issue before taking a position. The Greens, on the other hand, are setting out to change public opinion.
It is unlikely the environmental party will ever gain enough mainstream support to dominate a government. The trade-off inherent in their policy between prosperity and the environment limits their appeal.But while the Greens continue to expose the inadequacies of their Labour opposites, there is little prospect of Labour reasserting itself.Labour needs to deal with its historical baggage and sort out what it stands for quickly. Otherwise it might as well forget about the 2014 election and start planning for 2017.
