Speech by New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston PetersPublic meetingCelebrating Age Centre, 30 Victoria St, HamiltonMonday, 8 August, 201610.45amGovernment deaf to the harsher realities of what is happening in New Zealand
It must now be apparent to all New Zealanders that we are too dependent on China.
We have got so close to them, they are telling us what to do.
In 2008 I warned the then Labour Government as well as the National Party, as Labour negotiated the China Free Trade deal that we would rue the day that our largest exporters became perilously dependent on China.
At the time it was clear far too much of the economy would be dependent upon one exporter, Fonterra, one product, milk powder and one market, China.
That warning has come to pass.
Two weeks ago Mataura Valley Milk announced it had given China Animal Husbandry Group (CAHB) a 71.8 per cent ownership share in a new $200 million dairy plant to be built near Gore.
New Zealand First welcomes overseas investment when the controlling interests are held by New Zealanders.
It is economic lunacy to give over control of our wealth to foreign interests.
In April the prime minister went to China and promised the Chinese he would speed up decision making so it would be easier and quicker for Chinese to buy land and assets here.
Let’s remember China is a country which refuses to allow foreign nationals to buy land there.
At the time of his visit Chinese media warned Mr Key that if he raised the issue of the South China Sea, he could risk compromising New Zealand's trade relationship with China.
In recent weeks China has not been happy with New Zealand inquiries into a glut of Chinese steel imports flooding the market "and threatened retaliatory measures" against New Zealand trade, warning it will slow the flow of dairy, wool and kiwifruit imports.
China was also unhappy an international tribunal in The Hague rebuked them over its behaviour in the South China Sea, and found its expansive claim to sovereignty over the waters had no legal basis.
The question you need to ask from all this is: Why is New Zealand surprised?
Melamine, Chinese steel in our motorways, asbestos trains bouncing off our rail tracks and now a billion dollar threat to New Zealand’s dairy and horticulture industry, were all predictable events except to New Zealand’s political and economic leadership.
How ordinary New Zealanders are meant to react to the appalling failures of both must surely be at issue.
How well they must remember the cacophonous cheerleading of the New Zealand China Free Trade ‘industry’ and its derisory response to anyone who dared question the wisdom of what they were doing.
We are sycophantic in our relationship with China.
It’s time for Mr Key’s Government to demand China abide by international trade rules.
It’s time the government told China you are not our master: we will not be bullied around.
IMMIGRATION
It has taken a long time but New Zealand is beginning to wake up to the implications and impact of massive immigration.
How long can the National government encourage record numbers to come into New Zealand and ignore what is happening as a result?
Even when Treasury six months ago sounded warnings about the negative impact of immigration the government would not listen.
They are the only people in this country who continue to deny that mass immigration is contributing to Auckland’s crisis and to other dire problems.
Treasury advised Finance Minister Bill English that immigration could push Kiwis out of low-skilled jobs, depress wages and increase housing pressures.
ANZ chief executive David Hisco said he wanted to see an immigration review.
But the government won’t listen.
In the past year immigration to New Zealand is up to 125,000 with a net gain of 69,100.
Add to this, thousands of international students from 176 countries that came here last year, many of them having visas allowing them to work.
Auckland has climbed from being the world’s ninth most expensive city for housing to the fifth.
It’s still climbing.
It’s ordinary Kiwis who suffer by struggling to find homes, losing jobs or having wages reduced because many of the foreign students are desperate for work to pay for their education and will take any amount that is offered – even as low as $4 an hour.
Our hospitals are bursting at the seams; schools and infrastructure are under massive pressure.
The Auckland Primary Principals Association says they are crying out for teachers because New Zealand trained and qualified teachers rule out Auckland as a place to live and work because it is too expensive.
We have the crazy situation of a chronic shortage of primary school teachers in Auckland and a surplus around the country.
But the Ministry of Education are like the government.
Their solution to the Auckland teacher shortage is not to try and make it easier for Kiwi teachers, instead they are “working to smooth the way for overseas teachers to work in Auckland.” (RNZ, Recruiting Auckland teachers ‘a nightmare’, July 19)
That’s how ludicrous it has become.
The same thing is happening in the building sector.
The Minister for Housing Nick Smith said it was crucial to have skilled workers in Auckland for the building boom.
But at the same time the skilled workers are leaving the city or not going to work because it is too expensive. So the government says we will have to bring in builders from overseas.
Ordinary New Zealanders cannot get their foot on the housing market in Auckland and at the same time we have companies like Ray White linking up with Lianjia, also known as Homelink, China’s largest real estate agency, to market Auckland and New Zealand property to 260 million Chinese.
If you picked up a copy of The Straits Times recently (Saturday July 30, 2016, pA36) you would find a full page advertisement marketing New Zealand property in a “Prime New Zealand Properties Expo.’
The advertisement said “No stamp duty; no restrictions on resale to foreigners.”
The advertisement was targeting off-shore investors.
Again the government refuses to listen to this sort of thing.
They should listen.
The results of the Brexit referendum in the UK, the American presidential election and the recent Australian early election showed that.
The UK’s decision to leave the European Union – has shaken the political world.
The British public told their leaders that they have had enough of not being listened to.
It is the same in the United States also.
Donald Trump, despite his approach, has upset the applecart by achieving what many did not expect and securing the Republican nomination in the presidential race.
In the Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders gave Hillary Clinton a hard run for her money.
This mood of discontent is evident here in New Zealand also.
And one of the common threads that run through this mood of change is the unhappiness over one thing in particular.
Immigration.
This is an issue that political parties tip toe around in spite of what the people think.
The people are being told – “keep in your place”; it’s not politically correct to touch on this issue – and if you do you can be quickly labelled racist or xenophobic.
The New Zealand media toe the line also – never looking for the deeper story but grabbing and running with the political spin which emanates from the beehive.
Ordinary New Zealanders know what the consequences of open door immigration are.
And one of the biggest impacts is on housing.
New Zealanders are seeing their dream of home ownership disappearing over the hill as foreign buyers clean out the market and send house prices through the roof.
NZ First has no issue with immigrants – it’s the open door immigration policy that is wrong.
We do not blame people for wanting to come to New Zealand
But we must address this issue of open door immigration and comprehend the impact it is having on our country.
The Reserve Bank knows this.
The Reserve bank deputy governor Grant Spencer told the Government to take another look at its immigration to stem rising house prices.
When New Zealand First said this, and we have for a long time, we were called racist and xenophobic.
But no-one accused the Reserve Bank of that.
Mr Spencer said New Zealand could not ignore that the 160,000 net inflow of permanent and long-term migrants over the last three years had generated an unprecedented increase in the population and a significant boost to housing demand.
But, again the government refused to listen. Again the government is concocting a poisoned chalice which others will have to deal with.
Brexit showed what happens if you do not listen to the people, and if you treat them as though their views do not count.
NZ being used
Overseas countries cannot believe how generous we are.
Where else in the world can a migrant come to a country at the age of 55, as happens here, live here 10 years and contribute nothing to our economy and qualify for full superannuation?
In the last 15 years over 82,000 people have done this.
That’s the equivalent of Palmerston North’s population.
New Zealand First says only New Zealanders and those who have qualified by length of stay and other requirements should get full superannuation.
Changes must be made in entitlement criteria so that payments are adjusted directly proportionate to the years of residence.
Labour and Greens
Even Labour and the Greens are getting worried about immigration and have buddied up with an agreement.
But New Zealand First will not be part of it.
We are not going to compromise our beliefs by buddying up with other political parties.
Before the election you should know what political parties stand for.
We’ll stand on our own feet.
We’ll concentrate on growing our vote and not waste time with cobbled together pre-election arrangements.
We have never liked this type of politics and never will.
We have an old fashioned view of democracy which is – we wait until the votes are counted.
We are not signing up to any pre-election deals.
Voters need to be fully aware of what an individual party’s policies are and not be confused.
Conclusion
When the views of the general public are ignored – dismissed and brushed aside on fundamental issues like immigration the scene is set for deep fault lines to emerge in a society between the people and those who govern them.
Next year New Zealanders will have their say – in the election
New Zealand First is a party of moderation and inclusion.
We have never stopped listening to the New Zealand public; their concerns, their hopes and their aspirations.
So we are confident that our policies – on immigration and on other issues vital to our country – reflect the view of the public.
Vitaco Health Group will need more capital if it goes ahead with plans to expand its Auckland manufacturing and warehousing, which it says shareholders should be aware of in contemplating a $A313.7 million takeover bid from a Chinese-led consortium.
The ASX-listed food supplements maker has entered into a scheme of arrangement with drugmaker Shanghai Pharmaceuticals and private equity firm Primavera Capital which would see the buyers pay $A2.25 a share, including any final dividend declared when it reports annual earnings this month. That was 28% higher than the closing price on Wednesday before the deal was announced yesterday, although a more modest 7.1% premium to the $A2.10 initial public offering price when Vitaco listed last year. The shares closed at $A2.11 yesterday, gaining 20% after the deal was announced.
The march to New Zealand becoming an efficient digital nation is being strangled by selfish interests, charges Bennet Medary in an iStart release written by Donovan Jackson.
While government is frequently seen as both the solution for large scale issues and simultaneously the obstacle, Medary believes the current administration is on the right track. “One of the biggest advocates for a more effective nation is Bill English [and his ‘data highway’]. I can’t tell you how much I support his policy initiatives, programmes and work through Treasury, where he is looking to gain insights from public sector information to identify and target interventions that make a difference on an individual basis. With information technology, we can do that now.”
The ‘data sharing’ projects initiated by the government don’t generally benefit from the enthusiasm of a tech industry insider. Indeed, they tend to drive fear-mongering headlines (like ‘The government is watching you’) in the mainstream media and inspire shrieks of outrage from some on the more lunatic fringe.
But in Medary’s view, it is precisely this sort of approach which has to continue . . .
Does economic development minister Steven Joyce see himself as a future leader?
"No, I have no aspiration in that regard," he told TVNZ's Q+A.
"I’ve watched the big guy from up close, and, believe me, I think I work hard, but he works a heck of a lot harder."
Mr Joyce acknowledged that the size of the current migration cycle is ‘quite significant’ but said "We can’t just sort of turn around and say we’re going to cut migration levels hugely, because that would impact on many successful parts of the economy. So you’ve just got to walk and chew gum at the same time, train lots of locals and also be prepared to bring in people, particularly experienced people, if there are shortages."
When asked about increasing exports as a percentage of the economy from 30% to 40% Mr Joyce said, "Well, to be fair, that’s a long target. It’s targeted out for 2025. Let’s look at the export strategy.
When it was put to him, "But it has gone nowhere since you’ve been in. It’s still at 30%", he replied, "No, that’s not true. If you look at exports, calendar year 2015, exports went up from $67 billion to $69 billion in that year at the same time as dairy, our biggest export, was going backwards by 3 billion, which meant that non-dairy exports had to grow by 10.5% in one year. That’s across the average, and they’ve done that.’
KiwiRail has ordered 15 more CRRC Dalian diesel locomotives.
NEW ZEALAND: An agreement for CRRC Dalian to supply a further 15 DL Class diesel locomotives was signed by KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy in Dalian on August 2.
The 1 067 mm gauge locomotives are scheduled for delivery in 2018. They will have improved braking systems compared with the 48 locomotives which CRRC Dalian supplied in 2010-11 (20), 2013 (20) and 2015 (eight).
The six-axle twin-cab locomotives rated at 2·7 MW with a maximum speed of 100 km/h have MTU 20V 4000R43 engines, and are used on freight services on the North Island.
KiwiRail and CRRC have also formed a joint venture which will be responsible for maintenance.
See also; KiwiRail release
VIENTIANE – Economic ministers from Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed on a 10-year economic cooperation plan centered on cooperation between Japan and the 10-member grouping to support the creation of new industries by private enterprise in the ASEAN region.
The ASEAN Economic Community, which aims at integrating members into a single market, was launched late last year with the aims of sustainable economic growth and reducing the inequality among the member countries. In accordance with these aims, Japan intends to boost ASEAN’s growth and increase its presence in the region.
Japan seeks to support new industries utilizing Japan’s manufacturing prowess and the creation of new businesses in the health and medical fields. Consultations will be held at the national level to reform systems hampering the entry of foreign companies.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters after Saturday’s meeting in Vientiane that he hopes Japan and ASEAN “will stimulate each other, help each other and growth together.”
At the meeting, agreement was also reached on strengthening cooperation on infrastructure development, including the building of roads and railways, areas where Japan has placed emphasis.
Regarding the trade pact known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India have been negotiating since May 2013, the ministers also agreed to aim for the “realization of a high-quality agreement.”
The Japan Times August 7, 2016
Government is an exercise in decision making – and often decisions must be taken despite uncertainty and limited information. Fallibility is unavoidable – it goes with the territory.
The Puhoi to Warkworth motorway was to be one of those Roads of National Significance on which the formerly rural road subsidy money was to be spent. Yet here we are now in 2016, seven years later, and they haven’t built one millimetre of it.They conned the provinces, in this case Northland, whilst not remotely keeping the promise they made on that motorway.
And where is the mention of the motorway from Warkworth to Wellsford thatMr Joyce promised during the Northland By-election?
Government is an exercise in decision making – and often decisions must be taken despite uncertainty and limited information.Fallibility is unavoidable – it goes with the territory.No one expects a government to get it 100% right – 100% of the time. There is nothing to be gained by expecting perfect performance from a government.New Zealanders understand that – and they have cut the current government a lot of slack over the last 8 years.But public patience has worn thin.What cannot be condoned or excused is a government that persists with a wrong decision even when there is ample and clear evidence that a mistake is being made.But that is exactly what we are seeing in the National government.There is abundant evidence we have a government that is addicted to policies that are directly counter and detrimental to the welfare of New Zealanders as a whole.Yet in the face of overwhelming evidence to change course the government is stubbornly refusing to change tack.In short, the National Government has become many New Zealanders worst enemy.As an example, in 2009 the National government removed the rural roading subsidy on the basis that the money was to go to Roads of National Significance.The Puhoi to Warkworth motorway was to be one of those Roads of National Significance on which the formerly rural road subsidy money was to be spent. Yet here we are now in 2016, seven years later, and they haven’t built one millimetre of it.They conned the provinces, in this case Northland, whilst not remotely keeping the promise they made on that motorway.In 2009, Steven Joyce told Parliament that the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway would be delivered by 2019. Now National is talking of delivery by 2022.And where is the mention of the motorway from Warkworth to Wellsford that Mr Joyce promised during the Northland By-election?Both Mr Joyce and Mr Bridges know that both Warkworth and Wellsford are part of the Auckland Super City but they keep on telling local government in the North that they are helping them.On Wednesday New Zealand First was shocked to learn that Spanish construction and engineering firm Acciona is a ‘preferred bidder’ to help build the long overdue Puhoi to Warkworth leg.There are questions to be asked about the role Acciona will play.- First, who is doing the due-diligence in National given Acciona executives were arrested in Spain this year for corruption over the handling of public contracts?
- Second, can the Transport Minister categorically rule out any direct or indirect donation Acciona may have made to National given Acciona has a track record of funding political parties in both Canada and Australia?Be under no illusion, any Private-Public Partnership means the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway will be a toll road.There is a toll booth at Puhoi now. So the question is, is there going to be a second toll to Warkworth and a third toll to Wellsford whenever in the remote future they are separately completed?And can we rely on a partnership with Acciona when toll roads they’ve worked on in Spain in the past have gone into liquidation, leaving the Spanish government to cover the debt?Another example of how the National Government has become many New Zealanders worst enemy is on the issue of rampant immigration.Immigration is running at record levels and this is the cause of New Zealand’s very rapid population growth.Net immigration – now running at over 69,000 annually – is adding the equivalent of a city the size of New Plymouth to the population every year.You will have noticed we are not building or providing the services to meet anything like that level of need.What you are seeing – everywhere from Auckland to Queenstown- is bottlenecks.Auckland’s housing is a dangerous bubble.Over the year to June 2016 the average Auckland house price rose 16% to just shy of $1m – at $975,000.These are staggering numbers but should come as no surprise as we know that almost 50% of new migrants settle in Auckland.They add to the housing demand.This has forced the Reserve Bank to take all sorts of measures – including the latest lending restrictions on property investors – to try and defuse this timebomb.The latest measures will be as ineffectual as others have been because they are tinkering – they ignore the elephant in the room – immigration.Here are the facts:There is no shortage of potential immigrantsOn the contraryPeople want to come to New ZealandWe are a highly desirable destination in a crowded, often dangerous and uncertain world.A sensible immigration policy would start from that premise and look at what would serve the New Zealand national interest.That would mean taking only immigrants who bring critical skills to our economy where we have shortages of these skills.We do not actually need more taxi drivers and employees to do entry level jobs – our own young people are struggling to get a foot hold in the jobs market.When New Zealanders are facing acute housing and infrastructural shortages and rocketing property prices a government would be mad to allow immigration at record levels.So why does John Key’s government refuse to act?Why doesn’t the government do the obvious thing and wind back the immigration influx?Why does it refuse to show some judgement – some sense?The reason is that we have a government that is not actually committed to New Zealand’s national interest – or the public’s welfare.The government is like a driver at the wheel of a sports car speeding along recklessly oblivious to the road conditions and the risks.Ignoring the “speed limits” on New Zealand’s capacity to absorb immigrants is crazy and feckless.So what is really behind government inaction on immigration?The truth of the matter is that it has an unspoken agenda.Giving away citizenship wholesale fits the government’s phony success story.It’s a fix – it’s a con – and its suits its mates and cronies.Massive immigration – at least in the short term – pumps up consumption and inflates GDP.By boosting GDP it creates the facade of success. Were it not for mass immigration our GDP growth would be less than .5 per annum.It allows the Government to boast about how well New Zealand is doing relative to other OECD countries.Economic growth based on population growth is of course bogus.There are no free goods.New Zealanders are not better off just because the population has surged.On the contrary, when spending and public services are adjusted on a per capita basis, on almost every measure the standard of living is falling for most Kiwis.The stress and strains from a surging population are clear.Health services are under severe pressure and “official” waiting lists now lack all credibility.The education system is struggling to cope with rapidly rising rolls.Infrastructure capacity is falling behind – Traffic jams are not just an Auckland phenomenon – Queenstown has traffic problems too.In Auckland passenger numbers on the suburban rail network have soared by 20% over the past year as the system became all electric.That is passenger growth of almost 3 million over the year!Yet while services are already overcrowded no more electric trains are on order.Importing immigrants who are willing to work for even less than low paid Kiwis has certainly benefited some businesses.But this has done nothing for young Kiwis looking to gain a foothold in the workplace or the housing market.Employment and the so-called export education scams and rorts abound.Whether it is the foreign student racket or the thousands of restaurant workers who have been waved through immigration on the spurious grounds of skill shortages the impact has been to undermine the pay and conditions of Kiwis.John Key’s government will not adopt the common sense immigration policy that New Zealand First alone has consistently called for because to do so would expose how fraudulent its policy is.It would reveal that the Key government has been deceitful and duplicitous· They are only pretending to tackle the housing crisis· They are only pretending to care about the job prospects of Kiwis· They are only pretending to be doing something about public services in health and educationJohn Key’s legacy will be of having done enormous damage to New Zealand. His legacy is a poisoned chalice of hyper inflated demand.A smart government learns from its mistakes and has the courage and honesty to change policy.There is no sign of learning or contrition from National for its failure.If there is one country on the planet that can have absolute control over immigration policy it is New Zealand.Of course New Zealand citizens may come and go as they choose.But over the number of new migrants the government has a complete say.So for the Key government to persist with its open door immigration policy – a policy that is so contrary to the interests of New Zealand – is utterly indefensible.If the government were actually serious about the housing crisis it would announce tomorrow that it was taking emergency measures to limit the number of new non-New Zealand citizens and non-New Zealand resident migrants to, say, 10,000 a year.The result – the housing market would begin to stabilise.New Zealand First is the one political party that has a common sense policy on immigration.New Zealand First is the one party that has consistently called for an immigration policy that puts the interests of New Zealanders first.And in the election next year New Zealand First will be the one party to offer New Zealanders a real choice on immigration.Finally, New Zealand First is deeply concerned with the rise of crime and the under-resourcing of our police.We have just obtained information by way of an official Information Act request which shows Mangawhai had nine reported burglaries in 2008 and no arrests were made.In 2014 there were 29 reported burglaries – one arrest was made. Last year there were 27 reported burglaries – one arrest was made.Burglars will be happy with these statistics but what about the residents of Mangawhai?In Northland criminal offending has jumped 66 per cent from 11,593 in 2008 to more than 19,274. Yet over the same period of time arrests fell from 3144 in 2008 to 2735 in 2015.We know also that of Northland’s 22 stations only seven had more than a single officer on continuous duty over four consecutive Fridays and Saturdays.Today in the media we have reports of first responders being overwhelmed by crime in Kaitaia which has been given the terrible name – murder capital of New Zealand.Police Association president Greg O’Connor said there was a chronic situation in Kaitaia and officers are facing ever increasing workloads.This is happening not just in Kaitaia or Northland – it’s happening all over the country.Our police are over-stretched. Ignore all the spin from the government because that is all it is – spin.New Zealand First brought in one thousand more front line police during 2005-2008 because we were concerned that policing was suffering through lack of police numbers. This policy has been thrown out the window because the Government has effectively reduced police work by budget cuts.Now we are beginning to pay the price.When police budgets are cut, civilian staff numbers are inevitably reduced and sworn officers are forced into jobs that could be done by non-sworn civilians. This takes even more feet off the beat.The primary duty of any government is to protect its people. Policing is an essential part of this protection and it must be adequately funded.Our thin blue line is the boundary between law and order and anarchy. Politicians should support the dedicated men and women who try to keep the streets safe and give them the resources they need to do their duty.Ladies and gentlemen you can be assured New Zealand First will make this happen.
The unmanned aircraft could be used to interfere with a facility’s computers and other equipment, a researcher said.
Industrial facilities should be on guard against drones. Even off-the-shelf versions of the unmanned aircraft could be used to disrupt sensitive systems.
On Wednesday, Jeff Melrose, a presenter at Black Hat 2016, showed how consumer drones could do more than just conduct aerial spying. The flying machines can also carry a transmitter to hack into a wireless keyboard or interfere with industrial controls, he said.
It’s not enough to place a fence around a building to keep intruders out, according to Melrose, who is a principal tech specialist at Yokogawa, an industrial controls provider. These days, some consumer drones can travel up to 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) or more.
Dexion was commissioned to deliver a complete racking solution for the new PAK’nSAVE flagship store in Blenheim.
Dexion’s National Supply Centre Manager, Jeff Darby said that the major project objective for Dexion was to install a racking system that would protect against the risks caused by seismic events. Given the recent earthquakes in Christchurch, Foodstuffs was understandably concerned about the risk to staff and customers from earthquake damage to the store, and how Dexion would be able to mitigate this risk with its pallet racking system.
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242