Act dishes out its awards, Palmerston North wins. Wheelers Corner 48 5th Oct 2019

 

 

 

New Zealand's most Right Wing Party 'ACT' dishes out its 2019 awards. Better known as Government wast awards: 

Lifetime Achievement Award

2019 Jonesie Awards: Named after that great adult movie watcher Shane Jones NZF list MP:

"I'm not a great fan of the ACT party, their past and present leaders and supporters have left a trail of destruction thoughout our wonderful nation, with leaders like Douglas, Prebble, Don Brash to name but three, we must never forget it was this bunch that sold-off with the willing and eager assistance of National and Labour, whole branches of government activities, like banks, educational activities, council operations and power supply to private companies, under their slimy neoliberal hand. Regardless here is the Lifetime awards they issued [with a great deal of tongue in cheek]

1,
Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt took home the most heinous ham: the Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in government wast
His feats are new and old.

Sir Tim was arrested 33 times as a protestor in the 1960s and ‘70s, before running for Mayor of Waitemata City in 1983, where he unexpectedly won. After famously losing his mayoral chains (literally) twice, he was voted out in 1989. He then failed to get elected as MP for West Auckland, as Auckland Mayor (twice), and as MP for Wellington Central, before in 1993 finally finding the one group of voters who would accept him: the forgiving folk of Invercargill.

He famously said, “I don’t care where, as long as I’m Mayor”.

But Sir Tim wanted more. The very next year he unsuccessfully ran for Parliament again, was voted out as Mayor, ran for Parliament once more for the Legalise Cannabis party, and finally was welcomed back to the Invercargill mayoralty in 1998, where he has remained ever since.

Sir Tim is now a household name, and has supplemented his ratepayer-funded mayoral salary with a range of celebrity gigs, and even receives public money through his positions as ambassador for the Southern Institute of Technology and director for Invercargill Airport.

Sir Tim’s career has recent highlights: in 2015, his Council flew four staff members to China to buy Christmas lights, only to bring them home and discover the lights failed to meet New Zealand standards and were scrapped. A replacement set of lights cost ratepayers $250,000.

Sir Tim also has the honour of owning the country’s most expensive mayoral vehicle, a Chrysler 300C.
2.

Tracy Martin NZF List MP

His Mayoral expenses this term alone include $3,100 maintaining his Chrysler, $19,500 on books (mostly books about himself to give to other people), $2,600 on donations to private charity, $8,000 on conference fees, $1,800 at local liquor stores, and $3,200 on custom made rubber wristbands that say, “I met the Mayor”.

Hon Tracey Martin: for thinking deaf people can’t read. Our Associate Education Minister decided it would be wise to spend $800 of your money on a video of a sign language interpreter. This would make sense for a speech, but it this case, it was to translate one of her written press statements. $800 is our smallest nominated spend, but Jonesie adjudicators were stunned that a Minister evidently thinks deaf people are illiterate too.




3.

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Palmerston North City Council: Corporate welfare for Toyota New Zealand. Ratepayers in Palmerston North forked out $391,000 to appease the world’s largest car manufacturer after it threatened to move its offices to another city. The decision was made in a closed council session and was only publicised after a Taxpayers’ Union information request.

2019 Jonesie Awards: we highlight the best of the worst in Government waste Yesterday, we hosted our second annual Oscars-style awards ceremony at Parliament. The "Jonesies" celebrate the best of the worst of government waste at both the local and central government level. So, who was lucky enough to take home a golden sow? Palmerston North City Council won in the Local Government category, for its $391,000 corporate welfare payment to Toyota New Zealand (the world's largest car manufacturer!).  Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won in the Central Government category, for her hypocritical fuel price inquiry that ignored the Government's own petrol taxes.  Sir Tim Shadbolt won the Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in Government waste racked up over many years. He joins the Jonesies' namesake, Shane Jones, in the pantheon of great troughers. PM must strip Jones of forestry portfolio Remember who the Jonesie Awards are named after? Last week it was reported that Shane Jones, as Minister of Forestry, told attendees of an industry event that the sector needed to get behind and support NZ First or else it will miss out on Government support and Provincial Growth Fund (taxpayer) money. That's a disgraceful attempt to exploit his control of taxpayer funds for political ends, and the Prime Minister rightfully rebuked him. However, instead of apologising to the public, he’s now threatening ‘utu’ on the whistleblower from the event. This isn’t the first time that Shane Jones has bullied business, been rebuked by the Prime Minister, and then doubled down. We say the Prime Minister now has every reason to sack Mr Jones. Lashing out at a whistleblower for blowing the whistle on behaviour that borders on corrupt is the action of a wannabe despot, not a Minister in the Cabinet of a Western nation (let alone the “most open and transparent” government!). After reading the above list its no wonder our rates have gone through the bloody roof, I wonder the reaction of PN Mayor Grant Smith must be about his city winning the most wastful Council in the country: Especially now the Defence Force Industry Forum has cancelled its yearly sales drive for 2019...I suppose he never got a chance to offer them a grant to continue with his invitation that they had penciled in, but have now erased. I suppose thr rate payers will be greatful that have been spared the angony of another give away by out generous Mayor.  2.

Peter,
It's been a week since the global climate strike, and the team at SumOfUs are still taking in the awe-inspiring power of the 7 million people that took part in the 4000 events, across the globe, last week to demand that we end the age of fossil fuels.
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