The National-United Future agreement
December 5th, 2011 at 5:25 pm by David FarrarNo one big item, such as ACT had, but lots of assorted issues in their agreement.
- Pass the Game Animal Council legislation (this is for the outdoor recreation lobby)
- Investigate a free annual health check for over 65s, as fiscal conditions allow
- Introduce a law restricting any asset sold to a maximum 49% sale
- Maintain current budget funding tracks for TVNZ and Radio NZ
- Reform Families Commission so it has only one Commissioner and redirect savings to parenting programmes etc
- A Govt discussion document to be developed on UF’s superannuation policy which allows people to choose any age from 60 to 70 to start receiving superannuation, but the longer you leave it the more you get
- Greater use of private hospitals to reduce elective surgery waiting lists
Related posts:
- National – United Future Agreement
- Dim-Post on United Future
- United Future President joins National
- United Future tax policy
December 5th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Restricting any asset sold to a maximum 49%. Key point here is sale of public assets…..not other assets. National were doing this anyway.
Free annual health check. Won’t the doctors complain? I doubt they’ll work for free. Oh, what’s that you say. You really meant taxpayer funded. Now I see.
I like UF’s superannuation policy. Implementation may be hard, but the idea is great.
Agree on private hospitals too.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
I thought the Nat/UF agreement would be hair today and hair tomorrow.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
@Johnboy – Stop splitting hairs. 8)
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
If only I could cross Peters lovely locks with my herd of Merinos Elaycee I would have a yarn to rival Angora!
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
He would nearly get my vote if he had demanded TVNZ be sold immediately, likewise RNZ.
Jim Moira for 4 hours a day is not Radio 4.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Who is ‘Angora’? Never heard of her before. Secret name for Penny?
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
If he had stepped aside in Ohariu for a younger man with less hair, like for example PG
, he would have received much more respect from the voters! 
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
God, that’s a lot of stuff to Dunne to demand, considering he’s just one person who is only there because of an agreement by National in the first place!
I’d have imagined that these concessions that National made to Dunne’s “party” were discussed prior to the deal in Ohariu. I’d hope so, otherwise it’s pretty poor negotiation from Key – especially as they’re mostly populist vote-bribes and do-nothing bullshit policies.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Most of this was National policy anyway. The only real policy that UF can own is the Families Commission, and the fact that Dunne is still tinkering with what was supposed to be his central political legacy just shows ineptitude – after nine years of basically getting to write and rewrite its mandate he still can’t get the bloody thing working!
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Tish Tish Daigotsu.
Surely even you can see how well our less culturally advanced families are functioning since Peter got his commission firing on all cylinders?
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
* Pass the Game Animal Council legislation (this is for the outdoor recreation lobby)
What does this actually do? Anybody know?
* Investigate a free annual health check for over 65s, as fiscal conditions allow
So we are, in addition to paying them the most generous pension scheme on earth and giving them free bus rides, giving them free doctors visits too?!!! WTF?!!!!! Fortunately, fiscal conditions won’t allow.
* Introduce a law restricting any asset sold to a maximum 49% sale
Well unless you are going to entrench it, so what? Still dumb legislation, as there is no point in the government owning 51% of a TV station.
* Maintain current budget funding tracks for TVNZ and Radio NZ
See above. Why should the government own either of these things?
* Reform Families Commission so it has only one Commissioner and redirect savings to parenting programmes etc
Still sloshing wasted money around. Why don’t we just admit that your grand idea was a dog, Peter, and get on with it? It’s not like you have to appease the Christians any more, and even they know it’s a dog now.
* A Govt discussion document to be developed on UF’s superannuation policy which allows people to choose any age from 60 to 70 to start receiving superannuation, but the longer you leave it the more you get
Anything that discusses reforming super is a good move. But of course Key won’t be PM if anything actually changes.
* Greater use of private hospitals to reduce elective surgery waiting lists
HA! Well even Dunne is now outdoing the last ACT caucus for policy concessions – what a sad indictment on them!
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Still in three years time, thanks to Peter, I might be able to get my eyesight tested for free to see if I can still knock over a deer at 200m BlairM.
Sounds good to me.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Every 3 years Peter Dunne negotiates these sorts of ‘non policies’.
His reason for doing so is to say to the electors “this is what I asked for, this is what I delivered; vote for me!”; every three years his vote has dropped considerably.
The lesson here, to all who live outside the beltway, that nobody cares a toss about individual policies; what they care about is what you look like on television and whether you can win the election.
Peter Dunne is undoubtedly convinced that 100,000 or so people will be delighted with this shopping list – which only shows he has spent far too much time in the Beltway over 27 years. Peter – no one gives a toss.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
People LIKE what Peter Dunne looks like on TV JamesS.
Sicko’s eh. Why do we let them vote???
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Not bad for 12,000 votes. Man that guy has leverage.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Do not get me wrong , Johnboy, I like Peter Dunne – he is certainly better than the ACT loons and Maori party loons – but he does not appear to get out much.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
PG swung it for him tvb.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Well for a while there JamesS, I thought he got out in the scrub a bit chasing the deer.
But then I realised his hairdo couldn’t possibly handle the rain, wind and bastard grass!
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
BlairM re; Game Animal…..
Without reading the entire Act, its importance is that it should allow the thar in Canterbury to bred up without DOC wankers slaughtering this great income earner to protect some alpine fucking plant that lives on rock ledges 4 cm wide at 83000 feet and is doubtful that actually exists.
Also it stop DOC putting plants ahead of our red herds as well.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
I’m disappointed, what no amnesty for possums?
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
“Maintain current budget funding tracks for TVNZ and Radio NZ”
I’d prefer that this one wasn’t in there BUT, seeing it is there, does this mean we can keep TVNZ7? Please?
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
DPF, there is one big deal item – the UF deal includes a priviso to limit the size of any one stakeholder’s interest in the asset sales. That’s a big concession given how much the media tried to make it a talking point in the lead up to the election.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Now cutting their budget to say $20,000 PA might do it!
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
The super idea is quite a good one and has the benefit of screwing Labours policy to boot. Win win if Joyce can put this up as 2014 policy.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Dunne is to be associate Minister of Conservation. The outdoor lobby; pig hunters in the main, have got his ear on the matter of 1080. Should be an interesting battle if he tries to ban it; noting that the greenies and Forest and Bird are ambivalent when it comes to the pros and cons of widespread poisoning.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
As far as the Greenies and F&B are concerned trout I think widespread poisoning would be quite acceptable.
Perhaps we could give them vouchers to JamesS’s selmonela restaurant?
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
JB
You bastard ,Santa’s not real?
Seriously the Thar herd needs to be managed , it is a fantastic asset and thanks to the reds you can actually walk through the bush at the moment, but some DOC dimwit has a plan that they will revert all the DOC land back to pre 1800, fucking idiots.
It wasn’ that many years ago DOC were prosecuting people for doing coons in the state parks, now they are spending million on poison
…………..Perhaps we could give them vouchers to JamesS’s selmonela restaurant?
No, it’d never get open because he’d be arguing that there wasn’t enough forms for him to fill in
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
>Introduce a law restricting any asset sold to a maximum 49% sale
Didn’t I see something the other day about the government finally selling the Aermacchis? So now we’re going to have to hand on to 51% of them?
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
DOC should have their bloody budget cut to ribbons PEB. They are nothing but a bunch of wankers. We have a world class environment in NZ for big game hunting and those pedantic pricks are blowing hundreds of millions on trying to poison the place back to the past that never really was. They remind me a lot of King Canute.
Good on old Peter if he can reverse some of their excesses but he will really only achieve anything worthwhile if he can strangle their money supply, hopefully by diverting it into game animal management instead of eradication.
Would love to see that happen and then sit back watching the greenies whine.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Why would a National Government agree to a 49% limit on asset sales? OK, the politics now means that they cannot go beyond this, but in future when we are even closer to bankruptcy, there will be a 2 stage process to slow further sell-downs, giving the raving lefties more time to build opposition.
Vote:December 5th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
BlairM – the HeliHunting or WARO (Wild Animal Recovery Operation) policy change is quite a big deal amongst the hunters and there’s something over 100 thousand licensed firearm owners in this country AFAIK.
When you’ve bush-bashed for 3 days into some remote ridge and are lining up a shot on a stag then some fat-arse chopper cowboy with his lazy hunting client come over and, as the surfers say, cut in on your wave – that is a pretty big issue to quite a few voters who may not be as visible in the political scene as the obvious parties but we’re out there doing it and we vote.
National’s got the farmers, Labour’s got the teachers, the Greens have got the vegans and NZ First have got the inchoate anger brigade.
Dunne and United have got the hunters.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 1:32 am
I know it is politics and somesuch, but but why does John keep putting it where Helen has been with our poster-child for political whoring? When was Dunne, basically an independent, ever out of Government?
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 6:20 am
Dunne’s super policy is hare-brained.
Potentially it could cost considerably more than the current policy. The retirement commissioner has been calling for the age of eligibility to be raised to 67 and Dunne wants it to be reduced to 60! There’s only one place this policy will be going and that’s the dustbin. Still, Dunne might feel that he’s being taken seriously.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 6:25 am
“The super idea is quite a good one and has the benefit of screwing Labours policy to boot.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. Labour’s policy was sensible and affordable. It meant raising the age of eligibility to 67, not reducing it to 60. Clearly, Dunne is thinking of himself in the likely event he’s out of a job after 2014.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 6:28 am
Peter Dunne turns 60 in March 2014. Conflict of interest?
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 6:54 am
Peter Dunne, the poster whore of New Zealand politics. Proven beyond doubt.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 7:05 am
I don’t give a shit about the wooly tussock moth that existed in 1800, but I do care that my sons can go hunting and fishing without this most Kiwi of traditions being compromised by the Doc knitting circle. That’s how we got to the top of the food chain. They either have bombed or are preparing to bomb a tributary at Zealandia with carotene to try and get rid of trout and perch. That’s their vision for NZ.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 7:06 am
Labour’s policy was sensible and affordable.
No it wasn’t sensible, Labour backtracked very quickly on their initial proposal when the unfairness of raising the elegibility age was pointed out to them.
The United Future policy is not to reduce the age of eligibility to 60, it is to offer a choice from 60-70 so people can make decisions based on their own circumstances.
Importantly this gets Super on the table so it can be discussed as it needs to be.
The United Future policy could be compatible with National’s (key’s) position, Act should support choice, it addresses Maori concerns, and Labour could even come round to supporting something like this.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 7:21 am
JeffW the 49% law, while moronic, is a free give as that is the Nat’s policy anyway. If they want a new policy in the future they’ll just change the law.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 7:33 am
The 49% law is symbolic but important. Goff was campaigning strongly on ‘they’ll just sell the lot when they get in’ and that same attitude is common on the left.
Entrenching the 49% limit in law makes it clear ‘selling the lot’ won’t happen this term, and would require an explicit law change if National were going to propose to sell whole assets next term.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
I’m all for managing our game animals as assets.. but banning helihunting, where the management body (as incompetent as DOC can be) really the solution? About the only good thing here is that Dunne hasn’t managed to get Canada geese reclassified as a protected game species that farmers cannot cull (which was the case until early this year). The prior situation made the hateful things the property of the state, which refused to accept responsibility for the damage they caused to farmers, or allow them to control them at all. As it is, poisoning is still not allowed, though at least landowners can now legally make a little bit of cash by allowing them to be shot on their land.
Rodney Hide only published advocating a move towards this sort of common sense in 1989. We might live in a free country one day.
Vote:December 6th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
BlairM (1,492) Says:
December 5th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
* Pass the Game Animal Council legislation (this is for the outdoor recreation lobby)
What does this actually do? Anybody know?
The stopping of heli-hunting, a tourism/money making thing, in favour of people who live here, work here, vote here and HAVE RIGHTS!
Vote:I’m not sure PD has all the outdoor vote now – there were a heck of a lot of us around in 2005, when Outdoor Recreation joined with United Future – and not just deer stalkers, or hunters, but 4 wheelers, campers, mountain bikers (oh dear!) and etc.
Watch this space for what might be coming up ….
December 7th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
So we’ve banned heli-hunting to save a few more game animals- which aren’t exactly in short supply- that people can hunt for free. Sure, welfare to New Zealand’s hunters is better than all the other rubbish the government wastes money on, and heli-hunting did bring the government more money and thus more power, but why not some actual common sense? There is this massive debt left over from the Labour regime that might be worth getting rid of before stopping revenue-creating activities.
Vote: