A tale of over-zealous security at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

I am an American citizen. I went to American schools my entire life, graduated from an American university and work as an architect in New York City. Why was this happening to me? It all started with a simple question. “What is your father’s name?”

“Bassam.”

“Okay, please wait a few moments in the waiting room over there.”

Little did I know that my father’s Arab name would make me guilty until proven innocent. A “few moments” would turn into a 14-hour nightmare at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. …

It is worth reading the full article. Israel has legitimate security concerns, but this is quite a horrific story.

I visited Israel in 2009, and had a lengthy search and interrogation process at the airport. This was to be expected though as I was flying in from Iran (and before that Kuwait, Turkey and Egypt). There were lots of questions about why I had gone to those countries, who I had visited there, what I planned to do in Israel etc. And my luggage was searched from top to bottom. I had no problems at all with this, as I understand their need to keep their citizens safe.

However if I had been declined entry, and held in custody like these two American girls were, I’d be pretty upset also.

Operation Overlord commenced 68 years ago today. It was and is the largest military operation in the world with 12,000 planes, a staggering 7,000 vessels and three million troops – 160,000 whom landed on the first day.

There were 226,000 Allied casualties in Operation Overlord – around 73,000 killed or missing and 153,000 wounded. Around 4,100 aircraft were destroyed – a third of their total number.

While there were a few setbacks, it was overall one of the more successful military operations and marked the beginning of the end of WWII. A key factor was the weather and June the 6th was the last suitable day for two weeks, and as it happened there was a terrible storm a fortnight later.

Stuff reports:

Telstra has confirmed it was in talks to sell its New Zealand subsidiary to Britain’s Vodafone. …

Deutsche Bank analyst Geoff Zame said the fact Telstra had issued a statement to the markets indicated there was something tangible and promising to the discussions.

The idea of combining the businesses was not a surprise and ”quite logical”, but the way they might be combined was a surprise, he said.

”Most of the rumours tended to be that Vodafone was for sale.” British analyst Ovum had believed TelstraClear might be a possible buyer of Vodafone New Zealand.

A takeover of TelstraClear by Vodafone would probably be negative for Telecom as Vodafone might be willing to invest more money in TelstraClear than Telstra,  Zame said.

Telecommunications Users Association chief executive Paul Brislen said that ”without a mobile division to call its own” TelstraClear was going to struggle in New Zealand. ”Either Telstra needs to put up and invest, or it’s time to call it a day and by the sounds of it, having looked at Vodafone New Zealand and not wanting to pay the asking price, it would seem a reverse offer is on the table.”

The potential deal probably makes sense for both Telstra and Vodafone. TelstraClear has never performed well in New Zealand, and with no mobile presence or fibre involvement has a fairly bleak future.

What assets they do have though, complement Vodafone’s current assets quite well. One industry expert said that he thinks that what Vodafone really wants is the spectrum owned by TelstraClear, which makes sense.

Obviously any deal would need to be approved by the Commerce Commission, but on the surface I don’t think it would put Vodafone into a dominant position – they are losing mobile share to 2 degrees quite rapidly.

Stuff reports:

A 40-year-old solo mother has returned to prostitution to offset an “unaffordable” rent rise.

The domestic purposes beneficiary, who wanted to be known only as Sarah, was not proud of her lifestyle but wanted the public to know “people have had to go to extreme lengths to survive” Christchurch’s rental housing drought.

Sarah has had an $80 rent increase over the past year and said it was “beyond affordability”. …

Sarah, who has been house hunting for the past six months, said the Government needed to intervene.

One rental she viewed had no hot water and the landlord told her she could shower her children at Jellie Park, while other open homes had left her disheartened when people started offering more money than that advertised.

“Landlords are taking advantage of the situation and are increasing the rent just for the sake of it,” she said.

Sarah receives $660 on the domestic purposes benefit each week, and in September her rent will increase to $440.

The rise will leave her with $220 a week to pay for power, basic bills and food.

A rent freeze is a very bad idea. Christchurch needs more residential properties, and a rent freeze would deter investment in new properties. But turning specifically to this case highlighted, a search on Trade Me found 89 properties for rent in Christchurch for $350 a week or less – and all 3 bedrooms or more.

The distribution of Christchurch 3 bedroom+ rental properties in Christchurch is:

• Up to $250/w – 7
• Up to $300/w – 26
• Up to $350/w – 89
• Up to $400/w – 209

If one extends this to 2 bedroom+ properties (noting both kids are at primary school), you get:

• Up to $250/w – 33
• Up to $300/w – 113
• Up to $350/w – 234
• Up to $400/w – 389

So let’s be very clear on this. Her current rent is $360 a week – and there are 89 properties listed (just at this point in time) which have three or more bedrooms and are cheaper than $360 a week. And if you include two bedroom properties, then there are 234 properties listed.

Wouldn’t this be a pertinent fact in reporting the story.

The Herald reported:

The Australian ski industry’s blood is boiling over Qantas’ decision to help promote New Zealand with a A$4 million partnership.

The two-year deal was announced this week as part of Qantas’ aim to boost visitor arrivals in New Zealand from Australia, the US, Germany and the UK. …

Mr Hackworth said New Zealand already takes 25 per cent of the Australian snow holiday market.

He said Australia’s snow industry received little support from the government, despite providing 17,000 jobs and being worth A$1.7 billion.

I’m surprised it is only 25%. I’ve skied in Australia and with respect their fields are not a patch on the best New Zealand fields. There is a reason so many Aussies fly to Queenstown.

The Herald reported:

Australian-born Miss Otago Monique Cooley assumed she qualified for Miss New Zealand automatically after living here for 12 years.

The Queenstown 22-year-old has been dragged into a beauty contest citizenship row after it was revealed newly crowned Miss Universe New Zealand Avianca Bohm may be stripped of her tiara because she is a South African.

Organisers today revealed Miss Cooley, the third runner up, was also ineligible for the crown because she is an Australian.

Australian-born Miss Otago Monique Cooley assumed she qualified for Miss New Zealand automatically after living here for 12 years.

The Queenstown 22-year-old has been dragged into a beauty contest citizenship row after it was revealed newly crowned Miss Universe New Zealand Avianca Bohm may be stripped of her tiara because she is a South African.

Organisers today revealed Miss Cooley, the third runner up, was also ineligible for the crown because she is an Australian.

No, no, no. Citizenship s only automatically granted if you donate to Labour.

The last Arthur Miller play I saw was at school – the famous Death of a Salesman.

All My Sons was actually written two years prior, in 1947. It is the play that established Miller as a world class playwright. After having seen so many modern plays, it was refreshing to go to an old classic which is purely about the acting, the set and the script.

Photo by Stephen A’Court

The play is about terrible family secrets. There are ten characters, four of whom are major and six minor. At the heart of the play is Joe and Kate Keller. Joe’s company manufactured some faulty cylinder heads during WWII, which led to the death of 21 pilots. Joe was exonerated, while his business partner and former neighbour Steve Deever was found culpable and remains in prison.

Steve’s daughter, Ann, was engaged to Larry Keller who went MIA over three years ago. She plans to marry his brother Chris Keller.

The tension really starts when Ann’s brother George turns up, now believing his father is innocent and wanting to confront the Kellers about whether he was a fall guy for Joe.

Jeffrey Thomas dominates the play with his portrayal of Joe Keller. Even though you are suspicious of him, you just can not help but like him. He gets you on his side, and you want him just to be happy. Thomas portrays well the moral complexity of his character.

The other star was Emma Kinane playing Kate Thomas. She gets it pitch perfect in teh scene where an angry George is wanting to destroy her family, and she just mothers all the anger out of him by telling him how he looks too skinny, how he needs to eat more, suggesting nice local girls he could go out with. It is a magic performance as you realise that no one could stay angry at such a lovely caring woman. But Kate also has her secrets – and she refuses to believe her son Larry is dead.

Jessica Williams and Richard Dey play the hopeful couple Ann and Chris. They have to put up with a both Kate and George not wanting them to marry. Kate also faces a titanic struggle between loyalty to her family, and to Chris and his family.

The play runs for two and half hours – considerably longer than my normal attention span. But not only did I not notice the time, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire second half of the play as events unfolded. You could have heard a pin drop, the audience were so captivated.

The stage is also worth of mention. A wonderful replica of the backside of a 1940s house, and the back lawn. The artificial grass actually went all the way to the first row of seats, which made you feel very close to the action.  The costumes were also spot on, especially the frocks for the ladies.

I went along with Stats Girl, the Ginger Ninja and Chef Girl and all four of us raved about the play. You understand why it has been a success for over 60 years, and the Circa performance of it was first class. I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone who likes an old fashioned drama. It will keep you captivated, and deliver a worthy inevitable yet shocking ending.

There is also a review at Theatrereview, which gets into some of the themes running through the play.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—AUCKLAND SPECIAL: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

MOST LIVEABLE CITY: Auckland has been voted one of the world’s most liveable cities. But what makes it so super? The Auckland City Council has laid out its plans for the next 30 years? What will and should our biggest city look like in the future?

BUT WHERE TO LIVE IN THE MOST LIVEABLE CITY: Auckland is already our largest city but over the next three decades—the city’s expecting to accommodate 60% of the nation’s population growth or a million people. So, where will they live? Where will the houses go? Council planners want to see an additional 280,000 houses to the area over the next 30 years. Where will those go? Will they be affordable? And with the growth spurt—where are we going to put our BBQs?

I GET AROUND: Getting around Auckland can be a struggle now—so what happens as the city grows? Does the city need a 3rd harbour crossing? What about light rail? Better highways? Who and how will we pay for it? And will Aucklanders want to get out of their cars?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics in AUCKLAND from the BRITOMART COUNTRY CLUB: Wednesday, 6th of June. Our Panel: Green Party Co-Leader Dr. Russel Norman, Labour Leader David Shearer, New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters and National MP for Auckland Central Nikki Kaye.

Broadcast on Wednesday at 9.05pm and Saturday at 10.05pm on TVNZ 7

The Herald further reports:

The Accident Compensation Corporation maintains “a threat had been made” by former National Party insider Bronwyn Pullar at December meeting at which a massive privacy breach was discussed.

Police this morning confirmed they would not press charges against Ms Pullar in relation to the meeting where ACC managers claim Ms Pullar threatened to go to the media about the privacy breach unless she was given a two year guaranteed benefit.

“After careful consideration of the evidence now available and a separate legal review of the facts we have determined that no offence has been disclosed,” Police Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess said in a statement. …

An ACC report on the meeting found Ms Pullar “proposed in relation to her own individual case she would like to negotiate a guaranteed benefit payment for two years”.

“She made threats that if her demands weren’t met, she would not return the information and would inform the media.”

ACC Chairman John Judge this afternoon said he was completely satisfied the report was a “complete and accurate” account of what took place at the meeting.

“Our staff at the meeting considered that a threat had been made… They felt pressure.”

ACC chief executive Ralph Stewart said the corporation had “zero tolerance of wrongdoing and we felt obliged to seek an independent opinion to confirm whether there was wrong-doing that was sufficiently serious for Police to lay charges”.

“Should ACC be confronted with a similar situation the same action will be taken,” he said.

I find this situation deeply suspicious, and think the Minister should start looking for new board members. Here’s some questions I have:

1. If ACC felt there was blackmail at the December 2011 meeting, why did they wait until March 2012 to complain to the Police? Surely they should have rushed down there the next day, rather than three and a half months later.
2. Why did they only complain to the Police, after media stories of their privacy breach was made public? If the complaint was not made to discredit the complainant, why was the complaint made just days after the media story?
3. Why did ACC make public their Police complaint? Have they ever publicised any other complaint to the Police?
4. Does ACC consider a disgruntled complainant who threatens them with bad publicity is breaking the law in doing so? If so, then do they consider it against the law to criticise ACC publicly?
5. Can ACC reconcile the report from their managers about the meeting, with the tape recording made of the meeting?
6. Can ACC point to what part of the transcript of the meeting constitutes blackmail as they alleged?
7. Considering the Police have stated that “no offence has been disclosed”, do they not accept they were wrong to complain to the Police?
8. Did ACC  seek any independent legal advice before deciding to lay a complaint with the Police? If not, why not?
9. Does ACC condone the use of complaints to the Police in future, if a customer “pressures” staff?
10. Once again, why did they wait three and a half months to complain to the Police, and only after negative media stories emerged on their privacy breach?

If I was on the ACC Board I would be demanding management answer these questions.

The British High Commission hosted a breakfast function this morning for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at the High Commissioner’s Homewood residence in Karori. It is a beautiful property and grounds – well worth visiting if you are ever invited.

A few people gently hassled me about why a member of the Republican Movement Council would attend a function for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. My answer was firstly that I want New Zealand, not the United Kingdom, to become a republic. So I’m very happy to acknowledge the service of QEII as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Putting aside the political and constitutional issues, I also have no problem respecting her incredible devotion to duty.  Even at age 86 she still spends much of her time with public duties. She has served as patron to 600 charities, and has toured over 250 countries. These are not sightseeing trips, but working trips.

With the exception of the death of Diana, she has basically not put a step wrong in 60 years of the throne – a serious achievement considering the huge proportion of time she has spent under public scrutiny. If you have to have a monarchy, then the British one is a pretty good one to have (even though Princess Madeleine of Sweden remains my favourite!).

If the Queen lives to the same age as her mother, she will make her platinum jubilee in ten years time, and maybe even her a 75th jubilee also.

Of course poor Prince Charles himself will be 78 in 15 year times, and even Prince William will be 45. With life expectancy for those with excellent health care often making 100, it may mean in future most monarchs will not ascend to the throne until they are around 70. This is one of the issues around keeping a job until death!

Just published the monthly polling newsletter, which states:

May saw just three political polls published – two Roy Morgan polls and One News Colmar Brunton poll.

The average of the public polls has National 14% ahead of Labour, down from 19% in April. The centre-right has 59 out of 121 seats on the May average which would have the Maori Party hold the balance of power.

Australia has one poll putting the Government 23% behind the Opposition on a two party preferred basis.

In the United States Barack Obama is 1.5% ahead of Mitt Romney in the polls, but projected to be well ahead in likely electoral college votes. However his re-election chances have dropped from 60% to 55%.

The Republicans remained favoured to keep control in the House (77%) and gain a majority in the Senate (58%).

In the UK the Conservatives are now 12% behind Labour, and continuing to decline.

In Canada the Conservatives are tied with the NDP, whom are projected to form a minority Government if there was an election today.  

The normal two tables are provided comparing the country direction sentiment and head of government approval sentiment for the five countries. New Zealand continues to stand out in both.

We also carry details of polls in New Zealand on US military exercises, contraception for beneficiaries, paid parental leave, national standards, Christchurch rebuild, public sector restructuring, the Sky City deal, SOE part-sales and overseas land sales plus the normal business and consumer confidence polls.

This newsletter is normally only available by e-mail.  If you would like to receive future issues, please  go to http://listserver.actrix.co.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/polling-newsletter to subscribe yourself.

Adam Bennett at NZ Herald reports:

Police will not press charges against Bronwyn Pullar, the former National Party insider at the centre of a massive privacy breach at ACC, the Herald understands.

If this is correct, then I think it will raise issues around whether the complaint to the Police was in good faith, or an attempt to punish a persistent critic of ACC. I personally won’t jump to conclusions until at a minimum the Police give details behind their decision, and preferably the full file is released publicly.

Isaac Davidson at NZ Herald reports:

He contrasted the Government’s “risky” investments in fossil fuels and intensive farming with Greens’ proposals – investment in clean technology and energy.

Dr Norman admitted that, if elected, the party would have to “pick winners” to achieve a green economy. A Green government would develop clean energy as an export industry by forming partnerships with power companies. It would also export expertise in geothermal and possibly marine energy.

Asked whether there was a risk in backing developing technologies, he said clean energy was a safe bet because there was huge growth in that area.

It is worth remembering that the Greens policy is to reduce the national dairy herd by about 20%. Think about what that will do to our balance of trade, and current account deficit.

As for their lovely slogan of “green jobs”, let me quote 2011 NZers of the Year Sir Paul Callaghan on it:

Our brilliance has been in the “weird stuff” that the big players don’t think to exploit.

So here is the risk. Politicians latch on to fashions, and the latest fashion is Clean Technology. Ten years ago it was Biotechnology. There is a huge danger in the application of political bias to the “smart economy”.

My view is that to succeed, New Zealand businesses need to be the best in the world at what they do. I do not care what they do, so long as it is legal and not morally objectionable.

There is absolutely no reason why we can expect to be best in the world at Clean Technology. Indeed, our major wind turbine manufacturer has struggled to sell products and NZ energy companies like Meridian buy their wind turbines offshore.

The irony here is that the country with the biggest environmental problems will probably be the world leader in Clean Tech, namely China.

Let me quote from the Green Party document: “Boost government R&D funding through a combination of tax credits and grants costing $1 billion over three years. R&D in clean technology industries would be prioritised, specifically in areas where we enjoy a competitive advantage, such as: sustainable agriculture, organic farm production, fisheries management, forestry management, renewable energy generation, and conservation.”

This is exactly the mistake of the past 10 years, prioritising according to some perceived international trend – then Biotechnology, now Clean Tech. And the Green’s idea of a Clean Tech line-up is remarkable.

Putting aside the paradox of organic farming, unscientific to the core that it is, the rest is an absurd list.

It is absurd, in particular, because we have proven particularly dreadful at developing advanced knowledge-based industries or leading technologies in any of those areas. …

I suggest people read the entire article. It is a superb demolition of the Green’s misguided policy.

What is scary is that in a Labour-Greens-NZ First-Mana Government, the Greens will probably hold the Finance portfolio. Their policy seems to be summed up as:

• Tax more
• Kill the dairy cows
• Waste billions on pet projects

Amy Maas at Stuff reports:

An anti-abortion club at Auckland University may be disaffiliated after students complained about being harassed by its members.

Auckland University Student Association president Arena Williams has called for a special general meeting next month, which could see ProLife Auckland being barred from associating itself with the university.

An announcement for the meeting said the association would consider whether the “Prolife Club be disaffiliated for propagating harmful misinformation [sic]”.

“Recently we’ve received complaints from students after [ProLife Auckland] handed out fliers at the campus,” said Williams.

“On the fliers there was information which some felt was pressuring them into making different decisions than they normally would.”

The “Right to Know” flier carries the slogan: “Hands up if you’ve heard this before: ‘Abortion is a safe, simple medical procedure’.”

Williams said it was “quite uncommon” for clubs to be disaffiliated, but said ProLife wasn’t being treated unfairly.

“The complaints we received were serious because it was about spreading information which could be harmful to student health.

“They were using something which was seen to skew peoples’ views and had included information that had no medical grounds.”

It is worth recalling that AUSA, while nominally voluntary, gets funded by all students through the university.

If handing out pamphlets that may skew people’s views is a reason for disaffiliation, then I can only presume Princes St Labour and Alfred St National are not affiliated? And including information not backed up by science must mean the Greens are a goner.

Williams said it was not appropriate for her to say how the distributed information was harmful.

Really? You’re proposing to kick them out, and won’t say how?

 “I think the issue is serious because the people who complained were being affronted.

“Some of the people they were handing out fliers to had already been through the horrible experience of having an abortion, so it’s very, very concerning.”

I am sure it is unpleasant. But freedom of speech is about defending unpopular and unpleasant speech.  Universities of all places should respect that.

A very funny speech by George W Bush at the unveiling of his White House portrait.

John Hartevelt at Dom Post reports:

ACC’S miserable run continues with its rating in an annual review of state sector performance sinking like a stone.

The third annual review co-ordinated by political newsletter Trans Tasman also had bad news for Building and Housing Department chief executive Katrina Bach, who was ranked the worst of 38 public sector bosses.

Ms Bach’s rating slumped from 3.93 last year to 2 this year, while the overall performance of her department dropped from 3.75 to 2.86.

The Trans Tasman review, released today, canvassed the views of 19 “opinion leaders” on the performance of state sector leaders, issuing scores of between 1 (bad) and 7 (excellent).

The average ranking for agency performance was 4.1 (down from 4.3 last year) and 4.4 for chief executive performance (down from 4.6).

At ACC, the chief executive’s rating dropped from 4.5 to 3.7 and the agency overall went from 4.4 down to 3.7. …

Others taking a hit in the review included embattled Foreign Affairs chief executive John Allen.

Persistent leaks to the media and Opposition MPs throughout a restructuring process at the ministry have made for a tough few months for Mr Allen.

His score dropped 0.8 to a below-average score of 3.8, and Foreign Affairs as a whole dropped 0.3 to 4.3. The ministry remained well rated for ease of business at 4.6 and quality at 4.4, however. …

Mr Rennie’s score dropped from 4.06 to 3.43 and the commission fell from 3.94 to 3.31, though Mr Rennie was described as hard-working and diligent with a “methodical approach”.

Top performers in the review included Conservation Department chief executive Al Morrison, who scored the highest ranking of 5.41, and Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard who was second on 5.35.

ACC, DBH and MFAT scoring lowly is no surprise, when you consider the past 12 months for each of them.

What I think is the more major issue, is that the State Services Commission is rated so low, when you consider it is one of the three central agencies responsible for standards in the state sector.

The Telegraph reports:

The week before Martinez had reportedly visited the CardioVascular Group in Lawrenceville, complaining of chest pains that shot up his arm.

He was due for tests the following week but the threesome took place the day before he was scheduled to return.

Lawyers for Martinez’s estate, in filing a medical malpractice suit, had argued that his cardiologist did not tell the man to avoid strenuous physical activity before the test was performed, and that high blood pressure as well as a risk of clogged arteries put him at risk.

Stuff reports:

Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Brian Talboys has died at the age of 90.

Sir Brian, who represented the Southland electorate of Wallace for eight elections from 1957, served as a Minister in the National Governments of Sir Keith Holyoake and Sir Robert Muldoon. He was Deputy Prime Minister under Muldoon from 1975 to 1981.

Born in Whanganui in 1921, Sir Brian served in the air force during World War II. After the war, he settled in Southland as a farmer and entered politics, winning the Wallace seat in 1957.

He was agriculture minister, science minister and then education minister under Holyoake, before becoming deputy leader of the National Party in Opposition in 1974, under Muldoon.

After National’s victory in the 1975 election, he became deputy prime minister and served in that role for the first two terms of the Muldoon Government, retiring in 1981.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Talboys could have been Prime Minister, if he had wanted the job badly enough. In 1980 Jim Bolger, Jim McLay and Derek Quigley organised the “Colonels’ Coup” and settled on Talboys as the preferred replacement for Muldoon. Talboys refused an open challenge though, and Muldoon fought back meaning no vote occured.

It is interesting to consider what may have happened if Talboys had become PM. Without the excesses of third term Muldoon, would we have had the Rogernomics revolution as a reponse?

The full list is at DPMC.

There are four appointments to the Order of New Zealand:

• Dame Margaret Bazley
• Dame Malvina Major
• Sir Peter Jackson
• Prince Philip

The first three all recognise people who have excelled in their field of endeavour. The last I guess is a present for the Queen on her diamond jubilee. I understand the rationale but don’t agree with it. The Order of New Zealand should be for New Zealanders or at least people who have done something significant for New Zealand.

Then seven Dame or Knight Commanders:

• Michael Cullen, services to the State
• Rod Deane, services to business and the community
• John Kirwan, services to mental health and rugby
• Mabel Mariu, services to Maori and the community
• Pieter Stewart, services to fashion and the community
• Beverley Wakem, services to the State
• Maarten Wevers, services to the State

Congrats to all those honoured. When I read the list on Friday, via the No Right Turn blog, I exclaimed with delight at John Kirwan getting a knighthood. His leadership in the area of mental health has been inspirational, and made a real difference to many New Zealanders.

Tony Wall at SST reports:

Bishop Brian Tamaki has raised the stakes with his Destiny Church followers, exhorting them to leave behind houses, jobs – even family members – to join him at a “City of God” he is building in South Auckland.

At the church’s annual conference in Rotorua on Friday night, Tamaki spent his entire two-hour sermon talking about how God had told him to build the city and why his followers had to lose their “parochialism” towards their home areas, even if it meant leaving behind loved ones.

Cult expert Mark Vrankovich said the speech was designed to “soften up” Tamaki’s followers and the real pressure to move to South Auckland would come with one-on-one sessions with local pastors.

“Saying that the church family is more important than your physical family, that you must go with the spiritual family, is a classic cult idea. This will put great pressure on families and break up families.”

Vrankovich was also concerned that Tamaki appeared to be encouraging people to sell their homes. “They’ll be pressured to give the money from the house sale to the church, and they’ll never see it again. He’s extracting money from people for his dream, and something that he will effectively own. He wants to be mayor or king of this ‘city’ so he’s softening them up to get them to move [to Auckland] so he’s guaranteed not to be losing money on the deal.”

I suspect Tamaki will own all the properties in his “city” and that indeed his followers will be urged to hand over the proceeds from selling their own home in exchange for being allowed to live rent free in their new allocated home. However if you leave the faith or criticise Lord Brian, then I imagine you will get turfed out with nothing. It will give him huge power over his flock.

The SST reports:

Lawyers have condemned a move that saw a court fooled into prosecuting an undercover cop to boost his criminal standing.

Police are defending the move because of the dangerous nature of undercover work, but a leading barrister says it is an “an abuse of process hitherto unknown” in the legal system.

Documents show the fake prosecution was signed off in 2010 by Chief District Court Judge Russell Johnson, who has since died.

If the Police had done it without the co-operation of the judiciary then I would be outraged. But I have no problems with this being done, as part of Police undercover work if there so long as the Chief DCJ signed it off.