New National MPs (apart form Mike Sabin who was last week) did their maiden speeches yesterdays. Transcripts are here. Extracts follow.

Mum had me, her only child, when she was 43. Never one to peak too early, she later learned to play golf—hitting a hole in one at the age of 72. Agnes was a remarkable and a determined woman who taught me many things, including the value of a strong ethic, the importance of trying your best if you want to achieve the things that matter, and never ever giving in on what you really believe in. In her later years she taught me how to live in the moment, which was perhaps one of her greatest gifts to me. David, the old man, had a sharp mind and a quick temper. He was very fond of a drink and an argument, and I learned early on to justify my point of view or keep quiet. These are skills I feel will come in very handy in this Chamber. Dad had falsified his age to enlist to fight in World War II . He was keen to serve his country, as his father Edward had before him at Gallipoli. I was raised to believe that in peacetime the highest form of public service is to be a member of Parliament. I know that they would all be very proud of me standing here today in this Chamber as the first politician in my family.

Hearing about the backgrounds and families of new MPs I find very interesting. It is all too easy to think of them as just politicians.

Given my green-fingered background and lifelong love of plants, I hope that my knowledge and skills may be helpful to shape our environmental and conservation goals. Producing and presenting the garden show gave me privileged access to people’s lives. Some of them were overwhelmed and daunted by the sheer scale of the planet’s problems, but personally I never doubted that saving the world starts in your own backyard. I share the views of many, that we are only the custodians of this land and the guardians, the kaitiaki, of our grandchildren’s heritage. We have to be vigilant and face up to our responsibilities and our woeful environmental record. Over many days, over many decades, we have let many too many introduced pests decimate our native plants. We have not treated our oceans and our waterways with the respect they deserve, and I want to be part of the Government that puts that right.

The term blue-green was invented for Maggie.

Ian McKelvie:

The Rangitīkei electorate—for those who need to know—contains 4.5 million sheep, 400,000 beef cattle, 175,000 dairy cows, and 63,000 people, of whom 28 percent are Māori. We are also the home to the North Island ski fields, Tongariro National Park, the home bases of the New Zealand Army at Linton and Waiōuru, the Air Force at Ōhākea, and New Zealand’s largest university in Massey. Our electorate contains the brainy part of Palmerston North, stretches over 300 kilometres north to Taumarunui, and contains some of New Zealand’s most beautiful scenery.

There’s a brainy part of Palmerston North?

I also urge you as a Parliament to give time and thought to our equine industry. We are good at horses. It is international in almost every sphere of equine activity, and it has great potential if nurtured in the correct manner. The horse, particularly through the racing and breeding industry, is a very large employer in this country, and I have yet to see a robot riding one—Mark Todd aside—or a computer mucking out a stable. Encouraging the equine sector to work with each other in a unified manner could boost this sector significantly as an export earner.

Maybe the Minister for Racing should be renamed the Minister for Horses? 🙂

Mark Mitchell:

One of the first jobs we attended together put us head to head with an offender armed with a samurai sword, whose intent was to attack medical staff at Rotorua Hospital. During the arrest both Czar and I were stabbed—me through my right arm and Czar in the chest. We both recovered, although I never regained the full use of my arm. I thank the Hon Judith Collins for the leadership she provided in making sure our police officers were given every tactical advantage and option available. Had Tasers been around in my day, I would have had a much better tennis swing. One thing I could see early in my career was the amount of damage gangs and organised crime did to our communities. Whether they be the Mongrel Mob, Hell’s Angels, or Asian triads, they are parasites living off the back of our communities and a bunch of low-life cowards. Hunting in packs, they rob, steal, rape, murder, intimidate, assault, and generally terrorise anyone unlucky enough to get in their way. Many of the social issues we face today are connected either directly or indirectly to the gang culture. Our police service is now being led by leaders rather than managers, with morale the highest it has been for years and with the best police officers in the world, we are on the right side of the ledger in continuing to tackle gangs and organised crime.

I love an MP who tells it straight. And I agree that the Police are now being led by leaders, not managers. It is amazing what happens when the Commissioner requires everyone from Inspector level up to go out on the beat – no matter what job title they hold.

in 2003, I found myself in Iraq as part of a small team establishing a safety and security programme for the newly formed interim Government. It was a tough year for me, because it was the first time in my life I was exposed to the ugliness of corruption and extreme ideologies, in a country where there was very little regard for human life. The first election in Iraq had over 7,000 candidates for 235 parliamentary positions. Opposing candidates would dispose of each other with roadside bombs and hit squads. It helped me to put a little context around the teapot tapes last year.

Don’t go giving Trevor ideas.

I am proud that we led refugees out of Lebanon to safety when they were trapped in a war between Israel and Hezbollah, that we protected and supported scientists from the Hague to open and take evidence from mass graves in their case against Saddam Hussein, that we delivered food and medical supplies to flood-ravaged areas of Pakistan and ensured it got to the people who needed it, and that we were able to open up a supply chain to get food and medical supplies into Darfur and Mogadishu.

Mark has a wealth of interesting stories about his time overseas.

Simon O’Connor:

At the heart of our constitution sits the Crown. It is an ingenious, ever-evolving entity that plays a role in so many aspects of our country. It is a valuable guardian of our democracy, a symbol of our independence, and a sign of our political resourcefulness. I am pleased to acknowledge today the 60 years of service that the Queen of New Zealand has given to all Kiwis. It is my hope that in the years ahead New Zealand may make its own monarchy ever more distinct and an even more uniquely Kiwi institution. 

Well if we want our monarchy to be ever more distinct I say we dump Prince Charles, and offer the throne to Princess Madeleine of Sweden.

I suspect that most here today would agree that New Zealand is the greatest country on earth. But that is not to say it is a perfect nation. Again, I suspect that most here are cognisant of the many problems our society faces. Foremost among them is the scourge of violence in our society. If there is one general area to which I wish to apply my time and experience it is to ending, or at least greatly reducing, violence in our communities. Of course, there is no single solution, no quick fix. It is a perennial issue that has been grappled with by successive parliaments. I believe that this National-led Government is taking great steps in the right direction, but there is much work still to be done. Some is legislative, but the most difficult work is changing attitudes. I fear that New Zealand accepts violence too easily. Aggression is celebrated, verbal and emotional abuse is tolerated in public discourse, and people are willing to turn a blind eye towards those suffering at the hands of bullies. The prevalence of domestic violence, violence against children, the random acts of violence on our streets is a sad indictment of us all. I do not believe that is a simple matter to resolve this tragedy, but neither do I feel that it is hopeless.

Domestic violence and child abuse especially I find abhorent. While all violence is bad, I can at least understand why someone whacks someone they hate. But how people bash and kill those they profess to love is beyond me.

Scott Simpson:

For those interested in such things, the maiden speech of Sir Jack Marshall, delivered in this House 65 years ago is regarded as setting the benchmark in terms of defining what we these days label as “liberal conservatism”. And it is to that subject I now turn. Let me make it clear at the outset that the concept of liberalism does not mean at all anything to do with the touchy-feely , namby-pamby , soft-soap approach so often the political homeland of parties on the left. Rather, liberalism is an acknowledgment that as a citizen I have the right to live my life in my own way provided only that this does not interfere with the rights of others; that I should be free to do as I wish, subject only to the rule of law. The Hon Chris Finlayson teased out these concepts in his own maiden speech. He said, and I agree entirely, that the left may have admitted that the right won the great economic debate of the 20th century and that socialism in its many and varied forms has failed, but the left still wants to regulate and control.

I love it when a National MP speaks about liberalism. Even better when they vote that way also 🙂

The principles on which our society is built, in spite of vocal minorities who would work to make it not so, are principles are of liberal democracy. But liberalism and democracy are actually two different things. Democracy is a method for choosing and removing Governments. Liberalism, on the other hand, is a doctrine about what society ought to be, what Governments should or should not do, and above all liberalism is a doctrine that defines limits to Government power. I am convinced there is a common thread of liberalism through our nation whether we choose to recognise it or not. That common thread encompasses freedom of action and of individual rights tempered by a willingness not to interfere with the rights of others whilst pursuing our own. It encompasses a society of racial and religious tolerance, one of equality of opportunity and equality before the law.

Limiting Government power is an issue dear to my heart.

Jian Yang:

When the Communist Party came to power in China in 1949 my grandfather lost all his property, was imprisoned, and lived in poverty for the rest of his life. In the first 30 years of the People’s Republic of China the Chinese Government launched one political movement after another, climaxing with the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution beginning in 1966. The Revolution left behind millions of political victims, including my parents, who were sent to the countryside to be re-educated by peasants. In 1978, under the rule of Deng Xiaoping, China made the historic decision to reform and open up. Capitalism began to flourish.

And today we have a free trade agreement with China, but not the United States. Ironically should have one with Russia soon also.

 In 1994 I started my postgraduate study in Australia, and in 1999 I completed my PhD and began my work at the University of Auckland. My experiences reiterate the inescapable influence of politics on our lives, and greatly contrast the deep value placed on political rights and freedom that we enjoy in New Zealand. For this reason, I appreciate the National Party’s commitment to democratic principles, and individual freedom, and choice. Politics and economics are two areas difficult to differentiate.

Exactly. There is a reason that almost all communist economies are also dictatorships or one party states.

Many Chinese, including my family, gave up their Chinese citizenship and proudly became New Zealand citizens. We are Kiwis, although made in China. The Chinese immigrants do have a strong desire for recognition and integration, which is why they have been actively involved in philanthropy and politics. They have been generous in their donations to the victims of the Christchurch earthquake. There were also a record number of Chinese candidates in the most recent general election. I feel truly honoured to be a National Party representative of the Chinese community. I hope to see more Chinese in Parliament, as the community is still under-represented. The rise of China has given New Zealand an ideal opportunity. China is now our second-largest trading partner. Our trade with East Asia, especially China, played a crucial role in our effort to deal with the global financial crisis in recent years. In this respect, Chinese residents’ connection with China is a great asset to New Zealand. The connection has generated many economic opportunities, and there is still a great potential. As a Chinese immigrant, I will act as a bridge between the Chinese community and our mainstream society. I will also endeavour to contribute to the strengthening of New Zealand’s relations with China.

Dr Yang is the only National MP I have yet to meet, but am looking forward to doing so.

Sam Sachdeva at The Press reports:

Christchurch city councillors have defended chief executive Tony Marryatt’s decision to quit a meeting early to play golf.

Yesterday, Marryatt excused himself from a full council meeting to take part in a pro-am tournament at Pegasus Golf Course, being held as part of the NZ Women’s Open, which starts today.

Deputy Mayor Ngaire Button said she supported Marryatt taking part in the “flagship event”.

“The event is also important for Christchurch in that it brings visitors into the region and has so many positives, particularly economic, for our city,” Button said.

Councillor Aaron Keown defended Marryatt, saying he had been granted leave to play.

“The guy’s allowed to take leave when he wants, and if he chooses to take leave to play in a pro-am golf tournament, that’s his call,” he said.

“He can get a tattoo and start hanging out with strippers for all I care, as long as he performs.”

Keown is essentially right. All employees get at least four weeks annual leave, and what the CEO does on his annual leave is up to him.

The council meeting in question did not look to be a critical one, albeit all meetings post-earthquake are of greater importance than in other cities. But the CEO no doubt has numerous direct reports who can handle one half day meeting in his absence.

Having said that, Marryatt can sometimes be his own worst enemy.

He defended his decision to take part, saying he needed “some kind of balance” between his work and personal life.

“I just think I’m allowed to do this: I have annual leave, and I’ve taken half a day’s annual leave to play a game of golf,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I can’t run my life and this organisation on what some people will think.”

His golf game had deteriorated since the city’s earthquakes, and his handicap had “gone out by eight [strokes]” in the last 18 months, he said.

The first few lines are fine, but that last line made me groan. He may not intend it, but it comes across that having his golf handicap worsen is something people should have sympathy for. He shouldn’t have mentioned that at all and just stayed with the line that unless he takes annual leave, he will not be as effective as he otherwise would be.

Stuff reports:

Oscar winner Sir Richard Taylor, who helped New Zealand forge a role in the global film industry, last night won yet another public accolade, named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year at a ritzy awards dinner in Auckland.

A very worthy winner. Those who work with Richard tend to rave about him. He has made a huge contribution to New Zealand.

The Young New Zealander award this year went to Sam Johnson, the founder and leader of the Student Volunteer Army, which helped Christchurch residents recover after earthquakes battered their city.

Also a great choice, and almost indisputable that it should go to Sam. In choosing Sam, they are really choosing all those who were involved in making the SVA happen.

In my Herald column I look at the court judgement. First the political aspect:

On the political front the decision is as popular with the Government as a colonoscopy. It might turn out to be good for you in the long term, but it is making life very uncomfortable for now.

For the Opposition, it was like an early visit from the Easter Bunny, just as their chocolate supply was running out. The questioning in the first week of Parliament this year on the issue amounted to little as Ministers ran the line that they were merely applying the law, and that there were no lawful reasons to decline the application by Shanghai Pengxin.

And the economic aspect:

Putting aside the practicality aspects, it is hard to argue with the logic of the learned judge, that any benefit should be measured against a domestic buyer, rather than against the status quo. By measuring against the status quo, it is almost inevitable that net benefits will be found as new buyers always will have investment plans greater than the seller.

I conclude the the days of the OIO saying yes to most applications may be in the past.

Marc Greenhill in The Press reports:

A Christchurch woman with a rare medical condition has been forced to sleep outdoors or suffer migraines and insomnia because of repairs in her earthquake-damaged street.

Anne Gastinger, of Dallington, has electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or an adverse reaction to electromagnetic waves and wi-fi, and severe chemical allergies, including to treated wood. …

Her symptoms, which include migraines and insomnia, worsened in April last year when overhead powerlines were installed because of damage to underground cables.

“I was managing really well here. When the high-voltage lines went up, I was no longer able to tolerate for any length of time being at home. My body seems to lack the tolerance.”

Since then, to avoid migraines and insomnia, she has spent most nights sleeping outside at a friend’s home in an abandoned red-zoned area with no electricity or wi-fi.

She rarely spoke about the condition because it was a not an acknowledged diagnosis in New Zealand, although a Christchurch GP had provided a medical certificate confirming her symptoms.

I have no doubt Ms Gastinger suffers migraines and insomnia, and is in considerable distress from what has happened.

However the reference to the condition of electromagnetic hypersensitivity not being acknowledged in New Zealand did make me curious.

As is often the case, the Wikipedia article provides a lot of useful info on this condition. The article states:

Although the thermal effects of electromagnetic fields on the body are established, self-described sufferers of electromagnetic hypersensitivity report responding to non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (or electromagnetic radiation) at intensities well below the limits permitted by international radiation safety standards. The majority of provocation trials to date have found that self-described sufferers of electromagnetic hypersensitivity are unable to distinguish between exposure to real and fake electromagnetic fields, and it is not recognized as a medical condition by the medical or scientific communities.

The WHO fact sheet also states:

A number of studies have been conducted where EHS individuals were exposed to EMF similar to those that they attributed to the cause of their symptoms. The aim was to elicit symptoms under controlled laboratory conditions.

The majority of studies indicate that EHS individuals cannot detect EMF exposure any more accurately than non-EHS individuals. Well controlled and conducted double-blind studies have shown that symptoms were not correlated with EMF exposure. …

There are also some indications that these symptoms may be due to pre-existing psychiatric conditions as well as stress reactions as a result of worrying about EMF health effects, rather than the EMF exposure itself.

With this in mind, I do wonder the wisdom of The Press giving this story considerable prominence, as it may in fact itself increase the stress reactions caused by people worrying about EMF.

Note that I repeat my earlier point that I am sure Ms Gastringer does suffer from the symptoms she describes, and she is convinced they are caused by EMFs. In no way am I suggesting she is not in distress by the situation the earthquake has caused.

Katie Chapman at Stuff reports:

Major routes in and out of New Zealand’s capital city could be blocked by rubble from more than 400 buildings with unstable masonry in the event of a big earthquake.

A new council report into Wellington’s resilience has found the city’s economy would take a $37 billion hit if it experienced an event like the Christchurch earthquake, with many core businesses and services – including the Government – likely to leave the city permanently.

Among concerns highlighted in the report are the 435 buildings in Wellington with unreinforced masonry, 166 of which are heritage buildings.

The location of many earthquake-prone buildings along important strategic roads means routes needed by emergency services in the event of a big earthquake could end up blocked by fallen masonry.

The short version is if a big quake hits Wellington, we’re all fucked.

Transmission Gully will at least provide an alternate route out in the future , but even getting to the start of that will probably prove highly difficult.

Still it could be worse than being left to rot in a quake destroyed Wellington. The Government will probably relocate to Palmerston North – a fate worse than death!

The ODT reports:

Far from being elitist, Knox College traditions ensure students are welcomed into a supportive family atmosphere, past and present residents say.

The Presbyterian Church’s move to ban initiation ceremonies, scrap elitist symbols and tighten rules on alcohol, as reported in yesterday’s Otago Daily Times, has been opposed by many. …

Readers voiced their support of the institution and its long-standing practices in various letters to the editor yesterday.

A young woman returning to Knox for a second year said people developed a love for the place that could not be easily explained.

Another said Knox received more returning residents than any other university hall in New Zealand; testament to its vibrant and positive culture.

Former Knox student Michael Bridgen wrote about his “fresher” experience at Knox in 1994.

“Certain of the traditions were daunting, to a person from a country town new to so many people, but none were observed in other than good faith and good fun. In fact, in the spirit of colleges everywhere, many traditions evolved to the purpose of challenging and breaking down just those initial sheer faces of bashfulness.”

I went to Carrington Hall in Dunedin and loved my time there. People at Carrington regarded Knox as the second best hall 🙂

Knox has a wonderful history and traditions, and the initiation ceremonies are a vital part of hall culture. They absolutely bond people together (sometimes literally 🙂 ) and scrapping them would be the stupidest thing you can do.

“I have never found Knox to be anything other than welcoming, nurturing and supportive and cannot think of any justification for these changes,” recent resident Rebecca Gates said.

She said the traditions and rituals to be changed were the very things which attracted and united residents “no matter our schooling, social background, gender or race”.

“These common ties and experiences are what glues us together and draws almost all of the residents back for a second year.”

More than 1000 people have joined an online group established in defence of Knox traditions.

I hope common sense prevails. Knox is one of the most sought after halls in Dunedin (arguably the most sought after), and their sense of history and traditions are part of what attracts people to go there. It certainly isn’t their location – up that bloody hill!

Enjoy it!

The maiden speeches of the new Green MPs are here.

Mojo Mathers:

I joined the Green Party and stood as a candidate for the first time in the 2005 general election. When I first stood I had no concept of what huge challenges lay ahead of me as a deaf candidate and activist. I just wanted to speak out in defence of our water and our environment and be heard. But I learnt the hard way that passion and knowledge were not enough. I had to find different ways of doing politics, ways of getting around the barriers posed by being deaf, ways that allowed me to participate and engage effectively. I started learning New Zealand Sign Language and using sign language interpreters when I spoke to submissions to the local city and regional councils. I am absolutely thrilled that there are New Zealand Sign Language interpreters in the gallery today, and I note that it is the first time in New Zealand that a maiden speech is being covered this way. I hope that this will be the start of greater recognition by Parliament of the status of New Zealand Sign as our third official language.

And Denise Roche:

 I set out on a journey that began as a union organiser, initially with the Theatrical Workers Union, hitching rides on trains in the guards’ van with my dad’s union mates and fighting for the rights of cinema workers around the northern part of our country. I have protested and picketed with the best. I can attest that love and politics can mix: my first date with my life partner, John, was at a union picket at the Devonport Docks.

Romance at union pickets. Not likely to happen at Ports of Auckland as the union blokes have managed to keep all but two women away from working there.

I can assure the House that even though I am the Greens’ gambling spokesperson, I am not an anti-gambling zealot, and I will prove that to you by selling you a raffle ticket during the dinner break. I am, however, deeply concerned with the harm caused by commercialised gambling, and especially by the blight on our communities caused by pokie machines. Kiwis know that these machines reap their profits from problem gambling. Kiwis know that they can harm whole communities, which is why whenever they have been asked if they want more pokies, people say no. The former Manukau City Council received over 6,000 submissions asking it to restrict pokies. Active, engaged citizens are saying no to pokies, and will be dismayed by the banana republic, back-room deal being done by the Government, where our laws are for sale, and where the Auckland casino, a monopoly provider, is to be expanded in return for a convention centre—or was that 30 pieces of silver. Commercial gambling is deeply regressive, and cynically exploitative. It is a transfer of wealth from the brown to the white, from the women to the men, and from the poor to the rich. Casinos are an engine of crime and inequality.

If that is NOT being an anti-gaming zealot, I’d hate to see what an actual anti-gaming zealot looks like!

Julie-Anne Genter:

I studied philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, to try to uncover the rational underpinnings of my political and ethical convictions. In my final year I took up French, in part due to a love of Voltaire and his pragmatic approach to humanism. Ten years ago I left the United States. I initially went to France to gain fluency in the language, but I stayed because I could not bear to return to a country engaged in the futile and destructive wars championed by George W Bush. After some time working and travelling in Europe I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to undertake postgraduate study at Sciences Po in Paris, where I was able to study economics and political theory. My questions about the places we live and the nature of our economy were slowly informed by my experiences, as well as by my studies. I eagerly delved deeper into new approaches to urban planning, transport, and resource management at the University of Auckland, and in my subsequent work as a transport consultant. Everyone one of us travels, most every day, and every one of us consumes goods that have been transported from further and further away. We are all very personally familiar with the annoyances and the injustices that inevitably occur when we are running late and need to get somewhere, but there is a much bigger picture. The places we live are fundamentally shaped by the transport system and policies put in place by the Government. In turn, this affects the money and time we must spend travelling, the quality of our air and water, the fact that nearly 40 percent of our energy use is for transport. We increasingly see that it affects our health, the value of our land, the cost of development, the affordability of housing—it even affects the amount of interaction we have with our neighbours. 

Jan Logie:

We are all beneficiaries and should be proud to be so. I am the beneficiary of years of support from family, friends, the State, not to mention the beneficiary of colonisation and at times the unemployment benefit. There should not be a stigma in accepting help when you need it. And there is benefit in sharing and helping others when they need it. Individualism locks in inequality and depression, and as a result we all lose out.

This qualifies for statements ever made I most disagree with.

There is a huge difference between individualism and being selfish. Often those who stick up for individualism are amongst the most generous helpers and supporters of others – when their help and support is given voluntarily.

Steffan Browning:

Forestry—foreign companies such as Tiong own or control the vast majority of logs or timber products going offshore, yet this Government seems hell bent on making it easier for them. One is letting them keep gassing our communities and the ozone layer with spent neurotoxic and carcinogenic, ozone-depleting methyl bromide from the log fumigations. Labour and National have both dodged forcing recapture of the invisible, odourless gas that cannot be tracked with confidence. Giving the industry 10 years latitude, while we increase our exports and fumigations, people are getting sick and dying—dying for whom? 

Eugenie Sage:

When I first walked on to Parliament’s grounds as a member of this House last November, I heard a tui, practising its scales below the Beehive. The tui’s chorus is sweeter than anything I might say in this Chamber, so I took its song as auspicious—a sign that if tui have come to Parliament, their oral petitions would encourage this House to give more serious attention to our wild landscapes and our indigenous plants and animals whose ancestry and tenure in those islands is so much longer than our own. Aotearoa’s 70 million years of geographic isolation from other parts of Gondwana produced some of the world’s oldest and most unusual life forms: trees such as the kahikatea, fruit basket of the forest, and animals such as the tuatara, the wētā, and the carnivorous land snails, Powelliphanta. We can and must invest more in safeguarding the first inhabitants of Aotearoa and the places where they live. We have no treaty with them, but they define who we are. They are what makes New Zealand so distinctive in the eyes of the world. 

Holly Walker:

Because I never met Rod I never got to tell him that he was partly responsible for the formation of my political consciousness. It was 1997 and I was sitting in a sweltering upstairs classroom at Hutt Valley High School watching a video in fourth form social studies about the 1981 Springbok Tour . Suddenly, there was young Rod, resplendent in his flouro vest and orange bike helmet—clashing spectacularly with his shaggy red hair and beard. He spoke earnestly into the camera about why he was putting his safety on the line to march in the front lines of the increasingly terrifying anti-apartheid protests. I was moved, fascinated, and, strangely, jealous. I went home and told my mum that I wished we had issues like that to protest about these days. She laughed and told me there were plenty. I started paying attention and realised she was right. So I have Rod to thank, in part, for setting me on the path to politics

I suspect Rod would find this the highest compliment.

With the fantastic education I received at public schools in the Hutt Valley, I grew up to win a Rhodes Scholarship and get elected to Parliament, aged 29. But, in the words of Russel Norman in his maiden statement to this House, these stories do not mean that a State house kid, or a public school kid, or a DPB mum can do anything. They mean that the State’s commitment of resources towards housing, education, and income support really does make a difference.

A fair point.

ACT announce the new Leader of ACT at 12.30. Will supply name when known, but my expectation is it will be John Banks as he is their sole MP. The fact Catherine Isaacs has taken up a role on the charter schools taskforce suggests she won’t be taking up a leadership role.

UPDATE: And as predicted the “new” Leader is John Banks.

Heh, NZ Herald reporter Claire Trevett tweeted the following:

Banks fends off rest of caucus to win coveted and hotly contested job of Act’s leader.

Superb.

Heh, someone has set up an auction of Trevor Mallard’s credibility. The proceeds will go to Christchurch Earthquake recovery.

The Q+A, as always, is amusing:

Q: Is there any actual evidence you can provide to show that this item has ever existed

Q; Doesn’t Trademe rules state that the item must be in your possession? I don’t think anyone anywhere has Trevor Mallard’s credibility in their possession. In fact, research is ongoing to find proof it ever existed, as far as I am informed.

Q: While at face value this looks like a bargain, do you have any way of verifying that the product actually exists? I am somewhat dubious, as I have not seen any recent evidence of the existence of “Trevor Mallard’s credibility.”

Q: How damaged is this item? Will there be a refund available if it doesn’t pass muster?

Q: Is there a buy now? or will you let the auction take it’s course?

Heh, now that last one is very funny.

Oral Questions 2 pm – 3 pm

1. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Has he had time to read and digest the judgement of Justice Miller regarding the Crafar farm deal; if so, does he stand by his comments made in the House yesterday?
2. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for Land Information: Does he believe he and the Government have conducted themselves competently and appropriately in relation to the decision to approve the purchase of the Crafar farms by a foreign buyer; if not, what did they do wrong?
3. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Finance: What reports has the Government issued on the economy?
4. JACINDA ARDERN to the Minister for Social Development: Does she have confidence that Work and Income meets their own “case management approach” expectations?
5. JAN LOGIE to the Minister for Social Development: Does she have concerns that changes to the eligibility for the Training Incentive Allowance are causing single parent beneficiaries to consider working in the sex industry?
6. Dr CAM CALDER to the Minister of Health: What improvements have there been to services for patients as a result of greater collaboration between District Health Boards?
7. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Does he still intend to sell 49 per cent of the four State-owned energy companies?
8. JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Minister of Local Government: What analysis has he received on rate increases across New Zealand’s 78 councils following the enactment of new local government legislation since 2002?
9. Hon LIANNE DALZIEL to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: Does he stand by the part of his statement of 27 January, announcing the extension of the red zone offer to retirement villages, that letters of offer would be sent to each resident and CERA would work with village owners as quickly as possible to ensure the residents are assisted; if not, why not?
10. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister for Land Information: Did Overseas Investment Office officials meet with Chinese political consul Cheng Lei late last year; if so, did they discuss Shanghai Pengxin’s bid for the Crafar farms?
11. CLARE CURRAN to the Minister of Broadcasting: What is the name of the documentary which was withheld in the papers released publicly by NZ On Air titled “Records of decisions made at working group meeting”?
12. Hon TAU HENARE to the Minister for Economic Development: What progress has he made declaring the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover a major event under the Major Events Management Act 2007?

Today there are four questions from National, five questions from Labour, two from the Greens, and one from NZ First.

No prize for patsy of the day, as for once National is using one of their questions to have a go at Labour, specifically the scalping activities of Trevor Mallard. Q12 will be fun.

The Crafar farm court ruling is the main issue, with Labour and NZ First asking questions on it. The decision is a godsend for them.

Welfare is likely to be another big issue with Labour and Greens looking to ask questions about the woman who says she considered prostitution to pay for her childcare.

Address in Reply Debate 3 pm – 6 pm 

Maiden speeches for new National MPs are from 4.30 pm to 6 pm, being North Shore MP Maggie Barry, Rangitikei MP Ian McKelvie, Rodney MP Mark Mitchell, Tamaki MP Simon O’Connor, Coromandel MP Scott Simpson, and List MP Dr Jian Yang.

Around 4.5 hours remaining of the debate.

Government Bills 7.30 pm – 10.00 pm (and Friday 9 am  1 pm)

1. Ngai Tāmanuhiri Claims Settlement Bill – first reading
2. Ngati Makino Claims Settlement Bill – first reading
3. Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare Claims Settlement Bill – second reading
4. Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill – second reading
5. Ngati Pahauwera Treaty Claims Settlement Bill – second reading
6. Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill – second reading
7. Statutes Amendment Bill (No 2) – second reading and all remaining stages
8. Statutes Amendment Bill (No 3) – first reading

Nothing terribly controversial here. However some of the speeches on the treaty settlement bills can be very interesting, as you learn a lot of NZ history on some of them.

Adam Bennett in the NZ Herald reports:

The Office of the Ombudsman is in “crisis”, says the Chief Ombudsman. …

Appearing before Parliament’s government administration committee, Ms Wakem said the office, which investigates complaints from the public stemming from their dealings with central and local government, was under “considerable pressure” in terms of staffing and funding and had been for the past three years.

She said the office’s baseline funding had been established on the basis it would be actively working on 800 to 1000 cases at any one time.

At present it was dealing with about double that. The office had about 300 cases it was unable to work on because of a lack of available investigators.

Its workload had also been boosted by about 270 complaints stemming from quake victims’ dealings with the Earthquake Commission and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.

Ms Wakem said she had asked for about $1 million to be added to the office’s baseline budget of $8.6 million, so it could meet its operating costs and employ two more investigators.

The Office of the Ombudsman has a critical role in our Government. If the workload has increased as described, then there should be extra funding for the office.

There was a $550,000 boost in 2010 to their funding, so there has been some additional funding, but hopefully more will be provided in the 2012 budget.

The Dom Post reports:

Labour MP Trevor Mallard says he didn’t know how to set a “buy now” option on Trade Me – despite being a member since 2005 and on-selling tickets to Homegrown and the Wellington Sevens in the past.

Under fire for ticket scalping after selling four tickets to the sold-out Homegrown festival at a $276 profit, Mr Mallard told Radio Live this morning that he hadn’t been aware he could put a “buy now” price on the auction.

However, his TradeMe account shows he has been a member of the online auction site since 2005, and has sold plenty of tickets in the past.

Did not know how to set a buy now option? Really? Well in case Trevor needs a hand in future, I’m happy to assist.

If you are selling tickets to a concert on Trade Me, this is the screen you will see.

As is obvious, setting a buy now price is incredibly simple. You just enter the price you want in.

Stuff reports:

Ms Ngatai was evicted from the Charles Cr house, where she lived with her partner and eight children, on January 26, following a tenancy tribunal hearing which found she had not paid rent in over a month.

Property manager Flo Drabble, who inspected the house after the eviction, said it was so filthy that she vomited while trying to clean it.

“In all honesty it was the worst condition property I have ever been in.”

The walls and floors were apparently filthy, it reeked of urine, windows were smashed, animal faeces were scattered inside and it was riddled with insects.

Miss Drabble said the house will need to be fumigated and the carpet needed replacing.

Ms Ngatai, along with her partner and children, aged three to 15, are now living in a tent in the backyard of her cousin’s home in Putaruru.

It sounds like the tents may be more hygienic.

On February 11, 2009, Ms Ngatai and her partner, who are both beneficiaries, entered into a rent-to-buy agreement, at $336 per week, with Auckland-based property investor Mike Hyams.

The house was in the process of being renovated throughout, but Ms Ngatai needed a place to live and thought owning a home would be a good investment for the future.

She said it had no hot water or electricity, leaking pipes, no kitchen, faulty wiring and rubbish littered everywhere.

She claims to have invested thousands of dollars of her own money into maintenance of the property.

“The conditions were, [Mr Hyams] was supposed to do the house up and he didn’t. We were stuck for three years fixing up electricals and plumbing.”

Mr Hyams said he wiped off more than $6000 of money owed based on these allegations.

In November 2009, Ms Ngatai could no longer afford to purchase the property and it was agreed she could remain as a tenant at a weekly rental of $165. The Times was shown a tenancy agreement signed by both parties on November 6, 2009.

So the evil landlord was charging them just $165 a week.

As of May 12, 2011, Ms Ngatai owed $4300 in arrears, which is recorded in a tenancy tribunal application by Mr Hyams.

So around 25 weeks of arrears.

Incidentally I’ve done a quick estimate of how much money the family should have been getting in benefits and it is $980 (after tax).

But I guess some will still say that the problem is that benefits are not high enough.

Cactus Kate has an exclusive sampling of the hacked e-mails to and from Murray McCully.

Jody O’Callaghan writes at Stuff:

Labour MP Trevor Mallard has been accused of scalping tickets to a Wellington music festival.

The tickets to Saturday’s sold-out Homegrown festival have a face value of $95 each.

Whitireia music student Laura Signal, 19, and her three friends were desperate to attend so they bid for four tickets on Trade Me, paying a final price of $656.

Miss Signal was surprised when the trader turned out to be the Hutt South MP, who used his parliamentary email address for the auction.

You wonder how Trevor finds the time to be an MP in-between cycling and scalping.

The students said they asked Mr Mallard about a “buy now” price during the auction, but he replied that he would let the auction run.

Some may condemn Trevor forcing poor struggling students to pay more, so that he makes a profit on top of his $170,000 or so parliamentary remuneration, but I think it is great to see a Labour MP show his commitment to free markets and  profits.

In November 2006, Mr Mallard initiated legislation – now the Major Events Management Act 2007 – to protect event sponsors from people making money out of major events with which they had no formal association.

He said at the time: “When there is bulk-buying of tickets to such events simply for the purpose of profiteering, scalping is a ripoff that could deny many people the opportunity to see an event.”

No, no, no. Scalping is not a rip off. What is wrong with a 60% return on capital?

Mr Mallard told The Dominion Post yesterday that the sale was neither scalping nor dodgy. He bought the tickets last year but now had another engagement.

“I’m slightly surprised if promoters with whom I spend several hundred dollars a year on tickets complain when I sell some I can’t use to someone who wants them using a Kiwi-based online auction.”

He listed the tickets at face value, but let the auction run above $500 because he “knew that they were worth more”.

I purchased ten tickets for the Sevens this year. Two people in our group pulled out a few days beforehand. I sold the tickets at face value via Facebook as I didn’t want to make money out of them – just get reimbursed for the cost.

He believed the students had breached his privacy by revealing him as the ticket trader.

Hmmn, threatening the students. Perhaps Trevor could specify what part of the Privacy Act he alleges they have breached?

The Herald story on the same issue finds Trevor also scalped tickets in 2009 and 2010 for the same event.

UPDATE: A thought has occurred to me. It is curious that for three of the last four years Trevor has been auctioning tickets for Homegrown on Trade Me. It is possible he does not in fact buy the tickets, but they are complementary tickets given to local MPs? Can any other local MPs clarify whether they get complementary tickets?

Danya Levy at Stuff reports:

Television New Zealand has dumped the Labour leader’s weekly appearance on its Breakfast show, telling David Shearer it’s not about him “as a person”.

Prime Minister John Key has a Monday morning slot on the show and last year former Labour leader Phil Goff regularly appeared on Tuesday mornings. …

It is understood Labour put its case to TVNZ, saying its leader needed to have the right of reply when Key attacked the Opposition.

In a letter back to Labour, TVNZ said the Prime Minister was a newsmaker in his own right and the state broadcaster was merely doing what it always had.

The leader of the Opposition had only featured weekly during election years.

“This is not an issue about the person, merely a decision about the position, and we have been consistent with that through Labour and National administrations.

“The Breakfast team has already shown its willingness to invite Mr Shearer on to the programme when he is a legitimate newsmaker and is setting the agenda on a story.”

Off memory, TVNZ is absolutely correct. I recall when National was in Opposition, the Opposition Leader never got a regular spot until election year.

One of the more significant changes to Standing Orders was the ability for the House to sit with extended sitting hours, hence reducing the frequency a Government may have to resort to urgency.

The Government can extend the hours by passage of a motion which will see Parliament sit from 9 am to 1 pm on Wednesday or Thursday morning.

If the Government wishes to extend hours beyond this, it needs to get approval from the Business Committee. The Business Committee consists of:

• The Speaker (Chair)
• The Leader and Deputy Leader of the House
• The ACT Leader, United Future, NZ First and Mana Leaders
• A Green Co-leader
• The Labour and National Senior Whips
• The Maori Party, Green and NZ First Whips
• The Shadow Leader of the House

The Business Committee can only decide something if there is unanimity or near-unanimity which means agreement has been given on behalf of the overwhelming majority of members of Parliament.

The Speaker decides that exact threshold. I would suggest that it requires more than National and Labour agreeing but doesn’t give every small party a veto.

Now the good thing is that the new standing orders are working as intended, and the Business Committee is taking a constructive approach to extending hours when there is a need. They have agreed to extend the House hours this week so the the partiHouse meets Thursday evening and Friday morning until 1 pm. The reason is to progress six Treaty settlement bills through their first and second readings and a couple of omnibus bills.

Each settlement demands legislation, the total number of settlements that Parliament will need to legislate in the coming years is around 60 to settle historical claims (assuming National reach its target of settling claims by 2014). This would represent a large proportion of House time so it makes sense to deal with them in extra hours. This removes the need for urgency, and doesn’t cut into the rest of the House’s programme.

So good to see the parties working together to avoid urgency, but allow the Government to progress its legislative agenda.

The draft transcripts of the four Labour maiden speeches is here. I used to e-mail MPs asking for a copy of their maiden speeches but now the draft transcripts are out in 150 minutes, I just wait for them.

First some extracts from Dunedin North MP David Clark:

Politicians do not exist to rubber-stamp what the electorate has already decided, but to articulate and share a vision of a better society. I will describe the better society to which I aspire. It has similarities with what founding members of the Labour Party described as an “applied Christianity”. It is a society where accident of birth does not dictate one’s station and prospects. It is a society where every citizen can get ahead by dint of hard work that builds on their natural endowment. It is one where all have free and equal access to high-quality education, a society where all have the ability to develop their talents sufficiently to ensure fulfilling and enriching lives. It is one in which choices are not driven by fear, but are afforded by opportunity, in which everyone has access to legal representation, regardless of their means. 

I agree with those sentiments, even though I suspect we disagree on how to achieve them.

I would describe how we might consider financial transactions taxes, gift and estate duties, and a capital gains tax in order to broaden our tax base.

Broadening the tax base is good, if it leads to lower rates. Not good if it leads to the state growing in size and crushing the private sector.

And I don’t support taxing people for dying, or gift duty which cost three times more to administer than revenue it took in.

A third reason that greater equality makes pragmatic sense relates to public investment. Infrastructure is an example—witness growth in China’s high-speed rail network. It is 12 times bigger than it was in 2008, four times larger than in any other country, and still growing at an astonishing rate. It is hard to imagine this happening in the USA today. Where a critical mass of the truly wealthy exert undue influence on the political process, investment in infrastructure, education, research, healthcare, and other matters related to the common good dwindles …

Oh nonsense. China is growing its rail network because it has 10% economic growth and the cost of labour is so low. To suggest that the USA is not growing its rail network at the same pace because of the wealthy is batty.

Andrew Little:

This year marks the centenary of one of the most bitter and violent industrial disputes in New Zealand’s history: the Waihī miners strike. It is an important part of the Labour story. A young Scottish union organiser was witness to that dispute and saw how workers who wanted nothing more than decent pay and a fair go were intimidated, divided, and—after a striking miner was beaten to death by those opposed to the strike—run out of town. Those dark events led to that organiser and many others realising that justice would be achieved only when working people reached beyond the workplace for influence and had a direct say on the laws and policies they were subject to. The union organiser was Peter Fraser, who later became a Labour Prime Minister.

I found the Waihi link to Peter Fraser quite interesting. Fraser is my favourite Labour PM.

New Plymouth is a great city with, I might add, a great mayor and I enjoyed campaigning there last year, although I remain intrigued by a question I was asked at one of the first meetings I held: what my position was on the merger of Air New Zealand and NAC. I said that Labour was taking a “wait-and-see” approach.

Heh.

Megan Woods:

In my previous role at Plant and Food Research, I observed firsthand the real difference science and innovation can make. We need more businesses to access and utilise the exceptional knowledge that is being created in our Crown research institutes and universities. And we need a proper commitment to the fundamental research that underpins this. To improve this we must commit to adequately fund science and innovation to create jobs and lift wages. …

 I am a New Zealand historian by training who has worked in science and innovation. I am a former community board member who believes in the power of communities and the grassroots. I am a Christchurch native who grew up in the ravages of a user-pays world, who, despite being glued to the royal wedding in 1981 believes in the desirability and inevitability of our country becoming a republic in my lifetime, who celebrates the diversity of modern New Zealand. I am here because I have a strong belief in social justice. I am here because I believe that there are always real alternatives in working to ensure that hope, opportunity, and being all you can be, is not an accident of birth for the privileged few but the birthright of all New Zealanders.

And finally Rino Tirikatene:

Eighty years ago, in this room, maybe even in this chair, my grandfather Sir Eruera Tirikātene stood before this House as the member of Parliament for Southern Maori. Forty-five years ago, in this room, maybe even in this chair, my aunt Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan stood before this House as the member of Parliament for Southern Maori. Today, I stand before the House as the member of Parliament for Te Tai Tonga. At the time my grandfather rose to address the House for the first time, the Māori population numbered a mere 82,000. We were at that time a rural people, still recovering from the ravages of land sales and the scourge of introduced diseases. We existed at the very margin of the country’s economy. What income we were able to earn as unskilled labourers in the agriculture and forestry industries was supplemented by gardening and foraging. The land development assistance programme introduced by Sir Apirana Ngāta in the 1920s, which eventually gave rise to the Māori incorporations and trusts of today, was in its infancy and poverty was all pervasive, especially among those communities that had been left landless by confiscation and land sales. Statutory recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi, the claims of Ngāi Tahu, Waikato, and Taranaki, and poverty were my grandfather’s main concerns.

We have made some progress since then.

[Today] more than 1 in every 2 Māori was living in a household with a combined income of more than $50,000, and well over 1 in every 3 in a household with a total income of $70,000 or more. What we are witnessing is the steady growth of a Māori middle class. On the collective front, we are witnessing the rise of the Māori economic authorities, Māori land trusts and incorporations, and iwi authorities.

And:

Life and prospects for Māori are so much better than they were 80 years ago, but Māori know better than anyone that much remains to be done. We are still overrepresented at the bottom of the wealth pyramid. We will, on average, die sooner than our Pākehā mates. We will, more so than our Pacific cousins, end up in prison, and, unlike any other group in Aotearoa – New Zealand, we now receive more in transfer payments than we pay in tax. Too many of use remain locked into a cycle of dependency and poverty.

I am glad he mentioned dependency as well as poverty. The two are linked.

Stuff reports:

The High Court has ordered Government ministers who agreed to a Chinese company buying the Crafar farms to reconsider the application.

The judgement of Justice Miller follows a successful application by a group of New Zealand farmers and iwi, led by Sir Michael Fay, to block the sale of the 16 in-receivership farms.

The group had sought a judicial review of the Overseas Investment recommendation for approval for the $210 million purchase by Shanghai Pengxin and the Government’s support for that recommendation.

Justice Miller said the application for review was granted and the decision by Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman was set aside.

The judge directed that the ministers reconsider the application by Shanghai Pengxin subsidiary Milk New Zealand.

It will be interesting to see the full decision, but it suggests that the OIO and Ministers did not consider one or more of the criteria properly. This will not be helpful for the Government as it keeps the issue alive longer, and suggests that there may have been grounds to turn the application down. It doesn’t mean that there were grounds – just that there might have been,

I will be surprised if Sir Michael and associates ends up with the farms at the end of this, but it is possible if a different decision is arrived at.

The Herald has the judgement here. I found this part interesting:

CFIPG (Fay etc) came late to the sale process and has still to commit itself to a formal offer … it has nominated a price, albeit one that the receivers  claim to find unworthy of acknowledgement.

So Fay has yet to even make a formal offer. If he can knock Pengxin out, then he can lower his bid even further, so his gain may be greater than even the $40m between the so called bids.

In terms of the judgement, the claim that Pengxin were not experienced enough was not upheld. Where the court has ruled that the OIO and Ministers erred was in assessing benefits vs a counter-factual.

The OIO used a counter-factual of the status quo (farms run down), and the argument was that the counter-factual should be a NZ company buying the farms and also investing in them.

The OIO argued against this on the grounds that this would require a hugely complex analysis of not just every application, but to model what a rival bidder may do. However they lost the argument.

My 2c is that it would be better for an analysis to be against a counter-factual which is based on a rival bidder – but that this may well be hugely impractical in many cases.

Greg Ansley at NZ Herald reports:

Gillard has always maintained that she decided to contest the leadership only on the day she confronted Rudd with her demand for a ballot, and her repeated protestations to ABC’s Four Corners programme on Monday night – and to reporters since – have not been convincing. …

Gillard, both on Four Corners and to reporters since, has denied any preparation for a coup. But she has sidestepped detailed replies, pleaded memory lapses and has looked consistently uncomfortable.

It is best to be upfront about coup planning. No one believes it was a spur of the moment decision. I recall the Shipley coup against Bolger – they actually had a committee with a cover name (Te Puke bypass) which met for some months, and were upfront about this after the coup.

The decision boomeranged disastrously. Gillard was faced with allegations that, despite repeated statements to the contrary, she and senior staff had prepared for a leadership challenge weeks before the event.

Four Corners said this had been supported by internal party polling indicating Gillard was more popular than Rudd, and that her senior staff had begun writing the first speech she delivered as Prime Minister at least two weeks before Rudd’s ousting.

Former senator and Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson told the programme he knew a week in advance that a challenge was to be mounted.

Four Corners also said United States Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks showed the US State Department knew, even before some Labor MPs, of a challenge.

When the state department knows, everyone knows.

Gillard described suggestions that she had been driven by polling as “wholly untrue”, but admitted she might have known a speech was being written. “This was a tense few days for me and the Government, so I can’t specifically say to you when I came to know about the speech,” she told ABC radio yesterday.

But she said she did not commission the speech.

Ministerial staff are often pro-active, but I don’t think this extends to writing a speech for your boss in case they become Prime Minister.

I think it is unlikely Gillard will survive to fight the next election. More difficult to pick is who will replace her.