New Green MP Ricardo Menendez March said in his maiden speech:

I remember in 2011 watching the election results at the back of the cinema counter while the last film of the night was playing. I clearly remember seeing clips that night of the Winston Peters and Bob Jones of the world scapegoating immigrants for the housing crisis, for unemployment, and for inequality in general. While we were being blamed for buying up all the houses, we were also being blamed for bringing low-skilled, low-wage labour that didn’t contribute to the economy—or so they claimed.

Now it is certainly true Winston Peters has scapegoated immigrants. Not that this stopped the Greens from serving in a Government with him as Deputy PM.

But Bob Jones?

In 2012, Sir Bob wrote:

There’s an old boxing aphorism which speaks for itself, namely a hungry fighter is a good fighter. Make no mistake, those thousands of Asians – mainly Indians and Chinese, but also large numbers of Thais, Koreans, Malays and Filipinos – pouring into New Zealand are very hungry fighters indeed. The evidence confronts us daily.

Whether it’s the amazing 15-year-old Korean-born Lydia Ko or the annual secondary schools top scholars’ photographs published in newspapers which are dominated by Asian kids, or the corner shops with their Indian families keeping them open 19 hours a day, seven days a week, or so many of the new CBD retail business start-ups being Chinese, the energy of these migrants amounts to a huge boost for New Zealand.

So in fact the exact opposite of what the Green MP alleged.

Never before in history has there been as much mass migration as today. If, in many cases, they’re fleeing war-torn countries, the evidence is clear that host nations are ultimately enhanced by the contribution of different cultures, despite occasional teething problems. But most are economic migrants and we should welcome them to our welfare-sated nation. They bring with them an independent mentality and self-respect, sadly non-existent with a large section of our population.

The American expression of the melting pot is undoubtedly an important factor in that nation’s success. We should copy it and woo migrants from non-traditional sources. Aside from the very welcome Asians, we’re now getting heaps of Argentinians and Middle Easterners. 

Sir Bob probably even supports migration from Mexico!

In 2013 he also wrote:

But what of our country? To date, our geographic isolation has provided immunity from the boat people. That won’t last, as the world abounds in cheap old ships and inevitably one laden with illegal migrants will turn up here, more so as that same isolation gives us an Elysian Fields imagery in the eyes of people enduring hardship in distant lands. It will be easy to send ashore in simple barges hundreds of migrants along, say, Ninety Mile Beach. By the time they’re discovered, the ship will be 500 miles away, off to pick up a fresh load.

As with Australia, the navy will be helpless dealing with this. Hobson’s choice will invariably see us accept them, resulting in ever more arriving. There’s no answer to this problem other than not viewing it as a problem and, instead, accepting a multi-race future; a miniature melting pot as lies at the heart of America’s greatness. The grandchildren of today’s 20-year-olds will all be part Asian, Arab and God knows what else, and be better for this infusion.

And here Sir Bob actually advocates for allowing in illegal immigrants and welcoming them. So in total Bob advocates for immigration with no restrictions due to the economic and cultural benefits to NZ for doing so. This is the polar opposite of what Menendez March claimed about Sir Bob.

I think Sir Bob is owed an apology by the Marxist MP for maligning him as someone who scapegoats immigrants. But he has already refused to do so on Twitter, with some nonsense about Sir Bob only sees immigrants as economic units.

More stuff he just invents. Sir Bob specifically cites the cultural benefits from immigration. So a sad start for an MP to use his maiden speech to smear someone just because he could.

Also worth noting Sir Bob provide scholarships to refugee daughters, so they can study at university.

The report is here. Overall it looks like a sober and sensible analysis of the terrorist attack. The conclusion is this particular attack was probably not stoppable, but that there are many areas where agencies could have done better.

I was particularly pleased with their section on hate speech laws where they stated:

Section 131 of the Human Rights Act 1993, which criminalises certain types of hate speech, is not fit for purpose. The section as written unacceptably impinges on the right of freedom of expression. The words “excite hostility against or bring into contempt” set a low liability threshold. Accordingly it has invited rewriting by the courts, but in a way that has resulted in considerable uncertainty. More generally it does not provide a credible foundation for prosecution.

I agree the current threshold is too low and is an unacceptable infringement of the right of freedom of expression.

We recommend that the Government:

Repeal section 131 of the Human Rights Act 1993 and insert a provision in the Crimes Act 1961 for an offence of inciting racial or religious disharmony, based on an intent to stir up, maintain or normalise hatred, through threatening, abusive or insulting communication with protected characteristics that include religious affiliation.

A threshold of inciting hatred is better than the current threshold of exciting hostility. Also a key aspect of the proposed new law is that there must be an intent to incite hatred, which should mean that prosecutions under such a law would be very hard to bring.

The devil will be in the detail, but what the Royal Commission is proposing seems far better than what the Government was proposing.

I’ll post later in the week on the other recommendations.

Newshub reports:

A legal bid is underway to get the results of the cannabis referendum thrown out.

A group of more than 350 people is asking the High Court to void the vote on the Cannabis and Control Bill, claiming poor and inaccurate information generated confusion among voters.

It also claims the Electoral Commission reinforced that misinformation.

The yes groupies are starting to remind me of the remoaners on the Brexit result in the UK – they just couldn’t accept they lost, so they blame everyone else.

Drug reform advocate Blair Anderson is one of the people taking the case. He told Checkpoint New Zealanders heard far too much from the “no” vote during the campaign and said there was a failure to correct misinformation.

Good God. They’re saying the referendum should be void because people with an opposing view to them got airtime.

The first post-election public poll is out, and pretty much as expected:

• Labour 53%
• National 25%
• Greens 8%
• ACT 8%
• Maori Party 2%

While it might be expected, it does show the huge challenge ahead of National, With Greens and ACT polling the same, National needs to poll higher than Labour to be able to form a Government.

Now the next election is three years away but in three years they need to eliminate a 28% gap. So every six months they need to close the gap by 5%.

Newshub reports:

It’s been nine years since we set a goal of being smokefree by 2025 but Newshub can reveal the Government is yet to actually make a plan for achieving that goal.

Two-and-a-half years ago, Labour said it was creating a plan but documents show there isn’t even a finalised draft.

Anti-smoking organisations are furious saying the former Minister, Jenny Salesa, has failed. …

In May 2018, Labour’s Associate Health Minister at the time Jenny Salesa said she was developing a plan.

Ten months later she told Cabinet it would be finished by October 2019. But more than a year after that, there’s still no plan – not even a draft.

Is anyone surprised?

The Herald reports:

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) says an investigation into Auckland Mayor Phil Goff’s election expenses is still a work in progress and it’s remaining tight-lipped about exactly what it is investigating. …

Last September, electoral officer Dale Ofsoske passed a complaint about Goff’s 2016 election expenses to police.

It centred around a $366,000 auction declaration which did not specify individual donations or purchases. It included the sale at an auction of a book for $150,000.

It is unconscionable that someone would donate $150,000 to Phil Goff’s campaign and not have their identity disclosed.

Simon Wilson has written on how easy it would be for Auckland to reduce Auckland’s transport emissions by 70% in 10 years.

Cycling costs almost nothing compared to trains and buses, despite the occasional complainant thinking otherwise, but Auckland still doesn’t have much cycling infrastructure and progress is painfully slow.

Could cycling become as popular here as it is in Copenhagen? They have 1.3 million people and a third of trips in the city area on a bike. Being like the Danish capital would save 375 kt CO2-e of emissions.

Now I’m all in favour of cities being cycling friendly, but it is facile to say oh Auckland should or could have as many people cycling as Copenhagen.

Copenhagen’s area is 293 square kms. Auckland’s is 4,894 square kms.

Need more be said.

Newshub reports:

Nanaia Mahuta, the Minister of Local Government, has revealed she plans to appoint a Commission in response to governance problems at Tauranga City Council.

The deeply divided council has recently been slammed as being made up of “petty politicians” in “desperate need of progressive thinking”, by Tauranga’s outgoing mayor Tenby Powell.

During a fiery resignation speech in November, Powell called on Mahuta to appoint commissioners to replace the councillors.

This is an extreme action, but one that appears warranted. What has gone on there is not acceptable or professional.

Stuff reports:

The waitlist for a state or social home grew by more than a thousand in September, to 21,415 households.

This new record high for the end of September continues years of surging growth on the waitlist – the figure is up about 7000 households on a year ago, and is about four times higher than it was when the Labour-led Government was elected in 2017.

The waiting list has increased by 266%, so indeed almost four fold.

In Labour’s first year it grew by 63%. In their second year by 47% and last year by 53%. In raw terms it increased by 15,571.

In National’s last term the waiting list grew by 1,655 (around 10% of the growth under Labour) or in percentage terms by 39% compared to 266% under Labour.

A guest post by Alwyn Poole:

I was once sitting in the staff room of a NZ boys school at the beginning of an academic year and they were discussing the previous year’s external exam results. The Head of Math stood and detailed how the student average in his subject was above the national level. The Head of Sciences did the same. The Head of English then stood and stated: “The English results are 5% below National average but keep in mind we are working with boys.” She spoke as if this was written in the stars and no one contradicted her. I guess if the likes of C. S. Lewis, Tolstoy or Tolkien, etc., were in the room then they at least would have guffawed.

In 2019 female school leavers in NZ were more likely to obtain UE than their male counterparts at 45.9% compared to 32.9%. Astounding and another indictment on our “world class” education system.

Throughout my adult life and through some of my formal qualifications – a Masters in the Education of High Ability students and a Post Grad Diploma in Sports Management – I have studied how people become good in education, sports, the arts, and professions. I have also had the privilege of seeing many great athletes in the flesh and to be astounded by their qualities. These are some of the males that I have seen (in no particular order).

All Blacks, NZ Cricket, B&I Lions, Nick Farr-Jones, John Eales, Australian Rugby Team (1990s version), M. D. Crowe, Frankie Fredericks, Donovan Bailey, Stuart O’Grady, Nick Willis, UCI World Champs 2015, Peter Sagan, Tom Boonen, Vincenzo Nibali, Greg Henderson, Cameron Brown, Hamish Carter, Bevan Docherty, Jan Frodeno, Javier Gomez

Alistair Brownlee, Craig Alexander, David Beckham, Julian Dean, France Rugby, Michael Jones, Jonah Lomu,  Aaron Gate, Sam Webster, Dennis Lillie, Jeff Thompson, Greg Chappell

Richard Hadlee, John Walker, Rod Dixon, Dick Quax, Roger Federer, Leyton Hewitt, Mark Phillpousis, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Rikkonnen, Dale Earnhardt Jnr, Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James, Chicago Bulls, Kyrie Irving, Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Arizona Cardinals

Larry Fitzgerald, Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria, New England Patriots, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Andre Greipal, Michal Kwiatwoski, Rui Costa, Alejandro Valverde, Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning, Peter Snell, Wynton Rufer, Auston Matthews, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Philemon Rono, Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, Jasprit Pumbra, Graeme Hick, Tim Southee, SA Cricket, Indian Cricket, Australian Cricket.

I also had the privilege of spending time with the great Arthur Lydiard and many, many hours with NZ Olympic athletics and triathlon coach Jack Ralston. I have read many books on the topic of people becoming good at something including the remarkable Bounce by Matthew Syed and a whole stack of biographies. No one could say it more clearly than Lydiard but all other sources confirm it. Achievement and excellence in sport has very little to do with talent. It is always and everywhere hours and hours of well-directed purposeful practice and opportunities to perform and be challenged (especially to gain experience).

Academics is just the same and many of our boys have been sold a lie that school work is about inherent ability and that, stereotypically, they cannot achieve in many areas – especially those involving significant amounts of reading and/or writing. Teachers use that excuse far to often. To do well in any field young people have to be challenged and need to work hard. The expectations need to be high and effort/progress well rewarded.

For those of you with school age children the formula for their success is not rocket science but done well they could become rocket scientists. Next guest post I will give you the recipe.

The report of the Auditor-General into Auckland University buying a $5 million house for their VC is here. Key aspects:

In my view, the University has not been able to show a justifiable business purpose for purchasing the house.

It is hard to accept that purchasing a house to provide
accommodation for the incoming Vice-Chancellor, and to host an anticipated 14 events in two years, justifies the $5 million expenditure.

Nor does that level of hosting, in my view, justify an almost 50% reduction in the property’s rent.

So in summary the AG is saying the university should not have purchased the house, should not have paid $45 million for it and should not be providing it to the VC at half price.

The Vice-Chancellor’s salary, as publicly disclosed, is in the highest echelon of public sector salaries. Whether or not the salary is high by international standards, or the University considers that to be case, the amount is high enough that the University does not need to offer discounted accommodation for the Vice-Chancellor.

The VC is the 5th highest paid public official in NZ. They indeed don’t need taxpayers giving them a 50% rent discount.

A guest post by Rodney Hide:

Are your records safe with Xero?

No.

Xero will hand out your personal and financial records.  

Xero won’t tell you.  

Xero staff will peek at your records.

That much we know from a court case this week.  The case is my good friend Kristina Buxton and her two companies suing Xero for breach of privacy.

Kristina is the wife of my good friend Dave Henderson who was bankrupt at the time.

The Official Assignee was after Hendo and spent an estimated $2,500,000 chasing him including $700,000 on private investigators.  At no time did the Official Assignee or the private investigators ask Hendo or Kristina for the information they sought.  

The OA used her power and resources to interrogate people and organisations hoovering up truckloads of information, not just about Hendo but also his friends and associates including me.

The upshot were two sets of charges.  The Crown withdrew the first set and stayed the second.  Hendo is applying to have the stay lifted.  Having been charged, he wants his day in court.

So no prosecution. No wrongdoing worth pursuing.

The Official Assignee initially asked Xero for Kristina’s username and login.  Xero couldn’t do that but gave the OA a spreadsheet with 250,000 transactions on it.  That was everything.  Xero subsequently updated the spreadsheet.  The spreadsheets included tens of thousands of deeply personal records over many years including medical bills and the like.  

Xero never told Kristina about the request or their release.  Indeed, Xero initially denied the release and only confessed when confronted with incontrovertible evidence.

And as for staff having a peek?  Xero’s lawyer justified the dump by declaring to the court: “[Kristina’s] supermarket transactions seemed far too high to be personal”.  

There was no court order.  There was no legal demand [the OA’s power to gather information only relates to a bankrupt’s property, conduct or dealings].

Xero released a client’s entire financial history to the state simply upon being asked.  We don’t know how often it happens.  We can’t trust Xero’s assurances.  Their initial response was to deny the dump.

The court case this week was preliminary.  Xero is asking the court either to strike the claim out or to issue summary judgement.

Whatever the outcome, we now know the facts: Xero has released a client’s entire financial history to a government department that simply asked.

NewstalkZB reports:

Ultra-conservative MP leaps from window as Belgian police raid lockdown-breaching orgy

A Hungarian European Parliament lawmaker on Tuesday local time admitted he was present at an illegal party broken up by Belgian police in central Brussels last week, following reports he took part in a COVID-19 lockdown sex orgy.

This is the good thing about not being ultra-conservative. If you are in an orgy, you don’t need to jump out the window if the police raid it.

The media are running countless stories on the push to take away from the public the right to decide if their Council should or should not have Maori wards.

The latest is at Stuff which quotes five different people who all believe the public should have no say on whether a Council has Maori wards or not, and not a single voice with an opposing view. Yep five advocates interviewed, and no one else.

Buit what is worse is that there seems to be no one in the media who will call bullshit on the claim put forward by proponents that it is racist to allow a referendum on Maori wards because there is no provision to do so for general or geographic wards.

Almost every country on earth has geographic wards or seats for their national, state and/or local government. A decision on whether to have say five or six geographic wards for a council is generally an administrative decision. Geographic seats or wards have existed for around 755 years and again are a routine or standard feature of democratic institutions in almost every country on earth.

Whether or not to have race based seats or Maori wards is fundamentally different. Having seats reserved for people of one race, is incredibly uncommon in the world. No other developed country or OECD member does it.

Fiji used to do it. Only eight other countries (including Jordan, India, Colombia, Croatia) have race based seats at the parliamentary level, and I suspect even fewer at the local government level.

Deciding that a local council should have a Maori ward is a major political decision. It fundamentally changes the nature of representation in a council as it means some councillors will represent people of one ethnicity only, rather than everyone in a geographic district. Reasonable people can disagree on whether or not they are a good idea.

But to claim that race based seats are no different to geographic seats and hence the public should have no say on them is elitist nonsense. It would be like arguing that deciding whether or not to change electoral systems should be a decision left purely to MPs

They are trying to do away with voters having a say, because they think the voters have made the wrong decision. They hate the fact the public disagree with them on what is a controversial political issue. So their solution is to ban the public from deciding.

It is elitism at its worse. The public vote the wrong way, so we must take the vote away from them.

The table above shows how many members each party has on the various select committees and other committees.

Labour has a majority on 8 of the 15 committees. On a further five it comprises half the committee so can block any business it doesn’t like. On two committees (Petitions and Regulations Review) it does not have a majority.

National has two or three MPs on each committee. The ones with three are Finance, Health and Justice which might indicate areas of focus.

The Greens have chosen (as they don’t qualify for all) to not be on Economic Development, Governance, Justice and Primary Production – none of which are core areas for them, so quite sensible.

ACT have chosen not to go on Economic Development, Foreign Affairs, Governance and Maori Affairs – also pretty sensible.

The Maori Party has chosen to go on the Environment and Maori Affairs committees.

A must watch speech from the guy in charge of election systems for the state of Georgia talking about the death threats that his staff and others have had to endure.

Incidentally Gabriel Sterling is a Republican, not that this should matter.

This is what happens when you lie and claim the election was stolen because your ego is so fragile you can’t accept you lost. Some people believe you, and they honestly think there are people out there deleting votes and are threatening to kill them.

Stuff reported earlier this year:

In the early months of 2007, the Government made a bold commitment: The public service would be going carbon neutral.

13 years later they have reannounced this policy as a sign they believe climate change is abn emergency!!

It’s beyond farcical.

In the grand scheme of New Zealand’s climate pollution, it was a small fraction of the problem – equivalent to around 0.2 per cent of annual emissions.

And the policy will reduce annual emissions by 0.2%. That 0.2% of 0.1% global emissions so 0.0002% of global emissions.

We’re saved!

The Herald reported:

Festival hosts will be able to have drug-checking services at their events this summer and neither of them will face prosecution.

Health Minister Andrew Little revealed this morning that the Government will pass an urgent law to provide legal breathing space for drug-checking in time for the summer festival season.

I’m all in favour of this. It is a fact of life a significant number of people at music festivals will have party pills or other drugs. Would be better if they didn’t, but we live in the real world not an imaginary one.

The problem is sometimes what they think they have been sold isn’t what is claimed, and it can kill. There have been quite a few deaths from synthetic drugs.

So allowing a festival to provide a service for people to test if the drugs they have won’t kill them is laudable. Death should never be the price someone pays for wanting to pop some party pills at a music festival.