Continuing on from my previous article I will look at more of Labour’s achievement claims that fail the scrutiny test.
ENVIRONMENT
- Passed the landmark Zero Carbon Act, with a target of zero carbon emissions by 2050. Like COVID this is elimination playtime. In terms of our emissions, so what?
- Banned single-use plastic bags. Brilliant! You can buy a roll at the supermarket and use them for groceries, rubbish or whatever else.
- Stopped issuing new offshore oil and gas permits. In reality, started trashing the economy.
- Overhauling Resource Management. Should have happened under National but their sandpit mentality meant they wouldn’t agree.
- Started planting one billion trees by 2028 with 248 million already in the ground. Really? David Farrar says so far they’ve reached 3.7% of their target. You do the maths. Almost as bad as Kiwibuild.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
- Given almost every state school a one-off capital cash injection of $400,000. Typical modus operandi. Too lazy to do the donkey work to find out how much an individual school needs; obviously they vary, so instead just throw each $400,000. Much easier.
- Taking the financial pressure off parents by increasing funding to decile 1-7 schools if they don’t ask parents for donations. I’m told it’s insufficient and some schools still need to ask for donations. To be fair, that’s one, not two out of thirteen points from their policy that I have a disagreement with. It’s one of their better policy areas.
REGIONS
- Investing in New Zealand’s long-neglected regions through the Provincial Growth Fund. First, read rort. Second, read Northland. Ardern says it’s going so she’s getting rid of an achievement. Go figure.
- Backing Maori landowners (again) by creating new opportunities (perhaps I can put the correct wording in here) to protest and receive a gratuitous handout of taxpayer monies
- Launched a bold plan to increase primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade. Delusional again. If this happens it will be in spite of, not because of them.
- Protecting New Zealand’s most fertile and versatile land, to ensure it’s available for future primary production and is protected from inappropriate subdivision, use and development. If by that they mean building houses, they won’t need it.
- Introduced new regulations to strengthen the animal welfare system. What about the city animals or is it only those in the regions who qualify for welfare?
JUSTICE
- Banned military-style semi-automatic weapons, magazines and parts. Now only the gangs have them.
- Passed the Arms Legislation Bill further strengthening gun law. Gangs exempt again.
- Passed the Family Violence and Family Violence (Amendment) Acts, sending a strong signal that New Zealand is determined to tackle family and sexual violence. Like the anti-smacking legislation, it will be ineffectual. The causes need to be looked at.
- Recruited the largest and most diverse police force in New Zealand’s history, now at over 13,000 employees. Their numbers are always suspect. In terms of how they have been carrying out some of their duties of late, there needs to be some retraining. Editor’s note: By “diverse” they mean that cops are now just as likely to be sporting tats as criminals.
- Restored the right to vote to all eligible prisoners serving less than three years. All part of their going soft on crime.
MAORI
- Improved access to healthy, affordable homes through investing in papakainga and housing repair programmes. Hasn’t helped to reduce the waiting list.
- Set a goal for one million New Zealanders speaking te reo Maori by 2040. Meaningless and a waste of time, money and effort. Those who want to learn it can. It should not be compulsory as in part of the school curriculum. Editor’s note: Since when has a goal been counted as an achievement?
- Established Te Arawhiti – The Office for Maori Crown Relations to make the Crown a better Treaty partner and improve partnerships with Maori. Code for dishing out even more humongous amounts of money. Not needed. PC BS.
- Progressed changes to council rates to allow councils to wipe rate arrears on whenua Maori. Why? More PC BS. Virtually the whole Maori package looks apartheid based.
INTERNATIONAL
- Held a Pacific Conference on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in-line with our proud nuclear-free history. Waste of time.
- Led the agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability. A first (and hopefully the last) of its kind agreement that will use trade rules to tackle ( non – existent) climate change and other environmental issues. These people sure know how to waste time and money.
- Boosted aid support to our Pacific neighbours to tackle COVID and rebuild their communities and economies. In other words, we shut down their tourism industries which is their main source of income, by banning international travel. Not sure how that helps them.
TRANSPORT
- Investing over $700 million for shovel ready transport projects such as cycleways, walkways, ports and roads to help kickstart the post-COVID rebuild. I suggest most of these have yet to see a shovel.
- Made an unprecedented investment in public transport and walking and cycling improvements to help tackle climate change. Well done! The only problem is that in most cases an unprecedented number of people are not using them. Which begs the question, do people think climate change is an issue?
- Started getting rail back on track after it was left in a state of ‘managed decline’ through investing $4.6 billion this term. Nice pun. Rail will never be economic in this country. As for ‘managed decline’ you could be describing how you’ll leave the country, maybe minus the managed bit.
- Started planning for the Future of Rail with a ten-year plan that lays out our Government’s vision to revitalise rail. Forget it. Stop now. Waste of time.
Most of what I haven’t included is meaningless waffle in sharp contrast to Judith’s facts and figures.
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