We used to get outraged as a nation when our politicians took diabolical liberties with the public purse. There were Tuku’s undies, Shane Jones’s porn movies and Clayton Cosgrove’s amazing ‘bad luck’ with luggage that saw him getting five new suits on the taxpayer. Then there are the planes and helicopters that routinely landed Winston Peters, Helen Clark, John Key and Jacinda Ardern in hot water.
Helen Clark famously took an RNZAF jet to Australia only to be boycotted by ground staff as a result of the Ansett implosion. John Key had the ignominy of flying in a C-130 to Nausori airport near Suva only to be met by Bainimarama, who gave him a good scolding. Then there was Jacinda Ardern and her trips that saw more breakdowns of our clapped-out fleet of air force planes, on her trip to Antarctica, in the USA and in Australia.
What on earth was Chippy going to do to trump all that?
Why, take two planes, d’uh! But wait, here’s the Herald running the spin for the PM:
The Prime Minister’s office has defended sending a backup Defence Force plane for Chris Hipkins’ trip to China after criticism from National and Act over emissions – the latter also calling the fleet “decrepit” – saying it was warranted in case of a breakdown and only travelled as far as the Philippines.
It comes after former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had to contend with a series of breakdowns in her time – which also occurred during former Prime Minister John Key’s tenure – raising questions about bringing forward the current replacements schedule, set to occur between 2028 and 2030.
Hipkins touched down in Beijing in the early hours of this morning, beginning a highly-anticipated week-long tour of China, which includes a meeting with President Xi Jinping.
The Herald, which is travelling with the delegation, reported today there were two NZ Defence Force Boeing 757 planes on the runway during a stopover in Manila, Philippines, en route to China.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon said Hipkins should not have taken two planes and, along with Act, criticised what he saw as an unnecessary burning of fuel and associated carbon dioxide emissions. Act leader David Seymour said it was emblematic of an “embarrassing” and “out-of-date” air fleet.
“New Zealand’s embarrassingly ancient Defence Force planes are so decrepit that the PM has to bring a spare in case one of them breaks down on a stopover,” Seymour said.
“The emissions created by taking the extra plane is the equivalent of driving a Ford Ranger the distance of a trip to the moon three times.”
The Herald can confirm these calculations and also that they were based on a return trip to Manila and Australia.
NZ Herald
Somewhat, surprisingly, the Herald didn’t answer their headline in the article with ‘because he has taken leave of his senses and thinks that pissing off the NZ public is a vote-winning strategy’.
Surely flying commercial would have been far cheaper than the huge costs associated with two B-757s and their poor fuel economy.
What genius in the PM’s department thought that this was ever going to fly?
Nothing says ‘I’m out of touch’ like taking two very expensive jets just in case one breaks down.
Nothing says our air force is rubbish like having to have back-up planes flying halfway around the world to deliver Chris Hipkins to an insult by the Chinese at the airport, where he was met by a low ranking official, not the Foreign Minister or even the Prime Minister. If MFaT protocol staff weren’t whispering in Hipkins’s ear about that slap in the face then they weren’t doing their job.
Hipkins, for his part, has just slapped the long-suffering taxpayer in the face by arrogantly taking two jets instead of flying commercial.
Help Fund Our NewsDesk
We are building a NewsDesk, hiring journalists and taking the fight to the mainstream media. Will you help fund our NewsDesk?
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.