1,000 Miles Away

Keep up the good work, Carl.

Estimated time of arrival 9.30 a.m.
Been up before the sun and now I'm tired before I even begin.
(Now you're flying) I got so much work in front of me,
(Really flying) it stretches out far as the eye can see.
I can see.

Songwriter: Dave Faulkner.

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This is the 1,000th edition of Nick’s Kōrero, and I’d like to start by thanking all those who have supported this newsletter. You guys are the best, and I will always be grateful that you have enabled me to do this.

When I wrote the first edition on New Year's Day 2022, I did not expect that almost four years later, and now 1,000 editions in, I’d still be going. The fact that I am is down to your generosity in subscribing and the supportive community that has developed.

It’s definitely been a game of two halves.

For the first two years, we had a Labour government, and I wrote a lot about Covid and the deteriorating reaction to Jacinda Ardern, which ultimately caused her to call time on her Prime Ministership.

That was devastating to see the best Prime Minister of my lifetime, and a government that had put people ahead of profits, hounded from office.

Jacinda Ardern. Image: BeFunky.

The following two years have been about the coalition. The weakness of Luxon in surrendering the direction of our country to Winston Peters and David Seymour, the utter hollowness of the man and the agenda of his government to give to the wealthy while offering austerity to the poor.

This is the worst government I can recall, from the championing of lobbyists for guns, tobacco, and now booze. The calamitous decisions, like cancelling the ferries, sacrificing fair pay claims so farmers could have cheaper tractors, the rolling back of every climate or environmental measure taken by previous governments and running down our social services.

Most of all, though, it has been the attacks on Māori that I have found so abhorrent.

I’d expect that from Seymour, but to see Luxon, the leader of our nation, take such a hands-off approach has left the impression of a cowardly man who would do anything to become Prime Minister.

One who having gained that role seems to have little idea what to do with the responsibility. A man who is out of touch with the lives of many Kiwis and offers little beyond meaningless phrases and photo ops.

Peters, Luxon, and Seymour. Image: The Post.

Along the way, I wrote about various topics, including AI and Climate Change, the situations in Gaza and Ukraine, and elections in the US, the UK, France, and Australia.

When Labour was in government, I wrote satire about the right-wing parties. There has been little need for that since they became the government. No shortage of topics to write about and behaviour that sometimes makes me wonder if there is any remaining distinction between satire and what we see.

Still, that’s enough about me, I mean, what sort of weirdo writes a newsletter or a post congratulating themselves on a job well done?

Image: NZ Herald.

I wrote: “Keep up the good work, Carl, except next time remember the 25 houses. Yours sincerely, the family trust (not Carl).”

Poor old Carl, he sits up the back and does what he’s told, and no one notices he is there, despite a pretty distinctive look.

The low profile is going well, but then he “forgets” to declare 25 houses, and everyone starts questioning his credibility, especially when voting for massive tax cuts for landlords.

From the NZ Herald:

First-term Whanganui MP Carl Bates, under fire for not declaring 25 properties he and his family are linked to, has found support on Facebook.

In a reply to an online debate on the controversy, a commenter said: “[s]o he sought advice from the Registrar, one of New Zealand’s most senior and respected public servants and acted according to the advice he received. End of story. Keep up the good work Carl”.

The only problem with the message is it was from Bates, via his official FB account; “Carl Bates MP for Whanganui”.

Oops. How sad is that posting in praise of yourself?

Erm.

A now-deleted social media post. Photo: NZ Herald/Facebook.

The reason Bates sought to defend and praise himself is that it was reported this week that:

Trusts linked to Whanganui first-term National MP Carl Bates and his family own 25 properties, which are not disclosed on Parliament’s list of MPs’ property and financial interests.
….
Under Parliamentary rules, MPs must declare their business, property, and other legal interests, “thereby providing transparency and confidence in parliamentary processes and decision making”.

You know, so we don’t have MPs with financial interests in the things they’re voting for, like those three billion dollar tax cuts for landlords.

Bates removed himself from the S.G.G. trust very soon after the election. Here’s the information from the Companies Office on his directorship:

Quite a coincidence there. The election was held on Saturday, the 14th of October 2023, and Bates ceased being a director on the following Monday. It sure ain’t subtle, Carl.

As Bates had become purely a discretionary beneficiary of the Trust, he no longer had to declare his extensive property interests. How convenient.

Jillaine commented: “I live in Whanganui and can tell you this useless skin tag is invisible in the community and has all the charisma of an operating theatre. I’ve always wondered how on earth he was elected. Now I see that it was likely more to do with his wealth and family connections than any genuine desire to do good in our community. It all makes sense now.”

Maurice: “No Conflict of interest! - Yeah, right! (Tui ad in the making there).”

That’s about enough on Mr Bates; today is all about the protest for Palestinians.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been on a lot of protests, spoken to union leaders, doctors, and teachers and heard many political speeches.

The highlight of those was being at parliament when the hīkoi arrived, and going to Waitangi Day last year and seeing people turn their backs on David Seymour and his message, which, quite frankly, at times has been little different to that of the late Charlie Kirk.

I’m sorry I was unable to attend today’s protest, but it looks like a massive turnout despite the closure of the bridge due to the weather. This is the crowd gathered before it started:

Crowds gathered at Aotea Square before the march. Photo: RNZ/ Jesse Ferguson.

Indeed, once the march began, it looked pretty impressive:

Photo: Nick Monro / RNZ.

Good on all those who are marching today, and those who are there in spirit.

Photo: NZ Herald.

Thank you, dear readers, for being with me through these first 1,000 newsletters, and particularly to my darling wife, Fi, who encouraged me to do something I wanted to do even if it wasn’t particularly lucrative.

There certainly wouldn’t be any Nick’s Kōrero without her. ❤️

Also, here’s to many more newsletters to come. I’m not done yet, there is much to kōrero.

Take care, all of you lovely people. It’s a grim final burst of winter out there, but hopefully we’ll have better days soon.

Better days, soon.

If you’d like to support Nick’s Kōrero, please subscribe if you can afford to; every subscription is very much appreciated.

Ngā mihi,
Nick.

To end today, the Hoodoo Gurus with 1,000 Miles Away.