38 Comments
User's avatar
Maggie Hillock's avatar

I wish the CoC had promised to invest 34B$ in NZ health and education. We are sorely underfunded in those areas.

Gloria Sharp's avatar

Another great writing Nick. Thanks for all the work you do on our behalf. I fear that the people are being brain washed. So very Trumpian.

Jo's avatar

Tāutoko!

It amazes me how many don’t stop, think, reflect, and then critically analyse the current CoC promises, commitments and evidence. And see the excessive lack of each.

For a country known for sheep, I think it may now refer more to people, than the animals at times.

Wake up people and wake others up and Ditch the Pricks in 2026!

I apologise whanau that I’m speaking to the converted but …..!

Keith Simes's avatar

Gosh I love The Who, especially Keith Moon (and even Roger Daltrey) - but we humans ALWAYS get fooled again - especially those who vote for Trump or NZlast. I do wish that the msm would highlight the lies more regularly.

Darien Fenton's avatar

Sorry to break it to you. I once saw the WHO live in Goa (India) when I was living on Calingute Beach. It was the 70's of course!

Keith Simes's avatar

You are now officially placed on a pedestal!

Darien Fenton's avatar

Haha. You dont know the half of it!! Mick Jagger's brother Chris also came.

David Rees's avatar

Wow that would have been mega 😁 Goa had a great reputation to young travellers. I went through India in 1979. Unknown to me and the rest of us young uns the hippie trail had forever disintegrated with the Iran revolution and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. I was completely and utterly unaware of global politics in those non online years - thank goodness really!

McKinleyRd Creatives's avatar

and Pete Townsend could maybe hear then and not have to perform, (or practice) in a perspex cage. Did you see the windmill strum Darien? The mike flings by Daltry?

Darien Fenton's avatar

Dont ask me. I was probably stoned. I was only young.

McKinleyRd Creatives's avatar

ahhhhhhhh, so that’s a case of serious being there but wasn’t really, and voided memories. I get that.…………one of my regrets is all the hamburgers I ate when I was younger, and drunk and can’t remember what they tasted like………………but I remember the concerts.

Mike's avatar

My wife’s comment was didn’t the Labour Party vote for this agreement as well ? True but they did raise the same concern that have you have here and they really had no choice politically

Leonie's avatar

Labour sought conditions like attention to slave labour conditions etc; I think an IFTA is good, however committing NZ $2 billion annually was also a concern of Hipkins.

And fair enough.

Darien Fenton's avatar

Im not sure Winston realizes it also has a Tiriti o Waitangi. clause in it!

Brian's avatar

Feasible sounds to me a lot like weasible. And on that subject, Nick, you quote Chris Hipkins as saying “India sees that as a firm commitment on New Zealand’s behalf to invest NZ$34.7b in India over the next 15 years, whereas the New Zealand government simply views that as a commitment to promote investment in India; that is a real discrepancy.” Yet he and his boogle signed up to it. Winston opting out doesn't seem to have done his chances at the election any harm and for once I agree with him on his analysis of the FTA...Why they keep calling these Trade Agreements Free is incomprehensible. $35 odd Billion reeks of something other than Free to me. Mindless stupidity would be the first cab off the rank.

Shell's avatar

Who is paying the billions to India? The government or businesses? Surely neither look good for Luxflakes.

Cheryl McConnell's avatar

We need to be investing here not in India. That deal is sooooo bad.

Mac Stevenson's avatar

I thought it was not possible to view our PM as other than a fatuous, egotist and quite useless at the job but he eclipsed things yesterday. Never have I seen a PM of Aotearoa demonstrate such a fawning, wannabe approach to a foreign leader in my lifetime. Good grief the dolt was almost dribbling with excitement at hand holding and back patting. I'm sure Modi was impressed with the servility and quite satisfied with the outcomes of the FTA.

Diana Coleman's avatar

I can’t watch Luxon, he’s so obsequious he makes my skin crawl.

Vicky Fletcher's avatar

I felt the same watching Luxon last night Mac - I thought he's morphed into a human emetic!

Jeremy Coleman's avatar

“Aspirational”. What a wonderful way of hoping everything will turn out well. I’m pretty sure National, pre election had a bucket full of aspirations for AotearoaNZ, none of which seem to have been achieved…….

Roads of national significance.Nope

Healthcare, (including improved hospitals, more medical staff, shorter wait times for patients, etc etc). Nope

Fiscal responsibility(!?😂😂😂😂 )

Lower crime rates. Nope.

This word also has the potential for many aspects of the deal to have a lot lost in translation. Where Luxon reads “ commitment to promote”, Modi reads “promise”.

As Brian has stated, Chris Hipkins and Co signed up for a more open relationship with India, but with a more pragmatic approach. Before the ink finally dries on the agreements, it must be made clear to all involved exactly what each phrase means and how it will be interpreted. I can live with that, Chris H isn’t a fool, Chris L may yet be found one, again.

“Feasible”. That sounds like another buzzword for Simeon when he hasn’t got a clue what the question was. It’s up there with his usual replies, “there’s a range of options”, and “I’m looking into it”. He’ll be delighted he’s got another big word to play with😀

My feelings about Modi’s pit stop visit to our shores are apparent in the letter I sent to the Herald yesterday. Below

I wonder if, had this not been an election year, would our PM have invited Narendra Modi to a “meeting”, ostensibly about the FTA signed with India,(which, as is well documented, doesn’t actually attract all the benefits for NZ we are led to believe). This alleged meeting looked to me, and no doubt many others, a pre election pep talk to National’s greatest fan base. Nothing more or less. In one day, out the next. I also wonder how many taxpayer dollars went into this campaign.

Patricia Kay's avatar

After reading this depressing but very true article there's very little else to say except get everyone we know to enroll and vote them out before everything good about Aotearoa NZ disappears down the rabbit hole.

Judi's avatar

A frequently asked question "Can he go lower" was truly answered. Not only getting in one last photo op waving Modi goodbye, he gave him a framed photo of them together. The absolute embarrassment of it.

Melanie99's avatar

Loved the phrase "akin to applying leeches to the sick." It's spot on!

wenz99's avatar

I work with an Indian social worker and he explained how big the dairy industry is in India. He said if the PM decided to import NZ diary products there would be riot in India ! Obviously luxon hasn't done his homework on the dairy industry in India.

wikitoria's avatar

Well I suppose with Modis visit, it will secure an extra lot of votes. Good timing for the Natz? Perhaps?

Meanwhile, on the ground level, korero taking place...

Mike's avatar

Honest most of that crowd already vote National as far as I can tell

McKinleyRd Creatives's avatar

my wonder too Wikitoria..............I may be wrong but many Indians, hard working get ahead types, seem to support the coalition, tho maybe not so much NZ Last.

wikitoria's avatar

Perhaps not voting for NZ1ST is a good thing. Mr Jones running the mouth Tsunami butter chicken might not have helped. My not so nice side will be saying. Good job Mr Jones!

McKinleyRd Creatives's avatar

my not so nice side says that too…..and more. LOL

Phil Malpas's avatar

Here's a thought - The sole purpose of Government in any form is to manage and share resources such that the people within a boundary are supported with an equal demand-supply interaction. Economics is a social study of how that interaction translates to well-being of a population. We employ a government, they work for us, we pay all their costs and wages, they are employees. Somehow they seem to have a concept that we work for them? But, we - 5 million of us - outnumber them, and all of 'we' should take action to teach them that lesson.

Withhold all our services for a nominated half day, do nothing, no shopping, not train or bus driving, no work anywhere, close the country for a half day. If 'we' are not recognised to have control, repeat - until 'we' are recognised!

McKinleyRd Creatives's avatar

And many of us older koots know the song, and the track record of this government. Many of us were never fooled in the 1st place.