25 Comments

I’m beginning to think that most people don’t give a rat’s arse about anything this corrupt government does and it won’t worry them if some giant corporation gets it’s sticky fingers on our land or our water as long as they get their minuscule tax savings! I hope I’m wrong though

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I think that most Kiwis have little interest in news other than a superficial glance/listen/watch of mainstream stuff. As far as I can work out, most listen to commercial music based radio or commercial talkback. They don't dig deep as they're more focused on struggling through life day by day. So, they aren't paying attention and think it's all a bit boring and, many don't understand/can't be bothered with the corporate speak that is often mistaken for communication!

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You’re not wrong

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I too am so angry about this government’s lack of responsibility or leadership relating to our waters. The majority of Councils in this country are small and will struggle to manage their waters management and will have to employ more specialist staff - independently - paid for by their ratepayers, as well as paying for the capital costs of infrastructure. We ratepayers will all be hit by rates rises because Councils will have to do that. We will have less spending power so the economy will slow even further and Central Government will be surprised and will flail around looking for who to blame. Not them of course.

The 3Waters model by the previous Government was the clearest and fairest model but it was scuppered by a few selfish small councils- and a lobby group that didn’t want a partnership with Māori. Grrrrrrr.

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The Bank of NZ Public. Isn't this 101 Conservative policy? Underfund public entities and assets, run them into the ground while you loudly proclaim tax is tantamount to theft, and then flog them off to business orks who will "do a much better job" and charge us for the privilege to make profits? I call that extortion, and that's just what this coalition are going about setting up. So f#%king predictable

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Yep they tried to do that with ACC a couple of times now...... major kick back though from the Private heath industry ie GP/specialists. They'll probably have another go at it at some point.

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Yep happened under Roger Douglas when he sold off our assets cheaply to his mates, then Key did the same so it's always rinse and repeat with this dishonest lot. Neither the MSM or the general public seem to give a stuff though and only those of us in this and similar fora are taking any account of what is happening in front of us.

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I feel so sad that any "good" vision for the future is obscured by dollar signs.

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When will our statefunded media RNZ & TV 1 inform the nation on these risks to NZ's way of life and access to water?

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I think the words 'state funded' may be the problem....😕

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Good comments there Nick,

Luxton is a CEO, highest priority is dividends to shareholders, somewhere down the list is providing the service! He has already talked about private investment for roading. Three Waters is a basic necessity not a service as such. Heaven help us all if private investors get their hooks into that, I'm sure China has already looked.( see Otakeri Springs EBOP) It seems that the most public objections to the Three Waters bill came from the usual bunch of red necks who objected automatically because the bill was proposed by a Maori Woman. The same lot that objected to Maori Wards on Councils. This Government, all three parties, are selling NZ out so must be put out of office.

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Totally agree, the moko on Nanaia's chin was enough to set the red necks off.

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70% of English water is in the hands of private companies.

Very sad.

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Good one Nick. IMO the issue is not who has scan cards to Parliament. I think this is a diversion from how "lobbyists" work. A scan card means you can get through parliament security without having yourself checked. Not much else. You may get a run at the Copperfields Restaurant or a free pass to the gallery in Parliament or Select Committees or something held in the Grand Hall. It won't give you access to the Beehive or Ministers, unless you have an appointment. That's where Ministerial diaries matter. There is much more the complex relationship outside of Parliament, who gives money, who are the dark forces etc, who they meet with outside of Parliament. We are starting to see a bit of this with the exposure of the Atlas Network. But at its most basic level, people could just go across the road to the pub and no-one would know.

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Agree with you absolutely Nick. Privatising water has been part of the plan all along (although, in his defence, Luxon may not have been told). Wonder how many of these experts got a season pass from Gerry yesterday?

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Luxon made his view of us clear. Bottom Feeders. Top Feeders "create wealth", bottom feeders need to lose their "expectations " built up by Labour.

Water is an essential, and it will be extremely costly. It is costing our son in QLD who pays A$150 per fortnight, for 3 people, and they buy in their drinking water!!!

Yes I always believed the attack on Maori was to distract from changes planned for Te Tiriti and the Te Mana O te Wai.(The relationship of people land and water and protecting the health of water.) I agree Nick, but PM Luxon is neck deep in this. Act is his shoe horn.

The relationship between the Budget advisors and being given a seat on the Board Wow Wow!!

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It just gets worse - unbelievable.

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And the fire sale begins. Those who voted this lot in have sold all our souls to the highest bidders. You idiots 🤬

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https://weownit.org.uk/public-ownership/water

Maybe we should look and learn from what has happened in Britain over selling off water provision. It's getting to be a nightmare for many areas in England.

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Love The Streets. A Grand Don’t Come for Free was genius.

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Most people say Pirate Material, but I really like A Grand Don't Come For Free too. Love the way it tells a single story from the start of the album to the end.

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OMG! A truism is often that the most obvious is right under our noses. Privatisation is the right-wing duty to their donors.

Of course they will try and sell water off. After all, who are the largest owners of privatised public assets, BlackRock have a look at wiki for information. And who has our CEO, sorry PM, turned to already? You guessed it, BlackRock.

Hold tight, it’s only just begun……

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Yep.

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The reason this government got in is because so many voters in this country (mostly land-owning older pakehas and new well-off immigrants from overseas who saw a last chance in NZ to climb "the property ladder", eh) aspire to be get-rich-without-risk (rather than play the dicey share market gambling game) property owners, who can and will pass all the costs incurred by the Luxon Government's "relentless pursuit" of privatization...which is supposedly financed by corporations (which will meanwhile be riding on the back of working class ratepayer's and taxpayer's financial subsidization by passing the costs downward to councils). After all, after that inevitable rate rises and the cost of the new water utilities services can be simply passed downwards to the people still trying to pay their rent every week. Yeah, user pays baby, and all the money ends up in the bank accounts of the biggest and most unscrupulous fat-cats, you know, people like John Key. Meanwhile all these aspiring would-be lesser fat-cats are also trying to become a new/old kind of landed gentry, without even paying a reasonable capital gains tax! Consequently this beautiful little country is going to end up being as full of the homeless, the desperate but apathetic and dumb Destiny Church-type Trumpian evangelists, and nut-job anti-Vaxxers, as the good old US of A!!! People sometimes get the governments they deserve, yes?

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I figure that Gaza is about the control of a river… water… our new gold rush.

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