Local Bodies

New Zealand voters are being presented with a real scandal.  It isn't that a Labour Party in house, media training event was leaked and the Minister of Finance was jokingly and insensitively described as a "duck-faced horse"; It isn't that Chlöe Swarbrick was kicked out of the House for suggesting that government MPs should "grow a spine" and should vote for a bill sanctioning Israel for war crimes; and it certainly isn't with regards to what Chris Hipkins' ex-wife shared about her ex-husband...this is much, much bigger than that!  This scandal implicates the Prime Minister's Office in a deliberate coverup involving Fonterra (New Zealand's largest corporate), Z Energy (the country's largest fuel Company) and the coalition government cabinet. It involves the Supreme and High Courts of New Zealand, the Ombudsman, environmental lawyers and Mike Smith (the climate change spokesperson for the National Iwi Chairs). Considering those connected t...

David Seymour fronts Act, New Zealand's libertarian party that also embraces elements of populism. Libertarians believe that Governments should be small, property rights supplant human rights and market forces are all we need to ensure a thriving economy. Taxation should be limited and people should be able spend their money where they choose for their health care, education and core services. Public services are an anathema to them, especially public broadcasting. Despite advocating for free speech, Seymour can be quite a snowflake when criticisms are directed at him or his party's policies. He is also well known for making sweeping generalisations and promoting disinformation to support his case. My personal interactions with him have confirmed his blind support of corporate thinking and his flippant dismissal of anything outside his narrow ideology. I challenged him about his disastrous school lunch programme being delivered by an overseas corporate. His initiative destroye...