Sep 2009
Coastguards prepare for their busy season.
25/09/09 18:01 Filed in: News Releases
“On an average day the Coastguard around New Zealand make ten rescues. That’s more than 3500 incidents a year, and over 5000 people a year who might not be with us today if it wasn’t for these volunteers,” says Progressive leader and MP for Wigram, Jim Anderton.
“These are just ordinary people with families and jobs, doing extraordinary things every day. And they do it for nothing. That kind of service is humbling.”
Jim Anderton was giving the key note speech at the annual Conference of the New Zealand Coastguard Association in Christchurch. He and his wife Carol are the official Patrons for the Canterbury Coastguard.
“It's easy for people to take this service for granted. But what would we do if we didn't have people around who give so much to helping out others?
“There are still New Zealand boaties out there who think they are indestructible; they don’t wear life jackets or carry rescue beacons. I know that many Coastguard volunteers would like to see more funding to spend on education, and there is a strong demand in the community for Coastguard boating education.
“That’s why I was very pleased last year to advocate in Cabinet with colleagues like Annette King, that a levy from petrol and diesel should be used to fund the work of the Coastguard service.
“They need all the funding they can get, and it doesn’t make sense for boaties filling their boats with fuel to pay a road tax.”
The Land Transport Management Act now allows for some of the fuel excise paid by boaties to be used to fund specified safety activities, most notably search and rescue.
“There are more than 2,500 of you across New Zealand. You are dedicated active volunteers who give over 300,000 hours of your time for free every year, and you are all heroes,” Jim Anderton said.
“Your service is an inspiration. New Zealanders owe you a debt of gratitude, and I wish you a successful and safe summer,” says Jim Anderton.
“These are just ordinary people with families and jobs, doing extraordinary things every day. And they do it for nothing. That kind of service is humbling.”
Jim Anderton was giving the key note speech at the annual Conference of the New Zealand Coastguard Association in Christchurch. He and his wife Carol are the official Patrons for the Canterbury Coastguard.
“It's easy for people to take this service for granted. But what would we do if we didn't have people around who give so much to helping out others?
“There are still New Zealand boaties out there who think they are indestructible; they don’t wear life jackets or carry rescue beacons. I know that many Coastguard volunteers would like to see more funding to spend on education, and there is a strong demand in the community for Coastguard boating education.
“That’s why I was very pleased last year to advocate in Cabinet with colleagues like Annette King, that a levy from petrol and diesel should be used to fund the work of the Coastguard service.
“They need all the funding they can get, and it doesn’t make sense for boaties filling their boats with fuel to pay a road tax.”
The Land Transport Management Act now allows for some of the fuel excise paid by boaties to be used to fund specified safety activities, most notably search and rescue.
“There are more than 2,500 of you across New Zealand. You are dedicated active volunteers who give over 300,000 hours of your time for free every year, and you are all heroes,” Jim Anderton said.
“Your service is an inspiration. New Zealanders owe you a debt of gratitude, and I wish you a successful and safe summer,” says Jim Anderton.
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Coastguard conference 2009
25/09/09 18:00 Filed in: Speeches
Opening speech to the Royal New Zealand Coastguard Annual Conference 2009
As patrons of Canterbury Coastguard, Carole and I have much pleasure in being here for the annual conference of the NZ Coastguard.
I’ve been the Patron for the Canterbury Coastguard for a number of years. Each time I meet with you I’m struck again by your dedication and personal commitment to serve your fellow New Zealanders.
It’s people like you who keep voluntary organisations alive and running. This is not unimportant as your organisation also happens to save lives.
I’m sure you look at the way parliament is portrayed in the media and wonder if all politicians are driven by a similar desire to serve. I am reminded, in this regard, of a story I heard recently.
A priest was being honoured by the local coastguard at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. The local MP who was also a member of his parish had been chosen to make the presentation and give a speech at the dinner.
The politician was delayed, so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited. He said: "I got my first impression of this town from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen money from some old, retired pensioners and when questioned by the police, he was able to lie his way out of it. He had also stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his former employer, and had an affair with his former boss's wife. I was appalled,” said the priest.
“But as the days went on I came to learn that most of the people were not like that at all and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people, with a dedicated Coastguard service of the highest quality.”
Just as the priest finished his talk, the MP arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation by starting his speech.
"I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived," said the politician. "In fact, I had the honour of being the first person to go to him for confession.....”
It’s inspiring to read about some of your members who won the Coastguard National Awards in 2008, and to see some of the 2009 nominees here tonight.
It's easy for us to take your service for granted. But what would we do if we didn't have people around who give so much to helping others?
I’d like to pay tribute to the 2008 Award winners: Richard Packham from Rotorua; Chris Henshaw from Mana; and Rosie Musters from Nelson, and to the 2009 nominees.
All of you here are heroes. There are more than 2,500 members of the Coastguard across New Zealand. You are dedicated active volunteers who freely give over 300,000 hours of your time every year. You are ordinary people like the rest of us, holding down jobs and bringing up your families, but in your spare time, you do extraordinary things.
Rescuing people and keeping us safe in and on the water is not easy. I know you work long and irregular hours, you witness traumatic events, and each time you go out you put your own safety at risk to go to the aid often, of a total stranger.
These risks were brought home to me in March this year, when five crew members from the Coastguard vessel Tutukaka were injured when their rescue vessel struck rocks in bad weather.
You risk your lives all the time.
That’s why I was very pleased last year to advocate in Cabinet with colleagues like Annette King, that a levy from petrol and diesel used by recreational boaties should help fund the work of the Coastguard.
You need all the funding you can get, and it doesn’t make sense for boaties filling their boats with fuel to pay a road tax.
The hours that you spend helping to raise money; the effort that goes in to getting a boat like the new rescue vessel in Gisborne; the care and attention you have to give to administration; your commitment to having two people in your operations room 24 hours a day ... it all adds up.
I know that some of your members would like to see more funding to invest on community education. There is an urgent need for boating education to be given to the New Zealand community by the coastguard service.
People still go out in boats without life jackets, without rescue beacons, and in greater numbers than their boats or dinghys can handle safely.
As we head into summer, I’m sure you are gearing yourselves up for a busy time. Because for all your efforts to educate the public, in schools and at fishing tournaments, and throughout the community, people will still go out onto the water and get into trouble.
The tragic death of a child on Lake Taupo recently ignited a heated debate on whether we need licenses for boaties, just like we have licenses for car drivers. Certainly, we must keep the pressure up for boating education.
While the skill of our top yachties is world class, there is also a need for the fundamental skills of seamanship and boathandling to be spread more widely in the boating community.
There is still a large number of people who think nothing bad could ever happen to them.
New Zealanders love and treasure our oceans, lakes and rivers environment but we also need first class marine skills if we are to get the most out of our boating activities and be safe at the same time.
I was impressed to see how innovative you have been this year to raise awareness about safety: you used Trade Me to auction off rides across the Whanganui River bar on your super boat, Earthrace! I understand you had over 29,000 hits on TradeMe, and raised about $10,000.
Without you all we wouldn't have a Coastguard. And without the Coastguard, marine recreation and our Kiwi lifestyle on the water would be very different.
We're blessed with the marvellous coastline and waterways that we have in New Zealand.
We think of ourselves as a small country, because our population is small. But our coastline is enormous by global standards. And most of our coastline is readily accessible for pleasure craft as well as for commercial users.
It makes for a fantastic lifestyle. But it also inevitably makes for mishaps and accidents.
A lot of them are minor - people run out of fuel, get stranded or run across a minor problem. And the coastguard is there as a safety service to help them out.
Sometimes though, the mishaps are catastrophic. And then the help the Coastguard is able to provide is critical. It literally makes the difference between life and death, between recovery and tragedy.
On an average day the Coastguard around New Zealand makes ten rescues. That’s over 3500 incidents every year. And it’s potentially over 5600 people who may not be with us today if it wasn’t for you.
It's well known that one of the great privileges of living in Canterbury is that our weather conditions can be rugged at times. And whenever we hear of boats losing their way or needing help in those conditions, we also hear of brave coastguard efforts to help them.
For shift after shift, rescue teams from the Coastguard are going out into arduous cold and rough conditions hoping to make a rescue, knowing that when they come home, families will be waiting, desperate for good news.
That's what you're signing up to when you join the NZ Coastguard service and it is a heavy responsibility.
The New Zealand Coastguard Service helps to save lives and it's no wonder, therefore, that there is a special pride and sense of achievement in Coastguard volunteers as a result.
For all the work you do as volunteers in making our water safer, I want to express gratitude on behalf of the whole New Zealand community. It's a privilege to be here and for both Carole and I to be patrons of your local organisation. Carole and I congratulate you on your work over the last year and we congratulate and commend the people receiving recognition today and in the years gone by.
We wish you all the very best for the coming year.
As patrons of Canterbury Coastguard, Carole and I have much pleasure in being here for the annual conference of the NZ Coastguard.
I’ve been the Patron for the Canterbury Coastguard for a number of years. Each time I meet with you I’m struck again by your dedication and personal commitment to serve your fellow New Zealanders.
It’s people like you who keep voluntary organisations alive and running. This is not unimportant as your organisation also happens to save lives.
I’m sure you look at the way parliament is portrayed in the media and wonder if all politicians are driven by a similar desire to serve. I am reminded, in this regard, of a story I heard recently.
A priest was being honoured by the local coastguard at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. The local MP who was also a member of his parish had been chosen to make the presentation and give a speech at the dinner.
The politician was delayed, so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited. He said: "I got my first impression of this town from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen money from some old, retired pensioners and when questioned by the police, he was able to lie his way out of it. He had also stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his former employer, and had an affair with his former boss's wife. I was appalled,” said the priest.
“But as the days went on I came to learn that most of the people were not like that at all and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people, with a dedicated Coastguard service of the highest quality.”
Just as the priest finished his talk, the MP arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation by starting his speech.
"I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived," said the politician. "In fact, I had the honour of being the first person to go to him for confession.....”
It’s inspiring to read about some of your members who won the Coastguard National Awards in 2008, and to see some of the 2009 nominees here tonight.
It's easy for us to take your service for granted. But what would we do if we didn't have people around who give so much to helping others?
I’d like to pay tribute to the 2008 Award winners: Richard Packham from Rotorua; Chris Henshaw from Mana; and Rosie Musters from Nelson, and to the 2009 nominees.
All of you here are heroes. There are more than 2,500 members of the Coastguard across New Zealand. You are dedicated active volunteers who freely give over 300,000 hours of your time every year. You are ordinary people like the rest of us, holding down jobs and bringing up your families, but in your spare time, you do extraordinary things.
Rescuing people and keeping us safe in and on the water is not easy. I know you work long and irregular hours, you witness traumatic events, and each time you go out you put your own safety at risk to go to the aid often, of a total stranger.
These risks were brought home to me in March this year, when five crew members from the Coastguard vessel Tutukaka were injured when their rescue vessel struck rocks in bad weather.
You risk your lives all the time.
That’s why I was very pleased last year to advocate in Cabinet with colleagues like Annette King, that a levy from petrol and diesel used by recreational boaties should help fund the work of the Coastguard.
You need all the funding you can get, and it doesn’t make sense for boaties filling their boats with fuel to pay a road tax.
The hours that you spend helping to raise money; the effort that goes in to getting a boat like the new rescue vessel in Gisborne; the care and attention you have to give to administration; your commitment to having two people in your operations room 24 hours a day ... it all adds up.
I know that some of your members would like to see more funding to invest on community education. There is an urgent need for boating education to be given to the New Zealand community by the coastguard service.
People still go out in boats without life jackets, without rescue beacons, and in greater numbers than their boats or dinghys can handle safely.
As we head into summer, I’m sure you are gearing yourselves up for a busy time. Because for all your efforts to educate the public, in schools and at fishing tournaments, and throughout the community, people will still go out onto the water and get into trouble.
The tragic death of a child on Lake Taupo recently ignited a heated debate on whether we need licenses for boaties, just like we have licenses for car drivers. Certainly, we must keep the pressure up for boating education.
While the skill of our top yachties is world class, there is also a need for the fundamental skills of seamanship and boathandling to be spread more widely in the boating community.
There is still a large number of people who think nothing bad could ever happen to them.
New Zealanders love and treasure our oceans, lakes and rivers environment but we also need first class marine skills if we are to get the most out of our boating activities and be safe at the same time.
I was impressed to see how innovative you have been this year to raise awareness about safety: you used Trade Me to auction off rides across the Whanganui River bar on your super boat, Earthrace! I understand you had over 29,000 hits on TradeMe, and raised about $10,000.
Without you all we wouldn't have a Coastguard. And without the Coastguard, marine recreation and our Kiwi lifestyle on the water would be very different.
We're blessed with the marvellous coastline and waterways that we have in New Zealand.
We think of ourselves as a small country, because our population is small. But our coastline is enormous by global standards. And most of our coastline is readily accessible for pleasure craft as well as for commercial users.
It makes for a fantastic lifestyle. But it also inevitably makes for mishaps and accidents.
A lot of them are minor - people run out of fuel, get stranded or run across a minor problem. And the coastguard is there as a safety service to help them out.
Sometimes though, the mishaps are catastrophic. And then the help the Coastguard is able to provide is critical. It literally makes the difference between life and death, between recovery and tragedy.
On an average day the Coastguard around New Zealand makes ten rescues. That’s over 3500 incidents every year. And it’s potentially over 5600 people who may not be with us today if it wasn’t for you.
It's well known that one of the great privileges of living in Canterbury is that our weather conditions can be rugged at times. And whenever we hear of boats losing their way or needing help in those conditions, we also hear of brave coastguard efforts to help them.
For shift after shift, rescue teams from the Coastguard are going out into arduous cold and rough conditions hoping to make a rescue, knowing that when they come home, families will be waiting, desperate for good news.
That's what you're signing up to when you join the NZ Coastguard service and it is a heavy responsibility.
The New Zealand Coastguard Service helps to save lives and it's no wonder, therefore, that there is a special pride and sense of achievement in Coastguard volunteers as a result.
For all the work you do as volunteers in making our water safer, I want to express gratitude on behalf of the whole New Zealand community. It's a privilege to be here and for both Carole and I to be patrons of your local organisation. Carole and I congratulate you on your work over the last year and we congratulate and commend the people receiving recognition today and in the years gone by.
We wish you all the very best for the coming year.
Mourning the loss of a passionate New Zealander
24/09/09 14:20 Filed in: News Releases
“Howard Morrison was more than a world-class and unique entertainer; he was a fierce advocate for a fair go for all New Zealanders,” says Progressive leader Jim Anderton.
“It is not widely known that Sir Howard was passionately committed to the economic development of New Zealand – and in particular for Maori economic development and an equal place for Maori in New Zealand society.
“He never sought political glory, even though he was driven by strong convictions and beliefs all his life.
“His political and community work often went unnoticed. He put together formidable kapa haka groups of young people which reflected his absolute genius and understanding of the performing arts. He instilled in the young people he mentored a sense of self-worth and self disciple. He was a fierce opponent of drug and alcohol misuse.
“He worked with me on campaigns to turn young people away from drugs and alcohol and he stood beside us when we formed the Progressive Party. His kapa haka group, Te Wero, performed at the inaugural conference of the Progressives in 2003, and they were a wonderful testament to him.
Sir Howard approached me at a difficult time to lend his support and was not concerned that this could make him unpopular with certain people. I have always admired him greatly.
“He was passionate about making New Zealand a better place.
“Many New Zealanders have lost a good friend. We shared a belief in the talents of people in the regions of New Zealand, and a determination to support all New Zealanders, no matter where they come from, to realise their dreams and to aspire to be the best that they can.
“He kept a low-profile politically. But he was driven to do things for people, and because of his status as one of our most loved entertainers, his legacy will live on.
“He will be much missed by us all,” says Jim Anderton.
“It is not widely known that Sir Howard was passionately committed to the economic development of New Zealand – and in particular for Maori economic development and an equal place for Maori in New Zealand society.
“He never sought political glory, even though he was driven by strong convictions and beliefs all his life.
“His political and community work often went unnoticed. He put together formidable kapa haka groups of young people which reflected his absolute genius and understanding of the performing arts. He instilled in the young people he mentored a sense of self-worth and self disciple. He was a fierce opponent of drug and alcohol misuse.
“He worked with me on campaigns to turn young people away from drugs and alcohol and he stood beside us when we formed the Progressive Party. His kapa haka group, Te Wero, performed at the inaugural conference of the Progressives in 2003, and they were a wonderful testament to him.
Sir Howard approached me at a difficult time to lend his support and was not concerned that this could make him unpopular with certain people. I have always admired him greatly.
“He was passionate about making New Zealand a better place.
“Many New Zealanders have lost a good friend. We shared a belief in the talents of people in the regions of New Zealand, and a determination to support all New Zealanders, no matter where they come from, to realise their dreams and to aspire to be the best that they can.
“He kept a low-profile politically. But he was driven to do things for people, and because of his status as one of our most loved entertainers, his legacy will live on.
“He will be much missed by us all,” says Jim Anderton.
Water issues in Canterbury
20/09/09 16:39 Filed in: Columns
Any farmer knows that water is one of their most valuable resources.
There is an alarming projection which shows that 3 billion people – half the world’s current population – could face a shortage of clean water by 2080 because of climate change. The amount of water needed by 2050 could be 50-90% higher than current use.
Farmers in Canterbury know about water shortage. In the seven years to 2006 there was a 49% increase in water allocated for irrigation in Canterbury. But the real issue for us in Canterbury is the storage of water. If we store it, we’ll have enough for everyone.
A great example of this is the Waimea dam in the Nelson region. I was there for the opening of this dam. It’s small enough not to offend anyone. It’s pleasantly tucked into the hill. But it services at least seventy farmers in the area. That’s seventy farms that won’t have to be sold because of drought and low productively.
The downstream effects on the communities around those farms are huge. Everyone benefits if these farms can keep producing. Jobs on farms are not lost. In fact more jobs are created. The increase in the local population means that schools stay open, banks and petrol stations continue to service the local area. And the environmentalists are happy because a small dam like this has positive effects on river flows. The natural environment is protected and the life of the river is sustained.
The alternative was a drought every five years which could mean farm closures and all the destruction and grief that closure causes families and communities.
Now the farmers serviced by the Waimea dam can expect a drought once in twenty years, which is survivable.
Most farmers can live with that.
What was most interesting was that the whole community supported the Waimea dam project. Because it was small, the environmental damage was virtually nil, so it was much easier to get different community groups on board with the project. Forest and Bird for example, and local institutions understood the importance of irrigation to farmers, and the difference storage of water could make. Keeping it small meant that they could support the project.
I believe this is a model for the whole of the Canterbury region.
Larger dam schemes are much harder to get buy-in from the community because the actual or perceived environmental effects are greater. Keep it small, and we have a chance to do something about water shortage.
I would rather see ten local dams built instead of one big one.
I’m pleased to see that our local mayors and chief executives are developing a Water Management Strategy that sets out a twenty year plan for water resources in Canterbury. I hope they look at the Waimea example and see the importance of storage. Sometimes the solutions are staring you in the face.
There is an alarming projection which shows that 3 billion people – half the world’s current population – could face a shortage of clean water by 2080 because of climate change. The amount of water needed by 2050 could be 50-90% higher than current use.
Farmers in Canterbury know about water shortage. In the seven years to 2006 there was a 49% increase in water allocated for irrigation in Canterbury. But the real issue for us in Canterbury is the storage of water. If we store it, we’ll have enough for everyone.
A great example of this is the Waimea dam in the Nelson region. I was there for the opening of this dam. It’s small enough not to offend anyone. It’s pleasantly tucked into the hill. But it services at least seventy farmers in the area. That’s seventy farms that won’t have to be sold because of drought and low productively.
The downstream effects on the communities around those farms are huge. Everyone benefits if these farms can keep producing. Jobs on farms are not lost. In fact more jobs are created. The increase in the local population means that schools stay open, banks and petrol stations continue to service the local area. And the environmentalists are happy because a small dam like this has positive effects on river flows. The natural environment is protected and the life of the river is sustained.
The alternative was a drought every five years which could mean farm closures and all the destruction and grief that closure causes families and communities.
Now the farmers serviced by the Waimea dam can expect a drought once in twenty years, which is survivable.
Most farmers can live with that.
What was most interesting was that the whole community supported the Waimea dam project. Because it was small, the environmental damage was virtually nil, so it was much easier to get different community groups on board with the project. Forest and Bird for example, and local institutions understood the importance of irrigation to farmers, and the difference storage of water could make. Keeping it small meant that they could support the project.
I believe this is a model for the whole of the Canterbury region.
Larger dam schemes are much harder to get buy-in from the community because the actual or perceived environmental effects are greater. Keep it small, and we have a chance to do something about water shortage.
I would rather see ten local dams built instead of one big one.
I’m pleased to see that our local mayors and chief executives are developing a Water Management Strategy that sets out a twenty year plan for water resources in Canterbury. I hope they look at the Waimea example and see the importance of storage. Sometimes the solutions are staring you in the face.
Fonterra capital restructuring
18/09/09 16:43 Filed in: News Releases
The Opposition will be listening very carefully to farmer comment about the proposals, agriculture spokesperson Jim Anderton says.
"New proposals for Fonterra's capital restructuring appear to provide more stability for Fonterra and avoid the trap of opening the back door to overseas ownership.
"It's difficult to balance the ambition of a global multinational with the benefits of a cooperative structure, and if farmers accept the latest proposal then it will be a good sign for the future of Fonterra and of our dairy company that the right balance has been reached.
"But the government should be careful not to bully farmers into the deal. Farmers know better than the government what is best for their own businesses. Government's role is to help where it can make a difference and step in when wider community interests are at stake. It shouldn't replace farmers' own judgments about the best capital structure for them, when farmers have legitimate interests to look out for."
"New proposals for Fonterra's capital restructuring appear to provide more stability for Fonterra and avoid the trap of opening the back door to overseas ownership.
"It's difficult to balance the ambition of a global multinational with the benefits of a cooperative structure, and if farmers accept the latest proposal then it will be a good sign for the future of Fonterra and of our dairy company that the right balance has been reached.
"But the government should be careful not to bully farmers into the deal. Farmers know better than the government what is best for their own businesses. Government's role is to help where it can make a difference and step in when wider community interests are at stake. It shouldn't replace farmers' own judgments about the best capital structure for them, when farmers have legitimate interests to look out for."
Waikato innovation park opened
16/09/09 15:52 Filed in: News Releases
Jim Anderton was in Hamilton today to mark the further development of a project begun by the last Labour-led government; the formal opening of the now Tetra Pak building at Waikato Innovation Park.
As Minister of Economic Development, Mr Anderton had championed the initial establishment of the Park.
“I believed strongly that establishing and developing the park would help New Zealand agri-technology businesses to grow and develop,” says Opposition spokesperson on agriculture and Progressive leader, Jim Anderton.
“This is how governments actively support innovation and New Zealand business.
“It’s very disappointing that under the new National government support for big and bold ideas like this is less likely to occur.
“Our tax credits for businesses who invest in Research and Development for example, have been removed. That means a tax increase of about $1 billion over three years for anyone wanting to support initiatives like the Tetra Pak building.”
The Tetra Pak building will house many innovative companies working in the agricultural sector, including the multinational food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak, New Zealand Industry Training Organisation, and many others. It will house approximately 180 staff, doubling the size of the workforce at the Waikato Innovation Park.
Securing big multinational tenants like Tetra Pak means that the Park is now housing businesses which come up with new ideas to improve value for money from on-farm to processing activities.
“Only six years ago this was just a paddock of grass. Now it’s set to become a major contributor to wealth-creation in New Zealand.
“We need more centers of innovation like this across New Zealand. You don’t grow the economy with cycle tracks and small ideas. You need big and bold ideas. I wish the Waikato Innovation Park the best of luck for the future,” says Jim Anderton.
As Minister of Economic Development, Mr Anderton had championed the initial establishment of the Park.
“I believed strongly that establishing and developing the park would help New Zealand agri-technology businesses to grow and develop,” says Opposition spokesperson on agriculture and Progressive leader, Jim Anderton.
“This is how governments actively support innovation and New Zealand business.
“It’s very disappointing that under the new National government support for big and bold ideas like this is less likely to occur.
“Our tax credits for businesses who invest in Research and Development for example, have been removed. That means a tax increase of about $1 billion over three years for anyone wanting to support initiatives like the Tetra Pak building.”
The Tetra Pak building will house many innovative companies working in the agricultural sector, including the multinational food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak, New Zealand Industry Training Organisation, and many others. It will house approximately 180 staff, doubling the size of the workforce at the Waikato Innovation Park.
Securing big multinational tenants like Tetra Pak means that the Park is now housing businesses which come up with new ideas to improve value for money from on-farm to processing activities.
“Only six years ago this was just a paddock of grass. Now it’s set to become a major contributor to wealth-creation in New Zealand.
“We need more centers of innovation like this across New Zealand. You don’t grow the economy with cycle tracks and small ideas. You need big and bold ideas. I wish the Waikato Innovation Park the best of luck for the future,” says Jim Anderton.
"Jim was the man..."
15/09/09 18:07
A gracious comment from Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove on the Labour MPs’ collective blog, about the opening of Sydenham police station.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked on Friday when [the Police Minister] opened the new Christchurch South police station, and failed to mention the immense debt this new building owes to the advocacy of Progressive MP Jim Anderton over a decade and a half. Instead, Collins trumpeted the new building as proof of National’s commitment to police and policing. National had nothing to do with this new station except as de facto purchasers of the ribbon Judith Collins cut.”
Here’s Jim’s statement on opening day.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked on Friday when [the Police Minister] opened the new Christchurch South police station, and failed to mention the immense debt this new building owes to the advocacy of Progressive MP Jim Anderton over a decade and a half. Instead, Collins trumpeted the new building as proof of National’s commitment to police and policing. National had nothing to do with this new station except as de facto purchasers of the ribbon Judith Collins cut.”
Here’s Jim’s statement on opening day.
Jim Anderton’s speech to the Labour Party Conference
11/09/09 19:30 Filed in: Speeches
Jim Anderton’s speech to the Labour Party Conference
7.30pm Friday 11th September 2009
ENERGY EVENTS CENTRE, GOVERNMENT GARDENS, ROTORUA
I would like to thank Phil Goff for his invitation to be here, for his warm introduction and for your kind welcome.
It’s been 21 years since I last spoke at a Labour Party conference. …Did anything happen while I was away?
In July, I wrote to the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party on behalf of the Progressive Party. I said the time had come to clear the way for our members to work together, in recognition of our common values; In recognition of the years we spent in government together; and in recognition that cooperation between us is in the best interests of the people we represent.
I’m pleased that the New Zealand Council responded with goodwill.
As a result, members of the Progressives can now also belong to the Labour Party – in other words, dual membership.
Anyone with a sense of our history will be moved by the determination and purpose with which we are pushing ahead.
We share a vision of New Zealand:
A fairer New Zealand.
A stronger New Zealand.
A New Zealand in which we work together for the benefit of all new Zealanders.
For jobs.
For better health care, better education.
And above all for the future; For a better future for New Zealanders young and old.
The Progressive party was formed by people determined to work with Labour in government.
Ten years ago I set out with Helen Clark to form a new government. We were faced with an urgent challenge:
Turning around New Zealand so that we were going in the right direction.
Creating jobs and strengthening regions.
Restoring public services.
And we did it:
We achieved the lowest level of unemployment in New Zealand’s modern history.
Gains for working New Zealanders, like paid parental leave and four weeks paid annual leave.
Fair collective bargaining and fair workplace laws.
This is what we can achieve by working together.
We lifted more children out of poverty than at any time since the Great Depression.
We restored income related rents for state houses. We brought down the cost of seeing a doctor and getting medicine.
This is what we achieved by working together.
We brought Air NZ back into public ownership.
We brought Kiwi Rail back into public ownership.
And we opened our own Kiwibank.
This is the kind of progress we will continue to make by working together.
They are gains I am proud of. And I particularly remember our coalition government’s decision to refuse to send troops to Iraq as a part of the unilateral action led by the USA and the UK.
It was the right decision and I can tell you that no-one was more supportive of that decision than Phil Goff as Minister of Foreign Affairs and that is just one of the reasons I strongly support his leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party.
But then last year New Zealanders looked at our government, and chose not to keep us there. There were many reasons contributing to our loss. But I am certain of the things they did not reject. I am certain they did not reject our values.
They rejected us because they believed we had moved onto other priorities.
They tired of controversies, mini-scandals and mistakes we should not have made.
Not because they rejected low unemployment; not because they no longer wanted government to deliver for ordinary families; not because they wanted a return to asset sales and cuts in public services.
They thought we were sidetracked from these priorities.
And they believed our opponents’ promises. Remember those?
National said they would put more money in your pocket. They called Michael Cullen “Scrooge” and blamed him for not spending surpluses. National said you didn’t have more money in your pocket because the Labour-Progressive government wouldn’t spend the surpluses.
They don’t mention that much now.
They got elected without a strategic plan to deal with the problems New Zealand faces.
And so the usual suspects are already gathering to demand a return to the failed policies of the past.
We’re already hearing the vultures who say, ‘all we need to do is sell our assets.’ But they are wrong. People are over it. Anyone who says our economic problems would be solved by selling Meridian energy or the Ports of Auckland is looking in the wrong place for the wrong solutions
The days are over when it could be credibly argued that radical restructuring would deliver jobs and raise incomes while herds of unicorns would guide us down golden pathways to the future.
When I was a young political organiser, I was stirred to action in part by the call to public service of President Kennedy, immortalised in the memorable line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Hope. Service. And common purpose in pursuit of a common good. These are our values.
If we want to do better, and provide a better future for our children and grandchildren than the legacy we have inherited from the 80s and 90s, then we need to rediscover our common purpose.
Politics is not about point-scoring, or who is up and who is down. It’s not about Phil Goff, John Key, or Jim Anderton. It is about people, and ideas and leadership dedicated to realising a better future. And when we remember that, we will win.
Because our ideas are better. Because our side of politics is never content with the way things are. Because we want the mother with four kids who comes into my office with a $400 power bill to have a warm home, a good income and an opportunity for her kids to get well paid, skilled jobs when they leave school.
Because we want the young family that comes to see me with unaffordable dental bills to have access to life long, high quality, affordable dental health care.
Because we want superannuitants who come to see me with soaring rents for their home to be able to enjoy their retirement in affordable, housing.
Because we want the business that is taking on staff and growing to have access to the science and global networks that will help to create jobs and generate income in and for New Zealand.
President Obama said last year, “we are at our best when we lead with principle; when we lead with conviction; when we summon an entire nation around a common purpose – a higher purpose.”
He swept away cynicism with a vision of higher purpose and common effort in pursuit of a better country. And this should be our guide.
We have to be the voice of and for people who want to do better. We have to be the movement that says we get ahead by working hard and putting something back.
If we want kids to have a future, we must put something back.
If we want our elderly to enjoy a secure retirement, we must put something back. If we want our streets free from crime, we must put something back into the community so it offers potential criminals a stake, and a place to which they belong.
It is not acceptable that many elderly New Zealanders as well as low income families can not afford to heat their homes in winter. Nor is it acceptable that less than 66 per cent of all New Zealanders can afford to own their own home and that percentage is falling rapidly, while many of those who don’t, will never be able to do so.
And I still find the fact that the mental health system is the Cinderella of the physical health system something to be ashamed of as a New Zealander while more of us commit suicide than the numbers killed on our roads each year.
We need to do better at making our side of politics a thriving part of the regions of New Zealand. The Labour-progressive government did more for regional New Zealand than any government in recent memory – and, it has to be said, for less political reward.
But we need to listen to the regions – and even more we need to be part of those local communities. We need to be fearsomely well organised in regional New Zealand.
When I first joined the Labour Party in the nineteen sixties, its organisation was appalling.
Branches couldn’t talk to each other except by going through head office, for permission to do so. Our electorate organization, branch membership and election systems were so bad they were an embarrassment.
So much so that between 1949 and 1984, a period of 35 years, National was in government for 29 and Labour for just 6 years. In 1981 and 1984 we rolled right over the top of National’s much vaunted election machine.
If you have poor organisation it’s very hard to win elections. If you have great organisation, it’s funny how you start winning. It can seem lonely out there when there aren’t many members.
But even last year, as Labour lost both urban and non-urban based seats all over New Zealand, there were still hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who didn’t vote for this government.
They are the potential membership base from which Labour must build outwards. Not holding a seat today is not an obstacle to winning it next time. But not having a strong, local, regional and national organisation, is.
You won’t win without strong organization. It’s not enough on its own but it is a necessary ingredient.
Block systems in every winnable seat.
Door knocking in every winnable seat.
Hoardings in greater numbers than our opponents.
More energy, more visibility, more connections.
More members – In 1981 – 1984 Labour had over 100,000 registered members and supporters. This gave us not only an army for our election machine but enthusiasm, high morale and momentum which in the end overwhelmed our political opponents.
Can we do it again? As President Obama said often – “Yes, we can!”
Without organization and membership, you won’t raise the money that it will take to change the government.
When I produced a booklet recommending democratic institutional change in the 1960’s, head office banned and recalled it for a book burning – it’s true!
But I’ve learnt since then a thing or two about electorate organisation. Your National opponents have 9 seats with a majority of less than 2000 votes where a two-party swing of less than 3% to Labour would win all of them.
If you include Wigram on your side you only need one more seat to hold more electorate seats than National. What I am saying to you is that you can win the next election.
To win the party vote you need a two party swing of 5.84% which would give you an additional 277,573 party votes. This is a hard call but averaged out per electorate it means 3965 extra party votes in each.
Can you do it? Yes you can!
If you think you are in a tough situation try coming back from a coup against your leader in the middle of an election campaign!
We had an election system in Wigram that could tell us household by household how well we were doing.
My campaign organiser said to me before the election in 1990 as the NewLabour candidate for Sydenham that we would win by 4012 votes. No such victory had ever been achieved in the whole of New Zealand’s political history.
We won by 4009. Jeanette Lawrence was that organiser – and still is.
And in the first week after the election we were working on getting back the three votes we had failed to get. And nothing has changed in the organisation of my electorate over 25 years.
Winning elections comes from defining the positive difference we want to make for ordinary New Zealanders.
It comes from listening to New Zealanders, in regions and towns and from winning the trust and confidence of people we seek to represent. Winning comes from powerful, detailed organisation, at the level of every town and suburb, every street, every letterbox, every doorstep, every telephone, every mobile phone. It comes from Internet connections, and personal connections, and relentlessly returning to them again and again.
I pledge the Progressive Party to help in this endeavour.
We have already contributed a state of the art, modern election organization manual to almost all MPs and it is available to all candidates and campaign managers. Every one of the ideas it contains has been implemented in my electorate. I don’t expect this one to be burnt!
To achieve this result over the next two and a half years will require clear strategic goals, high quality campaign planning, tight discipline and superior organizational ability and capability. The gap cannot be closed in three to four months in election year. It is not rocket science. Everything in this election manual is already being done in several Labour electorates.
But the book is a compilation of the processes and techniques required to win in every electorate. This is a best practice guide to organizing in an electorate. It tells you what you can do, how to do it, and in what order.
In Wigram, we do everything in it. And we win!
The Progressive Party is contributing people to help.
A lot of our members went to Mt Albert this year to help Labour win that seat. And our members will be out on the streets again in 2011 helping to re-elect a Labour-led government.
It’s up to us all to inspire New Zealand with our common vision:
That everyone has a place.
That everyone has a chance to succeed.
That every single person has a unique contribution to make.
That when we choose to invest in our future, and in jobs, then New Zealand can again join the first rank of nations.
And then not just the chief executive but also the caretaker, the secretary and tradesmen and women will have a place in the winners’ circle.
That is the New Zealand we all know and love. That is the New Zealand we must commit ourselves to help re-build in just 2 years time.
7.30pm Friday 11th September 2009
ENERGY EVENTS CENTRE, GOVERNMENT GARDENS, ROTORUA
I would like to thank Phil Goff for his invitation to be here, for his warm introduction and for your kind welcome.
It’s been 21 years since I last spoke at a Labour Party conference. …Did anything happen while I was away?
In July, I wrote to the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party on behalf of the Progressive Party. I said the time had come to clear the way for our members to work together, in recognition of our common values; In recognition of the years we spent in government together; and in recognition that cooperation between us is in the best interests of the people we represent.
I’m pleased that the New Zealand Council responded with goodwill.
As a result, members of the Progressives can now also belong to the Labour Party – in other words, dual membership.
Anyone with a sense of our history will be moved by the determination and purpose with which we are pushing ahead.
We share a vision of New Zealand:
A fairer New Zealand.
A stronger New Zealand.
A New Zealand in which we work together for the benefit of all new Zealanders.
For jobs.
For better health care, better education.
And above all for the future; For a better future for New Zealanders young and old.
The Progressive party was formed by people determined to work with Labour in government.
Ten years ago I set out with Helen Clark to form a new government. We were faced with an urgent challenge:
Turning around New Zealand so that we were going in the right direction.
Creating jobs and strengthening regions.
Restoring public services.
And we did it:
We achieved the lowest level of unemployment in New Zealand’s modern history.
Gains for working New Zealanders, like paid parental leave and four weeks paid annual leave.
Fair collective bargaining and fair workplace laws.
This is what we can achieve by working together.
We lifted more children out of poverty than at any time since the Great Depression.
We restored income related rents for state houses. We brought down the cost of seeing a doctor and getting medicine.
This is what we achieved by working together.
We brought Air NZ back into public ownership.
We brought Kiwi Rail back into public ownership.
And we opened our own Kiwibank.
This is the kind of progress we will continue to make by working together.
They are gains I am proud of. And I particularly remember our coalition government’s decision to refuse to send troops to Iraq as a part of the unilateral action led by the USA and the UK.
It was the right decision and I can tell you that no-one was more supportive of that decision than Phil Goff as Minister of Foreign Affairs and that is just one of the reasons I strongly support his leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party.
But then last year New Zealanders looked at our government, and chose not to keep us there. There were many reasons contributing to our loss. But I am certain of the things they did not reject. I am certain they did not reject our values.
They rejected us because they believed we had moved onto other priorities.
They tired of controversies, mini-scandals and mistakes we should not have made.
Not because they rejected low unemployment; not because they no longer wanted government to deliver for ordinary families; not because they wanted a return to asset sales and cuts in public services.
They thought we were sidetracked from these priorities.
And they believed our opponents’ promises. Remember those?
National said they would put more money in your pocket. They called Michael Cullen “Scrooge” and blamed him for not spending surpluses. National said you didn’t have more money in your pocket because the Labour-Progressive government wouldn’t spend the surpluses.
They don’t mention that much now.
They got elected without a strategic plan to deal with the problems New Zealand faces.
And so the usual suspects are already gathering to demand a return to the failed policies of the past.
We’re already hearing the vultures who say, ‘all we need to do is sell our assets.’ But they are wrong. People are over it. Anyone who says our economic problems would be solved by selling Meridian energy or the Ports of Auckland is looking in the wrong place for the wrong solutions
The days are over when it could be credibly argued that radical restructuring would deliver jobs and raise incomes while herds of unicorns would guide us down golden pathways to the future.
When I was a young political organiser, I was stirred to action in part by the call to public service of President Kennedy, immortalised in the memorable line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Hope. Service. And common purpose in pursuit of a common good. These are our values.
If we want to do better, and provide a better future for our children and grandchildren than the legacy we have inherited from the 80s and 90s, then we need to rediscover our common purpose.
Politics is not about point-scoring, or who is up and who is down. It’s not about Phil Goff, John Key, or Jim Anderton. It is about people, and ideas and leadership dedicated to realising a better future. And when we remember that, we will win.
Because our ideas are better. Because our side of politics is never content with the way things are. Because we want the mother with four kids who comes into my office with a $400 power bill to have a warm home, a good income and an opportunity for her kids to get well paid, skilled jobs when they leave school.
Because we want the young family that comes to see me with unaffordable dental bills to have access to life long, high quality, affordable dental health care.
Because we want superannuitants who come to see me with soaring rents for their home to be able to enjoy their retirement in affordable, housing.
Because we want the business that is taking on staff and growing to have access to the science and global networks that will help to create jobs and generate income in and for New Zealand.
President Obama said last year, “we are at our best when we lead with principle; when we lead with conviction; when we summon an entire nation around a common purpose – a higher purpose.”
He swept away cynicism with a vision of higher purpose and common effort in pursuit of a better country. And this should be our guide.
We have to be the voice of and for people who want to do better. We have to be the movement that says we get ahead by working hard and putting something back.
If we want kids to have a future, we must put something back.
If we want our elderly to enjoy a secure retirement, we must put something back. If we want our streets free from crime, we must put something back into the community so it offers potential criminals a stake, and a place to which they belong.
It is not acceptable that many elderly New Zealanders as well as low income families can not afford to heat their homes in winter. Nor is it acceptable that less than 66 per cent of all New Zealanders can afford to own their own home and that percentage is falling rapidly, while many of those who don’t, will never be able to do so.
And I still find the fact that the mental health system is the Cinderella of the physical health system something to be ashamed of as a New Zealander while more of us commit suicide than the numbers killed on our roads each year.
We need to do better at making our side of politics a thriving part of the regions of New Zealand. The Labour-progressive government did more for regional New Zealand than any government in recent memory – and, it has to be said, for less political reward.
But we need to listen to the regions – and even more we need to be part of those local communities. We need to be fearsomely well organised in regional New Zealand.
When I first joined the Labour Party in the nineteen sixties, its organisation was appalling.
Branches couldn’t talk to each other except by going through head office, for permission to do so. Our electorate organization, branch membership and election systems were so bad they were an embarrassment.
So much so that between 1949 and 1984, a period of 35 years, National was in government for 29 and Labour for just 6 years. In 1981 and 1984 we rolled right over the top of National’s much vaunted election machine.
If you have poor organisation it’s very hard to win elections. If you have great organisation, it’s funny how you start winning. It can seem lonely out there when there aren’t many members.
But even last year, as Labour lost both urban and non-urban based seats all over New Zealand, there were still hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who didn’t vote for this government.
They are the potential membership base from which Labour must build outwards. Not holding a seat today is not an obstacle to winning it next time. But not having a strong, local, regional and national organisation, is.
You won’t win without strong organization. It’s not enough on its own but it is a necessary ingredient.
Block systems in every winnable seat.
Door knocking in every winnable seat.
Hoardings in greater numbers than our opponents.
More energy, more visibility, more connections.
More members – In 1981 – 1984 Labour had over 100,000 registered members and supporters. This gave us not only an army for our election machine but enthusiasm, high morale and momentum which in the end overwhelmed our political opponents.
Can we do it again? As President Obama said often – “Yes, we can!”
Without organization and membership, you won’t raise the money that it will take to change the government.
When I produced a booklet recommending democratic institutional change in the 1960’s, head office banned and recalled it for a book burning – it’s true!
But I’ve learnt since then a thing or two about electorate organisation. Your National opponents have 9 seats with a majority of less than 2000 votes where a two-party swing of less than 3% to Labour would win all of them.
If you include Wigram on your side you only need one more seat to hold more electorate seats than National. What I am saying to you is that you can win the next election.
To win the party vote you need a two party swing of 5.84% which would give you an additional 277,573 party votes. This is a hard call but averaged out per electorate it means 3965 extra party votes in each.
Can you do it? Yes you can!
If you think you are in a tough situation try coming back from a coup against your leader in the middle of an election campaign!
We had an election system in Wigram that could tell us household by household how well we were doing.
My campaign organiser said to me before the election in 1990 as the NewLabour candidate for Sydenham that we would win by 4012 votes. No such victory had ever been achieved in the whole of New Zealand’s political history.
We won by 4009. Jeanette Lawrence was that organiser – and still is.
And in the first week after the election we were working on getting back the three votes we had failed to get. And nothing has changed in the organisation of my electorate over 25 years.
Winning elections comes from defining the positive difference we want to make for ordinary New Zealanders.
It comes from listening to New Zealanders, in regions and towns and from winning the trust and confidence of people we seek to represent. Winning comes from powerful, detailed organisation, at the level of every town and suburb, every street, every letterbox, every doorstep, every telephone, every mobile phone. It comes from Internet connections, and personal connections, and relentlessly returning to them again and again.
I pledge the Progressive Party to help in this endeavour.
We have already contributed a state of the art, modern election organization manual to almost all MPs and it is available to all candidates and campaign managers. Every one of the ideas it contains has been implemented in my electorate. I don’t expect this one to be burnt!
To achieve this result over the next two and a half years will require clear strategic goals, high quality campaign planning, tight discipline and superior organizational ability and capability. The gap cannot be closed in three to four months in election year. It is not rocket science. Everything in this election manual is already being done in several Labour electorates.
But the book is a compilation of the processes and techniques required to win in every electorate. This is a best practice guide to organizing in an electorate. It tells you what you can do, how to do it, and in what order.
In Wigram, we do everything in it. And we win!
The Progressive Party is contributing people to help.
A lot of our members went to Mt Albert this year to help Labour win that seat. And our members will be out on the streets again in 2011 helping to re-elect a Labour-led government.
It’s up to us all to inspire New Zealand with our common vision:
That everyone has a place.
That everyone has a chance to succeed.
That every single person has a unique contribution to make.
That when we choose to invest in our future, and in jobs, then New Zealand can again join the first rank of nations.
And then not just the chief executive but also the caretaker, the secretary and tradesmen and women will have a place in the winners’ circle.
That is the New Zealand we all know and love. That is the New Zealand we must commit ourselves to help re-build in just 2 years time.
Opening of Sydenham police station
11/09/09 14:00 Filed in: News Releases
Jim delivers on his promise
Twenty years ago, local MP Jim Anderton was promised funding to build a new police station in Sydenham. He put out a press release to announce the good news.
The 1984 press release has been pinned on the police notice board ever since.
“I was promised that the Christchurch South Police would have a new station in two to three years,” MP for Wigram Jim Anderton said.
But the funding never eventuated, until the last Labour-led government.
“I’m told that the police are going to frame the old press release from 1984 and give it to me!
“When I first arrived in Christchurch and stood as an MP in 1984, I could see that the police had totally inadequate facilities and were spread out over three sites which was hard to administer.
“In the 1984 –1990 Labour government, I kept reminding the Cabinet of their promise. In the years of the Labour-Progressive government of 1999 – 2008, I promised my Labour Cabinet colleagues that the only way they would get rid of me was to build the Christchurch South Police Station.
“That’s why I was thrilled to be present when the former Minister of Police, Annette King, laid the foundation for the new building last year and am thrilled that the police are finally in their new headquarters,” Jim Anderton said today.
Twenty years ago, local MP Jim Anderton was promised funding to build a new police station in Sydenham. He put out a press release to announce the good news.
The 1984 press release has been pinned on the police notice board ever since.
“I was promised that the Christchurch South Police would have a new station in two to three years,” MP for Wigram Jim Anderton said.
But the funding never eventuated, until the last Labour-led government.
“I’m told that the police are going to frame the old press release from 1984 and give it to me!
“When I first arrived in Christchurch and stood as an MP in 1984, I could see that the police had totally inadequate facilities and were spread out over three sites which was hard to administer.
“In the 1984 –1990 Labour government, I kept reminding the Cabinet of their promise. In the years of the Labour-Progressive government of 1999 – 2008, I promised my Labour Cabinet colleagues that the only way they would get rid of me was to build the Christchurch South Police Station.
“That’s why I was thrilled to be present when the former Minister of Police, Annette King, laid the foundation for the new building last year and am thrilled that the police are finally in their new headquarters,” Jim Anderton said today.
Bill to stop MPs standing for Parliament
11/09/09 12:00 Filed in: News Releases
New Bill designed to stop MPs standing for election when they are already elected
Jim Anderton has drafted a Bill designed to stop current members of parliament from standing for election to parliament in a by-election.
The Bill will be placed in the Member’s Ballot. The next ballot for Member’s Bills is expected to be drawn next Thursday.
“It’s a nonsense that people can stand for election to parliament when they’ve already members of parliament,” says Member of Parliament for Wigram and Progressive leader, Jim Anderton
“What would rate-payers think if a member of a city council stood in a by-election to become a city councillor?”
In this year’s Mt Albert by-election, three out of the four main candidates were already members of parliament. Only the Labour Party candidate, David Shearer was not already an MP. Mr Shearer went on to win the by-election.
“There should be a rule that if you want to stand in a by-election, you first resign your seat in parliament.
“It’s not acceptable that M.Ps like Russell Norman for the Green Party, Melissa Lee for National, and John Boscawan for the Act Party used tax-payers’ money to run a campaign to get elected to parliament when they had already been elected. In reality they were using their parliamentary salaries and resources to try and win the by-election and bring another MP into parliament on their party list.
“If the Bill is introduced, existing M.P.s will have to make a meaningful choice - if they really want to run for a seat, they will need to resign from parliament and contest it on the same basis as anyone else. If a list member is so keen to represent the people of a particular electorate, his/her party can open an office there.
“In a general election, an electorate MP has no insurance. They have to win enough votes in their electorate or for their party to return to Parliament. It is inconsistent at the very least, to have different rules in a by-election,” says Jim Anderton.
Jim Anderton has drafted a Bill designed to stop current members of parliament from standing for election to parliament in a by-election.
The Bill will be placed in the Member’s Ballot. The next ballot for Member’s Bills is expected to be drawn next Thursday.
“It’s a nonsense that people can stand for election to parliament when they’ve already members of parliament,” says Member of Parliament for Wigram and Progressive leader, Jim Anderton
“What would rate-payers think if a member of a city council stood in a by-election to become a city councillor?”
In this year’s Mt Albert by-election, three out of the four main candidates were already members of parliament. Only the Labour Party candidate, David Shearer was not already an MP. Mr Shearer went on to win the by-election.
“There should be a rule that if you want to stand in a by-election, you first resign your seat in parliament.
“It’s not acceptable that M.Ps like Russell Norman for the Green Party, Melissa Lee for National, and John Boscawan for the Act Party used tax-payers’ money to run a campaign to get elected to parliament when they had already been elected. In reality they were using their parliamentary salaries and resources to try and win the by-election and bring another MP into parliament on their party list.
“If the Bill is introduced, existing M.P.s will have to make a meaningful choice - if they really want to run for a seat, they will need to resign from parliament and contest it on the same basis as anyone else. If a list member is so keen to represent the people of a particular electorate, his/her party can open an office there.
“In a general election, an electorate MP has no insurance. They have to win enough votes in their electorate or for their party to return to Parliament. It is inconsistent at the very least, to have different rules in a by-election,” says Jim Anderton.
Power company profits at the expense of consumers
04/09/09 13:00 Filed in: News Releases
The enormous profit declared by Mighty River Power shows that electricity companies have been overcharging consumers, Progressive MP Jim Anderton says.
He is calling for some of the dividend from the power companies to go to consumers as a rebate instead of the government as a dividend.
“I have record numbers of people approaching my electorate office with problems paying their power bills at the same time that a state owned power company is declaring a record profit, and paying the government a dividend of $230 million dollars.
“One way or another, the profits of the power companies are earned from the consumer paying power bills. The public energy companies are effectively being used as a form of tax – for providing a strategic essential service like electricity.
“I have people like a solo mother with four kids coming to see me with a $450 power bill at the same time that a public energy company is paying the government a special dividend of $150 million.”
Jim Anderton has been highlighting cases in his electorate that include a solo mother with an eleven month old baby who got a power bill for $369 for a four-week period; A low income young working couple in a Housing NZ flat got a power bill for $400 for four weeks, and a superannuitant living alone in his own home got a power bill for $205.
"Many families are wondering how they will pay their bills. Power bills have been driven up by a combination of an early start to winter, with very cold months early this year, and power bills that haverisen faster than inflation. The result is that many low income familiesare frightened to turn their heaters on, even in the middle of winter.
"Instead of making record profits, publicly-owned power companies should be charging consumers less,” Jim Anderton said.
He is calling for some of the dividend from the power companies to go to consumers as a rebate instead of the government as a dividend.
“I have record numbers of people approaching my electorate office with problems paying their power bills at the same time that a state owned power company is declaring a record profit, and paying the government a dividend of $230 million dollars.
“One way or another, the profits of the power companies are earned from the consumer paying power bills. The public energy companies are effectively being used as a form of tax – for providing a strategic essential service like electricity.
“I have people like a solo mother with four kids coming to see me with a $450 power bill at the same time that a public energy company is paying the government a special dividend of $150 million.”
Jim Anderton has been highlighting cases in his electorate that include a solo mother with an eleven month old baby who got a power bill for $369 for a four-week period; A low income young working couple in a Housing NZ flat got a power bill for $400 for four weeks, and a superannuitant living alone in his own home got a power bill for $205.
"Many families are wondering how they will pay their bills. Power bills have been driven up by a combination of an early start to winter, with very cold months early this year, and power bills that haverisen faster than inflation. The result is that many low income familiesare frightened to turn their heaters on, even in the middle of winter.
"Instead of making record profits, publicly-owned power companies should be charging consumers less,” Jim Anderton said.
Banks should front up
03/09/09 16:00 Filed in: News Releases
“The big Australian banks would have helped themselves more if they had openly fronted up to questions at the multi-party inquiry on banking,” Progressive Wigram MP Jim Anderton says.
This week ANZ National Bank released its financial results for the last nine months, and prepared a paper on the impact of the credit crunch on New Zealand Banks.
“I am interested in their views. The rest of the world is having an open debate about the banking sector right now. The owners of banks here front up in their home countries. They should front up here, too.
“New Zealanders who are struggling with high interest rates for their mortgages, their businesses and their farms would have been very interested in what banks had to say.
“Ralph Norris, chief executive of the ASB Bank in Australia, welcomed the inquiry as an opportunity to clear up some ‘myths’ the very same week the ASB said it didn’t want to contribute to better understanding of the issues.”
Today the Banking inquiry completed its public hearings. A final report will be released shortly.
Submissions were heard from business organisions, members of the public, and community groups from across New Zealand, including Kiwi Bank; New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association; FINSEC; Federated Farmers; CTU and many others.
“I would like to see a cross-party agreement on how we improve the performance of the whole financial sector in New Zealand, for the sake of those who pay too much in interest charges and bank fees, and for the sake of our businesses, and for the future of our economy and living standards in New Zealand ” Jim Anderton said.
PHOTOS here.
This week ANZ National Bank released its financial results for the last nine months, and prepared a paper on the impact of the credit crunch on New Zealand Banks.
“I am interested in their views. The rest of the world is having an open debate about the banking sector right now. The owners of banks here front up in their home countries. They should front up here, too.
“New Zealanders who are struggling with high interest rates for their mortgages, their businesses and their farms would have been very interested in what banks had to say.
“Ralph Norris, chief executive of the ASB Bank in Australia, welcomed the inquiry as an opportunity to clear up some ‘myths’ the very same week the ASB said it didn’t want to contribute to better understanding of the issues.”
Today the Banking inquiry completed its public hearings. A final report will be released shortly.
Submissions were heard from business organisions, members of the public, and community groups from across New Zealand, including Kiwi Bank; New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association; FINSEC; Federated Farmers; CTU and many others.
“I would like to see a cross-party agreement on how we improve the performance of the whole financial sector in New Zealand, for the sake of those who pay too much in interest charges and bank fees, and for the sake of our businesses, and for the future of our economy and living standards in New Zealand ” Jim Anderton said.
PHOTOS here.