Nick Smith Archive

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  Nick Smith says ‘let them eat yellowcake!’ - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Nick Smith is undermining the blood sweat and tears of Kiwis in the 1980s that fought bravely to entrench New Zealand’s nuclear free status on the world stage. read more
  June 24, 2010 5:31 pm - 19 Comments
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  Rules for freshwater management? Never! - by frog

  
  
  
  Kiran Chug has a great story in this morning’s Dominion Post: the sorry tale of the proposed National Policy Statement on Freshwater management. Our rivers are getting dirtier and dirtier while this document languishes. A quick history: National policy statements are tools that can be developed under the Resource Management Act to guide local and [...] read more
  June 16, 2010 10:45 am - 11 Comments
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  Thousands protest against the ECan coup - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s great to see the people of Canterbury fighting back in their thousands, and to see Green MPs Russel Norman and Kennedy Graham supporting them, to return to democratic regional governance. read more
  June 13, 2010 7:47 pm - 9 Comments
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  A privatisation lesson from an unlikely source - by frog

  
  
  
  Cameron (Whaleoil) Slater has been having a bleat about how he has been treated by the private insurer Fidelity Life, which has cut off his income protection insurance. Funny how those on the political right don’t seem to get it – until it affects them personally, that is. read more
  May 25, 2010 11:34 am - 37 Comments
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  ECan Act “constitutionally repugnant” - by frog

  
  
  
  … constitutionally repugnant … contains elements of subterfuge … a constitutional affront … simply unacceptable … failed the legal requirement that the law should be general and forward-looking, not retrospective … denied all the equal protection of the law … either gratuitous or disingenuous … does nothing to promote respect for the law … a disproportionate response to the issues. Pretty strong words from a Professor of Law read more
  May 20, 2010 9:52 am - 16 Comments
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  Cabinet celebrates the ECan coup - by frog

  
  
  
  A picture is worth a thousand words! If you are in or near Christchurch tomorrow Friday 30 April, come and join the protests against this abrogation of democracy: 5:30 pm @ ECan office 58 Kilmore St, moving to the Jenny Shipley gloat-fest lecture at the Copthorne Hotel, corner Durham and Kilmore Streets an hour or so later. read more
  April 29, 2010 7:57 pm - 41 Comments
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  Strong reaction against ECan sacking - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  It was standing room only at a public meeting organised by the Green party in Christchurch last night to protest the government’s sacking of Environment Canterbury. 100 people who couldn’t get into the meeting held an impromptu meeting outside. The meeting hadn’t even been advertised in the media—who knows how many would have turned up [...] read more
  April 15, 2010 2:01 pm - 41 Comments
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  Environment groups line up to slag government on water conservation - by frog

  
  
  
  It seems the Environment Minister is getting short on friends… read more
  April 4, 2010 10:11 am - 11 Comments
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  Will Cathy Taewa get answers from Paula and Nick? - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Four years ago, Bay of Plenty meatworker Johnny Taewa tragically died of the occupational disease leptospirosis. His widow Cathy has been told she was not only ineligible for a benefit, but won’t be eligible for five years, because the lump sum payment she received from ACC in respect of his death is treated as income. read more
  February 2, 2010 2:06 pm - 36 Comments
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  Levy hikes prelude to privatisation - by frog

  
  
  
  If ACC is made to work like an insurance company, then it’s a lot easier to flog bits of it off to insurance companies some time in the future. Levy hikes and entitlement cuts will undermine public confidence in ACC and soften up public opinion for the privatisation agenda. read more
  December 11, 2009 10:35 am - 2 Comments
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  Global concern at Nats’ plan to mine national parks - by frog

  
  
  
  Scrutiny of Government plans to mine our conservation lands is deepening internationally. And it’s got people hot on Facebook too. The Sunday Star Times ran a powerful feature on the weekend called “Picture imperfect”. It looks at international concern at New Zealand’s environmental performance, including National’s plan to mine conservation land: IT’S JUST a stock-take [...] read more
  December 7, 2009 8:30 pm - 10 Comments
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  ACC: Mirrors smashed and smoke dispersed - by frog

  
  
  
  Crisis! What crisis? ACC’s reserves are now above forecast by $739 million (5.4 percent), a further improvement over last month, said CTU Economist and Policy Director Bill Rosenberg. The main problem is the full funding of future claim payments which means ACC accounts will always be susceptible to large apparent variations which in reality may have little practical consequences for the ACC scheme. read more
  December 4, 2009 6:43 pm - 6 Comments
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  Faux savings from gutting ACC - by frog

  
  
  
  Shunting injured people off ACC onto welfare benefits where they may languish for years rather than rehabilitating them into employment is a false saving – as bad for the economy as it is for the injured person. read more
  December 3, 2009 1:52 pm - 7 Comments
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  Nick Smith: I don’t know and I don’t care - by frog

  
  
  
  Nick Smith doesn’t know the most basic statistical information necessary to determine the likely extent of cost containment or the impact on claimants of going back to the 1999 work capacity policy. What’s more, he’s not even prepared to have ACC do the analysis to find out. What a shambles! read more
  December 3, 2009 9:59 am - 2 Comments
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  Can you trust Nick Smith? - by frog

  
  
  
  In February this year the Green Party heard a rumour that the review of ACC was being conducted solely by Treasury and Business New Zealand, so on 5 March we decided to put this to Nick Smith in the House. read more
  November 26, 2009 3:34 pm - 19 Comments
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  Submit now or lawyer up later - by frog

  
  
  
  The Government estimates its cut to ACC cover for hearing loss will save up to $4 million a year. But it is not just that cost that will be borne by employers – there will be the associated costs of investigating and litigating damages claims by employees for low level hearing loss. Employers have a choice – submit in opposition to this now, or lawyer up later. read more
  November 25, 2009 9:31 am - No Comments
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  A government at war with its own Treasury - by frog

  
  
  
  In all the time I’ve been hopping around Parliament I’ve never heard a statement more extraordinary than this one: The numbers from Treasury are nonsense. Treasury can’t tell us what the deficit is going to be in December let alone what’s happening in 2030 or 2040. Now, I’ll admit to having a go at Treasury [...] read more
  November 18, 2009 1:50 pm - 128 Comments
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  Think our native forests were safe? Think again. - by frog

  
  
  
  “Agricultural intensification over the past 10 years has led to the highest rate of native vegetation loss since European colonisation.” Landcare Research Annual Report read more
  November 2, 2009 11:29 am - 18 Comments
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  Fancy that. Kiwis hate National’s ETS - by frog

  
  
  
  It was no surprise to me to find this morning a new ShapeNZ poll shows Kiwis overwhelmingly reject National’s proposed changes to the ETS. Eighty-two percent of National voters believe emitters should pay for any emissions in excess of New Zealand’s agreed limit under the Kyoto treaty, not taxpayers. Among Maori Party voters this rises to ninety-one percent. read more
  November 2, 2009 9:18 am - 12 Comments
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  Gutting ACC – There is hope! - by frog

  
  
  
  There is hope! Just today, ACC Minister Nick Smith partially backed down on ACC’s proposals for sexual abuse victims to have to be diagnosed by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist as being mentally ill before they can get cover. That has to be great news for everyone else affected by Dr Zachary Nick Smith’s planned [...] read more
  October 27, 2009 7:38 pm - 7 Comments