Christopher Luxon, New Zealand Prime Minister 2023

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Forums › Politics › Christopher Luxon, New Zealand Prime Minister 2023

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#3275033 24-Aug-2024 22:08

This is what Shane Jones wants more of for New Zealand.

Old mine shaft leaking into the river.

Our modern world needs mining, but Jones won't let any old hippy tree hugger concerns about cleaning up your mess get in the way of profitability.

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sir1963

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#3275178 25-Aug-2024 13:30

SaltyNZ:

This is what Shane Jones wants more of for New Zealand.

Old mine shaft leaking into the river.

Our modern world needs mining, but Jones won't let any old hippy tree hugger concerns about cleaning up your mess get in the way of profitability.

We should call that particular shade of orange "Shane Jones Orange"

quickymart

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#3275183 25-Aug-2024 14:25

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/fast-track-approvals-bill-government-backs-down-on-giving-ministers-final-decision-making-power/4VTMJY53TNGJNKCVHJ4M73YL3I/

Okay, this is a bit of a turnaround (a good one, in my opinion).

ezbee

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#3275208 25-Aug-2024 17:26

Quickymart

With Winston Peters and David Seymour fighting over who has 'last and final' say.
It might have been inevitable.

freitasm

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#3275244 26-Aug-2024 09:18

Had anyone doubted there's something rotten going around?

Revealed: Politically charged tobacco policy document that NZ First Minister Casey Costello tried to hide | RNZ News

In December 2023, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello gave health officials the document which claimed "nicotine is as harmful as caffeine" and argued Labour's smokefree generation policy was "nanny state nonsense".

Earlier this year, Costello denied the document existed. Now, she has released it with parts redacted even though she says she does not know who wrote it.

While Costello released the document with parts of it hidden, RNZ has the original, unredacted document and so can compare the versions.

The redactions in the documents released under the OIA by Costello included censoring all the material pushing for tobacco tax cuts and the claims that nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine and that the last government's policy was "nanny state nonsense".

It argued strongly for tax cuts for Heated Tobacco Products - although this too was redacted.

"Smokeless tobacco is a vaping product, it does not combust and should not be taxed like combustible cigarettes, but instead like other vaping products that are not subject to excise," the original document said.

"Giving up smoking should also mean giving up paying huge excise taxes. Excise tax is a tool to discourage use, we want to encourage smokers to use these products and one of the best ways to do that is to make it cheaper than cigarettes."

I still think that tobacco interests drive parts of the health policy in the Luxon government.

It's a shambles, and a corrupted way of doing government.

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#3275513 26-Aug-2024 17:24

Chris Bishop blaming the difficulty of getting consent for renewables for the energy problems we are currently having.

It costs too much and takes too long to consent renewable energy projects.

I have just written to him to draw his attention to the ~2000MW of renewables currently listed as consented but not under construction, plus the other ~1000MW that had consent but were never constructed and suggested that perhaps instead of drilling for more gas - a process that will take years from exploration to commercial extraction - he could start by leaning on the government majority-owned gentailers to make them build the power stations they already have consent for.

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#3275660 27-Aug-2024 03:02

Then there is that big generator down south where we sell the electricity to an overseas interest well below what any NZ firm can buy it for.

Handle9

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#3275661 27-Aug-2024 06:34

sir1963:

Then there is that big generator down south where we sell the electricity to an overseas interest well below what any NZ firm can buy it for.

You mean the overseas interests that directly provides 1000 skilled jobs in Southland as well as having been reported to provide 1600 indirect jobs? Meridian and their shareholders seem happy with the arrangement.

If New Zealand firms consumed that amount of electricity from a power station that was built to provide electricity to their site they would have similar terms.

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#3275668 27-Aug-2024 07:44

Handle9:

You mean the overseas interests that directly provides 1000 skilled jobs in Southland as well as having been reported to provide 1600 indirect jobs? Meridian and their shareholders seem happy with the arrangement.

If New Zealand firms consumed that amount of electricity from a power station that was built to provide electricity to their site they would have similar terms.

Yeah, I find it hard to argue too loudly against this one. If they finally decide the deal isn't sweet enough and turn off the lights, well, make sure you clean up your mess on the way out. But in the meantime it does provide a significant economic benefit and there is a decent argument to say that the metal it produces is cleaner than it would be almost anywhere else mainly because it comes from hydro power.

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#3275671 27-Aug-2024 08:06

sir1963:

SaltyNZ:

This is what Shane Jones wants more of for New Zealand.

Old mine shaft leaking into the river.

Our modern world needs mining, but Jones won't let any old hippy tree hugger concerns about cleaning up your mess get in the way of profitability.

We should call that particular shade of orange "Shane Jones Orange"

did Shane Jones run the mine?

SaltyNZ

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#3275676 27-Aug-2024 08:22

Batman:

did Shane Jones run the mine?

No, but he is very clear that economy trumps environment. Cleaning up after yourself is expensive, that's why the taxpayer is paying to clean up decommissioned gas wells after the permit owners walked away.

Shane 'Goodbye Freddy' Jones may not be running the mine, but he sure as hell won't be spending any effort on setting rules to make sure they don't leave a toxic surprise for the future.

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GV27

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#3275687 27-Aug-2024 08:54

freitasm:

Had anyone doubted there's something rotten going around?

I still think that tobacco interests drive parts of the health policy in the Luxon government.

It's a shambles, and a corrupted way of doing government.

By and large, NZ First is the problem. They have a tendency to get their way when it comes to things no matter who their coalition partner is.

It's hugely frustrating and Peters could actually gain some credibility by suggesting to Luxon that she be reshuffled out. Costello is a liability for almost everyone at this point - an otherwise good week for the government ruined by this dragging on and on again and again. I'm willing to bet Luxon will be fuming.

Handle9

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#3275885 27-Aug-2024 17:16

SaltyNZ:

Handle9:

You mean the overseas interests that directly provides 1000 skilled jobs in Southland as well as having been reported to provide 1600 indirect jobs? Meridian and their shareholders seem happy with the arrangement.

If New Zealand firms consumed that amount of electricity from a power station that was built to provide electricity to their site they would have similar terms.

Yeah, I find it hard to argue too loudly against this one. If they finally decide the deal isn't sweet enough and turn off the lights, well, make sure you clean up your mess on the way out. But in the meantime it does provide a significant economic benefit and there is a decent argument to say that the metal it produces is cleaner than it would be almost anywhere else mainly because it comes from hydro power.

There's a big net benefit from foreign direct investment in terms of job and building economic capability. Yes they make money but they leave far more within the local economy. Given their process involves importing raw materials, reprocessing and then exporting it again it's hard to see how it's a negative outside the environmental issues associated with heavy industry.

The price of electricity is a massive issue in New Zealand but NZAS/Rio Tinto didn't cause the problem, if anything they are more severely affected by it.

evilengineer

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#3276769 29-Aug-2024 17:18

GV27:

By and large, NZ First is the problem. They have a tendency to get their way when it comes to things no matter who their coalition partner is.

It's hugely frustrating and Peters could actually gain some credibility by suggesting to Luxon that she be reshuffled out. Costello is a liability for almost everyone at this point - an otherwise good week for the government ruined by this dragging on and on again and again. I'm willing to bet Luxon will be fuming.

No. New Zealand First are just the most glaringly obvious/blatant symptom of a massively corrupt system, I'm afraid.

The problem is the pitifully weak lobbying/political donations legislation in this country that just invites out and out corruption.

The Big Tobacco/Tax Payer's Union links run way deeper than just NZ First.

But let's not forget this fella as well: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/526511/police-drop-investigation-into-national-mp

I don't think it was ever properly explained how/why he ended up with $178,000 in "candidate donations", how you could possibly "forget" that amount of money, who it all came from, what they could possibly think they were getting for that amount of money and whether or not it could possibly be connected to him subsequently "ending up" on the Environment Select Committee.

No doubt plenty of other examples out there from both sides of the political divide.

And that's not even starting on the lobbying firm to government minister and back to lobbying firm revolving door merry-go-around.

Oh yeah, just remembered Gerry Brownlee as speaker making easier for lobbyists to access parliament as well.

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#3276852 29-Aug-2024 21:07

Council disabled parking space fines increase from $150 to $750. That should inflation-proof it for a few years ; )

I hope it helps.

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