Tuesday, 14 January 2025 10:25

'Economic morons'

Written by The Hound

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

OPINION: The death of Dame Tariana Turia is a loss for the country and a reminder of how far the quality of politician has fallen in the party she founded.

In contrast to the circus that the Māori Party has become, Turia put results before grandstanding, working with whoever was in power.

Now we have divisive politics, threats of violence, and as Winston Peters claims, "economic sabotage", the party allegedly sending a letter to all companies who applied for fast-track consideration, trying to undermine investment confidence.

"If true, they have shown what extremist economic morons they are and how little they value the future of our country," he says. "They have threatened these private companies with economic sabotage and condemning NZ to a bankrupt future - all because of their delusional and separatist views."

More like this

Time for action

OPINION: If David Seymour's much-trumpeted Ministry for Regulation wants a serious job they need look no further than reviewing the rules and regulations governing members of the so-called House of Representatives.

Dreams aren't plans

OPINION: Milking It reckons if you're National, looking at recent polls, the dream scenario is that the elusive economic recovery finally roars to life.

If voters see some growth and wages rising faster than prices, the government could say they've "fixed" things as they ride into the next election.

Back here on Earth though, the economy they inherited is a basket case, and the long-term headwinds are fierce.

Political commentator Liam Hehir says, "dreams are not plans" and if the turnaround doesn't come in time, National may have no choice but to go negative.

"Everybody wants to fight on the economy if they can. But when neither side has a compelling story, the contest shifts to other issues. That's not new. In fact, it's the stuff of politics everywhere, always."

Wrong focus

OPINION: Your old mate reckons townie Brooke van Velden, the Minister of Workplace (or is it Woke Place) Relations is now showing how underemployed she is as a minister by initiating an investigation into whether young children should be banned from collecting eggs on farms and feeding animals.

Burn the village

OPINION: There's an infamous term coined by a US general during the Vietnam war, specifically in reference to the battle of Ben Tre: "We had to burn the village to save it."

Purist problem

OPINION: The sudden departure of Jim Ward, manager of Molesworth Station for 24 years, highlighted some major dysfunction in the way conservation estate is managed in this country - the biggest problem, as the Hound sees it, being idealogues who harp on about "taonga" and use all means possible to block sensible commercial operations on conservation land.

Featured

Restrictions on fruits, vegetables movement in Mt Roskill

Legal controls on the movement of fruits and vegetables are now in place in Auckland’s Mt Roskill suburb, says Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North Mike Inglis.

Free herbicide resistance testing

Arable growers worried that some weeds in their crops may have developed herbicide resistance can now get the suspected plants tested for free.

Fruit fly discovery puts growers, exporters on edge

Fruit growers and exporters are worried following the discovery of a male Queensland fruit fly in Auckland this week.

Global dairy prices snap a five-month negative run

Dairy prices have jumped in the overnight Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction, breaking a five-month negative streak.

Alliance Group chief executive steps down

Alliance Group chief executive Willie Wiese is leaving the company after three years in the role.

New field book helps identify common pests, diseases

A booklet produced in 2025 by the Rotoiti 15 trust, Department of Conservation and Scion – now part of the Bioeconomy Science Institute – aims to help people identify insect pests and diseases.

National

Waitoa launches QR-enabled campaign to trace free range chicken

Poultry producer Waitoa is launching a new campaign, complete with on-pack QR codes, giving Kiwis the ability to trace their…

Rural health programme inspires new optometry graduate

Grace Su, a recent optometry graduate from the University of Auckland, is moving to Tauranga to start work in a…

Waikato dairy effluent breaches lead to $108,000 in fines

Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.

Geopolitical shifts drive fertiliser market volatility – Ravensdown

According to Ravensdown's most recent Market Outlook report, a combination of geopolitical movements and volatile market responses are impacting the…

Environment Canterbury promotes on-farm composting as a practical alternative to offal pits

Environment Canterbury, alongside industry partners and a group of farmers, is encouraging farmers to consider composting as an environmentally friendly…