Tuesday, 10 May 2022 10:55

Get real!

Written by The Hound

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

OPINION: The Hound wonders why so much fuss was made about the PM’s recent overseas trip to Singapore and Japan.

It appears, to this old mutt, that the press pack who attended this trip, along with the PM and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor (whose sole purpose seems to have been to carry Ms Ardern’s handbag), seemed to have over-imbibed on the Government Kool-Aid after three years of closed borders and over-egged just how much of big a deal this overseas junket actually was.

The facts were that, of the 50 people on the week-long jaunt, only 12 were real business people – with three of these failing to make it to Japan due to that country’s strict Covid test regime.

The other 38 were just a bunch of politicians, bureaucrats, media and government spin doctors – making it more a glorified junket for officials and hangers-on than some earth-shattering trade delegation!

More like this

Diplomatic Incident

OPINION: Your old mate hears an international incident is threatening to blow up the long-standing Anzac alliance as Kiwis and Aussies argue over who wants new Australian resident and former NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Damien O’Connor: NZ united on global trade

When it comes to international trade, politicians from all sides of the aisle are united, says Labour's trade spokesman Damien O'Connor.

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

Fieldays 2026 Returns to Mystery Creek This June

Tickets have officially gone on sale for Fieldays 2026, marking less than 50 days until the event.

Erewhon Station Farming Field Day Highlights Profit Strategy

A recent Beef + Lamb New Zealand ‘Farming for Profit’ field day drew about 100 people keen to hear about the policies that drove performance at Erewhon Station, located on the Taihape to Napier Road.

NZIBF Welcomes Labour Backing of NZ–India FTA

The New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) has welcomed the Labour Party's support for the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement.

Canterbury Boosts Wallaby Control With $2M Funding Push

Wallaby control efforts in Canterbury have received a major boost, with Canterbury Regional Council releasing $2 million from its Pest Management Reserve.

Champion Farmers Drive Environmental Change in Agriculture

Finding and supporting ‘champion farmers’ – or top-quality farmers - is one of best ways of getting other farmers to take the appropriate measures to mitigate environmental issues, according to a leading Irish scientist Dr Mary Ryan.

Zespri Launches “Grown for Good” Global Brand Platform

Zespri has unveiled Grown for Good, a refreshed global brand platform, in an effort to reinforce the company's commitment to nutrition and creating value across the kiwifruit industry.