Government Needs To Return $1 Billion GST To Councils

Every council in Aotearoa agrees and every economist accepts that government keeping the GST portion of our rates is a ‘tax on a tax’. Government needs to get back to basics and stop treating ratepayers like a bottomless ATM . Return the $1.1 billion GST component of rates back to councils. . . . → Read More: Government Needs To Return $1 Billion GST To Councils

Why Support Dave When You Don’t Agree With Him?

I think we are all focussed as a community, as a world even, on what divides us and what we disagree on. We stand far apart from each other and shout across a huge divide, no one prepared to give an ideological centimetre to their opponents. But what good is that doing? . . . → Read More: Why Support Dave When You Don’t Agree With Him?

Dave Aid – Benefit Concert For Whakatane

Request for Support – Dave Aid Benefit Concert

Tēnā koe

I’m writing to ask that you consider taking the opportunity to support my campaign to become elected to the Whakatane District Council in the local body elections in October this year.

I have been an enthusiastic participant in our democracy since me teenage years, . . . → Read More: Dave Aid – Benefit Concert For Whakatane

Air Chathams and Whakatane

The solution has to be based on users of the service and I think the proactiveness of the Chamber of Commerce in this leads to the solution. At the same time all users will most likely have to accept less competitive fares. The first step is with the airline itself. The airline has to have a business friendly timetable at the heart of a solution however. Then I think the business community needs to step up and form some sort of compact with Air Chathams where business users agree to pay ‘business class’ tickets. These are the same tickets as regular passengers but are more expensive and offer Air Chathams practical support from those most able to provide it, to the people who will benefit from it the most – our businesses. . . . → Read More: Air Chathams and Whakatane

Connect On Instagram

Gearing up for the local body election campaign where I am running and have the opposition scared witless. A local poll was held last weekend by my opponents and I was winning so my opponents deleted my name off it. The wont be able to do that in the real world.

Follow me on . . . → Read More: Connect On Instagram

Government calls on mayors to boost school attendance and wellbeing

If you have spent about 5 minutes on the pages that are promoting the National led coalition government’s local council agenda you’ll have heard them swoon when the PM addressed the local council conference and told them his lot were going to amend the law and insist councils stopped doing things other than collecting . . . → Read More: Government calls on mayors to boost school attendance and wellbeing

How Atlas Network amassed a global network of free market think tanks and reached into Australia and New Zealand

Source

Australia is now in the thick of a federal election cycle, the United States just came out of one and in New Zealand, the fallout from the last national election has brought into focus a part of the political machine often out of view.

To a voter’s naked eye, the impact . . . → Read More: How Atlas Network amassed a global network of free market think tanks and reached into Australia and New Zealand

Government In Wellington Are Treating Ratepayers Like A Bottomless ATM

My coalition aligned opponents are forever finding new electoral promises that they say will reduce our rates, but they never cost them.

In reality they’re just regurgitating decades old neoliberal nonsense that, at the end of the day, just hands over public assets to private enterprise operators.

Our holiday park, something that is central . . . → Read More: Government In Wellington Are Treating Ratepayers Like A Bottomless ATM

Arts and civics, Whakatāne -style

Apr 11, 2025 Everyone in the world knows Benji Marshall is from here. We own him. Dame Lisa Carrington is our queen. Adored and respected by a whole new generation of would-be gold medal winners on our awa every morning. We have orchestras, brass bands, choirs, poets, dancers, kapa haka and other performing artists of every description who are among the best in the land. Art and recreation have a place in our civics and it’s the job of the council to support this. Critics will argue that we don’t need it, and it doesn’t give anything back. But it’s a fallacy to say that. . . . → Read More: Arts and civics, Whakatāne -style

Letters: We really do need some good news

Apr 9, 2025 The rest of the world is getting grumpier and grumpier and old men with bushy eyebrows and trillionaires for aides are talking about taking over countries to boost security. Just steal them, plonk an army onsite and take over. Like Vietnam, or Afghanistan. What could possibly go wrong. . . . → Read More: Letters: We really do need some good news