Post by Kiwi Frontline on Apr 1, 2016 15:01:25 GMT 12
Weekend Sun / Sunlive 1/4/16
MEETING ‘NOT WELL-PLANNED’
I attended a meeting in Tauranga on the evening of March 15, the subject of which was ‘consultation' on the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill with emphasis on how it would affect Maori.
The RMA and Amendment have far-reaching effects on the whole population and deserve a thorough airing by a meaningful section of the community.
I am angry and disgusted at the cynical way in which this meeting was organised.
Attendance, I guess, was between 50 and 60, a good number of whom represented Local Government. Tauranga and surrounds have an approximate population of 160,000.
This important ‘consultation' meeting was poorly advertised and with no explanation in the media, thus guaranteeing a limited attendance.
It was held in an expensive hotel, Trinity Wharf, with very little parking. Some attendees had to walk a considerable distance to access the meeting. It was timed between 6pm and 8pm when most had arrived home from work and were having their meal. It was quite obvious the organisers were not looking for a large audience and possible critique. It became perfectly clear Maori have their sights firmly on control and or ownership of the fresh water that we all require equally.
The outcome will be another layer of bureaucracy, higher cost and more delay with Resource Consent applications. I have no problem with anyone who is qualified and experienced sitting on these committees and making relevant decisions. There should be no room for race-based appointees filling seats with unqualified persons at ratepayers' expense.
Government is patently condoning this situation and aiding and abetting in the manipulation of these ‘consultation' meetings to limit attendance and criticism, otherwise there would be a control mechanism to ensure everyone understood and agreed the situation being planned.
I guarantee you very few citizens are aware of what is going on and why a sectional interest is likely to gain more control over the rest of us when it comes to one of our most vital requirements.
M G
Tauranga City
MORE SHOULD PAY TAX
We have the some of the wealthiest businesses in the country, multi-national corporations, who have legally stashed all their money into charitable trusts, and thus pay no income tax at all! How is that democratic?
In 2001 Michael Cullen, proposed that trading operations of charities be taxed.
This never happened - and since tribal organisations are based on blood ties, they failed the common law public benefit test.
But, as a result of intense lobbying, the Labour Government changed the law, enabling them to gain charitable status.
Perhaps it's time we called for the trading operations of charities to be taxed - as proposed by Michael Cullen!
I hope that one day we will be a country where we all live as one united people, in a true democracy, each with our own culture, and where we respect each other, and are all treated the same regarding race, gender and religion!
To quote Abe Lincoln: ‘Not matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens!”
R B
Pyes Pa
WHO ARE THESE HUI FOR?
We attended a meeting on March 15 at Trinity hotel, which the majority thought was to be on the reform of the fresh water issue.
Many had placed submissions on the topic and needed more information. On arrival it obviously was Maori-orientated, chaired by Wiri Gardiner, and we got told this was not an ordinary meeting, it was a hui and if we weren't comfortable with that we should leave now.
That was the vein of the meeting, totally controlled by Maori and certainly not a free-flowing informative meeting about the fresh water issue we went to learn about.
Now we see advertised for April 9 an Envirohub Regional Environment Network Hui - another meeting regarding work safe and other issues some of us need to know about.
But it's advertised as a hui again. Is this to be the norm now - hui that are geared for Maori, but which we the taxpayer fund?
If this country wants division and a revolution you are certainly going the right way about it, trying to ignore 86 per cent of the population, but make them pay for everything.
C H
Katikati
MISREADING AND MANIPULATING
Prime Minister John Key has misread the nation on his flag proposal, just as he is misreading the majority of the population on proposals to give more value and racial bias to Maori over and above other citizens.
The flag referenda manipulated the nation's thoughts away from the real issues of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, changes to the Resource Management Act and the proposals to give management of freshwater to unelected Maori representation.
The nation's anger is rising against multiculturalism, immigration, race-based agendas in Government and institutions, such as the Waitangi Tribunal, political manipulation of the media, crazy tax laws that have multinational corporations paying minimal taxes to the IRD, ridiculous tax exemptions for hugely profitable charitable organisations, and finally the $60 billion debt National has racked up during their tenure which will have to be repaid by our children and grandchildren.
We, in New Zealand do not live in a democracy, it is the lobbyists who run this country to the detriment of millions of fair-minded, hardworking Kiwis.
Political capital and expediency does not equate with good governance.
M J A
Pyes Pa
MEETING ‘NOT WELL-PLANNED’
I attended a meeting in Tauranga on the evening of March 15, the subject of which was ‘consultation' on the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill with emphasis on how it would affect Maori.
The RMA and Amendment have far-reaching effects on the whole population and deserve a thorough airing by a meaningful section of the community.
I am angry and disgusted at the cynical way in which this meeting was organised.
Attendance, I guess, was between 50 and 60, a good number of whom represented Local Government. Tauranga and surrounds have an approximate population of 160,000.
This important ‘consultation' meeting was poorly advertised and with no explanation in the media, thus guaranteeing a limited attendance.
It was held in an expensive hotel, Trinity Wharf, with very little parking. Some attendees had to walk a considerable distance to access the meeting. It was timed between 6pm and 8pm when most had arrived home from work and were having their meal. It was quite obvious the organisers were not looking for a large audience and possible critique. It became perfectly clear Maori have their sights firmly on control and or ownership of the fresh water that we all require equally.
The outcome will be another layer of bureaucracy, higher cost and more delay with Resource Consent applications. I have no problem with anyone who is qualified and experienced sitting on these committees and making relevant decisions. There should be no room for race-based appointees filling seats with unqualified persons at ratepayers' expense.
Government is patently condoning this situation and aiding and abetting in the manipulation of these ‘consultation' meetings to limit attendance and criticism, otherwise there would be a control mechanism to ensure everyone understood and agreed the situation being planned.
I guarantee you very few citizens are aware of what is going on and why a sectional interest is likely to gain more control over the rest of us when it comes to one of our most vital requirements.
M G
Tauranga City
MORE SHOULD PAY TAX
We have the some of the wealthiest businesses in the country, multi-national corporations, who have legally stashed all their money into charitable trusts, and thus pay no income tax at all! How is that democratic?
In 2001 Michael Cullen, proposed that trading operations of charities be taxed.
This never happened - and since tribal organisations are based on blood ties, they failed the common law public benefit test.
But, as a result of intense lobbying, the Labour Government changed the law, enabling them to gain charitable status.
Perhaps it's time we called for the trading operations of charities to be taxed - as proposed by Michael Cullen!
I hope that one day we will be a country where we all live as one united people, in a true democracy, each with our own culture, and where we respect each other, and are all treated the same regarding race, gender and religion!
To quote Abe Lincoln: ‘Not matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens!”
R B
Pyes Pa
WHO ARE THESE HUI FOR?
We attended a meeting on March 15 at Trinity hotel, which the majority thought was to be on the reform of the fresh water issue.
Many had placed submissions on the topic and needed more information. On arrival it obviously was Maori-orientated, chaired by Wiri Gardiner, and we got told this was not an ordinary meeting, it was a hui and if we weren't comfortable with that we should leave now.
That was the vein of the meeting, totally controlled by Maori and certainly not a free-flowing informative meeting about the fresh water issue we went to learn about.
Now we see advertised for April 9 an Envirohub Regional Environment Network Hui - another meeting regarding work safe and other issues some of us need to know about.
But it's advertised as a hui again. Is this to be the norm now - hui that are geared for Maori, but which we the taxpayer fund?
If this country wants division and a revolution you are certainly going the right way about it, trying to ignore 86 per cent of the population, but make them pay for everything.
C H
Katikati
MISREADING AND MANIPULATING
Prime Minister John Key has misread the nation on his flag proposal, just as he is misreading the majority of the population on proposals to give more value and racial bias to Maori over and above other citizens.
The flag referenda manipulated the nation's thoughts away from the real issues of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, changes to the Resource Management Act and the proposals to give management of freshwater to unelected Maori representation.
The nation's anger is rising against multiculturalism, immigration, race-based agendas in Government and institutions, such as the Waitangi Tribunal, political manipulation of the media, crazy tax laws that have multinational corporations paying minimal taxes to the IRD, ridiculous tax exemptions for hugely profitable charitable organisations, and finally the $60 billion debt National has racked up during their tenure which will have to be repaid by our children and grandchildren.
We, in New Zealand do not live in a democracy, it is the lobbyists who run this country to the detriment of millions of fair-minded, hardworking Kiwis.
Political capital and expediency does not equate with good governance.
M J A
Pyes Pa