8 August 2008
Media Statement

Why won’t they sign?

The Progressives and Labour have signed. NZ First has signed. The Greens have signed. The Maori Party has agreed to sign.

They’ve all agreed to sign the pledge stating, “I pledge my party will not initiate or support the sale of Kiwibank.”

But National won’t sign.

Progressive leader Jim Anderton said today that National won’t sign the pledge because National wanted to sell the bank.

“Bill English confirmed National wants to sell the bank at National’s conference last weekend. Then he denied it. Then National said they would sell – but not yet. They’ve now had five different policy positions.

“They could easily clear it all up. Sign the pledge: promise not to sell the bank.

“But National won’t sign. That confirms National has a secret back-to-the-90s agenda, which is why there are so many tired faces from the nineties on the National front bench. They are hiding their agenda behind a weak leader, who is too weak to state his party policy on asset sales.

“Kiwibank is popular, successful and growing. Its profits go back into our community. Forty or fifty communities around New Zealand now have banking services that were closed down by the big Australian banks before Kiwibank came along. Interest rates and fees are lower than they would be without Kiwibank keeping the others honest,” Jim Anderton said.

ends

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