Grant Robertson
Deputy Leader

21 February 2013

TVNZ contradicts Key as Sky City deal gets even murkier

John Key must explain how he apparently knows all about a deal to sell TVNZ land to Sky City for the convention centre when TVNZ knows nothing about it, says Grant Robertson, Labour’s Deputy Leader.

John Key yesterday told Parliament that Sky City approached TVNZ and had entered into a commercial agreement with the casino to sell the land. But today TVNZ is denying that any such approach was made, and says there is no agreement to sell the land.

“TVNZ have directly contradicted John Key’s claims. Either the Prime Minister knows more about what is going on at TVNZ than the Board and management, or he has misled Parliament.

“John Key needs to back-up his claim that the sale of TVNZ’s land is a done deal, or he has to correct his answer to Parliament and admit he was wrong.

“The Government’s dodgy deal with Sky City gets murkier by the day.

“The Deputy Auditor General’s report laid bare the cosy relationship between the Government and Sky City. It exposed this deal for the jack-up that it is.

“Sky City were given the inside running to build the convention centre by the Government. The tendering process wasn’t even-handed or transparent. And now a question mark hangs over the sale and purchase of the proposed site.

“John Key has some explaining to do. It is time he came clean about all the dealings he, his staff and his ministers have had with Sky City.

“New Zealanders have no confidence in this shonky deal. The Government must call a halt to its negotiations with Sky City and start again with a fair and open tender process,” says Grant Robertson.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

Among Thursday’s main talking points:

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around.

With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More>>

Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013 As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance... More>>

Budget 2013 Comment: Plain Sailing, But It's No America's Cup Pattrick Smellie: Compared to the last four budgets, this year's reflects an economy moving out of recession and into calmer waters... Yet if the fastest annual growth rate we can expect over the next two years is 3 percent - with the Christchurch rebuild in full swing - then you'd have to say New Zealand's underlying low-growth problem is far from fixed. More>>

Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

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Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment – which limits protest at sea – apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

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