Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Jones’ pork barrel hands out more opaque cash

Jones’ pork barrel hands out more opaque cash

Another day, another group of companies blessed with taxpayer money from the Provincial Growth Fund – and again New Zealanders are none the wiser about the terms and details, National’s Economic and Regional Development spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“The Government’s travelling caravan of soft loans and grants has circled back to the Bay of Plenty, with $25 million of funding announced including up to $19.9 million for a deep-water mussel farm near Opotiki. In its previous visit to the region, $38.7 million of funding was unveiled.

“To be clear, National has no wish to attack the recipients or the regions where the funds will be spent. I’m sure everyone getting the money will welcome the investment.

“But as with many of the projects chosen for funding, little commercial detail has been made public, so there is no way of knowing if they represent the best use of the money. We’re still waiting to hear the terms of the $9.9 million cheap loan made to Westland Milk.

“There are more than 500,000 businesses in New Zealand. Many of them may be interested in bidding for cheap cash and many could well make a good case for economic benefit and job creation.

“New Zealanders shouldn’t have to take the Government on trust that the $3 billion fund will be dispensed with proper due diligence. We can’t be sure it will follow the basic principle of not privatising the gains and socialising the losses.

“We’re all in favour of expanding aquaculture but the Government could explain how it can fund an Opotiki mussel farm while the Government’s support group, the Greens, have opposed similar developments in other parts of the country.

“Mr Jones could at least do New Zealanders the courtesy of telling us if the mussel farm is getting a loan, a subsidised loan, an equity investment or a gift from taxpayers.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.