Another Jim Anderton "Triumph"?

Industry New Zealand granted $100,000 of taxpayer's money to a company that pulled off a deal that Dover Samuels called a "scam", and then went into receivership five months after pocketing the cash, ACT New Zealand Finance Spokesman Rodney Hide revealed today.

"Despite all this, Jim Anderton still thinks "picking winners" works.

"On February 23, Industry New Zealand granted "Eternal Water Ltd" $100,000 of taxpayer's money as part of its Business Growth Programme.

"Eternal Water Ltd is now in receivership. The receiver was appointed on July 30, not before Eternity Water pulled off a $5 million deal with Matauri X that has been described as a "scam" by Matauri X's main shareholder, Labour MP Dover Samuels. Hon Dover Samuels has claimed that Eternal Water paid out $700,000 in fees. The Maori Land Court is undertaking an investigation into Hon Dover Samuels' claims.

"Taxpayers' money should never have been blown on such a deal. No jobs have been created. Perhaps that's why Mr Anderton moved to put great distance between himself and Industry New Zealand this afternoon when he declared that as Minister, he had "no day-to-day" involvement in the Government department.

"It is now time for Helen Clark to disband Jim Anderton's "Job Machine" as a total waste of hard-earned taxpayers' money. The cases of waste mount weekly.

"The Jobs Machine is a flop, and the only thing keeping it afloat is Jim Anderton's ego," Mr Hide said.

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