Politicising the environment
In cabinet Margaret Wilson has a paper to replace the present Deputy Commissioners on the Environment Court with her own
political appointees. The Deputy Commissioners are appointed for five years and work with the Court to assist the
judges. The Letter understands that the officials had recommended that most, if not all, the Deputy Commissioners be
reappointed. But that does not fit with Margaret Wilson’s plan to reshape the courts to her radical agenda. What sort of
people will Wilson appoint? She has already appointed as a Deputy Commissioner a former Alliance candidate. Another
appointment is a former Christchurch Labour city councillor who is costing the Court a fortune, as he cannot hear cases
in Canterbury for conflict of interest reasons. Let’s remember Joris de Bres was Margaret Wilson’s personal choice, as
was Ella Henry (the Human Rights Commissioner who thinks traffic tickets are issued because she is Maori), and
triple-dipper Susan Bathgate.
The new Supreme Court
Margaret Wilson in her “academic” writing has opined that the reason NZ has not become a true socialist state is because
the left has not replaced the “capitalist” legal structures. To achieve her vision of an Aotearoa Socialist Republic
with the Treaty of Waitangi as the constitution, courts must be restructured and what better way than to replace the
“colonial” Privy Council with a NZ Supreme Court – one where she and Helen Clark pick the judges. Margaret Wilson has
already announced that Labour’s choice of Chief Justice will be on the court. Labour’s Sir Geoffrey Palmer will help
choose the judges. One must be versed in Tikanga Maori. Her axing of the members of the industrial relations tribunal
shows Margaret Wilson’s contempt for a non-political court. Tribunal members were fired so that Margaret Wilson could
put in her choices.
Holmes Labour Christmas show
Instead of having the Holmes Christmas show this year it was decided to have the Finn brothers and a Split Enz 30 year
reunion. The Letter has been asked why only Labour MPs were in the audience. Answer: The Finn brothers are Labour
supporters and the Holmes show agreed that only Labour politicians be invited. Thought: if politicians issued an
instruction to the Holmes show we would be outraged, yet state TV meekly allows its guests to issue political
instructions. Is this an example of the Charter TV that Marion Hobbs said we needed?
De facto compulsory unionism
As real net average wages have fallen under Labour, the government must find ways to keep the trade unions onside. The
Letter believes that Labour is planning significant law changes to favour trade unions. One measure is a requirement
that non-union members must pay the union a “bargaining agents fee” equivalent to the union membership fee. Trade unions
complain that non-union members receive the same conditions as union members (a requirement of the law as it is illegal
to pay non-union members more, so quid pro quo – employers cannot pay them less.) Employers believe that Labour intends
introducing a new package of measures to assist trade unions - · Trade unions will be able to call “political” strikes.
· Those firms who undertake contract out work must employ the staff who did the work. When buying a company you must buy
the staff (the slave provision). Business New Zealand believes that the government is going to ratify three different
ILO conventions to entrench the positions of the trade unions http://www.act.org.nz/businessnz
Media manipulation
The decision to announce the axing of the Deputy Commissioner of the Environment Court in the week before Christmas is
part of Labour’s news management. The Clark cabinet will, just prior to Christmas drop as much bad news as they can. In
December people are too busy to fight unpopular decisions. This is the reason that Labour’s U-turn on four weeks annual
leave is slipping through and the reaction to the Qantas/Air NZ monopoly has been diluted. In the case of the
Environment Court – the Deputies’ contracts expired in June before the election, but the announcement that they are to
be replaced with political appointments was held back for six months - too late for parliament to debate the issue. In
the last week of the session parliament will be in urgency passing unpopular measures like the Local Government Bill –
with United’s help.
NCEA
The ACT select committee hearings into NCEA reveal what the official select committee refused to examine -
· Pupils gave evidence that the NCEA exams were “unfair”. Students sitting just one credit were given the same three
hours as students sitting five credits. · History has been “decontextualised”. It is now possible to get seven credits
in NCEA history without knowing any history. A student could pick a topic like Pakeha/Maori relations in the twentieth
century and pass without knowing any other subject. · A teacher who has been marking the NCEA maths paper reports that
few pupils even attempted the excellence questions as no marks are given for knowing how to tackle the problem. In one
particular paper 54% have failed. Those who fail get no mark just a “Not achieve” so a pupil does not know if they got
zero or 49%. The old parties and NZ First who support the NCEA refused to allow Donna Awatere Huata to present her
minority report. You can read ACT’s minority report on the NCEA at http://www.act.org.nz/nceareport Some of NZ’s leading schools and educationalists gave evidence to ACT‘s inquiry and will be published in January.
Attack on rural landowners
The Labour government has been looking at the Blair government attack on rural landowners. In the UK Blair has become
very popular by opposing fox hunting and now introducing “The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000” which creates a
new right of access to open country. The new law was strongly opposed by landowners who wanted to be able to stop
trespassers on their land. In parts of NZ theft and stock rustling are major problems. This new bill will mean ruin for
some farmers. John Tamihere has revealed Labour in NZ is planning something similar. What the Blair legislation revealed
is how tiny the rural vote now is. So too in NZ, ACT’s Gerry Eckhoff and National’s Shane Ardern are the only two real
farmers in a parliament of 120. Attacking such a small group is politically popular. While no final decision has been
made The Letter believes that rural NZ will be subject to a “Right to Roam” bill as Labour seeks to court the “outdoor
vote”.