Government Stop Secret Infrastructure Deals, GNR says.
"Scant details on Infrastructure builds and secret meetings with New Zealand mayors, where is the transparency to the
Kiwi public Minister Joyce? ", says campaign director for Grow Northland Rail Alby Barr.
This is systematic of an arrogant third term Government seeking a fourth, who appear to believe it's legitimate to hold
informal meetings with some of our country's mayors. A cynic would deem they are jacking up deals behind the public's
back.
What does this mean? We can only hazard a guess. Sell off of ratepayers assets? Possibly Chinese to fund, own, and build
infrastructure projects, is this what government are talking about?
What we do know is in late March during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang trade visit Prime Minister Bill English, as reported
by Radio NZ said "He was not against China owning infrastructure here like roads or rail links."
And here in Northland we already got an inkling of 'closed door talks' relating to an MOU the regional council was
engaged in with a Chinese rail company looking to build the roading infrastructure. Something the government denied any
such knowledge of, how strange.
We want to know the devil in the details so by popular demand we are hosting another Rail forum. Transport Minister
Simon Bridges never fronted last year to the 500 locals after Kiwi Rail axed our log train service. This time we
anticipate a full house of 800 given there is an election less than 2 weeks later. Peters, Jones, Parker & Genter are representing their political parties, so who is coming from National to tell us their intentions? We all
know what happened in the Northland by-election. So suffice to say we look forward to seeing a high ranking Minister
accompanying your Whangarei MP Shane Reti. Look forward to hearing all about it on the main stage in Whangarei.
Commenting on the Maori Party's IWI Rail policy release today, Mr Barr said "you certainly know it is close to an
election, even Marama Fox is dishing out pork kai from the hangi pit."