Guest Post: PM must reverse the ‘Power of General Competence’ to stop activism in local government

A guest post by a reader on Kiwiblog:

As powerless ratepayers face the ongoing tyranny of marxist councils over rates bills and the local government minister’s repeated demands for sensible spending fall on deaf ears, the Prime Minister continues to ignore the obvious solution.

Frank Newman: It's a Win! Of Sorts...

There is no doubt the announcement by Minister Paul Goldsmith that the Marine and Coastal Area Act is to be amended to reaffirm Parliament’s intentions when it passed the Act in 2011, is good news worthy of applause.

The Minister says the changes include:

• Inserting a declaratory statement that overturns the reasoning of the Court of Appeal and High Court in Re Edwards, and the reasoning of all High Court decisions since the High Court in Re Edwards, where they relate to the test for CMT.

NZCPR Newsletter: MACA Misinformation

Last month, the new Government announced a timetable for implementing their Coalition promise to restore the Marine and Coastal Area Act to what Parliament had originally intended. This was in response to activist judges misinterpreting the law in such a way that Maori tribal groups were on track to gain control of New Zealand’s entire coastline right out to the edge of the 12 nautical mile Territorial Sea.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Can NZ's Budgetary Problems be Blamed on our Voting System, MMP?

Why is National getting so many bad headlines for its budget cuts? Part of the answer may lie in MMP. Before the election, the Nats had prepared a fully costed budget. One could, of course, argue about whether its foreign (residential) buyers property tax, for example, would raise as much as the Nats estimated. The media featured endless stories on that topic, which turned out to be a waste of time. Why? Because in the MMP negotiations, NZ First didn't want to allow any foreign buyers into that market, so the tax on them was scuttled.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 24/11/23

Hurrah – we have a new government (National, ACT and New Zealand First commit “to deliver for all New Zealanders”)

Sorry, there has been no fresh news on the government’s official website since the caretaker trade minister’s press statement about the European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement.

But the capital is abuzz with news – and media comment is quickly flowing – after the outcome of the coalition negotiations was announced. In a nutshell: we have a new government.

Derek Mackie: Mission Impossible - Rogue MSM

Wellington - Mission Inception

 

Extra Special Agent John Campbell, of the Impossible Mainstream-media Force (IMF), left his office, his steely eyes darting up and down the wet and windy Wellington street. 

Behind those nerdy glasses and that government employee appearance lurked a man who’d stop at nothing to manipulate, emotionalise and “enhance” a good story to within an inch of its life. 

 Campbell turned the collar up on his raincoat then slipped inside the battered telephone box. Activating the hidden panel, he scanned his thumbprint then entered the 8-digit security code.

Oliver Hartwich: The love language of politics - How to decode a coalition agreement

New Zealand is waiting – for better weather, the next Rugby World Cup, and the formation of our new Government. Not necessarily in that order, but with similar anticipation.

This is a challenging time for political commentators used to analysing even the smallest details of political life. The preliminary coalition talks are still under wraps, so there is little to comment on.