The Nats polling must be disastrous among Canterbury voters on its handling of water issues for today’s backflip to take place.
Why otherwise would they send 120,000 homes – at taxpayers’ expense – a four page glossy brochure with John Key seeking their views, including asking whether new elections are wanted immediately for Environment Canterbury councillors, axed in 30 hours of urgency in March.
Today Key refused to answer my question about how much the brochures cost taxpayers: “Seeing it is paid out of the leader’s budget, I have no ministerial responsibility for that.” Cop out. Await the OIAs.
Jim Anderton suggested consultation was best before the Government fired the elected councillors, rather than asking them 5 months later. ” I think that Cantabrians support the moves by the Government, and that is why over 55 percent of people in a recent poll gave that view,” said Key.
Sorry, if 55 % support the move, why revisit it? Three inter-connected issues may have driven the Govt PR initiative (at our expense!) ; a wish to try and defuse water as a local body election issue (for non-endorsed candidates); Key might be want to move away from Hide, a key supporter of the ECAN legislation as ACT implodes; and sending a peace-making signal may help ensure the crucial national Land and Water Forum can actually report this month amid ongoing signals of distrust from environmental reps who were deeply aggrieved at the ECAN legislation handing Water Conservation Order powers to the Govt-appointed commissioners…
One certainty; a lot of water has flown under the bridge since the pre-Easter legislation – and it’s made this the number one political issue in Canterbury.
Boo to National over water issues!
!
Thats a blatant and obvious Nact attempt to spin Bob and give Keys endorsement – a bribe for chch voters to see Bob as good. And given the PMs obvious support for Bob that Q and A exposed on Sunday – a bit on the obvious. Is he so arrogant that he can be so blatant and think no one will notice.
Who were the Labour party members on the dissolved water board and how come they never produced any results?
There fixed it for you
“…they never produced any results [that National and their farmer mates wanted]”
No, I meant results, period, Loota. But thanks anyway.
You’re very welcome
This reads like an action replay of when David Cunliffe sacked the HBDHB and got Labour cleaned out of all Hawkes Bay electorates.
After going to a school science fair that Jo Kane gave the opening speech , i realised what deep trouble ECAN was in.
Her speech was the worst most feeble I have heard in a long time , having given up attending LP meetings.
Brendon , its easy making popular decisions , but the sign of good leadership is making potentially unpopular decisions , for the long term benefit of all.
Eventually people will realise the right thing was done, most already have.
Liar, Liar pants on fire….
“Sorry, if 55 % support the move, why revisit it?”
I think that was the poll of the last National electorate meeting in Gerry Brownlee’s electorate…
They must be taking a bath – great, they deserve nothing less… People are so hacked off they are going to vote for a troughing crypt keeper…
Seems to me this is simply taxpayer funded Tory interference in the mayoral election, to help out their mate Sideshow Bob who was donkey deep in the ECAN sacking.
Back scratching with my tax payer dollars!
My sister, in Christchurch, is still waiting for this “consultation” document along with many of her friends & neighbours. She asks where did NACT deliver the taxpayer funded NACT post event policy consultation letters?
did you hear on Nat Radio yesterday, that irrigated farms
are “poisoning” the underground water reservoirs so much that rural people digging wells for their household water supplies are unable to use it ? Not a good look for either dairying, or for Canterbury.