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Posts Tagged ‘Tariana Turia’

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

Posted by Iain Lees-Galloway on March 5th, 2012

Tariana Turia has accused Fonterra of dumping milk into the Manawatu River.

I was concerned when I read her press release so I contacted Fonterra to see what was going on. The odd thing is, the idea of calling Fonterra hadn’t occurred to Tariana. Nor does it seem she had spoken to Horizons Regional Council. In fact, as best as I can tell, she hadn’t done a thing to substantiate her claims before she issued her press release.

This is totally irresponsible from a Government Minister.

No doubt it took Nick Smith by surprise. Tariana’s accusation is completely at odds with the positive announcement over the weekend of funding for the river clean up project and the Government’s intention to work closely with local government and industry.

As a representative of the Manawatu region, she should be trying to be positive about her region’s reputation.

If the claims are true, Fonterra absolutely should be held to account. But where are the facts and why on earth was her first action to issue a press release?

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Filed under: environment
8 Comments

Whanau Ora: a damp squib

Posted by Clare Curran on May 6th, 2010

800px-Box_of_squibs

We all want better coordinated and connected services, especially for at risk families. Labour was absolutely committed to that. But look what we’ve ended up with.

Today Annette King has said the billion dollar figure Tariana Turia was bandying about gave the impression that Whanau Ora would be a major shift in social policy. Instead National’s stumped up just $134 million over four years.

“The Maori party calls it the first wave of funding. I’d call it more of a trickle,” Annette said.

It’s finally been revealed today that the Government will fund Whanau Ora from the Pathways to Partnership programme.That fund was set up by Labour to fully fund 800 Non-Government Organisations to deliver social services in communities. So where’s the major shift? And where’s the funding to back it up?

There’s a range of expressions one could use. A trickle. Not much chop.

But I personally prefer the damp squib. Growing up, I always imagined it as a damp, grey and slightly smelly dishcloth. But below is actually what it is. Seems appropriate, coz when it’s damp it doesn’t go off.

A squib is a miniature explosive device used in a wide range of industries, from special effects to military applications. They resemble tiny sticks of dynamite, both in appearance and construction, although with considerably less explosive power. Squibs can be used to generate mechanical force, as well as to provide pyrotechnic effects for both film and live theatrics. Squibs can be used for shattering or propelling a variety of materials.[1]

From Wikipedia

Pictured. A box of squibs. Pour water on them and they won’t go off

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Filed under: community, social development
12 Comments

Whanau Ora another issue

Posted by Trevor Mallard on February 20th, 2010

Most of the focus on Whanau Ora has been on ethnicity of those who will  run and and use Whanau Ora.

Isn’t the bigger issue going to be those who can’t get access to their current provider (eg doctor), or are charged more because a contract has been cut to fund Tariana’s family’s programme.

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Filed under: Budget, M?ori, coalition management, ethnic, health, housing, inequality, national, social development
2 Comments

Tariana’s BMW or Katene’s principles

Posted by Trevor Mallard on February 10th, 2010

Today in the house Rahui Katene was pretending to oppose an increase in GST because of what it would do to Maori families.

Tariana didn’t like it when we pointed out that she would lose her car if the Maori Party voted with their rhetoric.

My money is on the Maori Party voting for the increase and Tari keeping her car.

ps it was interesting to see how unhappy Hone was when Tari shut Rahui down.

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Filed under: GST, M?ori, coalition management, low pay
22 Comments

Hone gives Tari finger and gets two months holiday

Posted by Trevor Mallard on December 2nd, 2009

It was all so predictable. Wet bus ticket and nine week holiday for Hone. Tariana absent but real loser.

Three weeks ago I posed the question Hone or Tariana who will the real party back?

“But isn’t the real issue the shape of Maori Party the supporters and party workers want. While those who are more closely aligned with the corporates may support the Nacts I got the impression that the teams that did the work on the ground were closer to a Hone Mana Motuhake grouping than a Tariana National/Act approach.

There is also the question of where the others stand. I first worked with Pita 32 years ago and he has always been an individual of real personal integrity,  as did Te Ururoa Flavell in our briefer and more recent professional work together. I don’t know Rahui Katene but get the impression she is a hard working woman and is principled.

Everyone knows this debate is not about Hone, bad language or racisim. It is about the future of the Maori Party and in particular how many more times the male members can be humiliated by John Key and Tariana Turia working together as a team.”

I was subsequently reminded of Katene’s humiliation by Turia on the ETS, and accepted that it wasn’t a gender issue.

And now it is clear that they want Hone. The Maori party can’t afford to lose him because it would be seen as total capitulation to the Nact dominated Turia.

Going to be exciting going forward because I’m sure Hone won’t hold back from speaking his mind for too long.

Also of interest was the reappearance of Derek Fox who walked from the Maori party when they folded to McCully on the Rugby World Cup rights issue.

Update  Dunc calls Harawira new Maori Party leader – blog

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Filed under: M?ori, coalition management, media
26 Comments

Not just the males

Posted by Trevor Mallard on November 17th, 2009

I posted on Turia’s work with Key that has undermined other Maori members. My post implied it was just the male members that had been undermined by the pair. I was wrong.

I had forgotten that Rahui Katene had been humiliated by Turia during the earlier ETS Select Committee.

So just to make it clear Turia and Key do not discriminate on the basis of gender when it comes to doing deals that make colleagues look foolish.

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Filed under: Uncategorized
3 Comments

Tariana v Hone who will the real party back?

Posted by Trevor Mallard on November 14th, 2009

Lots of coverage over the last couple of weeks on problems within the Maori Party and Hone has got a fair amount of flack.

Claire Trevett has some background. Audrey Young a bit more opinion. And stuff is carrying a lighter piece looking more to Key’s reaction.

But isn’t the real issue the shape of Maori Party the supporters and party workers want. While those who are more closely aligned with the corporates may support the Nacts I got the impression that the teams that did the work on the ground were closer to a Hone Mana Motuhake grouping than a Tariana National/Act approach.

There is also the question of where the others stand. I first worked with Pita 32 years ago and he has always been an individual of real personal integrity,  as did Te Ururoa Flavell in our briefer and more recent professional work together. I don’t know Rahui Katene but get the impression she is a hard working woman and is principled.

Everyone knows this debate is not about Hone, bad language or racisim. It is about the future of the Maori Party and in particular how many more times the male members can be humiliated by John Key and Tariana Turia working together as a team.

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Filed under: Budget
16 Comments

Do the Maori Party get anything for the ETS?

Posted by Chris Hipkins on September 17th, 2009

I’m sure Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples have a strategy in there somewhere, but it’s pretty hard to spot at this stage. Surely they didn’t agree to give the National government their votes on the ETS before working out exactly what they would get in return?

First they claimed they were getting an increase in benefits. Turns out they aren’t. Then Pita Sharples claimed they were getting extra home insulation for 2000 Maori households. Turns out perhaps not.

In fact, from the information we have available it looks like not one single extra home will be insulated. All the National government have agreed to do is bring forward funding from future years so that they can keep up with demand. Hardly a massive victory for the Maori Party.

So what, if anything, did the Maori Party actually get for supporting the ETS?

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Filed under: M?ori, climate change, ets
19 Comments

Just what IS Tariana doing?

Posted by Iain Lees-Galloway on June 17th, 2009

A couple of weeks ago I asked Tariana Turia a question in the house about the international evidence supporting a ban on tobacco displays, something that she has publicly supported even though her colleague Tony Ryall has dismissed the idea.

I was working on the basis that the National Party ministers aren’t listening to their partners in the Maori Party. But as the questioning continued (amidst a volley of points of order regarding what Mrs Turia is and isn’t responsible for) it turned out that even though Tariana has publicly asserted her support for banning point of sale tobacco advertising, she has at not time advised Minister Ryall that he should go ahead with the select committee recommendation that tobacco products should be out of sight.

Which got me thinking: Just what is she doing?

So I asked written questions to see which groups actively campaigning for greater tobacco control she had met with. Of the 15 organisations I asked about she had met with just 3 – Te Hotu Manawa Maori, Te Reo Marama (TRM) and ASH.

It’s probably not fair to expect her to have met with them all, but the two she hadn’t met that stuck out like a canine’s proverbials were the Cancer Society and the Smokefree Coalition, the two organisations leading the campaign against Tobacco Displays.

I don’t think anyone really expected Maori Party ministers to have all that much say in this Government. But just how much effort is Tariana putting in to making her voice heard?

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Filed under: health
8 Comments

Turia Asks a Question only She Can Answer

Posted by Iain Lees-Galloway on May 29th, 2009

I’ve just seen a speech from Tariana Turia where she asks why New Zealand hasn’t acted to ban tobacco displays. Is she kidding? She’s the Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Tobacco issues in the Government that just turned down a select committee recommendation to implement such a ban. Perhaps she needs to take up John Key’s habit of talking to himself in the mirror.

However I do have to say that she was bang on with her assessment of the situation and the evidence from overseas.

I hope she can get Ryall to come round on this one, or failing that, support my private members bill… should it ever get to see the light of day!

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Filed under: health
2 Comments