This guy is not a Labour voter - or Why the trickle-down theory never works.
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One area that is certainly not trickle down is the Maori tribes after their Waitangi settlements.
The Chief and all his relatives award themselves huge salaries and expenses and cars and holidays and make bad investments.
And yet they are the people claiming water (and everything else they can think of) as Maori and whom the Labour Party are strongly supporting.
Makes you think doesn't it. Maybe Cunliffe would be better....
That's so far from the truth here in the Waikato MVT: Tainui were initially sucked into some poor investments with their $170mill settlement from 20 years ago, but have recovered from that strongly to build Hamilton's most advanced shopping centre (The Base, Te Awa), and be large shareholders in a Hotel in town, amongst many other investments that employ people. But even now, if all settled, the investments would only pay each tribe member a few thousand dollars. In the great scheme of things, spending by the top brass of Maoridom is modest, we'd certainly hear about it if that wasn't the case.
Maori are not claiming water etc, they are stating their position that it is very important to their culture. Tainui are behind the large project to clean up the Waikato River banks and the river itself, prime movers in a country that has in recent decades spoiled many waterways. NIWA, DOC, Federated Farmers, local regional councils have observed and reported and debated on this, but in effect little has been done to stop the trend.
A positive view is possible:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10821126
Many of the companies we're investing in will have cornerstone shareholdings owned by rich individuals and families. Too often, I have seen evidence that many are using tax havens to hide their involvement from the tax man.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/economy/ne...821400&ref=rss
No surprises about them usually being right-wing voters.
Just getting back to the public sector issue, I had to visit Waikato Hospital today, for work. There are a lot of projects going on up there at the moment. I had to go all the way to the 12 floor of the carpark building, because it was full of contractor's vehicles. But a big public sector is always bad, right?
I recall at least one younger Maori of my children's acquaintance who inquired about financial help to go to Varsity after his tribe received a generous Treaty of Waitangi settlement only to be told, not even politely, to shove off - the settlement was in effect just for the chief's relatives and mates.
Then there's Tuku Underpants Morgan. They're as bad as corrupt 3rd World dictators at the top of the Maori tribes.
Hard to tell why the sponsorship was turned down when we don't know all the facts..
Tuku - I have met him, he has mana still, probably always will. I read the book about the underpants leadup. Looks like the TV company (who had a contract with govt) produced a lot of TV footage on a small budget, and at the end as a parting gift from management he was given an allocation to buy some good clothes for parliament. That store had the goods on the shelf, obviously for sale to someone. But as it later turned out, the public was made to think that buying fine items is something that most should never aspire to.
I have to wonder at the morals of the till operator who was happy enough to make the sale and take the cash (perhaps the commission also), but then handed over the docket to the National Party as a trophy. You and I both know that rorts, tax dodges and outright scamming on a massive scale have been perpetrated by (business) people from many walks of life. Difficult to compare these situations.
Tuku was earmarked by Tainui when he was still at college, he's been a leader in many areas, even recently. He's done a lot more moving and shaking than most of us. Just sit back and think, if he was not of Maori descent, would the underpants saga have flown? If he was middle aged and pakeha back then, it would not have been a story. You know it.