Does it take a drought to force National to do the right thing?
Will it take the prospect of a $1-2 billion economic thumping for the party to enact its founding promise to work for all New Zealanders?
Or will our growth rate have to plummet by 30% before National keeps its ‘one law for all’ promise that Bill English and Don Brash promoted, and John Key campaigned under, then reversed?
Bill English said this about the drought on Q & A:
“The latest advice is that somewhere between $1 billion and $2 billion will be knocked off our national income. And as every week goes by, the prospect of it being $2 billion instead of $1 billion grows”.
“There’s really nothing else that can knock 30% off NZ’s growth rate in a year. This underlines for us the importance of our primary production sector.”
Bill, it also highlights the stupidity of siphoning off between $1 billion and $2 billion every year and giving it to one racial group only.
It highlights that you and Don were right to want to stop race-based spending, and John was wrong.
As you and John must know, Maori privilege payments are costing us about the same as your $1-2 billion 2013 drought deficit prediction — and your $1.7 billion 2010 South Canterbury Finance bailout — every single year.
It’s been costing us that much for decades — including when you were last in government.
Here are the 2012-13 numbers (thanks to Mike Butler and Trina for digging them out of the various departments):
So Bill, don’t waste this crisis. The drought gives you just the excuse you need to implement your own policies.
Now is the time — before it rains too much.
Now is the time for National to do the right thing.
treatygate.wordpress.com 
OMG that puts so many things in perspective…
New Zealand will NEVER make any progress until the shackles of the Treaty of Waitangi are removed from around our legs. Ditch the Treaty and we will ALL move forward.
I agree John!
100% agreed
Well said john I should foward this to radio live. Mind you I’m sure their part of the funding hense Willy an JT
It certainly does, Brad. Even though we all know the huge amount spent solely on racial initiatives, when you compare it with the drought which affects us all, let’s hope it makes the likes of Bill English stop and think – very carefully. And wake up!!
Excellent stuff John !! This is exactly what Tax paying New Zealanders need too see. I’m sure however that this is maybe just the tip of the iceberg….do these figures include the cost of “Total Immersion Schools” ? The cost of Te Reo ?…the cost of the Maori TV channels ? The $80,000 of tax payer money it cost to decide on what type of Maori flag “we” should fly? etc etc I’m sure this list could be made much longer !
We should never forget that “Non Maori” get precisely zero !!
FYI http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8450486/Tamihere-allegedly-owes-500k
Aha Mr Tamihere cannot even get your own house in order. I see you are in Canada Wonder if thats a taxpayer junket. Are you representing the Eskemos
John the net cost of the South Canterbury bailout is yet to be confirmed. Sure they paid out close to that 1.7billion figure at the time but they are still recovering funds from borrowers and they had also received “insurance premiums” from the banks and other deposit takers in the 2 years leading up to the SCF collapse.
I understand that total is being whittled down.
John Tamahere can get away with anything he wants. He has the maori mafia + the media+ pusillanimous politicians onside. All he and Willie have to do is pull the race card and all will run for cover.
The man is a liar, a bludger, a brilliant sophist and a con man. Just like all elite maori radicals.
I think the term masterdebater could be added to your descriptive list along with many others terminologies Marvin. 😉
I am so over his and other myopic munters Publicly aired personal viewpoints I really believe they are well overdue the truth as known by others about them. Why should they be able to spout whatever BS they like whenever they like and feel they cant be challenged over any innacuracies over any given rants / personal beliefs.
Its true you know “opinions are like rectums… everyone has one and they are only just starting to find out, Bugger!
The list does not seem to include the vast amounts spent annually on Maori broadcasting, Maori language and the likes of Wananga o Aotearoa. I suspect the figures stated are merely the tip of an appalling iceberg.
Copy of a letter published in last weeks BOP Weekend Sun Newspaper, by Jan Hill, Tauranga:
“We sent the letter below to both the editors of the BOP times and the NZ Herald in relationship to Maori trusts being claimed as “Charitable Trusts” and therefore not paying any taxes, while only distributing less than 4% of their profit as sponsorship etc It appears that our hard earned taxes are being given to these tribes who then invest all the monies and pay out little to their iwi and re-invest the remainder, while paying no tax. Little wonder that their investments are now worth hundreds of Millions of dollars if not billions. Neither paper printed the letter. Both papers are owned by the same company”
Original letter as sent to these papers:
About two years ago I was told by a shop owner in Hamilton Mall that Tainui paid no tax at the Base shopping mall. I believed it but did not know the details.
National Business Review (1 February 2013) column claimed (quote) “Does Ngai Tahu enjoy an unfair tax advantage over companies it competes against? Ngai Tahu Property and Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation are part of Ngai Tahu Charitable Group, a registered charity which has 38 limited liability companies, 3 trusts and a scholarship fund as part of the group. Their 2012 annual report claims the group is not liable to pay NZ tax.
The 2012 financial statements also reveal Ngai Tahu Charitable Trust earned income of approximately $152 million, yet only $6.2 million, or less than 4% of its income was used to fund tribal, Runanga and Whanau activities.
The Charitable Commission has been reviewing charitable trusts but Ngai Tahu seems to have escaped the net” (along with all other Maori “Charitable Trusts”?)
It is our hard earned tax money which pays for these tribal treaty claims, yet they can invest their money without paying tax and unfairly compete against other tax paying NZ companies. What will it take to get New Zealanders off their seats and protest against this sick behaviour?
Hi Mike, I am not Tainui & I want to be clear that King Tuheitia is not my King! But i had a quick look at their financial statements for 2012. Some of their subsidiaries & associated entities are taxable. They also appear to pay quite a lot of G.S.T. The Charity status was approved by IRD. So I think your letter writer should be directing her questions more towards IRD, don’t you think? I doubt that an audit would be able to find anything illegal. I understand there are quite a few businesses that claim charitable trust status on fairly flimsy ground. I understand Sanitarium is one. Could not confirm that, so I could be wrong.
I wanted to chip in here because this type of letter tends to lend weight to the idea that “Maori pay no tax”. Admittedly we could be contributing more & that needs to be looked at, but saying that “Maori pay no tax” is not accurate. Personally I pay quite a lot of tax. Rates too.
I hope you will take my comments in the spirit that they are intended. Just as my 2 cents as usual.
Hi Glenn.
I think the letter was specifically targeting Ngai Tahu, not Tainui, but the question was being asked, is Tainui doing the same thing?
Regarding your comment about Maori paying tax, obviously some do, especially those with Maori ancestry who nevertheless can’t be bothered or don’t wish to be part of a ‘tribal group’. These people fit their lives into society in the same manner as the rest of us and are subject to the same laws and regulations. I have had Maori employees. I/they were taxed by the IRD under the same criteria as myself and my other employees.
The tax issue arises from Maori who re-form quasi tribal groups for the purposes of obtaining treaty settlement money. They form “Charitable Trusts” which act as holding tanks for the monies and resources given to them and invest this wherever they like. But the income from these is (apparently) not taxable as it is a “Charitable Trust”. The members of the trust are often employed by the trust to fill all kinds of often dubious managerial roles so as to obtain payment from the trust’s investments. I am not confident these people pay proper income tax either.
JA published some figures recently re Maori tax. They suggested that of the tax paid by Maori, virtually all of it was paid straight back to them in the form of direct welfare benefits. Essentially Maori paid nothing or thereabouts for any of the other services provided that include Roading, education (including Maori schools), health, Maori TV etc, all other government services. Essentially non Maori had to fund all of this both for themselves and for Maori too.
I am not sure where John obtained these figures and whether people with Maori ancestry in the ‘general population’, ie those who class themselves as New Zealanders and not essentially Maori were included. I don’t imagine they were. Perhaps JA could confirm?
Hi Mike, sorry, combination of confusion & not reading your post properly. The Base, Hamilton, I just naturally thought Tainui. But yes the letter does refer to Ngai Tahu. The Financial statements I briefly perused were for Tainui holdings & yes, they are also registered as a charitable trust. So i am not sure if Ngai Tahu pay any tax at all, but I assume that they would also have some subsidiaries that pay tax & I would assume they pay some G.S.T also. But this is an assumption on my part. I was suggesting that IRD should be in the gun just as much as the charitable trust. They are the ones who grant charitable trust status. But instead people seem to prefer pointing the finger at “Maori”. Even better, have a go at the government that set up the charitable trust tax legislation. I just get a little frustrated with regular suggestions that “Maori pay no tax”. This is an inaccurate generalisation.
I have seen & read parts of the report relating to Maori & tax transfers that you are referring to. It was commissioned by Te Puni Kokiri & carried out by one of the big accounting firms. Sorry I am not sure which one. The report seemed to be at pains to point out that it could contain inaccuracies. That report was what I was thinking of when I suggested that we could contribute more. People like me need to earn more money & therefore pay more tax. I don’t ever recall being asked about my income by a large accounting firm. I am guessing they only took information from people on the Maori electoral role, but i am not on that role & I don’t think anyone in my immediate family is either.
You & I have a tendency to wander way off topic Mike. Still, I respect your opinion & I hope you can see my point. I do have a tendency to waffle a bit. Kia ora Mike.
High fives to Jan Hill for her investigative work! That is a brilliant write up.
Those who have commented on the lack of other figure’s are correct.
Mike and myself looked through the Vote papers and found a few other Maori allocated funds that were incorporated with everything else so we were unable to add them to the list.
For example under ‘Vote Courts’ we find 10,708 million allocated to Waitangi Tribunal Services.
But, above that there is $80,282 million appropriated for :
Specialist Courts, Tribunals and Other Authorities Services (M19)
[which includes]
Provision of services in regard to the work of the Environment Court, Employment Court, Māori Land Court, Māori Appellate Court, Disputes Tribunals, Tenancy Tribunal, Liquor Licensing Authority, Coroners and a range of tribunals and other authorities.
This output class also includes services to Māori landowners and contracting mortuary services as part of supporting the work of Coroners.
So, as you can see it is difficult to give a final figure when each appropriation is not specifically broken down.
If you are at a loose end, settle down with a cuppa and go through the Vote’s with a calculator and see what figure you come up with.
Go to: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/2012/estimates
and scroll down the page to find Vote PDF’s for the 2012-13 year.
This will be a very interesting excersize for you – but I tell you what – It will be an even more interesting excersize to see what has changed after the next elections.