Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thriving?
Has ACT really thrived?
They have certainly survived but as for thriving, this can really only be measured in poll results.
We won't really know if either Hide or Douglas are right until the next election.
And that election is going to be a tough one, especially as the voters are also going to be also considering the fate of the minor party lifeline - MMP.
The ACT brand is hog-tied to the Hide brand and whilst that has been their greatest strength it is also their greatest weakness.
No matter who is right, any party which continues with the wishy washy "Liberal" byline is a party that is still campaigning with a last century mindset.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
ACC and Competition
The only surprise is that this fortunate state of affairs has not been publicised widely.
Take this example of a thirty eight year old non smoking 50/50 share milker earning $200k per year. (Many earn more than this when one takes into account drawings plus loan principal repayment and family accommodation.)
He is a top class Maori farmer and his name is Kau Koki
Kau has negotiated an 'agreed value' position with ACC using their Cover Plus Extra facility whereby he has the maximum allowable benefit of $88,015 per annum paid out in the event of an accidental disablility claim. There is a one week stand down.
His ACC levy for this cover in the year ending March 31st 2011 will be $6,094.
BUT
Kau can negotiate with ACC to reduce his level of cover (and levies) to just $20,800 and go elsewhere (private insurers) to replace the balance of his cover.
In doing so he can obtain a longer stand down period which slashes his premium cost. It is far more efficient to fund short term claims himself than it is to pay huge premiums to ACC or an alternative insurer. So he takes a thirteen week stand down along with a $20k trauma benefit which pays out immediately upon diagnosis of forty or so major medical issues, thus mitigating some of the thirteen week risk. The rest he carries himself. Kau now is fully covered for illness related disability as well as accident.
How much does he pay?
- ACC .........................$1,922
- Insurer ...................$2,080
- Total ........................................$4,002
Warning:
People need to take care to ask all the right questions. Adolf understands not all private insurers currently will enter into this arrangement. Some apparently have tricky policy wordings which mean they will only pay the difference between the maximum ACC 'entitlement' and the sum insured.
Adolf knows which insurers these are.
ETS Public Meeting
John Boscawen, ACT’s spokesman on Climate Change invites you to a Public Meeting to discuss the implications of the amended Emissions Trading Scheme.
New Zealanders will all be poorer. Power, petrol and food will all go up in price.
Come and find out;
• Why the ETS will see many low and middle income families struggle
• Why many freel the 'scientific consensus' is crumbling and dispute that the science is settled
• Why it will be more difficult for our export businesses and farmers to compete
• Why ACT’s offer to support National in delaying Labour’s ETS was ignored
Where: Godzone Church building,
82 Grey St, Gisborne
When: Tuesday 2 March, 7:30pm
For more information: email johnboscawen.mp@parliament.govt.nz or call 09 531 5531
www.johnboscawen.org.nz
Join John on Facebook to keep up to date with his campaigns!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bold, decisive leadership
Now I’m just waiting for the decisive, bold and courageous action on:
- Flattening taxes
- Introducing a Taxpayer Rights Act
- Scrapping Working for Families
- Selling Kiwibank, Air New Zealand and Kiwirail
- Bringing back the Privy Council
- Allowing Maori their day in Court for the Foreshore and Seabed
- Scrapping interest free student loans
- Re-introducing the original section 59
- Scrapping the ETS
Heatley fired?
WELL DONE JOHN KEY
A Tale of Two Failures
Today features ABC News in the United States and TVNZ in (of course) New Zealand.
Could it be that they both have the same problem?
The company said, however, that lower prime-time ratings and advertising rates at the ABC Television Network offset results.
Too many people (like Adolf) turned off by their poor quality and slanted news presentation?
If people don't watch your evening news they generally don't watch much else at your place so it's damned hard to increase the price of your adverts as your ratings decline.
They join the ranks of the NYT in the race for the gurglar.
Amazing guy
"The son of one of Hamas’s founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a decade, helping prevent dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from finding their targets, it emerged today."
You can see video of his conversion to Christianity here. He was at one point president of the Hamas Youth movement. The turning point was seeing a phrase in the bible to "Love your enemy".
Needless to say he has a death sentence.
He is now living in California.
.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Close shaves
The first one I was cycling, alone, in the middle of the day, wearing a white top, straight along a road where cars were waiting to turn right from the opposite direction. The car immediately in front of me (remember this post where I said I can easily cruise along at 40 km/h with a small tailwind) was given way to, but the impatient asshole of a motorist waiting to turn right never saw me/looked for me/gave a shit about me and turned right in front of me. I had to swerve violently to the left, apply the brakes forcefully and got close enough to the car to feel the wind on my shorts. The driver just drove off laughing.
Idiot #2 was tonight at about 6pm in perfect daylight.
I was following the centreline around the bend, a car was waiting to turn left out of a Give Way sign and he just, well, never gave way. Fortunately I was close to the centreline so could swerve across it to the opposing side of the road, and fortunately again, there were no cars coming. Did he stop or offer an apology for nearly killing me? Not a chance.
So to the driver of white hatchback, registration DUN295, I hope you sleep well tonight knowing you almost killed me.
I apologise for not accepting that motorists, of which I am one too, have a mortgage over the road. I should be grateful they are letting me use it.
Sanity Prevails in Taranaki
Bit what about the evidence given by the little prick who had been terrorizing these people's livestock for a whole year? He told the court his car had been fired on and he produced the bullet holes and the remains of the bullets to prove it. (Conveniently omitted from this NZPA piece.)
Trouble is, the bullets didn't come from the accused's air rifle. Clearly, they were fired into the car by the little prick, after the event, to sex up the evidence. Pity he didn't check to find out if the accused owned a .22 rifle.
Questions:
How could the cops be so dumb as to not properly investigate?
When will the little prick be charged, convicted and jailed for perjury?
Will He Cast His Net On The Other Side?
02/23/2010 | -19 | 23% | 42% | 45% | 54% | |
02/22/2010 | -19 | 22% | 41% | 45% | 54% | |
02/21/2010 | -19 | 22% | 41% | 45% | 54% | |
02/20/2010 | -17 | 23% | 40% | 45% | 53% | |
|
He has put himself off side with the military, the economy is refusing to recover fast enough and unemployment remains at unacceptable levels. He has demeaned Americans by kow-towing to a number of overseas leaders and insulting those who should be America's friends. He has nationalized the auto industry, placed the trade unions into a position of privilege and failed to take one step to honour his pre-election bally-hoo about 'cleaning up Washington.' The public is overwhelmingly against his proposed nationalization of the private health insurance industry with it's inherent increase in taxes, albeit disguised as something other than tax. Worst of all, his own party is deserting him in droves since the Massachusetts massacre.
No wonder Sarah Palin was able to deliver her priceless one liner:-

"And how's all that hopey-changey thing working out for you?"
Obama needs a game changer and Adolf thinks he can guess what it will be.
He will pull the ultimate surprise by supporting Israel in a series of raids on Iran's nuclear facilities. Such a move will see his poll ratings at home go sky high.
The signs are all there.

Imadinnerjacket has given Obama just the excuse he needs by rejecting his cloying attempts at appeasement. Now the news is out that Iran pretty much has it's nukes and the wherewithal to deliver them. Obama can blame it ALL on Iran and paint the mullahs as crass, obdurate, deceitful, dangerous and untrustworthy people. How dare they reject the friendly overtures of Obama, the Messiah, the world's Saviour.
Just a couple of days ago, Israel put on show for the world (Iran) to see, it's fleet of unmanned aircraft.
These are not just little old drones with a couple of .303 rifles attached. They are large aircraft able to fly at high altitude carrying substantial payloads (nukes) and most remarkably, able to remain aloft for 24 hours without refueling.
Suddenly the dynamics have changed. Israel can send these planes into Iran and allow them to crash or be shot down after they have hit their targets. No human crews to be captured and used as pawns.

My guess is Mr Netanyahu already is on the phone to Big Ears, telling him how Israel can save his presidency. Of course the deal will be that Israel will forgo use of nukes if the US will provide it with the (a) conventional bombs necessary to take out Iran's clandestine nukes and (b) diversionary military activity and radar jamming services.
Pretty simple really. Everybody wins.
Obama and the Democrats regain their standing in the opinion polls, Israel preserves itself for the foreseeable future and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE heave a great sigh of relief as does the whole western world.
BTW, if you're wondering why there is no picture of Obama?
I can't stand the sight of the smarmy lying bastard.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Boo Hoo
Advertisements with identical wording ran in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Spain. Similar campaigns also ran successfully in Croatia, Finland, Holland, Italy, America and across the Tasman in Australia.
Funny, ain't it? How those who would mock Christianity seek to do so only in countries whose very freedoms are based on the tenets of Christianity.
Skeletons in closet
A major row has broken out between Air New Zealand and the police after claims of drink-driving staff and a drinking culture...Six incidents in two years.
Internal police documents released to TV3 showed there were at least six incidents of drink-driving involving a total of four Air NZ staff between 2007 and last year.
What about the drink-driving culture of the police themselves?
Half of all police officers caught drink-driving in the past three years have beaten the charge, raising allegations of one law for police and another for the public.Figures given to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act show that just five out of 16 officers on drink-driving charges have been convicted since the beginning of 2006. The 16 include the three whose cases are still before the courts.
Sixteen from the beginning of 2006 until October 2009.
Pro rata, pretty much the same as Air New Zealand.
'Old Labour' Never Learns
Forget it.
The clients are well protected already. All they have to do is move over to Vodafone or the other outfit.
Labour has absolutely no idea how to run a business but they want to meddle where the market is well able to sort out the sheep from the goats.
Telecom looks more like a goat every day. Thank God I haven't got shares in the wretched outfit.
Nothng Better To Do?
Straight from the Mike Williams school of investigative reporting, they found a $70 bill for a couple of pretty ordinary bottles of wine and a lousy hundred and fifty buck staff lunch.
It's time they were packed off back to the police rounds to relearn their trade.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Respect is a two way street.
I would be more than happy to see traffic split out from proper coppers. A great leap backwards? Or a way to restore public confidence and respect?
Yet another council junket
Manukau Mayor Len Brown has come under fire for spending thousands of dollars of ratepayer cash to take his wife on a sister-city trip to Japan.
Supermayor candidate Brown was also criticised for opting to fly premium economy on the junket while other members of the delegation flew economy.
Flights for the mayor and his wife Shan cost $7900, and a further $8700 was spent flying three council staff to Utsunomiya, 120km north of Tokyo.
Council chief executive Leigh Auton also brought his wife, Jenny, on the trip but paid for her costs personally.
Getting the ratepayer to pay for his wife was a bit off. If Rodney Hide ought to pay for his partner's travel out of a shared sympathy for taxpayers during a recession, so should any other politician. A sister city relationship is not enough of a diplomatic event for wives to get lovely air tickets to exotic climes. Len should write a cheque back to the people of Manukau for this.
Perhaps this poor judgment and unwise spending is why Len Brown has now dropped back into second place behind John Banks in the latest poll for the Auckland Mayoralty, as reported on Kiwiblog.
Monday moan
Then, after the freak occurrences, comes knee-jerk political responses. “We’re gonna do something about it”, they say.
Is it just me, or is it simply that weird shit happens occasionally and all we should do is shrug our shoulders and say “weird shit happens occasionally”.
Or do we get our politicians to pass laws to stop it from happening again? I mean, assault on police is illegal now. Should it be made more illegal than what it is now?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Recent comments...
Click, Click, Click
There was a discernable noise. Click click click, as one foot shot forward and the other foot stayed back.
Torn hamstring. Agony. Right about where that line in the diagram is pointing.

That'll slow the silly old bugger down a bit. No more long walks, rowing machine or skating up and down an extension ladder for a while.
Simple reason why we have "unaffordable" housing
"Scandalous" red-tape charges are preventing much-needed affordable housing from being built around New Zealand, real estate experts say.This was me in August last year:Figures released by one developer reveal almost 40 per cent of the $250,000 cost of building a pair of two-bedroom units in Auckland went on a staggering array of bureaucratic fees, consents and permits.
The anonymous developer, who builds in Auckland suburbs with housing shortages, said the fees were blocking new low-cost housing projects.
Of the $93,750 in fees he was charged, $46,000 went to the Auckland City Council as a financial contribution. The resource consent cost $23,000 and an ACC consent, $8500. Water connection was $8300 and an electricity connection fee $5500. Other fees were paid for a right of way consent charge and vehicle crossing permit.
"This is why affordable medium density housing is a myth in Auckland city," the developer said. "It really is a ... scandal."
In one of the most disgraceful and unaffordable policies ever inflicted on ratepayers, the North Shore City Council has increased their development contributions by 150%.
Mr Blincoe expected a $13,000 development contribution bill from North Shore City Council when he built on a Torbay property.
He got a nasty shock when that figure leapt to $32,500 after his house plans were lodged late last month.
And:
The charges have been steadily increasing as the policy has been changed to more accurately reflect the cost of growth, he says.
For example earlier wastewater charges of $800-$900 are now about $14,000, says Mr Cleaver.
Nothing else needs saying. Except this from said Granny article.
But Local Government New Zealand environment and regulation manager Irene Clark defended the charges, saying that they were an "actual and reasonable" cost.
She said they went towards processing applications, inspections and administration costs.
The cost of processing, inspections and administration is the wages paid to council staff to, um, er, process, inspect and administer. Wages are paid through rates.
As an aside, I read the other day that North Shore City Council has removed user pays on Takapuna business parking. The impact on rates was .3%. That's quite significant. Somehow if someone from Manurewa wants to come to Takapuna to shop I, as a North Shore ratepayer, have to pay his parking.
Roll on November.
Predictions and other stuff
What the fuck are you doing having a holiday when your utterly shite UN dept is trying to cope with the biggest catastrophe it has ever faced?
How can you keep a straight face accepting an honorary doctorate in LAW when you had little regard for it when you were breaking it?
The headlines in both papers over the last day or so are proof that Cam Slaters crusade against name suppression is working. What other conclusion can you reach when they are both breathlesly trumpeting the name of the poor stupid soul who murdered a young girl in Kerikeri in 2008.
I am supporting his campaign but felt no need to name the young man in question because he has been held since arrest and posed no threat to anybody. But when doctors and prison managers and scum accused of murder and shite comedians are out and about in society hiding behind name suppression I am disgusted with our judicial system.
Rant over.
Tinted Glasses
How much nicer might have been:
After Power's announcement, I think now MMP in some form will survive.
Adolf agrees with the thrust of his analysis however.
I can't help laughing though, at the deeply ingrained hatred of the right which seeps through in everything this redder than red unionist says. McCarten seems surprised that a National politician can act evenhandedly. He's been around the Left too long. Have a look at this:
"However, Power has gone out of his way to consult all the Parliamentary parties and, amazingly, did not include many things Labour and the Greens objected to, even though he had the votes to get his way."and this:
".........rammed through Parliament the present laws to advantage itself.McCarten has not yet realised that Labour was tossed out because they were and are a gang of corrupt self centred crooks, masquerading as a political party. By contrast, NACTationalMP are governing for the good of the nation. Simon Power's actions here are a prime example.To his credit, Power did not use the same tactic."
Then he just can't bring himself to face the current reality, so indulges in some IPCC like juxtaposition of truth with hope.
"After the next election it is likely the only third parties left will be the Greens, the Maori Party and possibly Act."He got the words right but the positioning wrong. After the next election it is likely the only third parties left will be Act, the Maori Party and possibly the Greens.
Like most commentators, McCarten has never truly understood MMP. (Mind you, neither has Adolf.)
"MMP can actually be fixed easily. Possibly maintain 120 MPs but increase the number of electorate seats, which consequently reduces the number of list MPs."He should consult HomePaddock who could have told him that the number of electorate MPs has increased considerably and continues to increase as the population grows - with consequent reduction in the number and ratio of list MPs. No changes are needed.
"Don't allow list MPs to contest by-elections."How silly! McCarten wants to restrict democracy and disenfranchise those who would seek a mandate from the voters rather than the party? That sounds like something from Brezhnev's politburo.
"It's hard to get around party list rankings but we could allow voters to rearrange a party's list. If the parties had to let all their members vote to rank their list, as the Green Party does, it would make list MPs accountable to more than just a few party hacks in a back room."
Not surprisingly, McCarten considers political parties to be evil or he would not have made such a condescending and foolish suggestion. There is nothing bad about a party selecting a few of its best and brightest who might not possess the gift of the gab. (Steven Joyce is a stand out example, as was Dr Brash.) Look what a disaster McCarten's pet system has been for the Greens.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday funny
10 rules for men
1. It's important to have a woman who helps at home.
2. It's important to have a woman who cooks from time to time.
3. It's important to have a woman who keeps the house clean.
4. It's important to have a woman who has a job.
5. It's important to have a woman who likes you.
6. It's important to have a woman who can be your very best friend.
7. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh.
8. It's important to have a woman who you can trust, who doesn't lie to you.
9. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed.
10. It's very, very important that these nine women do not know each other.
Sincerely,
Tiger Woods
Euphimisms
Helen Clark saving the world.
She stated that one of the main jobs of the UNDP was to raise people out of poverty.
She then admitted that they had had zero success in Africa but millions of people had been raised from poverty in China.
I guess all those hard working Chinese must be thankful that Helen is out there batting for them and the Africans will just have to wait for the next innings.
Another Disciple Martyred
Today another of the disciples threw in the towel.

His assertiveness sometimes led to accusations that he was overstepping the bounds of a neutral U.N. facilitator.Poor Berend must cringe every time this head tilting cretin opens his mouth. (Why are greenies all head tilters?)"They are absolutely right. I did that because I felt the process needed that extra push," he told the AP.
It remains for the loud mouth of the group Pachauri to be brought before the courts for his many verbal assaults on the ears of the sane and for the self anointed messiah Gore to be stripped of his criminally acquired wealth and prestige.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tortoise and the Hare
David, and most of the commenters on the post, agree with an incremental approach to turning this country around. That's because there is risk of electoral defeat if "bold" changes are pushed through too quickly, and a follow up risk of the reforms being overturned very quickly.
Questions arise.
How many of the following major reforms, during the "Klarkistan" era, were implemended incrementally? And, how many have been overturned?
I believe the answers are none and none.
- Raising top tax rate to 39%
- Working for Families
- Employment Relations Act (consequential repeal of Employment Contracts Act)
- Purchase of Kiwibank
- Purchase of Air New Zealand
- Reformation of District Health Boards
- Removal of Privy Council
- Decriminalising prostitution
- Civil Unions
- Foreshore and Seabed law
- Interest free student loans
- Kiwirail purchase
- Kiwisaver
- Repeal of section 59
- Emissions Trading Scheme
- Scrapping of air defence wing
- Electoral Finance Act
Helen Clark's haiti heartbreak.
Putting aside the fact that this woman tried to destroy democracy in this country, oversaw the end of Kiwi's being able to get help from the Privy Council and arguably broke quite a few laws in her shameless quest to hang onto power, this emperor troughpig is getting a nice gong and sash from Auckland university.... In..... Wait for it..... LAW. FFS.
The other gong is pretty much worthless to most of us as she will be alongside such luminaries as the fattest gay man to ever be an MP. A man who ate and drank and taxi'd his way around the globe for over 30 years on the taxpayers dime.
But.... Don't talk up all the suffering in Haiti when arguably as the head of the UNDP you might be feeling a bit embarassed at skiving off on a south pacific jolly when the agency you head is trying to help sort out the largest catastrophe in the UNDP's shamefull history.
Robbed
Bring back Pat Jennings.
Signed:
Pi**ed off.
Israel pisses on their Western backers (again)
Now they're at it again, this time pissing on the UK and other Western backers of Israel. Their response says it all:
...the Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, broke his government's
silence saying there was no proof that the Mossad was behind the killing.
In other words: "You got no proof it was me, assholes!"
The Brits are co-operating with the Dubai authorities to try and uncover that proof. Here's hoping they find it.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Manchester in a nut shell.
Not much more than a Beatles tribute band at their best. Stupid chav mancunian tosspots at their worst.
I defy anybody to disagree that manchester is populated by barely human Morlocks
Down The Gurglar......
Why? The bills proposed will be damaging to their businesses and to their nation.
It must be only a matter of time before New Zealand pulls back from implementation of its ETS.
Adolf's pick is that the gummint will wait until the last minute, allowing the head of steam to build further against the climate change conspiracy, before moving to repeal the obnoxious and damaging legislation. The trick is to do so in such a way that minimises a politically driven back lash against our exports to those countries where any old excuse is good enough for a phony trade barrier.
From the NZ Emmissions Unit Register:
31 May 2011
Deadline for meeting surrender
obligations either through the
surrender of units and/or paying
$25 for each unit that is required to
be surrendered.
The first money for carbon credits appear to be due on the table in May 2011 so it seems as though there is a bit of time up our sleeves.
Huljich funds and stock pumping
Adolf has drawn my attention to the Huljich fund. As of this morning I had never heard of it but he maintains they have done markedly better than their opposition in offering Kiwisaver returns. That would appear to be on the basis of misrepresentation. When they started their funds they pumped the returns so that their investment statements would be able to show an excellent return in comparison to other funds. Evidence this extract from the Huljich investment statement dated 9 September 2009. If you cant see the small print Huljich have super high returns whilst their competitors are in the red. If you believe that is real I have a bridge to sell you.
“Huljich has been a standout performer showing positive returns over the last year in all funds – conservative, balanced and growth – in a time when most of the market has been going backwards.” “The secret to his success – including a 16.07 per cent return for the company’s conservative fund – was an early move, ‘a no-brainer’, to cash and fixed interest as opposed to shares. As an active fund manager, Huljich says the company has more discretion than many about how it handles its funds’ asset allocations.”.
UK sink schools and National standards testing
She tested the 11-year-olds and found that the highest reading age was that of an average nine-year-old. Less than a fifth of them were leaving with five GCSEs at grades A-C.“We worked our socks off,” says Myers, who puts in a regular 16-hour day. Sure enough, now nearly 90 per cent of girls obtain five GCSEs at grades A-C, and Bishop Challoner is in the top 2 per cent of state secondaries even though more than half the pupils receive free school meals, 27 per cent have special needs, and they speak a total of 73 mother tongues
To those educationists who disapprove of testing, let Myers be a lesson to you, and to me, as I sit down in her new office (passing five girls waiting nervously outside the door). She gives all new pupils a cognitive ability test (CAT) and retests them every year. The CAT is also used to help in choosing subjects and careers. Each student is given an ambitious performance target.
Although this approach is now catching on, 18 years ago Myers was the pioneer. She can produce for me spreadsheets of each child’s progress; if pupils fall behind, she and the teachers ask them why.
“We ask children, how do you like to learn? Aside from the core subjects, there is no reason why they can’t like to learn and learn what they like.”
Catherine Myers’s formula for educating teenagers successfully:
1. Educate girls and boys separately. It’s not just girls that do better in single-sex schools. “That’s an assumption that is generally made, but if boys have teaching geared towards them, they will achieve.”
2. Let them do it their own way, as long as they do it.Encourage pupils to analyse and develop their own style of learning (eg, last-minute, in groups). “Children should learn what they like and like what they learn,” says Myers.
3. Don’t see vocational subjects as second best — they are not. Think beyond the British school tradition, to the more vocational Scandinavian model. “As a mother I know that if you spend half your life making them do what they don’t want to do, you only make your life difficult. Everyone should leave school qualified for something.”
4. Set targets. Try not to compare your child to others — but set individual targets that will stretch his or her particular abilities. Respond quickly and collaboratively if the targets are not being met.
5. Get respect by giving it. “You have to like children and believe that they can achieve”.
New Zealand gap versus Australian wages
Reading Gooners post about Aust NZ wage gap and the emigration trend referencing a table from an article by Brian Gaynor, I got to thinking about the relative growth in wages and what is required to catch up by 2025.

- Corporate tax down to Ireland levels (12%)
- Allowing 100% depreciation on capital investment in productive plant and equipment in first year
- Raise GST to 17-20% to fund the Corporate tax reduction
- Raise minimum wages over time to encourage business investment in training and equipment rather than lowest cost manufacture.
- Promote New Zealand based shared services
- Investing in education.
- Investing a portion of Cullen Fund and Kiwisaver in small New Zealand businesses needing capital to grow.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
School choice - success the only option
It's a great pleasure for me and my National, ACT and Maori Party colleagues to welcome you here today for the launch of 'Step Change: Success the Only Option' - the report of the Inter-Party Working Group for School Choice.
The greatest legacy that parents can leave their children is to prepare them to succeed in the world that they will inherit. This world is characterised by rapid, continuous change and increasing complexity and ambiguity. The successful citizen not only needs a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience but also well refined tools for continuous self-learning.
Indeed. The Inter-Party working Group is a cornerstone of the Coalition Agreement. It's mission was to:...
...report on policy options for funding and regulation of schools in order to increase parental choice and school autonomy. For the past year we have reviewed current practice in New Zealand, and best practice overseas. We complemented our research with visits to schools around the country.
Great. And what of the relationship between the Gnats/ACT & Maori Party?
I have thoroughly enjoyed the interesting, productive and rewarding experience of working across the three Parties. Each MP brought different priorities and concerns to the table. Despite these differences, we have worked effectively towards a common goal and arrived at a point of agreement that we believe will raise the level of student achievement at both ends of the spectrum.
What did Hekia Parata of National say?
We strongly commend this report and its recommendations to the Minister of Education.
And Te Ururoa Flavell?
The Maori Party is pleased to support this report along with National and ACT Parties.
The working group has devoted considerable time to fully debating the issues and has been aware just how significant the issue of school choice is.
The crisis in addressing Maori under-achievement in particular in general stream schools is an issue that the nation cannot walk away from. The "same old, same old", "been there done that" approach cannot continue. The report provides some levers for future work to address that crisis.
Our focus throughout this review has been to ensure that the disadvantaged are not used to advantage those already blessed with privilege.
Definitely. It's about incentives to get to the top, rather than dumbing down from the top.
Has the current system helped Maori?
And I want to make it quite clear that the urgent need to address the way in which institutions of the state have failed our Maori children is a challenge that all educational institutions must address.
We support teaching environments which promote a holistic view of education and where teacher expectations and pedagogies focus on fulfilling the potential of every child.
I can live with that.
We support ongoing performance improvement and the capacity for teachers to be self-reflective and self-analytical about the difference they are making.
Where we would be concerned is where competition drives the educational environment; where institutions minimise treaty obligations and neutralise the push towards cultural competency, and the best interests of each child and their community are sacrificed to cater to market demand.
Hmmm. Not sure about some of that, but the 80/20 principle applies.
Finally, the policy platform of choice must not enable schools any opportunity to continue to fail Maori students. Failure is not a viable option.Never. Ever.
So far, so good?
What does the Minister think of this great work?
Education Minister Anne Tolley took a cautious approach to the suggested policy.
Cautious over excellence, success and the end of failure in schools? How can anyone be cautious about those!!
I will be considering the report, and have asked the Ministry to provide advice on it," Mrs Tolley said.
In other words, "don't hold your breathe". I truly hope Anne Tolley takes her rose tinted glasses off.
The Unions hate it. Therefore by default this is a roaring success.Primary education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa President Frances Nelson said the Government should ignore the ideologically-driven report which was a "convoluted mish-mash of ideas".
"This would simply be a voucher system in disguise, driven by political ideology rather than what is best for children's learning," Ms Nelson
Yap Yap, Yappity Yap, Yap Yap
Adolf has spent a couple of hours wandering around a few websites to see what really has been going on with Kiwisaver. Who is ripping off clients and who is providing decent results?
Well, here's the go for a selected number of balanced funds. Morgan's fund is listed as GMK.
Fund Manager | Fund Size | 1 Yr to Jan 10 | Annualised |
(Balanced) | $mil | since inception | |
AMP | 69.1 | 9.7 | -5.7 |
ANZ | 33.1 | 11.9 | -0.5 |
ASB Tracker | 8.3 | 12.6 | -3.7 |
ASB | 91.0 | 12.9 | -3.2 |
AXA | 39.9 | 19.3 | n/a |
Fidelity | 26.6 | 6.3 | 3.2 |
GMK | 297.1 | -1.5 | -1.6 |
Huljich | 16.7 | 12.0 | 12.3 |
ING SIL | 77.8 | 12.3 | n/a |
Nat Bank | 47.7 | 11.9 | -0.5 |
Tower | 69.9 | 10.5 | 0.1 |
Westpac | 89.5 | 11.1 | n/a |
It's quite easy to see Mr Morgan is catering for the dumbarse, whinging, green with envy, lower decile, gullible demographic whose inhabitants are quite happy to forgo profits just so long as they are paying low fees.
His website boasts some 45,000 members with an average account size of $6,500.
The poor bastards.
Update: Here's the flash graph from the yapper's website, showing the momentary flutter of profitability, a very long time ago - just six weeks out of 28 months.
Further Update: The link from Gomango's comment provides some perspective.
Some $60k cash was injected by the fund manager to enhance returns when the fund was small. The fund now stands at $16.7 mil and has delivered an annualised return of 12.3%.
12.3% of $16.7mil is a cool $2.05mil.
Fellers, you need to learn something about wood and trees.
All Class

Having delivered to his own Kiwisaver clients some of the most consistently poor returns since inception, now this disgraceful little big mouth uses a Herald opinion column to denigrate one of his most successful competitors.
Take these lapses with Huljich Wealth Management (New Zealand) Limited, a relatively new entrant to the financial service industry that has its heritage in a sausage and salami company. It got the former National Party leader Don Brash to chair it, and has Auckland Mayor John Banks as its other independent director.
There seems to be an awful sense of deja vu here - like former All Black Colin Meads with Provincial Finance or former TV presenter Richard Long with Hanover. Neither of those celebrity endorsements helped the public, in fact they were instruments of abuse of the public's trust. With Brash and Banks we're at a totally different level, yet the company they're part of is gaining a questionable track record.
First we had Huljich paying salespeople to sell its KiwiSaver at street corners and door to door in South Auckland - totally against the rules.................Then Huljich's salespeople were found selling it to the mentally impaired in institutions.
Notice Morgan conveniently glosses over the fact that Meads and Long have no financial services or senior management experience. Accordingly, his comparison with Banks and Brash is outrageous. He proceeds to stretch some indiscretions by salespeople, likely self employed contractors, into a broad denigration of the company. When you see the relative performance of the two competitors in terms of returns for client's, you can see why.
Morgan's performance has been appalling. If he were a bus driver he would have his license revoked on the grounds he is a hazard to his passengers - and certainly his clients appear to be passengers - way down in the back seat.
Here's the relative performance of both providers' balanced funds, along with that of a third industry player.
Morgan... negative -3.7%
That means in real English, a loss after he has skimmed his non performance fees.
Fidelity Life...positive +3.2%.
That means a profit folks, so who cares what the fees might be?
Huljich...positive +21.59%.
Now you know why the yapper has a burr up his butt. Pathetic little fellow.
It is not coincidence that the particular competitor he denigrates unfairly has delivered to IT'S clients some of the most consistently high returns since inception. They are unlikely to be running off with complaints to the Securities Commission.
(Notwithstanding the deplorable conduct of the sales people described in the article, I'm surprised the Herald allowed this piece to go to print carrying the names of the competitor and two of it's directors. I guess that's the price we pay for out-sourcing sub-editing to another country where these commercial relationships are not known.)
A year or so ago Morgan was writing the same sort of defamatory tripe about his competitors in the life insurance industry. There was just enough substance for it all to sound good but the stories were very selective and falsely insinuated present day malfeasance which was simply not happening.

Today he continues, this time providing the financial equivalent of Colonel Qaddafi lecturing John Key on human rights.