Mike's Minute: Here's where the Govt are in trouble

The Government are in trouble in a couple of areas: 

1) FamilyBoost. What they said would happen, numbers wise, didn't. 

2) Police recruits. What they said would happen, will not. 

3) The ban on foreign buyers for houses now looks farcical. 

Yesterday's attempt by the NZ Herald to make some Winston Peters' comments look like news was a beat up, because he said the same thing to me two months ago. 

Saying the same thing, with nothing new or any change in between, is not news. It's the status quo. 

What makes the Peters' stance, and therefore the Government damage, unusual is Peters' stance is inexplicable. 

FamilyBoost got messed up because IRD gave the Government poor advice. 

The police recruit issue is bad because being a cop is hard, a lot of cops leave, and Australia offers sunshine and beaches, and they are actively making offers. 

But on the upside, the golden visa is working. People with money have applied and there are hundreds of millions, heading towards billions, in play. But we still want them to rent or use Airbnb. 

The level of stupidity in that is inescapable and inexcusable. 

National had a policy of $2 million a house – anything over that a foreigner could buy. 

Peters didn't like it, fine. National moved that to $5-6 million. Locals here aren't buying those houses. 

Peters still won't move. He says a deal is coming. 

But the critical questions are, why would you burn goodwill inside a coalition and why would you risk reputational damage internationally? 

The same bloke who is holding us to ransom is the same bloke who has travelled the world telling said world we are open. And yet, we are not. 

If this Government is to survive, and possibly prosper, the simple stuff cannot afford to be an issue. 

We need money and we need investment and the jobs and growth that brings. It must be part of a package, and the package comes with a home. 

Peters gets that, I know he does. And yet, nothing. 

Small word to National and Luxon – how about some hardball? How long do you want to look like the weak guys, the dog being wagged by the tail? 

National's biggest problem, apart from Peters, is time. 

Next year, the country makes a decision on all this. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government are and trouble. As we've mentioned briefly this morning,
they're in trouble in a couple of areas. As far
as I can work out. One family boost what they
said would happen numbers wise didn't. Two the aforementioned police
recruits what they said would happen will not. Three are
the ban on foreign buyers for houses now looks, of
course farcical. Yesterday's attempt by the Herald to make some
Winston Peter's comments look like news was a beat up,
of course, because he said the same thing to us

(00:21):
two months ago, and saying the same thing with nothing
new or any change in between is not news. It's
the status quo. What makes the Peter's stance and therefore
the government damage unusual, is Peter's stance is inexplicable. Family boost,
you see, got messed up because the Ird gave the
government some poor advice. The police recruit issue, as we've
just discussed, as bad because being a cop is hard work.

(00:42):
A lot of cops leave and Australia off for sunshine
and beaches and they're actively making offers. But on the upside,
the Golden Visa that's working a treat people with money
have applied. There are hundreds of millions of dollars heading
well heading towards billions of dollars in play. But we
still want them to when they arrive here rent a
house apparently, or go AIRB and B. Level of stupidity
in that is inescapable and inexcusable. So the NATS had

(01:04):
a policy, if you remember, two million dollars a house,
anything over that a foreigner could buy that Peters didn't like.
That wasn't having it. Fine, So the NATS move that
to five or six million. Locals here aren't buying those houses.
So Peter still won't move, he says, though he told
us the deal's coming. But the critical question is why
would you burn goodwill inside a coalition, which is what
he's doing, And more importantly, why would your risk reputational

(01:27):
damage internationally? Remember this is the same bloke who's holding
us to ransom. That's the same bloke is also on
a plane traveling the world telling said world we're open,
and yet we're not. If this government is to survive
and possibly prosper, it's the simple stuff that you cannot
afford to make an issue. We need money, We need investment,

(01:47):
in the jobs and the growth that brings. It must
be part of a package, and the package comes with
a home. Peters gets that. I know he gets that.
And yet small word to the Nats, namely Luxon, how
about some hardball? How long do you want to look
like the weak guys? I mean the dog being wagged
by the tail. The next biggest problem apart from Peter's
is time. Of course, time next year the country makes

(02:10):
a decision on all of us. For more from the
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