However and whatever the mechanism - its just wonderful to see this government's plans to sell off our assets blowing up in its face!

Take the hard decisions National - if you want to get back into budget surplus then dont sell the family silver - cut WFF, cut interest free student loans and extend the age at which superan. can be claimed.

"Maori signing up to baubles", Mr Coote?
Would that be before or after the Treaty exactly?

Perhaps one might suggest that you adopt a little decorum of respect towards the natives when referring to them, especially now in the 21st century, wouldn't you say?

The hardest decision will be the last one : when the 90% (whities) of NZ stand united and vote for Republicanism of Aotearoa = finality to the PAM [ pereniall grieving maori ]

Deep down the majority do not want our assets sold.
Most agree it is a quick fix that will quickly be overtaken by what is a long term problem.
Maori is playing games to hold back the process.
Will they hold it up long enough for it to be put in the too hard basket? Time will tell...

If this Government really wanted to save billion$ of taxpayer monies - all it needs to do is to CUT OUT THE CONTRACTORS and CONSULTANTS? How much extra money has it cost NZ taxpayers and ratepayers by replacing the BUREAUCRACY with the CONTRACTOCRACY?

Also - how much of the current $13 BILLION health budget could be saved by focussing on the WELLNESS - rather than SICKNESS model?

Of course there would be no major 'conflicts of interest' that would prevent this happening?

Penny Bright

I applaud those who say "no more asset sales" but they fail to come up with an alternative. When a person, an SME, a larger corporation or a Country, borrow more and more to pay for either consumption or non productive assets eventually the piper must be paid.

Simple maths, decide how much of the Governments tax take is to be spent on interest payments, and anything above that has to come from cutting costs or selling stuff.

The concept that the Government will always provide for everyones needs is flawed.

We have become a paradise in the south pacific with a very significant portion of the population relying on an ever decreasing population that work and generate taxes to fund their lifestyle choice. Well eventually when those relying on transfer payments make demands that are too costly to bear, we the income earners and profit generators will find some where else to invest our capital (whether it be $s or brain power)

Key may have to limit his SOE IPOs to smaller tranches over a two year period.

And totally agree that the PoA have to deal swiftly to the workers, in fact they are not workers they are lifestylers who do not understand that the days of work to rule no longer apply. If you choose not to avail your self of the fine education available in NZ and then work shifting boxes around on a warf your choices are limited. The trojan horse offer to accept a smaller pay rise is not going to work, its not the pay rate that is the issue, its what you the warfies do (and achieve) with your time when you are at work that is critical.

I am amazed that Chris believes that credit (money) that was created by our own reserve bank would cause our economy to run out of control. Doesn't he understand that the present banks in New Zealand create credit out of thin air, at the press of a computer key, and put it into circulation as a loan, that then must have interest paid on it! They must then create credit for new loans, if the existing loan is ever to be paid back. Go figure!! The present government gave the corporations that operate in New Zealand a ten percent tax reduction. Most of these companies are overseas owned. Through imputation credits, if the previous tax regime had remained in place, New Zealand shareholders could have then had their tax commitments balanced out after they received their dividends. If these overseas companies didn't like it, they didn't have to buy the companies. One of the many reasons this gvernment is in such a financial bind is that under the present laize faire policies, most of our productive industry has been bought up by overseas companies, which, if the production hasn't been moved overseas, have certainly taken all the profits there. We are now seeing the same sell off of our productive farming land, therefore the tax base will shrink even further. Also the workers on these corporate farms will not make the same income as one ownig it, and the tax base will be even further reduced.

Seems to me all the CEO massive salary increases are the core of our societys problems and with termination payouts they are bleeding this country.

How much do these assets earn, what is the cost of borrowing, and which is greater? Has this ever been clarified? The government got less than half of the vote from two thirds of voters. If support of less than 33% is considered 'A MANDATE' then consider what a 49% share holding could do in a company.

(Unaffordable.) Sorry, fighting my phone's auto-correct!

so much heated anger.
I do agree fabricate ing money to charge interest on money that doesn't excist is going to cause a compound ing problem of debt. which is how most property around the world has been stolen into the hands of a few.
we can't afford to just brush the rest of the world aside to fix the problem of today. we just need to educate the country out of excess consumerism as someone mentioned earlier that all it takes is to spend slightly less than earnt rather than purchase everything with borrowed money that costs future money

They could just abide by the wishes of the electorate and give up this unwise venture.

Why would you sell a asset returning 10% plus to pay down 6% interest?

I really wish someone (with the capacity to organize it) could start a petition to get a 'citizens initiated referendum' on this issue of asset sales - this would then show Mr. Key just how little of a mandate he actually has! I looked into it but you need $500 to even get started. Wording that comes to mind could be along the lines of "Since New Zealand's assets are owned by the people of New Zealand and the government of the day is only the caretaker, the government shall be required to obtain permission to sell our assets by means of a two thirds majority in a national referendum". - Bryce Stenberg.

The sooner we become a Republic the better.

As one of the older generation who created these assets in the first place in a country with genuine and good people in govt i can,t help thinking that you all do a lot of gassing and nothing constuctive. god help my great grandchildren//

Native peoples? Indigenous Maoris?
What a load of cobblers.

The Maoris were immigrants just like the rest of the Kiwi Iwi. They came for the Pacific Islands and enslaved slaughtered and ate the indigenous Morioris .
Those who wish to regress to that tribal constant warfare and stone age behaviour has better pack up and go back to the islands they came from.
This is 2012 and we certainly dont want a Wall street spiv like John Key or crackpot Marxist Jews like Cunliffe and Shearer to bring their divisive and sleazy commercial practices to New Zealand and to turn us into a failed Democracy like America.

Already we see Gestapo copycat police replacing our once friendly and respected local coppers, If we allow these troublemakers any more political influence how long will it be before we are all impoverished and spy drones spy on us from our once friendly skies just as they do in the Jew role model America.?

Yankee Jew whipped butt kissers go home.