The Green Party

[Lightspeed]

I really would like James Shaw in cabinet.

https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parli...?itemId=215325

[Know me.]

He's the most likeable politician in parliament. A man of integrity. Hard to find in that place. I just can't get over some of their policies like the braindead no more offshore oil and gas exploration permits.

[Ab]

Shaw said New Zealand had been successful at combating Covid-19 due to its commitment to "good science and good government".

Shaw's party: Maori magic horoscopes must be included in government policy

[Lightspeed]

We always do both right? Make use of both robust knowledge, as well as history, stories and feelings, when it comes to decision making?

[Ab]

Cool. Horoscopes? Not so much.

[Ab]

Um wtf

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...ol-in-taranaki

The Green Party has been caught bending its own party policy after a private school in Taranaki was given $11.7 million to fund an expansion programme.

The money comes from the Government’s $3 billion shovel-ready projects fund, and was announced in a press release from Greens co-leader James Shaw who said the grant to Green School New Zealand would help the school expand its roll from 120 students to 250, creating 200 jobs.

But Green School New Zealand is a private school which charges up to $24,000 a year for New Zealand students and $43,000 a year for international students.

EDUCATION POLICY

Well-funded public education is the cornerstone of the education system

State schools should be funded so they are not reliant on donations, fees, or fundraising.

Public funding for private schools should be phased out and transferred to public schools.

https://www.greens.org.nz/education_policy

no seriously wtf

[Nothing]

That's the last fucking straw. I'm voting for ACT.

[Lightspeed]

The Greens, CAUGHT out once again! They never expected anyone to read their public announcements!

Could Shaw have done anything different? I don't think this was a Green party initiative, I think it was the government commitment they were obligated to follow through on? This being the normal shitty reporting people will consume uninspected.

[Ab]

Paul Goulter, NZEI Te Riu Roa national secretary said it came as a “complete surprise”.

“This comes as a complete surprise to us given the Greens’ own clear policy against public funding of private schools.

“We just can’t understand why the Government would go ahead and fund a private school with public money at a time when public schools in the Taranaki region are crying out for this type of investment,” he said.

The sheer scale of the funding is significant. When the Government announced a $400 million package to upgrade New Zealand’s ageing public school infrastructure, it was capped at $400,000. The grant to the Green School would be enough to fund nearly 30 schools at that rate.

Just up the road from Green School, New Plymouth Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools each received $400,000.

this is so hypocritically crazy there has to be an angle we're not hearing about. o

[Lightspeed]

Critics pile on Green private school funding boost

I suspect this might be it:

"It wasn't considered through the usual education capital spend route. It was considered as a shovel-ready project."

The government is looking for ways to spend money on projects to keep the economy going, this project was ready to go. Green were celebrating the jobs that money would be saving.

Something like that.

[crocos]

Which (IMO) simply shows how much bullshit is in the "shovel ready" fund. There is a lot of jobs with far greater social benefit that could be saved with that money rather than throwing it at an already rich institution.

[Lightspeed]

Which doesn't really fall on the Greens. No doubt certain criteria had to be met to receive money from the "shovel ready" fund, with only so many instances where this criteria is met.

[Ab]

I just don't get it. This is Metiria-level unforced-error stupid. Again. The Greens are hovering around 5% and we're a matter of weeks from an election. This is so fucking terrible for the Greens and so great for Labour that all I can do is suspect that somehow Jacinda is behind it.

[Cyberbob]

Hanlon's razor applies.

[Ab]

Perhaps James Shaw did it to get Chloe and Golriz and Marama to shut up and take a break from the socialz? Because that certainly seems to be a positive outcome. The Greens MPs social media presence is tumbleweed right now as everyone realises what they just did. At a time when schools are literally begging for money.

Edit update: Farrar does the numbers

This is a brand new school that only opened in 2020. It has no track record of governance, management or education to judge it on. This is not some long established school that has proven itself.

The school doesn’t even have full registration yet. It is on provisional registration

According to Radio NZ the current roll is only around 50 students, of which around half are domestic. This means that $12 million has been given to a school with 25 domestic students which is an average subsidy of $480,000 per student. Compare that to around $6,000 a student for state schools and $1,500 for other private schools.

It is one of the most expensive schools in New Zealand, costing around the same as Kings. It costs $5,300 just to register and $24,000 in tuition fees for NZ students or $43,000 for foreign students. So anyone attending in 2020 has paid $29,300 or $48,300.

If a child attended the school for all 13 years of primary and secondary it would cost the family $317,300. The families who can afford this are clearly in the top 1%

The school charges annual interest on late fees of 36%

The school said it was already planning to expand to 500 students, yet this $12 million is trumpeted as allowing it to expand to 250 students – a fewer number than they already planned

One thing is for sure, Labour is going to be disowning this - this will be an entirely Green Party decision.

[blynk]

I thought the PGF was all NZF, being used by Jones to buy votes.

[blynk]

Yes, perception vs reality...
"The release was in Shaw’s ministerial capacity, and not in his capacity as Green co-leader."

[Lightspeed]

James Shaw apologises for signing-off on funding for 'green' private school

Probably the best we can hope for, certainly more than I'd expect from other political leaders.

It's not like there's real concern about the desperate need of our schools otherwise.

[Ab]

It sounds like Shaw personally fumbled this one badly, but he has handled it as well as can be expected. He's never going to really recover from this though; the knives will be out.

[Lightspeed]

Which is unfortunate because the anger is misplaced.

James Shaw invited to see mouldy, leaky state schools after million-dollar grant to private school

I'm sure Shaw would put all $3b into public schools if he could, but he can't.

“James Shaw has expressed his regret for this decision but Grant Robertson and Chris Hipkins, key Labour Cabinet Ministers who would’ve been at the heart of this issue because of their portfolios, are positioning themselves away from this decision.

“They need to take responsibility too.”

Of course, that's rich coming from a National MP.

[Ab]

A self-described “new age architect” who has publicly expressed Covid-19 conspiracy theories held a 'sacred ceremony' at Oakura’s Green School, which has been promised $11.7 million in “shovel ready” money by the Government for an expansion project.

Recently, Christof and Alaya Melchizedek ran a "lion's gate abundance and manifestation ceremony" that included "bio-energy field cleaning" and "DNA activation" at the school, which is sited between New Plymouth and Oakura.

The school is the vision of Taranaki couple Michael and Rachel Perrett and last week Associate minister of finance and Green Party co-leader James Shaw announced it would receive $11.7 million from the $3 billion set aside for infrastructure in the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund. The money would be made up of a loan and grant.

The couple had also promoted a $15,000 tour of New Zealand, which would include planting crystals with the school’s students.

"We're going to be laying down a crystal bed. Everyone will be bringing crystals from all around the world. We are going to be unifying them and bringing in this 5th dimensional consciousness," Christof detailed in a video.

In a Facebook post, which has since been deleted, Christof called Covid-19 a "manufactured natural disaster", a "UN 2030 vision" including "vaccinated nanochip technology" and "looming possibility of vaccination agendas", which are all claims circulated by conspiracy theorists.

jesus fucking christ, thanks james, nice work

[Ab]

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/polit...-included.html

Newshub can reveal just how hard Green Party co-leader James Shaw advocated for the $11.7 million promised to the privately-owned Green School in Taranaki.

The Green School was one of 150 projects getting a piece of a $3 billion pie - the shovel-ready infrastructure fund - and Shaw was willing to put them all at risk.

Newshub has obtained an email that went to Government ministers and the Treasury from Shaw's office and it included a stark ultimatum.

"Minister Shaw won't sign this briefing until the Green School in Taranaki is incorporated."

The email said Shaw discussed the ultimatum with the Education Minister.

"Minister Shaw has also discussed this one with Minister Hipkins."

this is going from wtf to WWWWTTTTFFFFFF

[Lightspeed]

I wouldn't take Newshub too seriously.

WTF is the response they're interested in.

[Ab]

Wouldn't surprise me if Newshub are getting these leaks and "suggestions" straight from Labour. OH WE WERE TRYING SO HARD TO SAVE THE JOBS OF HARDWORKING KIWIS BUT JAMES SHAW PUT ALL THE RELIEF ON HOLD TO BENEFIT HIS RICH WHITE HIPPY SCHOOL

[Lightspeed]

It just sounds like normal politics framed awfully. Stuff that goes on all the time, par for the course, with a light shone on it a particular way.

Cause there's genuine resistance to Green's agenda, and someone's flexing.

[Ab]

"This is Metiria Turei but three years on and a far greater cost," said (NZ First) leader Winston Peters, raising the spectre of the previous Greens co-leader.

[Lightspeed]

Winston trying to sink Shaw as he goes down. I wonder how bitter things are between them. If only we could see laid out all Winston scuppered for NZ.

[Ab]

Te Spinoff: James and the Giant Shovel

[Know me.]

Seems I was wrong about him. He stinks like the rest of them.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Ab

Te Spinoff: James and the Giant Shovel

Linked from ^^^
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/31...-rich-hippies/
Looking at the education aspect of it - and finding the current approach wanting - and not just with this "Green School"

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Know me.

Seems I was wrong about him. He stinks like the rest of them.

Yes, it's them, not us. *phew*, that's a relief, I can go back to feeling good about myself while the world burns.

[Know me.]

I'm sad and angry at the man and the only good feeling it brings to me is the fact that it might stop the greens getting into power at the next election. The world is not burning.

[Lightspeed]

Sounds like you're eager to buy what's being sold.

[Nothing]

Ugh, this whole thing is dumb. I mean, sure it's not great optics, but they approved the spending of 2.6bn in a matter of months. This is not even half a percent of that. Yeah, 11.7 million is a lot of money in some ways, but in context it's fuck all, and it creates a bunch of jobs. Get the fuck over it.

[Know me.]

You guys are doing the selling, and I'm not buying. The context is not money, its about James Shaw's and the Green Party's integrity.

[Lightspeed]

I'm flattered, but my capacity to sell is greatly outstripped by anything the media and their backers can muster.

[Know me.]

still not buying.

[Nothing]

Oh well *shrug* if you're that upset about it, go vote Labour, National, or ACT. Hell, vote NZF if you want, I don't give a toss. This isn't really that big of a deal, and if you think it is, well, I guess you're going to spend a lot of your time in this life being disappointed with the way the world works. Sorry 'bout that, join the fuckin' club.

[blynk]

Originally Posted by Know me.

I'm sad and angry at the man and the only good feeling it brings to me is the fact that it might stop the greens getting into power at the next election. The world is not burning.

Originally Posted by Know me.

82 ACT, 75 National, 64 TOP, 62 Labour through to 42 Green today.

The funny thing is I'm actually green and with a socialist bent. I just disagree with most of the Green parties policies ( well the ones in the questions anyway)

So you are apparently a Green Socialist, who doesn't agree with any of their policies (and even TOP is far lower than ACT).
And you hope the greens don't get in.

What I actually believe you is person that likes to pretend that you side with them, so you can pretend you are up in arms about something they did.

[Nothing]

Originally Posted by blynk

So you are apparently a Green Socialist, who doesn't agree with any of their policies (and even TOP is far lower than ACT).
And you hope the greens don't get in.

What I actually believe you are is a person that likes to pretend that you side with them, so you can pretend you are up in arms about something they did.

ftfy