jack 431 Report post Posted March 4, 2014 One Law for Politicians , One law for Kiwi`s.... http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-says-Oravida-visit-not-conflict-of-interest/tabid/1607/articleID/334569/Default.aspx Judith Collins went on a taxpayer-funded visit to China last year. In her public role as Justice Minister, she was there to talk about our system. But she was also welcomed into a New Zealand export company that her husband has a private interest in. She says the purpose of her visit was "to actually have a cup of tea on the way to the airport". Ms Collins' husband, David Wong-Tung, is one of three directors of Oravida – a milk and food export company. On its website the company referred to her as the Justice Minister. It says she recognised the company's efforts, and "congratulated us on what we have achieved and encouraged us to continue". Ms Collins also opened the company's Auckland headquarters last year, with Mr Wong-Tung standing behind her. She says it is not an issue that she was effectively promoting the company where her husband is a director. She also says it is "not necessarily true" that he would benefit financially from the company doing well. "If he were a shareholder he would," she says. The Cabinet manual, effectively a minister's bible, states "a conflict may arise if people close to a minister, such as a minister's family […] might derive, or be perceived as deriving, some personal, financial, or other benefit from a decision or action by the minister". It goes on: "When accepting an invitation, a minister should inform the organisation that it may not use any photos taken of the minister at the event in a way that could be perceived as an endorsement by the minister." "They're also personal friends of mine so I'll do that for people whenever they ask me to," says Ms Collins. Orvadia's founder and chairman is Deyi Shi. He has played golf with Prime Minister John Key and goes by his English name, Stone. He owns Auckland's most expensive house, the former Mark Hotchin mansion on Paritai Dr. Oravida's links with National go further. In 2011, it donated $56,000 towards the party's election war chest. Ms Collins says she did not know anything about that. 3 News Related Critics say body cams need strict guidelines Police need proper funding for body cams Australia, NZ background checks expanded Inside Metiria Turei's castle Tags Judith Collins Oravida Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-says-Oravida-visit-not-conflict-of-interest/tabid/1607/articleID/334569/Default.aspx#ixzz2uyfoyzFM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hedley 1,900 Report post Posted March 4, 2014 good on ya Jack Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 4, 2014 These companies financially supported The National Party Regime.......And now , we all know how!!! zemit 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 11, 2014 Part II http://www.3news.co.nz/Opinion-John-Key-is-scared-of-Judith-Collins/tabid/1382/articleID/335400/Default.aspx Why is John Key scared of Judith Collins? Key has let Collins get off absolutely scot-free after she used her public job to promote her private interests. Collins used the taxpayer's dime and the privilege of Ministerial office to help out the company her husband works for, Oravida in Shanghai. Most Kiwis would say that just isn't right. But Key has let it go, not even giving Collins the old cliché of a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket? Is Key scared of Collins? Does Collins have something on Key? Key is clearly afraid of holding Collins to account for some reason. Key has previously held his Ministers to a very high standard - and good on him. For instance, Richard Worth mixed his public and private interests and got, in Key's own words "a bollocking". I'm not saying Collins should be sacked. But Collins should at least have got a bollocking, a talking-to, or even a quiet word that "it's not OK" to trot off and help out the company your husband works for when you're meant to be on a work trip as Minister of Justice. Instead, nothing. It is essentially Key giving a green-light for "moonlighting" Ministers - for Ministers to be able to use the office to do jobs "on the side" helping out husbands, family and friends businesses. Key usually has a supersonic radar when it comes to political behaviour that turns off the public. Key is usually in tune with the punters. But for some reason Key's political radar is on the blink with Collins. The Government looks out of touch. Collins has claimed she was just dropping in at Oravida "for a cup of tea on the way to the airport". Most Kiwis would see the photos and the reception Collins got at Oravida's Shanghai offices with its staff lined up like a guard of honour and say "that doesn't look like a cup of tea to me". Most Kiwis would read Collins statement on the website as Minister of Justice as endorsing Oravida's product. Most Kiwis would see the fact that Collins was invited to Oravida two weeks before as a sign it was an organised meeting rather than a cup of tea. But Collins would rather insult the intelligence of New Zealand taxpayers and voters and claim she was "just popping by". Key has danced on the head of a pin saying that Collins did not breach the Cabinet Office guidelines for conflicts of interest and endorsing products. But Key is refusing to release the advice so who knows exactly what the anonymous bureaucrats looked at? Key could easily just hold Collins to his personal standard - and ask himself does this pass the "sniff-test"? Because it is starting to stink. In a week where Key hammered David Cunliffe for his trust issues, he looked the other way about the conduct of Collins. He has no reason to be scared of Collins that I can think of. It is not like Key - perhaps some of Collins' now trademark arrogance is rubbing off on Key. Crusher Collins' chutzpah has been one of her political strengths. But that doesn't mean it works all the time - there is a fine line between chutzpah and arrogance. And there is an even finer line between arrogance and supreme arrogance. And that is what the Crusher Collins-Oravida scandal is increasingly looking like - supreme arrogance. And not just from Collins - by the Key Government as well. hedley 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zemit 4 Report post Posted March 11, 2014 Key hasn't done anything to collins because he wants the money from collins husband and from china Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 11, 2014 Part III http://www.3news.co.nz/Keys-defence-of-Collins-based-on-misinformation/tabid/1607/articleID/335473/Default.aspx The Prime Minister has been forced to admit an embarrassing mistake. He has been giving out misinformation while defending Justice Minister Judith Collins' visit to a company her husband works for during a taxpayer-funded trip to China. OPINION: John Key is scared of Judith Collins John Key has been defending Ms Collins for visiting the Shanghai offices of Oravida – a company her husband is a director of, claiming the Cabinet Office viewed a translation that said Ms Collins was "full of praise" for the product and then ruled it was not an "endorsement". But Mr Key was 100 percent wrong. "I thought they had, but they haven't," says Mr Key. "I think John Key's lied to New Zealanders about what the Cabinet Office looked at," says Labour MP Grant Robertson. "They didn't look at the most important piece of the puzzle, which is the Chinese translation." The translation of the Chinese on Oravida's website the Cabinet Office ignored is crucial. It says: "During her visit, Ms Judith Collins herself tasted the milk, produced by Oravida, and was full of praise." The Cabinet Manual, effectively the ministers' bible, explicitly says that "no minister should endorse in any media any product or service". Ms Collins claims there is no endorsement. Mr Key has been defending Ms Collins for a week on the grounds the Cabinet Office had cleared her. But Mr Key never actually checked for sure. The office corrected him last night. "He's been covering for Judith Collins all week on the basis of an untruth," says Mr Robertson. "You're wrong," says Ms Collins. "There's no endorsement. There's no breach of the Cabinet Manual." Mr Key says the Cabinet Office has now looked properly and found it was not an endorsement, but it was a promotion. "The point the Cabinet Office made to me this morning is there's a very important difference between an endorsement and a promotion," says Mr Key. So Mr Key's defence was based on misinformation. He will argue it is a technicality and restart his defence of Ms Collins on another technicality. 3 News Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Keys-defence-of-Collins-based-on-misinformation/tabid/1607/articleID/335473/Default.aspx#ixzz2vdpNL3Qj Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 12, 2014 Part IV http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-on-final-warning-from-PM/tabid/1607/articleID/335618/Default.aspx Prime Minister John Key believes Judith Collins "misled by omission" when she failed to declare a dinner she'd had with the bosses of export company Oravida in Beijing. This morning, the Justice Minister apologised for not "broadening out" her answer to questions from journalists about an alleged conflict of interest during a trip to China last year. Mr Key has essentially given Ms Collins a final warning and said he "would not like to be in her shoes if there's a repeat of it". Ms Collins maintained she visited milk and food exporting company Oravida, in which her husband is a director, in Shanghai, to "have a cup of tea". A photo and message on the company's website showed Ms Collins and was "full of praise" of their products. Today she told journalists she also had a "private dinner" with two bosses of Oravida and a senior Chinese border agency official while on the same trip in Beijing. Mr Key met with Ms Collins and said he was "disappointed" in her actions. She apologised to Mr Key. "I think she's an outstanding minister, but she's handled this situation very poorly," he says. "I was very disappointed I didn’t know about that earlier. I should have known. What she's effectively allowed to happen is the accumulation of events can lead to accusations of a perception of conflict of interest and that's unacceptable." Ms Collins' visit to Oravida has already been ruled as not breaching the Cabinet Manual and neither has the dinner. "But she risks doing that because of the accumulation of all of it." Labour leader David Cunliffe believes the dinner, the visit to Oravida and the links the company has to the National Party "all adds up to a clear, blindingly clear, conflict of interest". "If the minister cannot see that, she does not deserve to retain her warrant. If the Prime Minister cannot see it, then there are serious questions about his judgement and about the standards of his government," he says. He believes Ms Collins should no longer be a minister. He would sack Ms Collins if she was in his cabinet. 3 News Just like the cream that floats to the top of milk (Oravida) The Bullshit always surfaces ..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 12, 2014 Part V http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-admits-dinner-with-Oravida-boss/tabid/423/articleID/335577/Default.aspx By 3 News online staff Justice Minister Judith Collins has apologised for not telling media about a dinner she had with the heads of Oravida during a trip to China. However, asked whether she'd given any thought to resigning, Ms Collins responded: "don't be ridiculous". She had previously only talked about visiting the headquarters of Oravida – a Shanghai-based company in which her husband is a director, and which has donated money to the National Party in the past. Speaking to media this morning Ms Collins said the dinner had come up in conversation with the Prime Minister's chief of staff Wayne Eagleson last night, who asked her if there were any other meetings with the directors and management of the company during her October trip. She has now confirmed she had dinner in Beijing with her "close personal friends" Stone Shi and Julia Xu, who run the milk and food export company. The New Zealand Ambassador to China was invited to the dinner, but did not attend. Mr Shi and Ms Xu invited one of their friends, a senior official at China's border control agency. Ms Collins' senior policy advisor was also there. The minister considered it a private dinner and no official business was discussed. The taxpayer did not pay for the dinner, she says. "In hindsight…when I have very close friends who I'm with a lot in New Zealand and who are my two friends I have in China…it would have been better if I had not treated it like a private dinner, which it was, but had reported it through as a formal report in the Cabinet paper," she says. She said she was not trying to mislead reporters who grilled her last week – she was just answering the questions she'd been asked, but should have "broadened it out". "If anyone feels that I've done something then I would apologise." She says it "would have been wise" to say no to the dinner. "But having said that, when you're invited to dinner by close personal friends it's very difficult to say no, but nowadays I probably would because it's too difficult." Ms Collins says while there is no point crying over spilt milk, she would not do the same thing again. "It's a distraction for the Prime Minister." Ms Collins has been under fire over her relationship with Oravida, which deals in New Zealand dairy products. The company posted a message on its website in Chinese that read: "Ms Collins personally tasted Oravida's products, giving her full endorsement," and said she was "full of praise". On Monday, the Prime Minister told media the Cabinet Office had cleared Ms Collins of a conflict of interest after translating those comments – but it emerged yesterday that the office had only read an English language version of the website, which did not contain the statement. By then, the minister had asked Oravida to remove the Chinese post from its website, which the Cabinet Office considered an appropriate remedy. OPINION: Key has let Collins off scot-free - Patrick Gower Labour leader David Cunliffe says New Zealanders will be "dumbfounded" the meetings were not revealed earlier. "John Key is well aware how bad this looks. This belated admission of favours for the big end of town is business as usual for the National Party." Ms Collins' excuse of saying she was not specifically asked about the meetings show how "conniving" she is, Mr Cunliffe says. "If Judith Collins can’t understand the extent of her conflict of interest during her trip to China, then she is not fit to be a minister." Cunliffe: Collins should lose her job Speaking on Firstline this morning, Mr Cunliffe accused Ms Collins of telling "untruths" and said if he was in charge, she would lose her job. "I would actually be guided by the precedent that Helen Clark employed when the honourable Lianne Dalziel fell foul of the issue of veracity, and was found to have said an untruth to a journalist – she lost her portfolio. She was sacked," Mr Cunliffe said. He even suggested Prime Minister John Key might want to look at sacking himself for his own "untruths" on the matter. "He said that the Cabinet Office had had regard to the Chinese translation of the Oravida website in which Ms Collins endorsed their products. The Cabinet Office then said they had not, they'd only looked at the English version; he had to correct himself and the question is, will he sack himself?" Mr Cunliffe says the Oravida controversy makes Labour's own ructions appear "pretty trivial". He's had to have a chat with firebrand MP Shane Jones, following comments Mr Jones made at a university debate about international students and calling Green MP Gareth Hughes a "mollyhawk". Now comes the Spin-Doctoring to save face ....On your bike Jude! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zemit 4 Report post Posted March 12, 2014 John key is as bad as her Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 12, 2014 " The PM is in it , up to his balls and afraid to hang Collins out to dry lest she spills all ".......... Paddy Gower (3 News) zemit 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 12, 2014 Just A Re-Cap : A legacy Of Lies And Deceit .... http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-says-Oravida-visit-not-conflict-of-interest/tabid/1607/articleID/334569/Default.aspx http://www.3news.co.nz/Keys-defence-of-Collins-based-on-misinformation/tabid/1607/articleID/335473/Default.aspx http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-on-final-warning-from-PM/tabid/1607/articleID/335618/Default.aspx http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-admits-dinner-with-Oravida-boss/tabid/423/articleID/335577/Default.aspx But wait , there`s more to come!! http://www.3news.co.nz/Judith-Collins-fronts-about-Oravida-visit/tabid/817/articleID/335642/Default.aspx .. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 17, 2014 The Final Nail .......Maybe!!! http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9837963/Dinner-bill-under-wraps Dinner bill under wraps TRACY WATKINS The Beijing dinner attended by Justice Minister Judith Collins and a senior staffer appears to have been paid for by either Oravida or the senior Chinese official who neither she nor the Government is prepared to name. There could be further diplomatic fallout if that is the case, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched austerity measures under an anti-corruption drive that has put the spotlight on Chinese officials who accept gifts or lavish dinners. In response to questions yesterday, Collins confirmed neither she nor her staffer Margaret Malcolm paid for the dinner, and she reiterated that it had not been paid for by taxpayers. Labour plans to target Collins in Parliament today over the dinner after details emerged last week following questions about her trip to China and separate meeting with Oravida, of which her husband is a director. Prime Minister John Key put Collins on notice after she kept details of the Beijing dinner back from him. Those at the dinner were Collins, Malcolm, Oravida's Stone Shi and Julia Xu, and a Chinese border control official. Collins said yesterday she could not confirm whether Shi, who is Oravida's owner, or the unnamed Chinese official paid for the dinner. One possibility is that the Chinese official paid for his own dinner, which would ensure he did not fall foul of China's austerity drive. But government sensitivity about further diplomatic fallout might be behind the decision not to identify the official. Collins said last week she had been told it was government policy not to identify officials, but has said he was a "close friend" of Shi's. Entertaining officials in China can be a diplomatic minefield under President Xi's tough new rules, which have seen a dramatic fall in the sales of luxury goods and restrictions on the number of courses that officials can have during a reception. Collins was close to tears last week after questions about her links to Oravida, after she appeared to endorse the company's milk and scampi exports to China on its website following a side trip to the company's Shanghai premises. But it was only after details of the dinner emerged that Mr Key acknowledged her dealings with Oravida created a perception of a conflict of interest. - © Fairfax NZ News Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killafornia 65 Report post Posted March 18, 2014 Looking at the size of Crusher it'd be a bloody large bill! Then again they're lucky Paula Bennett wasn't there. She would've sent them broke. jack and meomy 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 18, 2014 Here`s the real Story ....... http://nz.finance.yahoo.com/news/key-pulls-fonterra-dinner-china-163232633--spt.html Key pulls out of Fonterra dinner in China Fonterra's botulism scare is why John Key is in China this week, but he is having to stand the company up for a dinner date with the country's most important man. The dairy co-operative and its partners were set to get a boost from John Key's speech at the company's event tonight. But they have been left deflated with Mr Key unable to turn down a rare invitation to dinner with President Xi Jinping. It gives the leaders extra time to talk politics. John Key says he hopes to whip around the room at a later dairy industry reception tonight to shake hands and take photos with as many companies as possible. He says dinner with Xi Jinping might be an even greater help to Fonterra and the other dairy companies. "Event though I'm missing some part of the initial meeting, the significance of that won't be lost on the Chinese companies that are represented. "My aim is to be around every table if I possibly can when I get back, and take some photos." Meanwhile, it looks like smaller Kiwi dairy companies could struggle to access the Chinese market in future. The Chinese government is looking to limit access to the market to bigger players following Fonterra’s botulism scare. John Key discussed the issue with China’s premier in Beijing last night. "I think you will see some changes. It's inevitable, because they're looking very closely at the number of suppliers. "They'll want to be absolutely confident that they can hold people to account if there is a problem with the product." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted March 22, 2014 More Controversy ..... http://www.3news.co.nz/Key-admits-second-Oravida-golf-game/tabid/1607/articleID/336743/Default.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+co/EoAG+(3News+-+Political+News) Prime Minister John Key has admitted to a second golf game with the owner of Oravida, again at a National Party event. Oravida's Shanghai offices are full of pictures of National party politicians. In front and centre are shots of Mr Key's golf games with the company's owner, Stone Shi. It's emerged Mr Shi paid the National Party up to $56,500 dollars for a round of golf, while Mr Key had previously claimed it went to charity. Mr Key has knocked it out of the park on the trade front during this trip with moves like getting Chinese President Xi Jinping to come to New Zealand later this year. But it has all been overshadowed by the Oravida controversy, caused by Judith Collins' visit to the Shanghai offices and her bungled handling of it since. It has raised so many questions about the connections between Oravida and the National Party that go all the way to Mr Key himself. Watch the video to see political editor Patrick Gower's visit to the Oravida offices in Shanghai. Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Key-admits-second-Oravida-golf-game/tabid/1607/articleID/336743/Default.aspx#ixzz2wgRtUUrF hedley 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted April 17, 2014 It`s back on the front page.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
globederby12 1,495 Report post Posted April 17, 2014 Yr obviously a Labour supporter Jack. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted April 17, 2014 Nah m8..... The lesser of the 2... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted April 17, 2014 http://www.radiolive.co.nz/EXCLUSIVE-Hear-Judith-Collins-with-RadioLive/tabid/506/articleID/43369/Default.aspx Judith Collins, the exclusive audio. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meomy 971 Report post Posted April 18, 2014 Have a look at & follow her twitter page. Take note of the bluey/green cupcakes & who she gave them to for the great work.. Judith is also going green - fingered that is & Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted April 20, 2014 http://brookingblog.com/2014/04/20/oravida-corruption-allegations-deleted-from-judith-collins-wikipedia-page/ Corruption in Stealth! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killafornia 65 Report post Posted May 2, 2014 The pig's really in the shit now . . Mfat briefing requested before Oravida dinner VERNON SMALL Justice Minister Judith Collins' office initially asked for a foreign affairs briefing before a controversial dinner in China with Oravida representatives and an unnamed border official. Collins has insisted the dinner was a private affair with no official business discussed. However, documents released to Fairfax Media under the Official Information Act show that five days before the dinner her office sought the briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat). An October 15 email from her office noted: "On Sunday, October 20, the minister will be having a dinner that will include (redacted name). He has agreed to meet with the minister arranged by Mr Stone Shi, Oravida. The minister would like ambassador Carl Worker and his wife to attend this dinner. A briefing from Mfat will be required." Worker did not attend and the dinner went ahead with Collins, her official, Oravida executives Shi and Julia Xu and the Chinese official present. But later emails show that Collins' office declined Mfat assistance and said no briefing would be required. The New Zealand embassy in Beijing asked about the dinner and said it assumed the booking would be made by Shi. It also asked if transport was required. Collins' office replied nothing was required from Mfat. "The minister is having a private dinner on the Sunday evening." Mfat's China unit policy officer, Nicholas Clutterbuck, advised that "while the dinner can be regarded as private, the minister cannot make unplanned/uncommunicated travel movements around Beijing during her stay". Asked today why there was an initial request for a briefing before the dinner, and then it changed, Collins said:"My office naturally asks for briefings for everything but it was a private dinner so it wasn't needed." Labour MP Grant Robertson said today the documents showed the dinner was not private. "It was a dinner with an official and was clearly seen as having an official purpose," Robertson said. "The bottom line is she still met with this person who clearly could have had an influence over Oravida exports." He said that in the wake of Maurice Williamson's ministerial resignation yesterday "Prime Minister John Key must act in the same way with Collins". The documents also show Collins specifically asked for the two Oravida representatives to be invited to a lunch event. Mfat officials had offered the lunch or a dinner as either/or options for meetings with Oravida but the Oravida representatives attended both. Collins also went to Oravida's offices for what the documents referred to as a "tour". Ad Feedback Collins has downplayed the visit and said she called in on the way to the airport. When she first sought approval from Key in August she said the trip would allow her to call on "senior counterparts in the [Chinese] Ministry of Justice" and that a programme was being arranged. No mention was made of Oravida or any trade-related meetings at that stage. The cost was estimated at $36,000. She later asked for permission for her husband, David Wong-Tung, who is a director of Oravida, to also go on the trip. That was granted, but her office later advised he would not be going. The emails show her office asked for briefings including for the "Oravida Call" and as well as biographical notes on everyone," including for the visit to Oravida (i.e. Stone Shi and Julia Xu)". But officials said they would not send "bios" of Shi and Xu "as these people were on the minister's guest list, so assume she knows them well already". Her office had also asked why the dinner was not on the visit programme. Key in March rebuked Collins for not coming clean about the dinner earlier. The cumulative effect of her dealings with Oravida had created a perception of a conflict of interest, he said. - © Fairfax NZ News jack 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted May 2, 2014 Bryce Edwards: Govt vulnerability http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11248389 Who said the crooks are always brown.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack 431 Report post Posted May 3, 2014 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11248668 I Know Nothing!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meomy 971 Report post Posted May 3, 2014 Ole Maurice W is in same electorate as Pansy Wong was, isn't he? Why don't these M of Parliament do there homework & research these prospective immigrants properly prior to been granted residency? For goodness sake anyone that claims to have such vast amounts of dosh from certain countries has to be checked for it's veracity. jack 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...