Mayhem & Mischief; NZPP (Advance) NZ First Populist Backdoor Partnership?

IS A VOTE FOR NZPP REALLY A VOTE FOR WINSTON??

How less than 2000 votes could decide the coming general election.

from Ben Vidgen BENS WORLD

Current poling on Northland, which has NZ First trailing in third place, are misleading as the precise electoral poles not broken down. And yet if Te Tai Tokerau, an electoral seat where margins of voter for the required winner are only a couple of thousand votes difference, are looked at and you throw in looming job loss with possible Marsden refinery closures your looking at a game changer that MSM are misreading or more precisely not calculating.

The Māori electorates, remains at seven, but some boundary changes have been made. Namely Tāmaki Makaurau has gained an area around Te Atatū South from Te Tai Tokerau, and an area to the east of Manurewa and Waiheke Island from Hauraki-Waikato. The incumbents are planting their flag there in attempt to play wild card politics.

Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross of minority party Advance, who only met registration needs this weekend are, pinning his hopes on his party winning the seat of Te Tai Tokerau as he looks to re-enter Parliament after the 2020 election.

Ross parted ways with National after an explosive 2018 scandal over party donations, a case that is currently before the courts. He formed Advance New Zealand at the 2020 election. He joined forces with another controversial minor party, Billy Te Kahika’s New Zealand Public Party (NZPP). Te Kahika is to contest the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau and take the first list ranking on the merged party’s list. He will be co-leader of the party with Ross.

The seat is currently held by Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis, who has a 4,800 vote majority over the lower socio economic vote choice of Mana Party’s Hone Harawira, who will not be campaigning in 2020. Harawira has swung his support behind a rejuvenated Māori party. Mariameno Kapa-Kingi (Matt) will run in the seat for the Māori party. A party who lost Mana in Northland after joining forces with National under John Key.

Its in this area where vote wins have being as close as less than 1400 votes and where NZ First has long built up haven of followers Peter will attempt to play king maker.

Peters is hoping to recruit those that once backed National, but cannot quite bring themselves to ever vote Labour, let alone Green.

Reactionary white old farmers and small business people, and East Coast retirees, in denial about Ihumatao like stolen land they are located on. Its also includes older Maori voters, those with conservative fundamentalist christian values and paradoxically lower socio-economic voters. Those drawn to the right wing or new age American/Canadian born brand of sovereignty which first emerged at Waitangi treaty ground gathering around five years ago, introduced by Haiwai indigenous sovereignty groups (with Headhunter gang connections), before later emerging at the fringe of radical Ihumato style activism. Where the new wave of sovereignty populism is in competition to more localised, ‘less bat shit crazy’, ideas on Commonwealth constitutional law wrapped up in historical Treaty legitimacy debates.

For all these reason the Māori seat of Te Tai Tokerau specifically works against poorer Northland Māori. Its being argued that if these electoral seats were all on a general roll, Northland would likely have dumped National and right wing leaning politics years ago. It is here with the help of NZPP ‘bible belt’ voters that NZ First may just steal enough votes from National Labour and Mana to claw NZ First back into stealing an electoral march.

Its not the first time Peters has defied the expected odds.

Winston 2020 guerrilla campaign around the country seems based not so much of winning votes but using minor parties such as NZPP to loose his rival votes in tight competitive electorates seats designed to push NZ First from third to first.

This is no accident. Peter’s 2020 strategist are Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore who gained fame polarising Britain’s political landscape using populist divide and conquer tactics that earned them the name ‘The Bad Boys of Brexit’. Now their controversial, un-PC populist style is here in New Zealand and it will form a vital part of Winston Peters’ seeing unrealistic campaign goals to get his party vote to lead position by causing “mayhem and mischief” in these tight electoral seats.

NZPP A MARRIAGE OF INCONVENIENCE??

The relation between NZPP and NZ First is closer than many may realise.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters came to Ross’s defence in 2019 after the then National MP admitted having an affair with two women, one a National MP.. Peters lashed out saying that bringing up the marital status of Jami-Lee Ross was a “viscous” tactic that shows the National Party had no substantive defence against Ross’ bombshell allegations visa illicit donations. His dis-tractors called the self incriminating revelation an act of unstable narcissistic revenge. One which, according to this version of events,saw him temporarily detained under the mental health act.

NZ First then accepted Ross proxy vote confirming the move in a statement, saying: “New Zealand First received a letter from Jami-Lee Ross on 3 November, asking the party to hold his proxy vote.

Both NZ First Foundation and Ross are currently under Serious Fraud Investigation for dubious donations allegations.

The investigation of NZ First Foundation followed revelations the foundation received donations from entities connected with some of the country’s wealthiest people in the business, fisheries and horse racing worlds. Ross is under investigation in relation Chinese donations. National Party’s former chief whip, a man engaged in multiple affairs, has cast himself, to his supporters, as a hero who was ethically bound to blow the whistle on these dodgy donations for the good of the nation.

NZPP Billy Te Kahika, said to be a close friend of Shane Jones, is managing director of Indigenous Business Consultants (2017 – Present) its LinkedIn profile states “Expert Māori Member of the Oceania Silk Road Network China NZ Business Platform – Roving advisor to Assembly of First Nations Canada International Indigenous Trade Round Table – Advisor to International Financial Consortium wanting to engage business in New Zealand and the South Pacific”.

Like Ross Billy Tekahika is chasing the populist vote and he has since distanced himself from both his pro china belt and UN Agenda 2030 related employment and previous gushing public statements regarding China and Agenda 2030.

Both however are listed on his LinkedIn profile as current employment status.

The accusation of dubious donations has also plagued Canada where Xiao Hua Gong a financial investor attended fundraisers for Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who Billy on his Canadian Chinese Belt Road indigenous people’s related missions can also be seen posing with (photo left of text). In December Gong (below left of frame with Trudea at a fund raiser) laundered nearly $70 million in New Zealand bank accounts after he was arrested in Canada and charged with fraud and money laundering. Charges were laid in connection to an alleged pyramid scheme involving the “fraudulent sale of hundreds of millions of dollars” laundered through banks, real estate firms and various financial consortium, in places like Canada New Zealand and the Pacific .

PORK BARRELS & JOB CUTS.

Another means Peters may claw his way back in is via the fragile future of job producing factories such as Tiwi in Southland and Marsden in Whangerei.

This June Stuff ran the headline ‘Ending refining at Marsden Point could impact 3500 jobs, says union’ it went on to report “The mood at the refinery in the wake of the company’s update on its strategic review was not very good. Everyone is on a bit of a downer now with the company pretty much focusing on a low cost model. Together with a jobs reduction at the close-by Carter Holt Harvey LVL plant these actions will have a big impact on the local Bream Bay economy”. It will of course also impact the general election.

Act Party leader David Semour has stated” Refining NZ, First Union, and the Northland Chamber of Commerce know that Northland is a contested electoral seat. They’re trying to take advantage of Shane Jones, taxpayer be damned. They know that a taxpayer-funded subsidy to keep an uncompetitive refinery open would be a classic move for New Zealand First.”

Political pundits remain divided on Jones’ chances of toppling National Mat King’s this election. Some point to the very slender majority of 1389 King secured in 2015, Northlanders’ track record of strategic voting, and the cash which has been raining on to Northland courtesy of NZ First ‘Provincial Growth Fund. Others say NZ First’s 2015 win was a one-off in unique circumstances, and that Jones’ style puts off as many voters as he wins over.

The consensus is either way Northland could decide the future of NZ First and hence the result of this general election.

And that’s where NZPP comes into play. NZ First does not actually have to win votes, polls aside, to win Te Tai Tokerau. He has to simply make sure his rivals loose votes to close the distance.

Jamie Lee Ross, Billy Te Kahika and the NZPP brand of toad kissing Trumpish right wing politics may be just the polarising vehicle Winston needs. Advance of course wont get anywhere near winning the seat of course but they do make a great shield for NZ First to use as he deploys a Brexit style tactics to secure victory. A strategy based on dividing and conquering as he uses the guerrilla tactics, to create “mayhem and mischief”, that Peters UK strategists Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore just happen to specialise in.

Published by BENS WORLD – an interesting read with your coffee.

Ben has worked as investigative journalist, researcher and writers for a number of NZ/Australian publications, radio stations, as well as working for universities, NGO and commercial clients, as well as being a best selling author (State Secrets 1 & II [Return Fire]) specialising in organised crime and national security issues. With a degree in history and political science specialising in political violence and counter terrorism Ben spent six year in New Zealand Army territorial (reserves) serving in the Royal Artillery and the infantry with posting in signals, artillery intelligence, field and counter intelligence, reconnaissance and as a rifleman & platoon grenadier. Ben also has decades of experience in all aspect of the hospitality and tourism industry (from kitchen hand to marketing and promotions) through out Australasia as well a having strong root in the arts community of New Zealand’s South Island his beloved home and were he prints his own cafe publications and books . View all posts by BENS WORLD – an interesting read with your coffee.