Wednesday, September 30, 2009

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech+nz+chinese+business+chamber
Shipley out to build education exports
5:00AM Friday Nov 01, 2002

By SIMON HENDERY

One-time schoolteacher Jenny Shipley is back on the education bandwagon.

But rather that returning to the classroom, the former Prime Minister has grand plans to help develop exports of educational services, particularly to China.

Shipley said yesterday she had accepted her first company directorship since retiring from politics in July.

The position is with The Cambridge Group, an executive search and business development consultancy with offices in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, India and Asia.

Shipley's role with the group will include brokering deals to get local educational institutions established in Asia.

"There are New Zealand educational leaders and some institutions who are keen to expand their range of services," she said.

"They're keen to have deal makers [to gain] both access into the Chinese market and the political connections and the ability to facilitate their delivering an educational service there."

China is in a strong growth phase and has a thirst to import Western education, which provides an opportunity for New Zealand.

Shipley, who is 50, said she had built up strong political connections with Chinese leaders while Prime Minister, which she had renewed on a recent visit to the republic.

"Cambridge Consulting is in a position with my involvement and their institutional knowledge to bring these to reality.

"I believe there will be a number of major projects which will be able to be discussed and pointed to within two years."

She and banker husband Burton planned to live in Auckland for at least the next five or six years while she developed her post-parliamentary business career.

The couple moved into a Parnell apartment last month.

New Zealand earns about $1.5 billion a year from educational services and Shipley says she considers Prime Minister Helen Clark's prediction that the sector could grow to $3 billion "quite conservative".

"It's my assessment that over time we could easily grow the sale of NZ educational services offshore to be a very significant part of New Zealand's foreign exchange earning capability and China is most certainly a most significant market.

"China's Government has put great weight on their young people learning English. Demand far exceeds supply at almost every point. They want higher educational governance knowledge and educational management knowledge."

Shipley also has her own private consultancy business and recently formed a business partnership with former minister Wyatt Creech and Sammy Wong, husband of National MP Pansy Wong.

Shipley, Creech and Wong was a niche business focused on helping business migrants identify investment opportunities in New Zealand, she said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=3002043
In late 1999 NZ First defector Tuariki Delamere had managed to get himself removed from his post as Immigration Minister through pushing through an exception to immigration policy.

The exception to policy concerned substantially lowering the amount of money an overseas investor needed to invest in New Zealand to gain residency. No doubt this move would have caused apoplexy from his old New Zealand First chums residing across the benches in Opposition.

It also caused apoplexy to the Prime Minister of the time - Jenny Shipley - who had specifically instructed Delamere not to go ahead with pushing through this policy exception.

The ripples from this immigration depth charge also spread to the ACT party when it was discovered on 25 November 1999 (two days before the General Election) that Donna Awatere- Huata’s husband Wi Huata, was one of the principal movers behind the deal involving the foreign investors (and residency seekers).



It turned out that phone calls had been made to the Minister’s office on behalf of her husband after Donna Awatere-Huata was aware that Wi Huata was asking for an exception to immigration policy.

Because Wi Huata’s cellphone was not working. Wi Huata was in fact in an orchard. An orchard on his property that he shared with Donna. Wi could not call the Minister’s office because he was not in the house and his cellphone was not working. Donna Awatere- Huata was in the house and the landline was working.

Presumably bellowing at the top of his lungs whilst pruning his fruit he attracted his wife’s attention. Maybe using a mixture of loud yelling and expressive body gestures he intimated what he wanted. He wanted his wife to ring and discuss only matters of process relating to a letter.

He did not want his wife to act as an MP on his behalf. He wanted his wife to ring regarding the process of a letter. A letter requesting the Minister make an exception to immigration policy. A letter involving 21 Chinese investors being able to gain residency for investing $400,000 instead of a million dollars. So long as they invested in Maori land.

As pointed out these phone calls needed to be made because of fruit pruning and cellular phone difficulties. And Donna Awatere-Huata did not use her position as an MP to lobby on her husbands behalf. Wyatt Creech discovered this in his inquiry. An exhaustive inquiry. Indeed an inquiry that may have lasted at least a few hours.

And what became of Delamere?

Former Immigration Minister Tuariki Delamere became involved in the Immigration consultancy business after leaving Parliament - like a large number of his predecessors - but ran foul of the rules again mid 2003.

Delamere then came under fire from then Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel for running what she called a 'scam'. Mr Delamere's scheme involved migrants paying themselves rather than setting up legitimate businesses according to Dalziel. It is understood Mr Delamere's business has since folded.

Meanwhile former Deputy Prime Minister (and briefly Immigration Minister) Wyatt Creech retains an interest in immigration matters, having gone into the immigration consultancy business with Pansy Wong’s husband, Sammy Wong, and former Prime Minister Rt Hon Jenny Shipley.

Specifically, it emerged that Delamere had approved permanent residency for a group of Chinese businessmen provided they invested generously in various Māori development schemes. Delamere was widely criticised for using his authority to ensure that money was given to certain groups. Delamere himself claimed that his actions were a perfectly reasonable method of addressing Māori development needs. Although he lost the immigration portfolio, he retained his other roles.[1]

Since leaving Parliament, Delamere has established himself as an immigration consultant, founding the company of Tuariki Delamere & Associates. He also owns a successful cabaret restaurant in Auckland.

In 2000 Delamere rejoined the New Zealand National Party, the party he had started his political career with. However he ruled out a return to Parliament to concentrate on his business concerns.[2]

In March and November 2005, Delamere appeared in court on charges of fraud; the trial began in the High Court in Auckland on 7 February 2007.[3] After a 4 week trial, which cost him $1m to clear his name, it took the jury only 2 hours to find him innocent of all charges on 2 March 2007.[4]

Chamber to promote contribution of Chinese business in New Zealand
Posted On: Wednesday, 10 December 2003

The launch of the New Zealand Chinese Business Association is to be celebrated this Thursday, December 11 th at a gala cocktail function at Auckland's Carlton Hotel.

Guests at the launch will be addressed by Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter, National Leader Don Brash, Auckland Mayor John Banks, the Chamber's Patron and former Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, and chief executive of the Employers & Manufacturers Association, Alasdair Thompson.

President of the organisation, Jesse Nguy, said the NZ Chinese Business Chamber was being formed to accelerate the development of business links between Chinese business people and other New Zealand businesses.

"Our purpose is to facilitate the assimilation of Chinese business into the New Zealand business environment," Mr Nguy said.

"The objectives of the Chamber are to help New Zealand build stronger trade links with South East Asia, and to lobby Government on areas of law that are unjust. For example, the recent changes to New Zealand's immigration laws have increased the requirement for English language to an unnecessary extent.

"We will also be working to ensure Kiwis recognise the substantial contribution that Chinese business makes to New Zealand.

"We intend promoting the success of Chinese businesses in New Zealand and for this purpose we will be establishing Chinese Business Awards early in 2004 to be presented at an annual prestigious event later in the year.

"The Chamber will be affiliated to the Employers & Manufacturers Association to benefit from the business advice, especially the employment and tax advice offered by EMA in the Chinese language.

"EMA is assisting the establishment of the Chinese Business Chamber and hosting the inaugural event. Its aims are to extend EMA member contacts and networks to the Chinese business community in New Zealand.

"The NZCBC acknowledges and congratulates the many Chinese associations in the community for their good work. We want to work alongside and with them to better serve the Chinese people in New Zealand."

For further comments contact: Jesse Nguy tel 09 302 2345

The Board of Directors of the NZ Chinese Business Chamber are:

President:
Jesse Nguy LL.B., Principal, Jesse & Associates, Barristers & Solicitors

V. President:
Sammy Wong, Company Director.

V. President:
Kit Wong, AREINZ, SNZPI., Prinicpal, Kit Wong Consultants Ltd

Chief Executive:
Jill Shih M.Comm. Director, Sunrise City Investments Ltd & Suncern Properties Ltd.

Treasurer:
Jason Chooi, B.Comm. Dip. Comm., Partner, J&E Associates

Ricky Leung: Founder VST (NZ) Ltd, and Computer Express
Stoney Xie: Founder DigiCom computer retail shops.
Wei Gao: Founder Alpha Healthcare Ltd, and Mushrooms R&D Ltd

News courtesy of the Employers and Manufacturers Association.


Sammy Wong – Vice-President
Sammy Wong is an accounting graduate of the University of Canterbury with extensive experience in international trade and consultancy, high-tech investment and marketing. Sammy holds directorships with a number of New Zealand-based companies including Sampan Enterprises and Shipley, Creech and Wong; he is also active in numerous community organizations and is Chairman of the Chinese Division of the Canterbury Employer’s Chamber of Commerce.
Sammy is an avid golfer and enjoys wine and food appreciation, he is married to Pansy Wong, New Zealand’s first MP of Asian ethnic origin.

http://www.nzcbc.co.nz/index.php?view=page&id=1&PHPSESSID=5873b4626ecb1a3f62dc90be15877983



Source: Scoop 2004

Donna Awatere Huata




August 23 2005

Donna Lynn Awatere Huata (sometimes written Awatere-Huata, previously known as Donna Awatere) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament, and former activist for Māori causes. In 2004 she was expelled from Parliament and subsequently convicted of fraud.

A jury found Awatere Huata and her husband Wi Huata jointly guilty of four charges of defrauding the Pipi Foundation and a fifth charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

What is the Pipi Foundation?

Awatere Huata set up the foundation, a charitable trust, in 1999 to help improve literacy among underprivileged Maori children. It received $840,000 in Government funds over three years.

Suspicions were raised in 2002 when a Pipi staff member, who testified in court against Awatere Huata, pleaded guilty to defrauding the foundation.

Allegations against Awatere Huata first surfaced in December 2002.

She always claimed to be the target of a malicious campaign, but the Act Party suspended her when she failed to meet deadlines at the start of 2003 to provide evidence against the allegations.

Police, the Auditor-General and later the Serious Fraud Office all conducted investigations into Awatere Huata and the foundation.

It was not Awatere Huata's first brush with the SFO, which investigated her over accommodation expenses she had claimed before the 1999 election. She was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Former Act MP Donna Awatere Huata's fall from grace was completed today when she was jailed for two years and nine months for stealing from a Maori trust set up to help under-privileged children.

Her husband Wi Huata was jailed for two years. Wi Huata's sentence was deferred for two months to allow him to apply for home detention.

During sentencing Wi Huata's sibling Hira Huata stood up in the public gallery and accused the court of administering "white man's justice".
He was then joined in a haka by Wi Huata's sister Huia.

Judge Roderick Joyce stopped the proceedings while police ejected Hira Huata from the courtroom before continuing sentencing.

They were found guilty of fraud and attempting to pervert the course of justice by an Auckland District Court jury last month after the Serious Fraud Office said they stole more than $80,000 from the Government-funded Pipi Foundation.


Source: NZ Herald

Tuesday, September 29, 2009


Taito Phillip Field NZ's first Polynesian Member of Parliment. NZ's first MP found guilty of corruption.


"NZ RANKED ONE OF LEAST CORRUPT COUNTRIES IN WESTERN WORLD"

I remember reading this headline a few years ago and began wondering, is it really true?? Are we really not so corrupt???

We are high on our horses knowing that across the ditch in Australia our cousins in NSW and Queensland have been plagued with corruption, not just in their Police Departments but with their elected members too. But our cousins in Queensland are quick to remind us that the Queensland Premier Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen was infact born here (even though he moved when he was 2!!). Nonetheless, NZ has its own cases of corruption and dodgy politicians.

If you remove the mask covering our faces you will see NZ is just as bad, if not worse given the size of our small country.


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Welcome to the blog where the liers, cheats, and corrupt are exposed.

This website will help Kiwis see the true face of their politicians (whether they are red or blue). We take no sides as to us they are all the same. They all have the same friends, attend the same functions, and partake in politics to benefit their own pockets.