Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Disingenuous Press

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  • Sacha,

    We could try Manu-kau as in Manu off Playschool? Or Manu Samoa.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    We could try Manu-kau

    Guess that beats Mana cow. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    And TVNZ 'News' continues the spin about Len Brown - this time, swallowing whole the contention from right-wing opponents (but one left-wing Councillor agrees so that's OK then) that the Mayor is gypping Manukau's impoverished ratepayers by claiming sub-$20 cafe meals as expenses - including many at the nearest cafe to his Council building.

    Am more than a little pissed off with them not making any effort to establish what actually went on - just providing a platform for smearers, doing the dubious he-said/he-said "balance" and asking the uninformed public in the street what they reckon - and without showing us what questions they asked them. I'd be ashamed to call myself a journalist.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Phil Lyth,

    It's M A N U K A U,
    not M A N A K A U.

    Depends if Levin is near or far

    Wellington • Since Apr 2009 • 458 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    If somone constantly hears the name mis-pronounced as "manner-cow" then naturally they will try to spell it Manakau.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • anth,

    I think it's safe to say people in Manakau are competent to realise that a man who stood against Brown for the mayoralty twice isn't his BFF.

    On the other hand in a few months Brown is standing in an election in which most of the voters aren't in Manukau.

    Since Nov 2006 • 77 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    We can all live with bias.

    but it is, nonetheless, an obliquely cutting edge
    going against the grain of our cultural fabric...
    hi ho ...weave weft to warp

    It's pronounced How-Ick, right?

    No, I think it's just 'Ow-ick,
    they didn't fight hard enough for their aitch...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    We can all live with bias.

    but it is, nonetheless, an obliquely cutting edge
    going against the grain of our cultural fabric...
    hi ho ...weave weft to warp

    Sew be it.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    On the other hand in a few months Brown is standing in an election in which most of the voters aren't in Manukau.

    You're quite right -- perhaps The Herald's time and attention would be better expended filling in the blank slate that is Len Brown? (OK, perhaps I need to lower my expectations to realistic levels and just hope the only daily newspaper between Hamilton and Whangarei gets that there's one or two other elections going on besides the Brown-Banks mud wrestle. Any kind of serious, considered coverage is just gravy.)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Some basic journalism like matching entries from the Mayor's official calendar against lunch receipts wouldn't go astray. I doubt he'd be withholding the evidence, somehow.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Oh, okay.

    It appears that Quax et al have now walked away from Marshall's story claiming that a false, "clean" invoice was requested for the dinner.

    Council staff did go to back to Volare for the reason Brown and his CEO gave - to seek a GST invoice as part of an audit.

    Apparently that's bad too.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Now it's really on:

    A crowdsourcing application has been launched today and will be added to, both in content and functionality, over coming days.

    The Internal Affairs Department last week released 7000 pages of credit-card transactions and receipts, covering MPs' spending between 2003 and 2008. Released under the Official Information Act on June 10, the documents have since been trawled through by journalists – and early findings have left MPs shamed and demoted.

    Political editor Tracy Watkins says it has been a marathon effort to check each item of expenditure, with most offices still only part-way through the task. Given the scale of the job, she says it has been impossible so far to give many documents more than a cursory examination – although our research is continuing.

    "But we have spent the past few days scanning the documents so we can make them available to our readers online. Now we ask for your help in sifting through the claims and receipts to spot anything we may have missed."

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Andrew C,

    this time, swallowing whole the contention from right-wing opponents (but one left-wing Councillor agrees so that's OK then) that the Mayor is gypping Manukau's impoverished ratepayers by claiming sub-$20 cafe meals as expenses - including many at the nearest cafe to his Council building.

    On National this morning Len Brown confirmed that he does do this, and basically that he feels it is OK for rate payers to pay for his lunch if he is out and about doing mayor-type stuff.

    I dont agree that this is OK.

    This was distinct from paying for food/coffee when at, say, a lunch meeting or similar.

    Auckland • Since May 2008 • 169 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    More like it - Bernard Orsman checks what the Council's credit card policy requires. Brown not getting tax invoices for all transactions claimed, just eftpos reciepts, though it seems that his Council's head of Finance approved that for the $800 dinner that has been in the news.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    On National this morning Len Brown confirmed that he does do this, and basically that he feels it is OK for rate payers to pay for his lunch if he is out and about doing mayor-type stuff.

    I dont agree that this is OK.

    Indeed -- I know for a fact Michelle Boag and Judy Kirk put their hands in their pocket for a hell of a lot of coffee and cake when they were "out and about doing Party president-type stuff". Don't think Mike Williams would say any different.

    In the end, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. And at the risk of being petty, you know why I make David his lunch most days? Because those "sub-$20 cafe meals" very easily turn into "$300 a month." I'm sure there are many other areas of our household finances where the services of a budgeting dominatrix would be helpful, but that's something easy to get your head around and do something about.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    More like it - Bernard Orsman checks what the Council's credit card policy requires. Brown not getting tax invoices for all transactions claimed, just eftpos reciepts, though it seems that his Council's head of Finance approved that for the $800 dinner that has been in the news.

    Yup. From a total of 25 receipts not meeting the rules, some are Brown's.

    And the reason given for seeking an invoice from Volare -- they needed one that had a GST number, rather than that they were trying to fiddle something, as Marshall's story claimed -- now seems uncontested.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    Thank goodness we can discuss this receipt hell and not have to worry our pretty heads with that beach thing.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Bernard Orsman checks what the Council's credit card policy requires.

    Although RB linked to that earlier, I am still appalled at the words " The Idiots guide....that adorns the header. Thanks very fuking much. So I'm an idiot if I have questions regarding this Super city?
    Then on further reading it gets slotted in that Dave Foster, is responsible for monitoring the card. He was there , he ate , he monitors but it's Len Browns fault? Bull shit I say. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Don't think Mike Williams would say any different.

    Yes, he chuckled ruefully about that on Q&A.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    RB linked to that earlier

    Ooops, so he did. More coffee, stat!

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Thank goodness we can discuss this receipt hell and not have to worry our pretty heads with that beach thing.

    Well, on thoughts I had months ago, I had, National have said all along, " If you don't like our offer Maori Party, we will have the status quo". Maori party said on the weekend, they listen to iwi, but at the end of the day they have to do what they think is good. So all in all, inevitable outcome. Sorted. That's how this Government rolls.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Dave Foster, is responsible for monitoring the card.

    Not on a daily basis, though it sounds like he signed this one off after the event. It seems Brown did break the rules, in the same way certain ex-Ministers did regardless of intent for private benefit.

    I'm still struck by the delightful coincidence of timing in this whole thing. Banks's associates have done a good job for him and I'd say this will cost Brown some support. Reminds me somewhat of watching Bush's minions smearing the opponent so he could avoid having to talk about policy. Maybe "affordable progress" isn't polling so well outside Remmers?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    Sean Plunkett's just resigned from RNZ...

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Andrew C,

    In the end, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

    There was a guy at my old work who bought his lunch from a cafe whenever he was in the office. Whenever he was out of the office doing work, he bought his lunch from a cafe but charged it to the company.

    This always rankled with me, being in or out of the office made no difference to what his lunch was, it would always be a bought from cafe fare. It was not like he would like it to have been homemade soups but was unable to do so as he was out of the office.

    And, as you can guess, over time the number of 'company' charged lunches increased until they were regularly from the cafes at the bottom of our office tower, which is where he would buy his lunches when working in the office.

    Both the above were not OK to me. And both seem to be applicable in Len Brown's case based on what I have seen/heard so far (early days of the data/info/bullshit extraction so far of course).

    Auckland • Since May 2008 • 169 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And the reason given for seeking an invoice from Volare -- they needed one that had a GST number, rather than that they were trying to fiddle something, as Marshall's story claimed -- now seems uncontested.

    Indeed, and the fact-based scandal is quite bad enough. Hell, I'm the secretary of the Auckland Film Society and like every other non-profit incorporated society (in the process of applying for charitable status) we depend on volunteers who put a LOT of time and work into keeping our affairs in order.

    We're thankful for the modest but critical support we get from the Auckland City Council, but they (quite rightly) insist our grant application (and financials) have ever T crossed and I dotted. I don't think it would be totally unreasonable to get a wee bit pissed if Banksie wasn't being held to the same standard.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

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