Michael Laws: Why Did The Otago Regional Council Pay $5.3 Million To Iwi?

[@jeremysmith5232]

this is just corruption, just a backhander of the worst sort, a shakedown of the local taxpayer, pure and simple, can we have the minister of local government explain this please, good for you Michael, keep digging please.

[@IanEverson-nl5rt]

This is killing our country.

[@wilfscovell336]

Its intended to

[@olliemoose2020]

Exactly this shit has been going on far to long NZ has had a guts full.

[@badchefi]

You and Laws are killing our country.

[@patrickhauraki8713]

@olliemoose2020 yeah I reckon ... just like the dead in the water Seymour bill 4.1 million to bring to parliament money down the drain where it could be spent on paying nurses or going towards dunedin hospital or feeding the poor etc

[@NZrare]

Why are the Otago Regional Council CEO and Chief Financial Officer totally silent about this..?

[@Digmen1]

Every one in New Zealand needs to know about this Ngai Tahu has enough money already!

[@redtussock]

In relation to what ... show me the numbers.

[@bruceh2458]

@@redtussock As of September 27, 2024, Ngāi Tahu's net assets were $1,656,699

[@Graham-fo8zv]

The gravy train continues.

[@markgrimward9077]

how dare these people give away your money to reinforce there own political agenda without your consent they are vile

[@dancoffey4293]

It's worse than that. It's done in secret so ratepayers don't even know it's happening

[@paulfaber6227]

Bribe a tribe!

[@5150show]

Popping up in a town near you

[@iainseymour-hart3347]

Time for the NZ Govt to draw a close to Councils / Regional Councils fleecing rate/tax payers in this way. This funding should be used to benefit communities and on, for example, much needed job creation programmes for college graduates.

[@AalbertTaal]

this is SHOCKING, please keep us posted . Thank you Michael

[@alanJones-c9l]

This is disgraceful - who are these people? Are you able to name names?

[@secondchance6603]

Once again the ratepayers get screw... have their money handed out without being asked.

[@auser-xt5hy]

Excellent, Michael, I trust you'll keep us posted on what the other Council's divulge? It would be even better if on your next revelations if you could post up precisely what you requested, for I would hate to think we are missing some other funding avenues that are not being fully included in these 'partnership' arrangements, like the catering costs every time they are consulted and things like admin assistance etc.

[@louisetong472]

Michael - I've been trying to flush out this issue for years. Wellington Council and Wellington Regional Council both EACH pay more than $5m ANNUALLY to mana whenua. Ray Chung tells me he's not aware of any reporting from recipients back to council. So not only is the council giving away huge amounts of ratepayer money, but they dont know what it is spent on, and they dont know what the impact is. I find this utterly appalling. Please shine a light on what is going on in Wellington with both the City and Regional Council!!!!

[@siiiiiiiiiimo]

City Rail Link has been giving envelopes of cash to the "locals". Zero record of this on the finance sheet unsuprisingly Reported anecdotally by one of the engineering project managers who has seen it with his own eyes multiple times

[@JanuaryJanNZ]

Apparently it’s payments for consultation, writing reports and access to specialists, so all the money is accounted for

[@TheMileswin]

This has got to stop & Ngai Tahu need to pay the money back to the taxpayers of New Zealand.

[@JamesBarry-um8su]

Yes the iwi should be paying the social welfare and state housing costs of all the Maori's in their districts.🇳🇿👍

[@mattheweden-pc5pk]

They don’t pay tax to make matters worse

[@JanuaryJanNZ]

Would you pay back fees for goods and services provided?

[@TheMileswin]

@@JanuaryJanNZ I would if the funds will received through a scam or black mail. This is what we are talking about here.

[@JackieReid-z7s]

Good investigating!

[@colleenhamilton7042]

Any wonder our council rates keeping way ahead of inflation Councils in NZ are ripping rate payers off by the way Māori don’t have to pay rates on property how good is that

[@NZNorm]

My understanding is that when they form companies the ownership is a Māori trust and they don't pay any tax on their corporate profits. I believe this is true for Tainui who own the Casino in Hamilton, Novotel Hamilton, Novotel Auckland Airport, Pullman Auckland Airport and many other businesses. One would hope that the tax-free money is flowing down the line to their own people's advantage but looking at the streets of Hamilton, Ngaruawahia, and Huntly it doesn't seem that it is. Ngai Tahu own many of the tourism businesses around Queenstown and many businesses around the South Island and don't pay tax on their earnings either. I would be glad to be proven wrong as I have always found it to be deeply disturbing because it gives them an unfair advantage over every competitor and makes a mockery of the rest of us tax slaves. By the way this also applies to companies like Sanitarium which is owned by the 7th day Adventist Church. I believe they have never paid a cent in tax since they were founded nearly a century ago and I remember Dick Hubbard trying to draw attention to that situation

[@grahamewalton5532]

Great detective work Michael. Questions: 1. When is the grand reveal of NZ-wide secret council "partnership" contracts? 2. What are councils going to do about it? 3. What is the coalition govt (or individual members) going to do about it. (No doubt Labour was party to and supportive of this ratepayer rort) 4. Why national and regional media are tight-lipped?

[@andypalman7477]

Keep up the good work following the "scent" no "odour" of something rotten.

[@eileencoulter6263]

Its time all councils are investigated for fraud,councils need to send out a itemized invoice to the rate payers,we have a legal write to know where our rates money is being spent

[@olliemoose2020]

Agree it's way over due, these councils are basically thieves.

[@maieldmik5233]

Great work Platform 👏👏

[@nzkiwiman]

please follow this up with all council's but what can tax payers do about it? has to stop!

[@trishmarris6099]

Oh my god mind blowing 😮

[@gregg7617]

Thank you Michael 👍😎🎱😛😛😛

[@erniepeterson9569]

Enough is enough.These people should be held accountable for there money.This is so wrong aren't we the suckers

[@judyfletcher8481]

This is why Acts Treaty Principles Bill is SO IMPORTANT and needs total public support.

[@standbytogo123]

And this is why Maori are against it

[@redtussock]

No relationship. I would offer that "Act parties" Maori bashing has no relationship to this issue. ORC ratepayers need to understand that yes we need to engage with Tangata Whenua ... but that engagement needs to be well audited. And if Tangata Whenua were genuine in their own engagement they would willingly submit to an Audit to be transparent. That transparency builds trust in the partnership ...

[@kenmckay5578]

​@redtussock bs ,"partenrship" it is not ! This is just a payout . Like a bribe for doing nothing but ticking the box of cooperate extortion.

[@sonjasmith3414]

@@redtussock Partnership? what partnership? If it were a partnership, both would pay in equally.

[@TheAllEngineering]

@@redtussock There needs to be engagement with all rate / tax payers not just select groups. As the immigrant population increases there will be more of a push towards ending all of these payments.

[@PeteThecurious100]

Good stuff, Michael. The Maori mafia. Imagine how fast we would become a dog-tucker country if Co-Government was allowed to happen.

[@Graham-fo8zv]

Yes we would be stuffed.

[@dave24-73]

Council money should not go to Iwi at all, the crown are there for that. Let the crown do the consulting when needed.

[@askay2k]

Palmy council gives about 300k to the local iwi each year.

[@dave24-73]

@ only one question WHY?

[@rustyone7299]

The crown are not there to give money to iwi

[@dave24-73]

@ that wasn’t what I meant, I meant if anyone should be giving money to Iwi it should go through government not through rate payers and councillors. But agree we shouldn’t be paying Iwi for no good reason.

[@beneagleson3026]

@@askay2kfor what? Are they providing any services?

[@jjp7300]

Yep and the maori at the bottom will not see a cent of it !!!

[@briansatchell2319]

Of course not. They all live in * make believe * land Myths and Witch Doctor Stories

[@Mel-gv4vo]

Is the legal? Why haven’t the Councillors informed us about these payments? This is OUR money!!

[@franklove9117]

What a con job all these backhanders must stop it has become extortion

[@lindamcrae4065]

What are they actually doing to warrant receiving this exorbitant amount of money? Absolute extortion and corruption!!

[@gordondickson6901]

Our elected representatives on the Otago Regional Council since these payments commenced should have been looking at their annual budget with enough care to have found these payments out. Therein lies the failure! Regional Council finance staff have been able to conclude that those your elect dont have due diligence when it comes to ratepayer funds as an attribute. Get the invoices Michael and post them on The Platform. Name the limited liability company. Put up the companies office link and we all see who the directors are within one minute. It is not rocket science Michael This is what you get paid for

[@wilhelmbittrich88]

I can’t wait to hear how much all our other councils have been giving to local iwi.

[@BelaUghy]

Thanks Michael for that astonishing revelation, and putting it out there for all to 'know', councils need to be increasingly to be held accountable for the Incredible amounts of money they are recently demanding of ratepayers!

[@selwyndyer8357]

As usual the PM will do nothing it must be stopped.

[@barrywoodward-l1j]

Charge the council for fraud.

[@kiwi_bloke]

Ford must be happy with all the black ford ranger sales that these people buy with our money.

[@Jillian-uw3zq]

7:40 its a bribe so maori dont stop any progress happening that council want to do. If we dont pay them then they will block projects.

[@NZ_Kiwi1010]

And we wonder why our rates to councils is so friging high... enough is enough

[@TibbyGraeme48]

Our next meeting for Tasman District is set down for Thurs 28th Nov at 9.30. I will be attending and asking questions. Who is with me?

[@bigthinker281]

And this is why NZ first sitting on the fence is NOT okay!

[@joedennehy386]

Scandalous

[@stevehughes1510]

That's lot of maccas and kfc..........pity the Otago ratepayers, they're losing across the board.

[@lividgamer2383]

and cones wif da bros g

[@colindyer5233]

Another branch of The Gravy Train!

[@andrewmann3787]

Councils shouldnt give pay out to iwi that should be a government decision

[@yvonneboden-jones8334]

The Waimakariri District Council does the same

[@georgemooyman7155]

No wonder our rates are becoming exorbitant.

[@chrismonaghan6309]

Who is doing the deals we should have names and ask them what is going on? Thanks, Michael, fellow rates payer.

[@danielhaar9514]

Not surprised

[@bassbrother81]

Call it what you want, its racism, allocating taxpayer funds to a minority based on skin colour. This country needs to help the POOR and stop racistly allocating the peoples hard earned and paid tax money to racist agendas

[@patrickhauraki8713]

Just like 4 mill on Seymour bill that won't pass

[@johnaitchison9531]

@@patrickhauraki8713 where did you get the 4 mill number from?

[@RobBremner]

It's Ratepayers money, and it's supposed to be for council infrastructure and services.

[@patrickhauraki8713]

@@johnaitchison9531 look it up

[@schlookie]

​@@patrickhauraki8713it will be passed sooner or later. There is too much momentum behind the bill now.

[@olliemoose2020]

And these Iwi want to have control over the seabed and foreshore, just imagine that.🤣

[@davecooke7673]

More bullshit money for them

[@mikewilliams6086]

I wonder how Auckland spends its money?

[@pauljones3062]

They Pay Tainui $ Millions for Waikato river water 😬 yes unbelievable what a rort on Auckland ratepayers.

[@whatthe6532]

Under Wayne Brown very carefully thank god.

[@spikandspan-u8h]

Ngai Tahu never had any land confiscations at all. All made up claims

[@PeteThecurious100]

Yes. Stolen land; Yeah right " A new land syndicate had been formed in Australia by William Charles Wentworth and John Jones, and on 15 February 1840 these two men signed an agreement with five Maori chiefs who transferred the ownership of virtually the whole of the South Island and Stewart Island for a cash payment of £100, and a 50 annuity for the principal chief and lesser amounts for the others."

[@brucecouper]

Then why aren't Otago ratepayers out on the streets vigorously protesting ??

[@colinrichards3012]

I would love to know Selwyn District Council's financial transactions with iwi, if any. Iwi have gifted names to council property, but a very reliable public figure claims tax payer's paid a lot of money in return. Makes you very suspicious.

[@adrianvanniekerken-lp5oj]

Sack the lot

[@gregg7617]

We The People , Should weed out these thieves and hold them accountable mmmmmmh !?🤔😉👍😎🎱😛😛😛🛡️🙏🗡️♾️ TRUTH and JUSTICE PEOPLE TRUTH and JUSTICE ⚔️⚖️🛡️🙏🗡️♾️

[@andyox-gr9gy]

Did they consult the rates payers first if not dismiss them immediately

[@NeilBarrie-gj5bk]

This is disgusting, you have to keep highlighting this untill this is stamped out. I wonder how many other councils are doing the same thing. No wonder our rates are so hi🙁

[@glennwr450]

This is why your rates are going up wasteful spending from councils that don’t value rate payers money.

[@ranuiqh]

Its blackmail, and should be treated as such!

[@mikewilliams6086]

Thankyou Michael for going above and beyond to find out how some people are treated differently to others! I dont mean pakeha vs Maori. I mean a group that has lawyers and converted itself to a commercial enterprise to make money is using its position to grift money from the rest of tge community!

[@olliemoose2020]

But they are not Maori, they are only part Maori and a very small part at that, so shouldn't all payments payed out reflect that.

[@gregg7617]

Of Rates and Tax payers money ??🤔🤨😡WTF !!!

[@trevorhughes6254]

This is bloody shocking and must be stopped!

Does this largesse mean there will be lots of really blingy cars with really big base speakers cruising around now once it filters down to the kids?

[@tazman8697]

No chance.....The money never ever gets past the top few.......

[@mobbarley7517]

One of many reasons I won't be paying my regional rates

[@spikandspan-u8h]

They pay less tax too

[@itsjustweard2328]

This sort of carry-on is going to break New Zealanders. People are struggling to keep their houses while others are reaping millions of dollars in rewards for nothing

[@AlanPapert-h7h]

This must stop all the treaty settlements are done and dusted

[@LordOden1]

Where’s my sum of money? I didn’t give them permission for anything.

[@johnshanks251]

Who makes the decision with in the ORC to hand out that amount of Money.

[@Maybe98668]

This would just be the tip of the iceberg

[@stevebowden9192]

I can't believe that the council thinks this is right, with a population of around 255 thousand people, that's a heavy hit on the ratepayers and on top of that Iwi don't have to pay tax

[@davevanderzwet1209]

I suppose the real worry is and to how many other groups and individuals that has money been transferred to with no accountability

[@kaydring2630]

Digitisation of national identity E governance surveillance. Creating the framework to monitor and link up to other partners … bigger than you know

[@olliemoose2020]

This needs investigating, as usual if Iiwi are involved then dodgy things are abound, why keep something like that from the rate payer's.

[@briansatchell2319]

Keep onto them Michael. Sounds like Corruption Big Time. Maybe some are getting * Backhanders?*

[@888Sooty]

Total corruption

[@rattedbug5003]

You need to read out on the list where and how much. I’d be interested in waiapa

[@Sharpy7562]

Laundering ha ha

[@kaydring2630]

I think decompartmentalisation across many different sectors organisations and NGOs.

[@alihuqsar7365]

Sorry for asking a dumb question, but why did the council give them the money, was it for an endorsement or something?

[@CalTheKiwi1]

15,000 views in 3 days. I don’t think I’ve seen that kind of appetite for a topic/issue on the Platform’s channel before. Interesting…

[@CarolSoldup]

This makes my blood boil!

[@CalTheKiwi1]

Mafia. A mafia tax. Nothing to see here. Already looking forward to Laws reporting back with a nationwide total of the annual Koha tax collected from all Councils.

[@StuNicholson-x7c]

This is so wrong…The questions that need to be asked are, , how long has this been going on, how much has been paid to Iwi, and who are the individuals who organised and approved these transactions.These individuals need to be brought before some form of public meeting to explain why they squandered ratepayers money in such a disgraceful manner and why they have so much utter contempt for ratepayers in general .The ORC has proved time and time again it is fiscally irresponsible and needs to be replaced by a commissioner who can , at the very least, have basic accounting skills and a sense of community wellbeing…Well done Michael for exposing this disgraceful scam ….

[@justtowatch111]

I'd like to ask what the money was used for?

[@nothinghere1996]

no one, absolutely no one should need to pay tax on their land or residency. it's a leeching scam, and it needs to stop. but what about local services i hear you cry? well i live in a country where there is no tax on the land, and you have to go and learn how they do it. they have access to way more facilities than i ever had in nz. local government is a con. get rid of it at the national level, have a system like Switzerland.

[@soulpower3107]

What’s the annual donations via ‘ contracts ‘ to so called mauri ? Meanwhile rate payers struggle in under the weight.

[@Cyril_Squirrel]

Amounts to the rates of about 1400 households.

[@LHNA130]

Have we had enough of the racist maorication of this country yet New Zealand?

[@p.n.gwynne]

flippant spending needs to be identified and if reqd, prosecutions shd occur

[@nancy-margaretheyes2445]

Sounds like a job for Simeon Brown in the short term….

[@tonyawaters8653]

Sounds like money laundering or bribery.

[@jaspervanp2346]

STOP THE GRIFT

[@operatorsix6933]

recover all assets and monies back to the nz public.. who ever is paying them out and or on kick backs..go to jail.

[@rayh.7757]

What the hell is/was the fkng treaty gravy train for? Jesus Christ almighty, this is getting out of bloody hand.

[@user-tc-s7r]

Hey councils - stop stealing ratepayers money - there is enforcement to pay you this and you use it as if it's a lollie scramble. This sort of gaming the ratepayer to pay to crooks shakedowns will , I hope land you in jail - its time this sort of thing stop

[@paywize]

Does that include GST?