WAKA BAILERS

Six generations ago our tipuna paddled their way here from somewhere in the South Pacific ... In fact there were quite a few tipuna who paddled their way here so John Key is right. Sooner or later, a few good tides and the right winds and we will get some refugees heading our way..

There are two sides to the boat people debate. They are seen as queue jumpers.. Those who go through the right channels are disadvantaged if we take them.

However, the courage, the steely resolve, the stamina and the will to stare death in the face for a taste of freedom has to be admired. They would make good citizens.

SO TUFF

We bet these guys are so tough that if they came to NZ they would vote National

We need immigrants with the right stuff

NEW ZEALANDERS PROPPING UP AUSSIE TOURISM INDUSTRY

The Australian is reporting that the number of kiwis shooting over the ditch for a bit of a break increased by 10% last month while there was drop in the number of visitors from other countries.

AUSTRALIA welcomed more than 16,000 fewer international tourists to its shores in October as the effects of the financial crisis begin to bite.

International travellers totalled 451,800 in October 2008, new Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.

That compared with 468,700 for the same month last year.

The biggest slump was from Japanese tourists, with 12,600 fewer visiting - a drop of 27 per cent.

There were also fewer travellers from the US (4900), China (4900) and Korea (3000).

But 9400 more New Zealanders made the trip - an increase of nine per cent.

The figures also showed a slowing of Aussies holidaying abroad.

Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) executive director Olivia Wirth said the figures were no surprise, and only illustrated that the global financial crisis was already hitting hard.

She said New Zealand holidaymakers were the "shining light", spurred on by increased flights to Australia.

We here at Roarprawn think its undoubtedly because its the cheapest place to go for an overseas jaunt but the fact that many of us now have family across the Tassy also add to the attraction. And you can't discount the possibility that many people are also going on a look see to work out if they want to live there.

BIG QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

1)Remember the story that appeared in the Herald a couple of days after the election, that never really got legs because Key stitched together a govt faster than a Hong Kong Tailor can stitch together a suit, about the $100k that Vela gave both NZ First and Labour ?Well what we want to know is who is going to keep a track on what Winston does with it?

2) We know there are at least 4 more interviews with grumpy scampi skippers - when are they going to end up on U Tube?

3) How long will it be before we see the results on the inquiry into the Immigration /shane Jones/ Bill Liu passport for donation allegations?

4) Will there be any good stories being written after National has poached all the good journalists?

5) How many Ministers told Department CE's that their briefings to incoming Ministers were crap?

6) Which Wellington property developer has skiddy undies as the defaults on various transactions start to pile up?

7) Which PR company is so desperate to curry favour with its clients that its offering one hour " one on one insider briefings" to CE's for free even though they were Labour pets and have F***k all contacts in National?

8) How many massive government departments comms teams went through "restructuring" in the last 6 months and renamed some of their staff as information management or knowledge management, or other such weasel terms in an effort to hide them from any National departmental review?

9) Why were a bunch of Maori getting out of a Crown Car on the Wharf last Thursday when there was no Minister around? If it was good enough for Dame Whina to walk why can't they ?

10) Who wasn't at St Johns Bar on Friday Night Basking in the sun and does this mean that the " Drycleaners ( Dockside where you go to get a Suit) finally has some serious Friday night competition as the place to be seen and pick up a lazy shag on Friday night?


and yes big questions of the week will be a regular feature - feel free to send us contributions - bustedblonde@gmail.com

WISHART HAS THE HARD COPY ON SHANE JONES SCANDAL

We always knew that there was something in the immigration scandal swirling around Shane Jones that Ian Wishart broke on his new online news paper TGIF. during the election. Our seafood contacts told us there was some crap that wasn't tidy, the day before the story broke and Clark launched an inquiry into the affair to shut it down fast during the election. Then Jones was named as number 12 by Goff - not a real vote of confidence for someone who was once tipped to be the first Maori PM.

TGIF has forwarded Roarprawn a preview of their online edition. Wishart has the goods.

We reckon this has the potential to end Jones career.

SHANE JONES AT 12???

Shane's lack of elevation in the latest line up of Labour's shadow cabinet has the Kumara vine all a twitter. He was once seen as the great brown hope. but he remains mired at number 12.
He did himself no favours over the shower issue either and three years on the opposition benches will bore him shitless.
We also wonder if his lack of elevation past number 12 has anything to do with TGIF tonight and more on the immigration scandal. Of all the stories that Wishart has done - this is the one that has the most legs.

YANG LIU ROW GOES WIDER - SPOTLIGHT ON SHANE JONES

TVNZ has highlighted the involvement of Shane Jones in this affair - it doesn't surprise the Prawns.

Remember this is what its about

The guts of the story is that Yang Liu has a few passports and lots of money and may have donated to the Labour party and has already been prosecuted in Australia for money offences.

He was granted residency and citizenship by Labour

It appears that the Labour party have frequent fundraising parties at Jade Restaurant in Auckland. ( bloody good restaurant by the way )

A Labour candidate Raymond Huo thought Yang was a bit shifty.

Barker has issued a press release saying an investigation is underway into Yang Liu.

Shane Jones in involved as filled in for Barker because he had a conflict of interest.

And Dover Samuels is up to eyeballs in the scandal.

Seems that everyone visiting Roarprawn today has been using the search words Shane Jones, Yang Liu and immigration.

Bugger all were interested in Rick Barker

And we asked the question around the fishing link between Jones and Liu as well.
The PM has just been interviewed by Guyon Espiner and she says that Jones got advice not to grant the application for Liu and that he did not advise her of the issue.
Which is Helen Clark speak for " You're in deep shit and I'm really pissed off boyo"

And it appears that the Nats MP Pansy Wong was also supportive of his application. So what - she wasn't a Minister and didn't counter the advice of her officials.

Jones isn't taking calls - very odd for the Nga Puhi boy. But his friends will tell you he doesn't like fronting if he is in the crap.

We are glad that an inquiry has been launched - its a murky story and it needs to be sorted.

WISHARTS IMMIGRATION SCANDAL SPOOKS GOVERNMENT

TGIF
has a interesting yarn about an immigrant who seems to have more identities than I have had paua patties.

The guts of the story is that Yang Liu has a few passports and lots of money and may have donated to the Labour partyand has already been prosecuted in Australia for money offences.

It appears that the Labour party have frequent fundraising parties at Jade Restaurant in Auckland. ( bloody good restuarant by the way )

A Labour candidate Raymond Huo thought Yang was a bit shifty.

Barker has issued a press release saying an investigation is underway into Yang Liu.

Shane Jones in involved as filled in for Barker because he had a conflict of interest.

And Dover Samuels is up to eyeballs in the scandal.


From TGIF

The businessman goes in this country by the

name Yang (Bill) Liu. Property records reveal he

lives in a plush Metropolis apartment in central

Auckland with a 2005 valuation of $2.4 million.

According to official certificate of title records, Yang

Liu paid cash in 2002 – there is no mortgage registered

against the property.

Records show Liu also owns a property in the

Auckland suburb of Bayswater for which he paid

$5 million early last year – again, in cash.

“Yongming Yan, a citizen of the People’s Republic

of China, was wanted by law enforcement authorities

of China for alleged large-scale misappropriation

and embezzlement offences committed in

China. Yan travelled to Australia on a number of

occasions, first as Yan, and later under the name

‘Yang Liu’.

“On these later occasions Yan is alleged to have

produced a Chinese passport in the name ‘Yang

Liu’, and failed to advise Australian immigration

officials that he had previously travelled to and

entered Australia in the name ‘Yongming Yan’.

TGIF says that the Commonwealth Department of Prosecutions DPP in Australia seized over $3M and gave it back to China.

And that all this happened while he was here in NZ as a permanent resident.

“I personally know Mr Liu,” begins Samuels, naming

Liu’s partner and “two young children” before

continuing:

“Mr Liu has Permanent Residence and has lived

in Auckland for six years or more. During the years

that I have known him he has demonstrated to be

a caring father and husband, with humility and

generosity of spirit.

“It is my understanding and confirmed by many

New Zealand Chinese, that Bill is a decent law abiding

person and would make a model New Zealand

citizen. I agree with them.

“Mr Liu is well known for his public profile, his advocacy

of open democracy, social justice and Human

Rights,” waxed Dover Samuels, “the same principles

that make us proud to be New Zealanders.”

Then, in the only clue that Samuels knew of

darker allegations swirling around his protégé Yang

Liu, he wrote, “Unfortunately, there are those who

think otherwise.

Immigration officials suggested to Liu that he had a problem because he had been red flagged by Interpol

They suggested that one option was to get the Minister to sort it.


TGIFs " informant" says that Liu claimed to have donated to the Labour party at Jade House.

Our informant added tonight: “This is not the

first one. The fact is that Mr Liu is unable to meet

the “good character requirement” of the Citizenship

Act. He was only approved because he is a big donor

to the Labour party. He was also given an urgent

ceremony. This is worse than Philip Taito Field’s

story. You do not give a New Zealand passport to

dodgy people without a reason.”

Liu’s citizenship application was fast-tracked,

according to DIA sources: “Mr. Liu got his citizenship

on 11 August 2008 at a private ceremony in

Wellington officiated by Dover Samuels.”

Rick Barker was particularly evasive when questioned on the fact he was at a fundraiser at Jade

We asked Barker whether it was wise for a Minister

in his position to be hosting fundraisers within immigrant

communities whose members could require him

to determine their immigration status later.

“Can I come back to you on that?” Barker initially

responded.

And Shane Jones doesnt want to talk about this issue either, We wonder with Mr Liu's involvement in fisheries, that Jones may know Mr Liu as well.

And late last night Barker issued a press release - this from the ODT

Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker has flagged an investigation into the possibility of immigration fraud in the case of the granting of residency and citizenship to Auckland man Yang Liu.

Mr Barker made the statement last night in response to questions from the media about the circumstances in which Mr Liu, also known as Bill Liu, was granted residency and citizenship. .......

In Mr Liu's case, a decision was made by another minister and a general delegation to Mr Jones was in place.

There was an ongoing investigation into "the possibility of immigration fraud in this case", Mr Barker said.

He did not want to jeopardise this process and there would be no further comment from ministers, he said.

Mr Samuels said Mr Liu was a friend of his and had been in New Zealand for seven years.

There had been procrastination in giving Mr Liu citizenship, he said.

"He had a falling out with the Chinese Government.

''He's pro-democracy, some sort of supporter of Falun Gong, and he protested against this Chinese regime in New York.

''They're after him.

"His wife is a New Zealand citizen, his children are New Zealanders, he's never broken the law here, and I wrote a letter of support to the minister considering his application for citizenship."

Mr Samuels said his understanding was that the successful citizenship bid had "got up the nose" of Internal Affairs officials

So it looks like an interesting yarn and the evasiveness of Jones and Barker is not going to do them any favours.