Well it’s been a week of the bad and the ugly and not much good at the Beehive. A week in which dubious behavior saw two MP’s forced to resign and finished with NZ First Minister Shane Jones (who back in 2010 was caught using his ministerial credit card to buy pornography) raging against Kiwi Bank for taking a moral stand on the type of businesses it was prepared to invest in .
For those of you who missed it the Kiwibank has published a “responsible business banking policy” which it says outlines its commitment to “protecting the best interests of New Zealanders and the environment”.
It said it would withhold banking services from casinos, businesses involved in the extraction, production and manufacturing of coal, oil and gas, military grade weapons, businesses involved in non-medicinal and recreational drugs, palm oil, adult entertainment, predatory lending and tobacco.
To which Jones, the Minister known for Porn, became the Minister of Abject Scorn – and informed RNZ he would tell the Kiwi Bank board: “The bank that goes woke may end up broke so hop down out of your sermonising and join the rest of the world.”
Adding that the bank’s role was not make moral judgements about what was an appropriate industry that could legally survive in New Zealand. “Their job is to lubricate capitalism.”
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So there you go readers. That’s NZ First economic position. “Lubricate capitalism” and to hell with the planet.
Please remember that when you cast your two votes this year
Well, GOOD ON KIWIBANK !! I say for trying to put some morality back into the market place and encouraging us, by example, to use consumer spending and lending as tools for the betterment of society and the planet.
Bryan Bruce is one of NZs most respected documentary makers and public intellectuals who has tirelessly exposed NZs neoliberal economic settings as the main cause for social issues.
Toluwalope
I'm business helper , i have 20 year experience in business management sector. I help many business owners to grow business. My passion is helping fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed.
