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The Government are in trouble in a couple of areas: 

1) FamilyBoost. What they said would happen, numbers wise, didn't. 

2) Police recruits. What they said would happen, will not. 

3) The ban on foreign buyers for houses now looks farcical. 

Yesterday's attempt by the NZ Herald to make some Winston Peters' comments look like news was a beat up, because he said the same thing to me two months ago. 

Saying the same thing, with nothing new or any change in between, is not news. It's the status quo. 

What makes the Peters' stance, and therefore the Government damage, unusual is Peters' stance is inexplicable. 

FamilyBoost got messed up because IRD gave the Government poor advice. 

The police recruit issue is bad because being a cop is hard, a lot of cops leave, and Australia offers sunshine and beaches, and they are actively making offers. 

But on the upside, the golden visa is working. People with money have applied and there are hundreds of millions, heading towards billions, in play. But we still want them to rent or use Airbnb. 

The level of stupidity in that is inescapable and inexcusable. 

National had a policy of $2 million a house – anything over that a foreigner could buy. 

Peters didn't like it, fine. National moved that to $5-6 million. Locals here aren't buying those houses. 

Peters still won't move. He says a deal is coming. 

But the critical questions are, why would you burn goodwill inside a coalition and why would you risk reputational damage internationally? 

The same bloke who is holding us to ransom is the same bloke who has travelled the world telling said world we are open. And yet, we are not. 

If this Government is to survive, and possibly prosper, the simple stuff cannot afford to be an issue. 

We need money and we need investment and the jobs and growth that brings. It must be part of a package, and the package comes with a home. 

Peters gets that, I know he does. And yet, nothing. 

Small word to National and Luxon – how about some hardball? How long do you want to look like the weak guys, the dog being wagged by the tail? 

National's biggest problem, apart from Peters, is time. 

Next year, the country makes a decision on all this.