Shaw greenmailed Government to get private school funded

Newshub reports:

Newshub can reveal just how hard Green Party co-leader James Shaw advocated for the $11.7 million promised to the privately-owned Green School in Taranaki.

The Green School was one of 150 projects getting a piece of a $3 billion pie – the shovel-ready infrastructure fund – and Shaw was willing to put them all at risk.

Newshub has obtained an email that went to Government ministers and the Treasury from Shaw’s office and it included a stark ultimatum.

“Minister Shaw won’t sign this briefing until the Green School in Taranaki is incorporated.”

The email said Shaw discussed the ultimatum with the Education Minister. 

“Minister Shaw has also discussed this one with Minister Hipkins.

“Sorry to be the spanner-in-the-works, but if we can get the project included, he’ll sign everything this afternoon,” the email said.

This is astonishing. James Shaw was so motivated to get $12 million for the private school that bears the name of his party, he blackmailed the Government by refusing to approve every other proposal, unless they included this one.

I seriously doubt Shaw was the only Green MP who knew of the funding proposal. You don’t blackmail the entire Government for a project unless you know you have your party with you.

It’s even been reported he hosted a meeting in his office with the school owners and Hipkins to try and convince Hipkins. How realistic is it that no other Green MP knew about this?

The Greens didn’t just advocate for this wealthy elite private school with 25 domestic students to get $12 million of taxpayer funding, they demanded it.