Revealed: 44 $ 600 million worth of projects up for grabs by James Shaw’s ‘ultimatum’ email

There were at least 44 infrastructure projects awaiting approval from Green Party co-leader James Shaw when he emailed his ministerial colleagues to draw a line in the sand about the Green School.

The projects have a collective value of approximately $ 1.3 billion, of which the Government contribution is earmarked for $ 600 million.

Shaw is now being accused of “hypocrisy” and “shameful” tactics by the opposition for potentially putting that funding and hundreds of jobs at risk, apparently refusing to approve the projects unless the private school is included.

But tonight Shaw said he wasn’t giving an ultimatum, he was simply asking questions about a number of projects he was supporting.

Yesterday, Shaw apologized for his “error in judgment” in defending the $ 11.7 million funding for the school, but added that it was not an offense worth giving up.

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That was before an email surfaced, obtained by Newshub, which was sent to government ministers and the Treasury from Shaw’s office last month.

“Minister Shaw will not sign this report [of infrastructure projects] until Green School is incorporated in Taranaki, “read the email dated August 7.

“Sorry to be the wrench, but if we can include the project, he will sign everything this afternoon.”

Projects in the government’s $ 3 billion infrastructure fund need approval from Shaw, who is Deputy Finance Minister, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, Deputy Finance Minister David Parker, and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones.

Robertson said the email from Shaw’s office did not address all of the projects in the $ 3 billion fund because some had already been approved.

His office later confirmed that 118 projects had been signed at the time of the email, and 162 projects were approved by August 28, meaning that at least 44 projects were pending final approval when the email was sent.

Comparison of the list of approved projects on August 6 and August 28 reveals that government funding for those 44 projects amounted to just over $ 600 million.

Robertson wouldn’t be attracted if the email posed a threat from Shaw.

“He used those words and he has to be responsible for them.

“Set [$3b] the project was not at risk. We continue the process of fixing the loose ends.

“Clearly, he stated his point of view very strongly. It is the nature of coalition governments that different parties put forward their points of view.”

But National Party leader Judith Collins said Shaw should resign over her “ultimatum” email.

“James Shaw was willing to go into politics with his own government at a time when contractors, city councils and workers were crying out for work. I think he has put people’s jobs at risk.”

“It is a shame”.

He said Shaw had exhibited “utter hypocrisy” because it was a private school (the Greens are opposed to funding private schools) that had not yet registered.

He added that Shaw had painted NZ First as a handbrake on progress when his email appeared to be a handbrake on infrastructure work unless Green School’s application was endorsed.

The event’s leader, David Seymour, said Shaw’s email was “absolutely awesome.”

“It is outrageous that someone else in the government has clearly leaked those details. This is not the kind of union New Zealanders expect from their government at this time.”

Shaw and all the Green MPs avoided the media on their way to Question Time today.

He later issued a statement suggesting that he was withholding approval until he learned more about many projects, including the Green School.

“I did not sign that final list, which included the Green School, until I was satisfied that all my questions about a variety of projects had been answered,” he said in a statement.

“The first infrastructure projects were announced five weeks before I signed the report that included the Green School, so to suggest that it was delaying the process is absurd.”

He later added: “To suggest that by asking questions I was giving an ultimatum is absurd.”

When asked about Shaw’s email, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there were different views in a coalition government.

She told The Country that she did not believe the issue would prevent the Greens, who were at the 5 percent threshold in many polls, from returning to Parliament.