Sign the anti smacking referendum(UPDATE)

The "anti smacking bill", or repeal of section 59 last year has lead to a petition for a referendum.The referendum has 280,000 signatures and needs 20000 more for a referendum to be held at this years election at the end of 2008. Give Sue Bradford, Helen Clark and her mates a slap in the face!!

Footnote: As of last week this petition fell short of the 280000 signatures by 15000.
There are another 7 weeks or so for those signatures to be collected.

Download and sign the petition here

C Political Animal 2008

Labour pollaxed by public opinion

Just a commentary about polls and what they might mean.

Now Labour have been trailing National in the polls since around October/November 2007. A perfect storm of sorts hit the lefties then, when their moralistic finger pointing over the Electoral Finance Act and anti smacking law backfired and coincided to piss off even their own deluded voters.

The first big swing to National showed an almost 20 point lead over Labour with a lower polling for John Key as most preferred leader and several polls since then have showed more or less the same results, except John Key is now the most preferred Prime Minister.

There has been one poll that had pegged the National lead back to around 10 points but it is the trend in the polls that needs to be taken into account. The trend is clearly in favour of a National Government, by a country mile.

In the months since, Labour have accepted secret donations, denied their part in rising costs to families and had major parts of state run departments like Education, Health and policing limp from crises to crises.

In addition, last month the private property rights of New Zealand and foreign shareholders in Auckland International Airport were trampled on when retrospective law, which this administration is fond of passing when it suits their socialist agenda, blocked them from selling their shares.

Just yesterday, Labour sunk more than NZ$ 600 million taxpayer dollars, with billions more to come, into an inefficient,loss making railroad company because they think it will buy them votes in November.

Who said our economy was struggling?

These additions to Labour's poor track record are going to will no doubt swing polls even wider. In National's favour.

Even though Labour are going to try and buy the 2008 election, as they did during the 2005 spend-fest, and with stolen taxpayer money no less, it is looking like a right royal massacre for Labour come polling day.

Related Political Animal reading

Labour first to break own Electoral law
Sign the anti smacking petition

c Political Animal 2008

Why did you buy that stock? [Mainfreight Ltd]

The series on why I bought a particular stock continues with a big favorite of mine, Mainfreight Ltd [MFT.NZ] .It is a particular fav because I see it as New Zealand's best run listed company. Many would disagree with that statement but I would challenge anyone to tell me why this might be a figment of my imagination or at least partly exaggerated, which I am sometimes prone to do.

Related Share Investor reading

Why did you buy that stock series
Why did you buy that stock? [Fletcher Building Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [Freightways Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [Kiwi Income Property Trust]
Why did you buy that stock? [Hallenstein Glasson]
Why did you buy that stock? [Briscoe Group]
Why did you buy that stock? [Fisher & Paykel Healthcare]
Why did you buy that stock? [Pumpkin Patch Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [Ryman Healthcare]
Why did you buy that stock? [Michael Hill International]
Why did you buy that stock? [Mainfreight Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [The Warehouse Group]
Why did you buy that stock? [Goodman Fielder]Why did you buy that stock? [Auckland Airport]
Why did you buy that stock? [Sky City Entertainment]


If you haven't guessed so far dear reader the main reason I bought this stock was the excellent management of the company. Bruce Plested, Executive chairman, and Don Braid, CEO, are masters of their industry and have a clear plan as to where the company is going and how they are going to get there.

To put it bluntly, communication to their employees, customers and investors is sans any bullshit and I like that. They are clear precise managers who achieve company goals with little fuss and fanfare and no excuses if they fail, which they rarely do.

This management style is copied across the countries in which they operate and local managers are able to make their local operations their own, even though they are part of a much larger exercise. Once again this focus on good management is the main reason for company success and the carrot that got me hooked.

In a related matter, I also like the company "culture" that management have fostered in their employees. Respect for employees by management is clearly apparent and this makes for a happy and more productive workforce.

Mainfreight is another easy to understand business, they are a logistics company, that is, they transport freight . Easy. They have a diversified business but have stayed within their area of expertise even when they have expanded in overseas territories.

Other companies that stray way from their core area of business knowledge always come off second best. Try to avoid buying such a company if you can. The risks to your wallet become much higher.

Mainfreight is the third largest holding in my portfolio, in terms of the purchase price,which I may have initially overpaid for, and I have had ownership in the company for just over 2 years now and am still very happy with company performance. I would buy more today at any share price weakness.

In my humble opinion, I believe that Mainfreight would fit the investment criteria of Warren Buffett and if the share price was cheap enough and he knew or cared where New Zealand was, he would drop his ukulele and snap it up in a heartbeat!


Mainfreight @ Share Investor

Mainfreight Ltd: Full Year 2010 Profit Analysis
Long Term View: Mainfreight Ltd
Share Investor Interview: Mainfreight's MD Don Braid
Stock of the Week: Mainfreight Ltd
Questions to Mainfreight's MD Don Braid
I'm Buying: Mainfreight Management delivers the goods
Mainfreight Annual Report Packs a Punch
Analysis - Mainfreight Ltd: FY Profit to 31/03/09
Mainfreight VS KiwiRail: The Sequel
Long VS Short: Mainfreight Ltd
Why did you buy that stock? [Mainfreight Ltd]
Mainfreight 2008 Annual report worth reading
KiwiRail will cost Mainfreight
Mainfreight keeps on truckin
A rare breed
Share Investor's 2008 stock picks

Discuss MFT @ Share Investor Forum

Download Mainfreight Company Reports


Recommended Amazon Reading


The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition) by Benjamin Graham
Buy new: $14.95 / Used from: $7.50
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c Share Investor 2008

Burger Fuel cooks up a Dubai deal

They will be eating Burger Fuel burgers in Dubai soon, thanks to Burger Fuel Worldwide[BFW] management signing a Master franchise agreement with Dubai based Al Khayyat Investment Group Investments LLC - a holding group with diverse business interests ranging from multinational companies, automotive, retail, schooling, leasing and real estate interests.




Related links

Al Khayyat Group
NZX Announcement NBR: Burger Fuel signs franchise deal in Dubai YAHOO:Burger Fuel moves to Dubai
Burgerfuel website

It will be interesting to see the terms of the agreement, presumably it will be similar to the individual franchise agreements operated in New Zealand, Burger Fuel's home. If the Arab franchisees plunck their oil money down and really go for it, then possible investors in Burger Fuel here may get a better picture on how successful the Burger Fuel Franchise operator will fare.

Since the listed company will derive its income from ongoing royalties, currently too small to make any profit on overheads, the development of a larger group of stores will be a good indicator of the company and its long term future.

Personally, I'm still a little skeptical as to why Josef Roberts, executive director of Burger Fuel, and his fellow directors may have leaped so far across the world with their concept before developing it more fully and profitably in Australia.

Two company owned stores in Sydney just isn't a good indicator for future success outside the Australasian market.

I have so many questions about this move I have made a request to Josef ,via email , to flesh out some of the detail of today's announcement. I'm curious as to whether the Dubai company made the first move or if it was Burger Fuel's initiative.

I know there is plenty of interest about this company because every bit of news about Burger Fuel is googled incessantly, this site got alot of BF related traffic today, including a handful from Dubai, possibly kiwi ex pats.

Save for more positive concrete numbers or an indicator that things are improving financially and that the Franchisor business model will work with this type of high end food business, I clearly remain negative on the company when it comes to its present valuation of just under NZ $30 million.

Some questions need to be answered to reassure investors that management are heading in the right direction, given today's surprise announcement.

Hopefully, even though I have been critical of his baby, Josef will return my email. He has been great so far.

Burger Fuel shares were untraded at closing today, which isn't unusual. They last traded April 29 @ 45c.


Burger Fuel Worldwide @ Share Investor


Burgerfuel: Dubai Marketing Hype!!!
Burger Fuel 2010 Full Year Profit Analysis
Burger Fuel 2010 Full Year Profit Preview
Burger Fuel Worldwide: 2009 Half Year profit analysis
Stock of the Week: Burger Fuel Worldwide
Download full company analysis from Thomson First-Call
Burger Fuel doesn't rule out capital raising
Burger Fuel Worldwide: Closer look at Company Accounts
Analysis - Burger Fuel Worldwide: FY profit to 31/03/09
Burger Fuel: Running on Empty
Burger Fuel leaves investors hungry
Burger Fuel management cagey over company progress
Burger Fuel cooks up Dubai deal
NZX share trades with strings attached
Don't buy Burger Fuel, yet
Burger Fuel: Inside info?
Burger Fool IPO: Burger Fool?
Exclusive Interview with Burger Fuel's Josef Roberts
Burger Fuel's Daytime drama
Burger Fuel share price out of gas
Beefing up store numbers
Director explains share price drop
Burger Fuel slims down in value
Burger Fuel and Coke
Marketing Burger Fuel's future
Pumpkin Patch VS Burger Fuel
Burger Fuel results and commentary

Discuss BFW @ Share Investor Forum - Register free


c Share Investor 2008