General Debate 26 March 2018

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Biscuit

Decisions, decisions…

What to spend this here spare dollar on.

The initial deposit into the Crowdfund account to help Penny save her hovel

or

The first dollar that the Integrity Unit at Cricket Australia has likely ever seen

???
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March 26, 2018 8:02am
- KiWombat
  
  There are two things that are important in politics, one is money, and I can’t remember the other – – –
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:19am
  - slightlyrighty
    
    Correct, selective memory is important in politics!
    
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    March 26, 2018 8:21am
    - KiWombat
      
      Our leader has a photogenic memory !
      
      And the short memory of voters is the reason she is there in the first place !
      
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      March 26, 2018 8:24am
      - hullkiwi
        
        …and remember, she could see no reason to ever lie in politics. So, she has kept lying since she uttered the lie. Either That, or she has a short memory.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:29am
      - Liberty
        
        Like dear leader promise to spend 20 million on a new hospital in Westport.
        
        https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101908906/community-waiting-for-update-on-governments-promised-buller-hospital-rebuild
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:04am
- holysheet
  
  Give it to stooopidboy to enable him to get to Queenstown. I see in the news they are culling the ferals down there.
  https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown-lakes/feral-goats-culled-gorge-rd-area
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:21am
  - backster
    
    Liberty…Well they could take the 20 million from the Tax working group that could rebuild the hospital and still leave $3 million for the Cullen report…easy eh.
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:55am
- Happychappy
  
  I wonder if we will have the same as the 1960/70’s outlook when Phil Twyford and Labour start building the four thousand houses in Mt Albert. The problem in building 4000 homes in a small area is that they will not be very big and most will be of the same plan with the likely hood ending up cramped and knowing every thing your neighbors do, hence creating the the same slum areas that exist in most cities of the world. You only have to look at Porirua’s Cannons Creek area to see what has happen with the buildings of state homes from the 1960′ infested with gang members and and their families looking like the American ghetto’s for every one to see.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:32am
  - artemisia
    
    Kiwibuild in Mt Albert. I agree Happychappy. There is an elephant in this room, and that is that there will be a LOT of social housing included. Mr Twyford says 40% Kiwibuild affordable and top quality for first home buyers leaving 60% for private buyers and social housing.
    
    Why on earth will FHBs and even more so private buyers be interested in living cheek by jowl with social housing? And there will be a lot of it.
    
    Social housing is last resort. It is interesting that the majority of applicants approved for social housing do not have children and most of that group are single people. Given the criteria for acceptance onto the waiting list (hint, it’s not just income) cramming in many hundreds of single renters with issues is not going to end well. Won’t be long before buyers want out, starting a fast slide downwards.
    
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    March 26, 2018 8:42am
    - All_on_Red
      
      The problem is compounded because HNZ do not select the tenants for these new Developments on merit.
      So you end up with problem tenants amongst people who have had to pay hundreds of thousands for a new home.
      One of the unintended consequences of that is that ironically the houses being sold privately can be very hard to sell…
      I mean who wants their daughter living next to a solo mum with five kids and a gang member for a boyfriend. So the daughter buys elsewhere.
      The Affordable Housing Projects which work the best are the ones where the tenants are selected. These tend to be privately run ones- usually Charitable Trusts.
      
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      March 26, 2018 8:55am
      - Harkman
        
        Exactly, these will be slums in 20 or 30 years.
        
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        March 26, 2018 9:27am
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        won’t take that long.
        
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        March 26, 2018 12:42pm
    - KevOB
      
      Isn’t Mt Albert already semi-posh? A development on the scale proposed will change its character. It will be perceived as the making of a new slum and hence distress present residents.
      
      How many $100K income earners buy a home in Cannon’s Creek?
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:42am
      - Ed Snack
        
        That bit of Mt Albert isn’t very posh. Sits a bit uncomfortably between “real” Mt Albert and Pt Chevalier. Used to be the “loony bin”back in the day, and in some quarters still retains a bit of that stigma.
        
        Hard by the motorway, bounded by that, Carrington Rd, and Great North Road. Future slum.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:55am
      - stephieboy
        
        KevOB , Mt Albert has become gentrified largely as a consequence of the housing shortage and housing affordability .
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:02am
      - PhilP
        
        Plenty of Liebore voters though!
        
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        March 26, 2018 1:38pm
  - Brigitte
    
    All those houses in such a small area, reminds me of the song about boxes made of ticky tacky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_2lGkEU4Xs
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:17am
    - waikatogirl
      
      Judith Collins says the sewage system needs to be retro-fitted on this housing site. Going to cost $10m and take a long time. She says Phil Twyford needs to come clean on this fact.
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:40am
      - Harkman
        
        “Phil Twyford needs to come clean”
        WG Twyford is a slimy smarmy sewer creature, he wouldn’t know what clean is.
        
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        March 26, 2018 9:48am
      - KiWombat
        
        But his shit don’t stink ! Just ask him !
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:30am
    - KiWombat
      
      Interesting that you would drag this one out Brigitte – part of the lyrics refers to sending their children off to summer camp ! I wonder which camp Pete Seeger had in mind back then?
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:34am
  - Harkman
    
    So the government is building new houses, where the state subsidizes a potential capital gain for a few, in the Prime Minster’s electorate. In any other country this is called corruption.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:26am
    - BeaB
      
      I wish I could give this a thousand upticks!
      Why has no-one else commented on this?
      Dad in a new plum job, deserved or not. (John Key couldn’t even support a guy for a job without opprobrium because he had gone to the same high school!!)
      Partner plastered across the media with his fish.
      Now a huge housing development in her electorate.
      Of course it’s all absolutely transparent, let’s be clear about this.
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:57am
      - KiWombat
        
        This site has been in the pipeline for quite some time, certainly since well before she became the electorate MP. I seem to recall the original concept for the site was for 700 homes. Cindy no doubt heard of this relic as the local MP and they have dusted it off and applied a little of Aladdin’s magic to the numbers now !
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:41am
      - sooty
        
        700 houses would have been with single level and some lawn/garden space. Now they are stacked 3 or 4 story high.
        
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        March 26, 2018 5:08pm
  - hullkiwi
    
    The maths works out at 72 square metres per dwelling.
    
    If that is the case, families with children need not apply and there is no need to build schools, because there will not be children in these homes.
    
    Given, matters regarding service infrastructure have not been addressed or how such matters will be financed, this proposal has clearly been:
    1. Rushed through to make it look like Twitford will achieve KiwiBuild goals; and
    2. Nobody in the government has spoken to Auckland Council about matters of RMA consent & environmental impact;
    3. What services infrastructure is required & how this will be paid for; and
    4. Where the construction workers & builders will come from to complete this project.
    
    Then you have the issue of who will finance this little project, given all else that is happening.
    
    Clearly, this proposal is half baked & poorly thought through, so how long before it unravels?
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:44am
    - marcw
      
      Looking at Google satellite view, there is no way that 3 – 4,000 reasonable homes will be built on that area of land. Considering all the constraints like the motorway, main roads, stream, reserves, and all the existing buildings and businesses operating. Not to mention – what’s the bet many ancient native artefacts and burial grounds will be ‘discovered’. And a Taniwha or 6. There will be a token corner where 10 -20 virtue signalling display homes will be built in one over publicised gesture. After that – nothing … too hard.
      
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      March 26, 2018 11:29am
      - Eh?
        
        The article on interest.co.nz on this subject includes a “housing plan” superimposed on a satellite photo. It is notable for the huge areas of green space – all dotted with large trees, if the artist’s impression is to be believed – that remain once the build is complete. Counting the small grey rectangles that represent houses you get around 300 – 400 not 3000 – 4000. Is it possible someone made a typo in Twyford’s speech notes or is each building a 10 story mini-apartment block?
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:36am
    - Dafixeruppa
      
      They could build up. Large apartment buildings with a slightly larger footprint. Wouldn’t need to go now than say 10 stories high.
      Perhaps they need to look at the apartments in Tory st Wellington before they build them though. Only suitable for individuals or students.
      
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      March 26, 2018 1:39pm
      - hullkiwi
        
        Yes, and they’ll build UK styled council flat apartment style blocks. That after 20 years authorities will want pulled down because they are slum dumps with all manner of social problems.
        
        Government apologists, do some research and confirm for yourselves how bad this bulk style of housing development is for the people & the communities. Face it Twitford is good at talking up problems but is short on true solutions.
        
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        March 26, 2018 2:48pm
- KiWombat
  
  Biscuit, how about donating it to a Crowdfund to save the hovel from Penny ?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:56am
Inandout

That Poxfam ad on TV showing Burmese people with babies, with more on the way, is not the way to engender sympathy. Stop having kids you idiots!
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March 26, 2018 8:07am
- DigNap15
  
  Yes, and the same with all the refugees in Syria and Paleestine. Whenever you watch them on tv there always lots of young children around.
  Why would you bring a child into the world in the middle of a war zone?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:36am
  - KiWombat
    
    “Why would you bring a child into the world in the middle of a war zone?”
    
    – – – because we fund them !
    
    If I were to fund a child in one of these places, the parents would start to produce the next one tomorrow, it’s a never ending cycle !
    
    I would rather fund something like shoes for our own kids rather than rice for Burma !
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:02am
- Piniwi
  
  Funny inandout it is a similar message given to local beggars who always seem to have yet another baby on a sagging breast. “Learn to close your legs.” Always have a coin for so many others who are much less fortunate and totally dependent on what they get on the street.
  
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  March 26, 2018 4:52pm
Lee C

Is it true that the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and her partner use IVF to conceive? I read it somewhere recently, and want to know if it was a scurrilous rumour.
My point being if it was an IVF, it casts a weird light on the ‘surprise’ element so often touted about the pregnancy to the media.
i.e. source required for this.
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March 26, 2018 8:08am
- I've been to Mecca and you have not!
  
  This happy and progressive First couple did not use IVF.
  
  They used HIV.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:16am
- Psycho Milt
  
  I don’t think you’ll really want to see the source, it being some right-winger’s arsehole.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:44am
- KiWombat
  
  It must have been IVF because they weren’t in the same place at the time of conception. Remember she was behind closed doors having indepth negotiations with the drunken dwarf at the time, constructing a 30-something page agreement. And no doubt one or two other things ?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:45am
- lifesgood
  
  They have stated it was IVF. The surprise element is just another one of their obfuscations. And yet another disgrace in their increasingly lengthy list.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:36am
  - itstricky
    
    The surprise element
    
    I don’t think IVF has a 100% success rate. And it could literally take – years – depending on how many times one goes through it.
    
    That classes as a ‘surprise’ in my book.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:46am
- Paulus
  
  It is possible that Genter was concepted the same way as she had a number of sad miscarriages.
  
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  March 26, 2018 1:56pm
  - KiWombat
    
    Pity she wasn’t one of them !
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:45pm
holysheet

One sunny day in 2018, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton.”The Marine replied, “Sir, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn’t reside here.”The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton”.
The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn’t reside here.”
The man thanked him and again walked away .

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying “I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton.”
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mrs. Clinton. I’ve told you already several times that Mrs.Clinton is not the President and doesn’t reside here. Don’t you understand?”
The old man answered, “Oh, I understand you fine. I just love hearing your answer!”
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, “See you tomorrow sir.”
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March 26, 2018 8:14am
Poppa

It is fantastic to watch the Aussies fall from their “holier than thou” stool. They appear to want us to believe that this incident is a one off.

Recent evidence suggests otherwise with Starc in particular regularly able to get reverse swing for no apparent reason. I smell a very large rat & believe that this ball tampering has been happening for some time.

They are not sorry they did it, they are just very sorry they were exposed
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March 26, 2018 8:26am
- MCos
  
  I’d be careful where you chuck those stones, cobber.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:32am
  - GazzaW
    
    Meaning what MCos?
    
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    March 26, 2018 8:39am
    - MCos
      
      Meaning NZ has tampered with the ball in the past, along with a number of other countries. Some are caught; some skite about it later.
      
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      March 26, 2018 8:51am
      - GazzaW
        
        Who in NZ MCos? We aren’t talking about a touch of spit or sweat here.
        
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        March 26, 2018 9:15am
      - itstricky
        
        It’s not a new phenomenon, that’s for sure. And yes, probably no team should jump on the dais to claim their cleanliness. That’s not new, either.
        
        What is new is front a press conference where you say “sure, we did it; we planned it meticulously beforehand; we’re sorry we got caught on camera; it wasn’t me, even though I’m the captain; I’m a cheater but I’m still the best man for the job; and hey – no biggie, right?”
        
        Now that, that there, is distinctly Australian Cricket and Smith and Warner will pay for it.
        
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        March 26, 2018 9:18am
      - SGA
        
        @GazzaW
        Here you go –
        https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/102573254/when-new-zealand-ball-tampered-got-away-with-it-and-nearly-won-a-test-in-pakistan
        
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        March 26, 2018 9:57am
      - GazzaW
        
        Fair enough SGA but it was 28 years ago and the opposing team had some form as well.
        
        It’s been going on forever, my father who was a good senior club cricketer in Yorkshire told me many a time and with great relish that whenever the county side played at home in Sheffield the crowd never missed an opportunity when Yorkshire was bowling to give the ball a scuffing on the concrete if it happened to come their way.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:39am
      - SGA
        
        @GazzaW
        
        It’s been going on forever, …
        
        I don’t think anyone thinks it is a new phenomenon. It’s much easier to get caught now days.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:48am
      - Longknives
        
        I too got slammed on Kiwiblog yesterday for suggesting all the shrieking New Zealand fans maybe lived in Glass Houses.
        Any comment from Gazza and co on Mark Richardson’s comments this morning? You know- The ones about how pretty much everyone does it??
        (Yep Gazza- Not only those evil Aussies but your Kiwi heroes as well…)
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:02am
      - Longknives
        
        https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/102581674/former-black-cap-mark-richardson-comes-clean-i-tampered-with-the-ball-once
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:03am
- oldgolfer
  
  I wonder if Chris Broad was alluding to this when he said after the day’s play yesterday that he wondered why Bancroft had used the tape when Aussie bowlers were already getting the ball to reverse swing?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:41am
  - Poppa
    
    His interview was really brilliant, very subtle
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:15am
- kowtow
  
  Pakistralians.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:16am
waikatogirl

Good to see Duncan Garner this morning calling out JAG for her comments suggesting “stale old white men need to move on”, racist and unwise. and he (rightly) was appalled that JAG made these comments to primary aged school children. He said JAG needs reminding she is an MP, not a protester! Simon Bridges said she should remember this government is appointing older white men every day, such as Michael Cullen.
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March 26, 2018 8:32am
- G152
  
  I wonder how the silly bint thinks of Peters?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:40am
  - Gravelroad
    
    He is not white.
    
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    March 26, 2018 8:49am
    - RalphT
      
      But he is old and stale; two out of three is a god enough reason to get rid of him.
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:26am
      - waikatogirl
        
        Winnie is way past just stale but age is not the problem with Winnie…
        
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        March 26, 2018 9:47am
- Gravelroad
  
  On the other hand, Genter could happily point to the Greens getting rid of the two stale, old white men out of their party prior to the election.
  You know them – those two with the knowledge, experience, ethics and integrity who didn’t toe the line over the dubious morals of Ms Turei.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:47am
- PinkGina
  
  This is an appalling comment from a minister of the Crown in this “be careful what you say” world in which we live.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:49am
  - Piniwi
    
    But PinkGina but leftie 101 “it is OK when we do it/this”.
    
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    March 26, 2018 4:59pm
- Muttonbird
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Won’t someone think of the poor rich white men. How hard they’ve had it for so long!
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:53am
- niggly
  
  Can JAG clarify when she says she doesn’t like “old white men”, whether that also includes simply “old men” or “white men” as well?
  
  I mean are “young and/or middle aged men” ok? If so, what is her solution once these “young and/or middle aged men” reach old age? Detest them? If so, why is she ageist?
  
  Shouldn’t she be saying that society ought to respect all old men (and all old women) when they’ve reached that point in life? I mean I bet she respects Kaumatua i.e. elder Maori men (and women), if so, why is she racist?
  
  Has the Media held Green Party Leader James Shaw to account about one of their Ministers appearing to be ageist and racist? If not, why not?
  
  Why isn’t the Media calling for JAG to stand-down or resign, everyday until that happens, like they would if a National Minister was openly ageist and racist?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:58am
  - RF
    
    Judging by the numerous adverse comments it appears unlikely JAG will be the new Greens co-leader.
    
    I know she has annoyed a number of greenies who will be voting.
    
    Stupid….
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:04am
  - waikatogirl
    
    JAG stating that “stale old white men” should move aside to be replaced by women does show where her real feelings are about all white men.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:51am
    - Gravelroad
      
      So if a stale, old white man transgendered into a woman, how would that fit GenderGenter’s social engineering ambitions?
      Presumably, the new woman would come along to the board meeting with the same levels of knowledge and ability as before – just with a difference appearance – or do intellects change with transgender procedures as well?
      Give it some thought all you white males out there!
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:18am
      - Classic Liberal
        
        Awesome, Gravel, you’ve found the answer ;)!
        
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        March 26, 2018 12:53pm
      - Piniwi
        
        Well Gravelroad it is a bit of a conundrum since there was one who tried that in the Police Association but he/it fizzled like wet Katherine wheel.
        
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        March 26, 2018 5:02pm
    - G152
      
      Including her father, uncles and grandfather no doubt?
      
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      March 26, 2018 11:45am
  - marcw
    
    Perhaps we should wait until the first opportunity at QT to see the National response. I hope she doesn’t get off scot free, even if they did give them their patsy questions.
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:36am
  - DifferentPerspective
    
    Only 390 signatures on the JAG petition?
    
    I’m was kind of shocked by this. Only 390 signed the petition.
    
    And then when I thought it through a few things crystalised:
    – the media have steered away from mentioning this (and media coverage is usually what fuels other petitions)
    – similarly, there aren’t people on the streets prostituting this position the way there is with paid activists pimping Greenpeace-type petitions (conservatives tend to have jobs and families to look after unlike the nose-ring wearing types on the left).
    
    I’m now not sure crowd-sourcing outrage the way the left does, is the way to go, the bottom line is there are a lot more left-wing parasites with time on their hands than there are spare-time conservatives.
    
    But it’s weird, pretty much every normal person (regardless of left or right persuasion) that I’ve asked about JAG’s appalling sexism, racism and ageism is deeply revolted by it so why no clamour in the media or in the usual places the left makes itself known?
    
    Something doesn’t add up?
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:00pm
    - KiWombat
      
      Its 404 now so still ticking over !
      
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      March 26, 2018 3:51pm
- kowtow
  
  By the same token the PM needs reminding she’s now the head of gubmint and has duties and responsibilities beyond photo and sound bite opportunities and looking good for the soap dodgers ( Greenpeace anti oil and gas petition)
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:28am
KiWombat

43,000,000 trees will tick over today

Are you getting any closer to planting number one, Shane ?
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March 26, 2018 8:33am
- septic skeptic
  
  Anyone know why the first 5 digits f the two counters are not identical, given that the running count of built and planted to date is zero for both?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:46am
  - KiWombat
    
    – because there were some 150 houses in the pipeline that have been completed since September last year. This government can’t claim them, but they have been built !
    
    Won’t it be exciting when we start to see that counter going backwards ? As if it will ever happen !
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:11am
- hullkiwi
  
  No closer than Twitford to building 10,000 homes per annum. All talk & grand plans, with no discernible action.
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:39am
Swifty

Further to the JAG bigotry on display this week.

One of the, many, unintended consequences of moving to MMP is the explosion of single-issue nuttery and deeply-flawed List MPs on display in NZ politics.

For all its claimed defficiencies, there was an elegance to FPP. The country was divided up in to local areas and people in those areas voted for someone to represent them in Wellington. Those elected became accountable to their voters – especially walking the streets, or speaking in the town halls, of their local constituency.

What have we got now? Single-issue nutter List MPs accountable only to their party machines (but who swan about saying “I was elected….”) and who would never have become MPs under FPP owing to the good sense of local voting NZers.

Especially now given we have a ‘tyranny of the minority’, with Winston ‘choosing’ last year who is to govern, I remain unconvinced that the move to MMP has been good for the country’s governance.
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March 26, 2018 8:39am
- MCos
  
  That’s all been discussed by the country’s voters in the recent past, twice, and referendums held that showed we prefer the current system.
  Anomalies may appear to have been thrown up, particularly amongst the smaller parties. However there are electrate seats that are so blue/red that an absolute drongo could win.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:10am
  - KiWombat
    
    One of the premises for MMP and the Maori seats was that it would help deliver an independent voice to Maori. This is no longer the case.
    
    Accordingly there should now be a very strong arguement for our electoral system to be changed to one which reflects the desires of electors.
    
    Whether we can return some independence to the Maori voice – I don’t know. We have tried to do it with MMP, but that clearly has not worked.
    
    What is clear now is that most Maori are prepared to be “sheep.” We need to have just one or two Maori who can galvanise Maori support for their office, and return a level of independent representation to them.
    
    Just ticking the red box has not done, and will not do this !
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:23am
    - Dave Mann
      
      Why? What’s so bloody special about Maoris? What about Indians or Chinese? And what are we doing to give people of Dutch ancestry a voice?
      
      What we really need is to move away from identity politics and stop fragmenting society at the expense of the majority (of all colors) who just want to be New Zealanders.
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:12am
      - Swifty
        
        Totally agree.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:47am
      - KiWombat
        
        Read the history books dave. We have to pander to them, or else they might decide to eat us – just like they ate the original inhabitants !
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:51am
  - marcw
    
    In Labour’s case drongo’s have – exhibit A, Curran. I rest my case with just the single exhibit.
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:39am
- niggly
  
  Now that we’ve had 20 years to see the MMP experiment in action, it is clear that MMP produces unstable governments.
  
  Let’s see the 1990’s Bolger/Shipley govt fell apart when coalition partners NZF fell apart.
  
  The 2000’s Clark govt had to dance on the head of a pin when the Alliance fell apart, then once NZF went under lost in 2008.
  
  The recent National govt did well until its support party’s also fell by the wayside after 9 years.
  
  The current COL is unbelievably unstable and will likely come crashing down much sooner than later.
  
  MMP clearly isn’t stable! Do New Zealander’s deserve unstable govts? No they don’t!
  
  And that’s not even mentioning the other major flaws such as post-election trading with the minor party’s and the “rort” that is the over abundance of List MP’s!
  
  It’s about time NZ looked at other voting systems – Kiwi’s deserve better!
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:11am
  - SGA
    
    niggly
    
    Now that we’ve had 20 years to see the MMP experiment in action, it is clear that MMP produces unstable governments.
    
    meh – I think you are overstating things a bit. Look at it another way. We have had MMP for what, 22 years (1996-2018)? I’m not convinced that things have been dramatically more chaotic than the preceding 22 years. We are yet to have an emergency general election, and had two 9-year stretches with basically the same government in control.
    Likewise, I don’t look across the ditch to FPP Oz and see them as significantly more stable than we have been over the last couple of decades.
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:08am
- KevOB
  
  Those who faced an electorate were sorted out. The present quality level would not have gotten through. Live potential voters can be very demanding and discerning face to face.
  
  Amateurs can apply to Disney for work experience.
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:50am
  - SGA
    
    Yes and no, KevOB. There were always some red and blue “safe” FPP seats that required a bare minimum of quality. Provided you were onside with the local committee, you were pretty much in.
    You could argue that it’s harder for constituent MPs now because the voters can vote against you personally but for your party.
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:27am
- Faroffsound
  
  At least under FPP we couldn’t end up with a government that owed its existence to the leader of a minor party with an axe to grind.
  
  Unfortunately there’s no guarantee with MMP that that won’t happen again.
  
  So what are the options? Having the Governor-General give the leader of the party with the most votes first crack at forming a government is one but even that isn’t guaranteed to work.
  
  STV anyone?
  
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  March 26, 2018 1:58pm
- DifferentPerspective
  
  Agreed Swifty.
  
  I can’t help but think that what we see now is the very antithesis of what MMP was supposed to deliver. The oft-trotted out rationale for moving on from MMP was that …
  “National kept on forming governments while getting marginally fewer votes than Labour”
  
  Well we have a Labour government who got several hundred thousand votes less than National now.
  
  Toss in to the mix that “Diversity” seems to be showing every day that it’s just utter nonsense dreamed up by the now discredited “Closing the Gaps” nuttiness to achieve exactly the same for minorities (albeit via Twitter and Facebook lynch mobs instead of by legislation as was the case with CTG) – and the diversity in Parliament is delivering us:
  – JAG the Minister for Bigotry
  – Dear uncle Winnie defending the Russians
  – Ron Mark’s personal NZDF helicopter service
  – Jones’ attack on Air NZ
  – Twyford’s one “affordable” home per 100m2 in the PM’s ~~pork barrel~~ electorate
  
  How is MMP delivering on any of it’s promises?
  – Minority government prevented? – NOPE
  – Diversity benefits? – LMAO NOPE
  
  Rabid socialists happy – ah yes, that’s why the will fight tooth and nail to retain MMP.
  
  Time it went the way of the BetaMax VCR and the rotary engine.
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:04pm
KiWombat

Saw on the news last night that the government has announced they will build KiwiBuild homes on the Unitec site in Mt Albert.

The previous government had been planning to use part of that site for housing, so Twitford must have been doing some in depth research to find land.

They claim they can build 4,000 homes “next year”, some of which will be affordable. Apparently first home buyers will have to enter a ballot to be considered eligible for one of the homes. So this might well be the first REAL indicator of how many people are genuinely seeking affordable KiwiBuild homes.

I hope that the government is transparent on this one, and gives us the true figures of how many people put their names in the ballot !

– – – and as for building them “next year” I am sure we will see a litany of excuses as to why that can’t happen – stay tuned !

Meanwhile there’s still no progress on the first six KiwiBuild homes in Westport !
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March 26, 2018 8:40am
- Poppa
  
  They will need to be multi story ghettos then.
  
  I hate to think what the place will look like
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:48am
  - KiWombat
    
    Wouldn’t want to live within a bus or train ride of this development ! Just imagine the wide screen TV’s being shuffled onto trains for disembarkation at Mt Albert !
    
    Hang on – it will become the new “go to” suburb to dump stolen cars, won’t it ?
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:27am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    4000 on 300000square metres, 9story height limit, is about 700 square metres per 9 story block, At about 120m plan area (including stairwells and elevators and landings), they would need about 17% land coverage. That is damned high when paths, roads and parking are factored in.
    
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    March 26, 2018 4:34pm
- Rich Prick
  
  At 75 square meters per house, it’s going to be a little Mogadishu.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:48am
  - starboard
    
    Give it a month there be graffiti everywhere, cop cars and sirens, broken down stolen cars on front lawns, 15 year old Maori girls pushing prams, pretty much a snapshot of Police 10/7.
    Welcome to South Albert.. A new liarbor slum.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:17am
    - Happychappy
      
      They won’t have a lawn and are likely to be two story boxes with everyone looking into their neighbors property for scenery.
      
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      March 26, 2018 11:22am
    - PhilP
      
      But plenty of Liebore voters Starboard!
      
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      March 26, 2018 1:55pm
  - KiWombat
    
    And subtract the 18 square metres required to house two cars. There will be no space for roads, perhaps just one big parking area for thousands of cars !
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:24am
  - DifferentPerspective
    
    Rich Prick – you are exactly right – it’s going to be a nasty place to live.
    Which is why Labour are very happy with this – go back to the Alinsky plan I’m always talking about:
    1) Healthcare — Control healthcare and you control the people
    2) Poverty — Increase the Poverty level as high as possible, poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.
    3) Debt — Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.
    4) Gun Control — Remove the ability to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a police state.
    5) Welfare — Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food, Housing, and Income).
    6) Education — Take control of what people read and listen to — take control of what children learn in school.
    7) Religion — Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools.
    8) Class Warfare — Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor.
    
    So many ticks on the plan for just one housing ghetto development.
    
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    March 26, 2018 5:08pm
- GazzaW
  
  The word seems to be that the land will be leasehold at Mt Albert so there’s nothing magic in building homes for less than $600k. It will need a 360 by the banks to lend money on leasehold properties but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Kiwibank will get the call from Twyford.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:50am
  - alex Masterley
    
    Leasehold?
    The Banks will not like lending on leasehold. The only value is in the leasehold interest and that diminishes the closer you get to the lease renewal date. This is because the rental charged will increase by an indeterminate amount.
    Look at the fun the Cornwall Park Trust board lessees have had and are having.
    And then the rent has to be paid over and above mortgage payments.
    I think you will find that banks will only lend to 60% of value which means even for an affordable house purchasers will have to come up with $240,000 on a $600,000 purchase.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:03am
    - JIV
      
      Do you mean crosslease, as this was invented to build houses on smaller bits of land, effectively creating infill housing. This normally exists with two flats/units that leases the land off each other with some common ground. Either way they’re going to be smaller houses on tiny properties.
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:22am
      - artemisia
        
        I doubt that cross leases will be part of the proposal. Leasehold or freehold I would say. Also unit titles at least for multi level buildings.
        
        The government, if owner of the leases, will have to manage payments (or quite possibly non payments in some cases). Not sure why private investors would be interested, though iwi have some experience. Not always in a good way.
        
        If complexes are unit titled, then there will be various bodies corporate. (They will be great fun I don’t think.)
        
        A mix of leasehold, freehold, unit titles, many private purchasers and tenants, many Kiwibuild purchasers (and later tenants), many social housing tenants – a toxic mix for sure.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:37am
      - alex Masterley
        
        Nope. Leasehold like Cornwall Park, The Meleniesian Mission and St Johns Trust board ones. 21 year leases perpetually renewable. Good value in the early years but less and less value as you approach the lease renewal date and the consequent rent review.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:49am
      - GazzaW
        
        There are several empty leasehold houses on the fringes of Cornwall Park where the lessees have just walked because they can’t afford the new leases. A couple of empty sections too where the lessees have walked and taken their houses with them.
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:14am
      - KiWombat
        
        Leasehold.
        
        Suggest any prospective purchasers read all the fine print otherwise they might find that the have to pay a separate fee to park car(s) on site.
        
        I saw a parking spot in Auckland for sale on Trade Me for more than $100,000 so work out for yourself how much you could rent that for, then double it if you have 2 cars !
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:31am
- sooty
  
  Have they put their fencing and cones up yet?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:55am
- artemisia
  
  Think he said starting to build there next year.
  
  1000 Kiwibuild promised for year one so still a few months to go.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:05am
  - Maxx
    
    Didn’t he move the start of the year so it doesn’t start until June ’18?
    
    Nice to know that Labour can solve all of the issues by changing the definitions of things. Next we’ll see that the 1000 homes include those that are in planning but yet to be consented.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:16am
    - KiWombat
      
      “Didn’t he move the start of the year so it doesn’t start until June ’18?”
      
      Actually that promise was with regard to their commitments for the first 100 days, the first 100 days now starts on 1st July next ! That was a very clever move, wasn’t it !
      
      However a “year” still remains a “year” – so we’ll be able to start counting the houses completed in just a few months time.
      
      Perhaps on the fingers of one hand ?
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:32am
    - artemisia
      
      I think that is the date when the $2billion funding will start to be available.
      
      A year by any other calculation is still a year.
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:32am
    - howitis
      
      ..’Labour can solve all of the issues by changing the definitions of things’..
      
      How may Labour pardy cabinet ministers does it take to change a lightbulb?
      
      Well there are 8 of them in witless protection; 3 on overseas jaunts; Little is getting fitted for a miners helmet, Sepuloni is running around photo-bombing people, so the remaining three will re-define the standard as darkness.
      Eternal darkness!
      
      In the darkness they will have a conversation about what strength of lightbulb we can buy, if they ever make a decision.
      But won’t.
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:20am
- niggly
  
  Twitford on Radio NZ this morning said it will take 10 years to build all those houses!
  
  Don’t expect Labour’s KiwiBuild deficit to improve anytime soon (as in not much in the next few years)!
  
  What’s the bet that by the 2020 election (?!) that hardly anything will have been built?
  
  Oh and before I forget, that Twitford on RNZ was a genius – he knows everything – he said that (when challenged that National started the ball rolling) that “under National that land would would be land-banked for 20 years!! Oh and that under National McMansions would have been built there”! Gee National simply need to go on holiday and let Twitford govern for them – because he knows what they will do and what the future holds! Who would have thought Twitford would be such a genius, it’s amazing! Labour clearly needs more Twitfords – they would govern forever, quick clone him Labour, especially before he becomes an “old white man” and upsets the Greens! //
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:19am
  - Piniwi
    
    Funny niggly but he is another member of the COL we need to “listen” to as hard as it might be to hear every clanger he drops. “The housing market will be redirected and no building is expected until next year.” Two examples and the important one regarding the 100 day target. “It only starts on July 1 when funding is available.” So what is the deal on this land? What is the price ticket and what is the settlement date? What are the chances of any other developments while waiting for the funds to be available for recycling?
    
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    March 26, 2018 5:24pm
- Piniwi
  
  Funny KiWombat when we hear from Goff that it is expected that these 3000 or 4000 houses will take a decade to be completed. Reality is such a beach as we see the waves on the shore of this grand plan with so many puzzled. Is 3000 or 4000, will they be 2 or 3 bedroom dwellings and how much of Auckland’s infrastructure neglect will the taxpayer have to cover? Even the non PC question with the soy flavour How Hi?
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:13pm
cmm

Get your double dose of airhead here:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/102577041/ed-sheeran-pops-over-to-prime-minister-jacinda-arderns-for-a-cuppa-and-scones

This is really the limits of Jacinda’s talents.
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March 26, 2018 8:44am
- Inandout
  
  Photo op, photo op!
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:50am
  - sooty
    
    Yep, she’s in his target audience. Youth adjacent.
    
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    March 26, 2018 8:56am
- Rich Prick
  
  Barfff. The PM can bake scones – alert the media!
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:28am
  - KiWombat
    
    Was she a Girl Guide – or did she learn to bake scones at one of Labour’s summer grope fests ?
    
    Hardly thing that scones would be on the menu at a fish ‘n chippery !
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:36am
  - itstricky
    
    Barfff.
    
    Maybe you should avoid it, if it makes you that sick?
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:49am
    - Rich Prick
      
      The fawning coverage of the shallow vacuous airhead turns my stomach, but I will survive. Thanks for your advice though.
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:22am
      - itstricky
        
        No problem
        
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        March 26, 2018 11:29am
      - starboard
        
        Beatin ya whano this morning itsdrippy?
        
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        March 26, 2018 1:15pm
  - GazzaW
    
    Womans Weekly will be featuring Cindy’s special scone recipe in next weeks analytical article on the PM –
    
    “Did Ed make some baby name suggestions to PM during exclusive home visit?”
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:19am
    - itstricky
      
      Maybe she’ll top Bill’s pizza recipe?
      
      https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/new-zealand-womans-weekly/20180101/281706910059788
      
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      March 26, 2018 12:08pm
      - lifesgood
        
        Yeah, now that’s a point. Bill English cooks pizza for his family and, oh, the derision, Cindy bakes scones for a photo opportunity, and isn’t she marvelous (sarc)
        
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        March 26, 2018 1:25pm
      - itstricky
        
        I think I’d take a freshly baked scone over a tin of spag, any day of the week. Baking scones requires just a hint more skill that opening a tin of spag.
        
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        March 26, 2018 5:46pm
- KevOB
  
  The description of his musical promotion should make him a prohibited person. Isn’t public health at risk from 100db, 3 tone range, passages?
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:33am
- simo
  
  Isn’t Ed applying for citizenship or something immigration related in NZ currently? If he is, nothing like a little Rawlies door to door salesmanship…..He’s got the right accent for it!
  
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  March 26, 2018 3:21pm
- Piniwi
  
  Perhaps cmm her mum made the scones as an early step to resettling at home.
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:26pm
mandk

Another bloke taking the easy route to sporting success?

“Until this year, Kate Weatherly was an average men’s downhill mountain bike competitor. Now she’s dominating the elite women’s field.”

https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/03/a-level-playing-field/
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March 26, 2018 8:45am
- cmm
  
  This does beg the question: why do we even have women’s sports categories in the first place?
  
  If we’re all equal and all that, then shouldn’t there just be one category for all?
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:59am
  - MT_Tinman
    
    Yes, the only solution is to ban sex classifications in all sport.
    
    The ban would also raise the overall standard of elite sport – no longer having second (at best) raters claiming parity and equal money and time with the real champions.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:06am
  - Pharmachick
    
    Ahem, Equestrian sports.
    
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    March 26, 2018 12:26pm
    - Gravelroad
      
      Good point Pharmachick.
      Men and women, girls and boys can compete equally in showjumping, eventing and dressage.
      Added to that, there is no discrimination regarding age or colour.
      An old grey horse is just as capable and accepted as a young black horse.
      Some horses are even brown and white and it makes no difference to their status.
      In horse events at all levels you can see 17 year olds competing in the same classes as 70 year olds.
      You could have Winstone 1st riding a young white horse round the jumps and that Greens chic, Chloe riding an old experienced chestnut campaigner.
      
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      March 26, 2018 2:50pm
    - Chuck Bird
      
      Why do we have separate women’s chess competitions?
      
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      March 26, 2018 3:21pm
      - Kimbo
        
        Serious answer: men seem to have a natural superior genetic ability to conceptualise and execute the manipulation of space. Hence while there are some very good women chess players such as the Hungarian Polgar sisters, who may sometimes beat male grand masters, in the main they are the exception.
        
        The feminist argument may be that that is due to lack of opportunity. However, chess knowledge and training is now so computer driven, and that technology is available to all, so there should not be any substantial barriers to females. Nonetheless, at the highest levels their abilities are inferior.
        
        If, however, there was a sport designed to test multi-tasking skills…! ?
        
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        March 26, 2018 4:45pm
      - Kimbo
        
        https://en.chessbase.com/post/explaining-male-predominance-in-chess
        
        Also, men more than women exhibit intelligence “extremes” at the both ends of the bell curve. As chess grand masters tend to have very high IQs, men dominate.
        
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        March 26, 2018 4:50pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        Only about 5% female chess competitors, but none in FIDE top 100. Higher variance in male intelligence means twice as many male geniuses as women, and the ratios get rapidly higher at supergenius intelligence.
        
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        March 26, 2018 6:34pm
  - Piniwi
    
    But cmm it would create another massive argument over bike seats to be overcome first.
    
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    March 26, 2018 5:33pm
- Maxx
  
  This could be Lance Armstrongs ticket back to world number 1
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:17am
  - fisho
    
    Comment of the day Maxx. A great way to kick off the week.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:46am
- kowtow
  
  Watch the real wimmin complain , rightly, about the unlevel playing field.
  
  Some animals are more equal and all that……
  
  Tangled web and all that…..
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:23am
- Nigel Kearney
  
  I agree with having women’s events, but then I don’t feel as strongly about discrimination as some people. If discrimination is the only way for half the population to have any chance of winning, IMO it is worth it.
  
  But having made that choice, it is illogical to then get all precious about discrimination against transgender people. Males have natural advantages that go well beyond increased strength due to higher testosterone levels. That’s why they also do better at shooting, darts, table tennis and so on. After a sex change they keep all those advantages.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:43am
  - waikatogirl
    
    Your argument that doing away with gender separation in sports makes as much sense as saying age plays no part in performance or capability so cancel age separation. All play on the same level, 7 year olds v 17 year olds or older. Yeah/nah.
    ?
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:08am
  - JIV
    
    I’m curious as to why some sports cant have men competing with women, such as snooker and pool. What advantage do men have in darts??
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:28am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      And chess as I commented above.
      
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      March 26, 2018 3:22pm
    - Piniwi
      
      Well JIV some of the best pool and snooker shots are not of just the balls on the table but of those who reach along the table without them.
      
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      March 26, 2018 5:37pm
- Shaun the Sheep
  
  All those eastern european shotputters from the 70s who were hormone tested so they could compete in the Olympic Games as women should be demanding compensation for hurty feelz now – and a formal apology (it’s always with an apology) because it turns out it doesn’t matter. //
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:41am
- Piniwi
  
  Cheers mandk so great to see one who does so well downhill as opposed to gender preferential selections that tend to drag others downhill.
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:31pm
DigNap15

I just emailed Jacinda and asked her if she thought that calling the President of the USA orange was a good idea?
Especially now that we are asking for a steel and aluminium tariff exemption.
Did she think it may be responsible for many New Zealanders losing their jobs?
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March 26, 2018 8:47am
- DifferentPerspective
  
  DigiNap5
  The “orange” comment is the least of it.
  
  What about the incredibly short-sighted vote to censure the US at the UN for doing what every President since Clinton has promised to do and move the US embassy to Jerusalem?
  
  Remember Nikki Haley saying “The President will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us,”
  
  And in her letter before the vote:
  “But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN. And this vote will be remembered.”
  
  Stupid moronic virtue-signalling always has a cost, Jacinda and her idiot colleagues decreed NZ voted to censure the US because she wanted to thumb her nose at Trump – and now NZ steel and aluminium manufacturers are paying for Jacinda’s gross incompetence. Countries that voted against or abstained are getting their exemptions.
  
  What a dumb cow!
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:20pm
Inandout

Labour plan to create new high rise slum in Mt Albert, Cindy attends big announcement and looks most uncomfortable standing beside Twitford. Cindy mentions kids in cars but fails to explain that it will take years before the first builder walks on the site. The housing area will be a mecca for debt collectors as the down and outs of our society go about their daily WINZ existence. The well to do residents of Mt Albert are within burglar-distance as well; happy times ahead.
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March 26, 2018 8:48am
- GazzaW
  
  ……..add Westmere and Grey Lynn to that list. The lefty luvvies will not be pleased.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:53am
- Keeping Stock
  
  She also failed to mention that this proposal was first made by the previous government in 2014, but the Labour-dominated Auckland Council saw to it that there was no progress. Now that Labour is in government however, let the show begin!
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:15am
  - Tricati
    
    Bang on kS – Much of the Auckland housing ‘crisis’ finds its origins in the labour lead council.
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:54am
  - KevOB
    
    There has been mention that 700 homes had been proposed for that site. That was probably not social housing quality.
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:36am
wreck1080

Good to see attention is being paid to rest home staffing levels.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12019802

My partner is a nurse and worked in a rest home (one of the big ones) for a short time. She was sometimes responsible for 40 or so residents on night shifts. It was physically impossible to do the job properly.

She quit and now she is working in a hospital where it is sometimes understaffed and stressful but a walk in the park compared to the rest home.

People should request nurse patient ratios when putting their parents into these places. Some homes/wards have higher needs residents, so staff ratios will differ depending on the condition of the resident.
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March 26, 2018 8:54am
- MT_Tinman
  
  People should have thought about this before they unnecessarily put the price of this care up such massive amounts.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:11am
  - Swifty
    
    Touche!
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:19am
- Inandout
  
  Rest homes are seen as temporary care for the final journey. Hospitals are for fix and discharge. A big difference in care.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:27am
VicParking

“Law’s dirty little secret is exposed”. What will be the next step “Doctors probe nurses, Architects abuse female staff with drawing tubes, Female engineers abused with C language” It’s seems that middle aged white men are on the way out. My son has just turned 21. I will need to sit down with him an talk about his future. Options are Bi-gendered, Cross-Dresser, Drag Queen, Drag King, Femme Queen, Female-to-Male, FTM, Gender Bender, Pangender, Transexual/Transsexual, Trans Person, Butch, Two-Spirit, Trans, Agender, Third Sex, Gender Fluid, Non-Binary Transgender, Androgyne, Gender Gifted, Gender Blender. I only wish I had that many options when I left University and entered the job market.
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March 26, 2018 9:00am
- RalphT
  
  It’s not too late for you – have a wee operation, call yourself Victoria and as a member of an oppressed group the world will open up for you.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:34am
dime

its a dam shame stoner is going to build his cheap, soviet style housing on the land at unitec.

it could have been a lovely development where civilised people would like to live.
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March 26, 2018 9:01am
- DigNap15
  
  The problem is that we are importing many uncivilized people who the COL want to give a free house to.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:09am
  - artemisia
    
    We have a few homegrown ones too. More than a few actually.
    
    It is instructive to do a search on the Tenancy Tribunal database using Housing New Zealand as the search term under Parties. Most if not all have been brought against state tenants – you know the ones with cheap housing generously subsidised by the taxpayer.
    
    There are hundreds of pages of search results and the names of many tenants indicate we grew them rather than imported them.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:23am
    - MCos
      
      I used to be uncivilised, by your definition, so did John Key, I think.
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:39am
      - artemisia
        
        You misunderstand me. Not putting all state teants in the same bucket by any means.
        
        Many state tenants are just fine but the demographics have changed a lot in recent years. Used to be working or low income families bringing up children. Now the majority of accepted applicants have no children and most are single.
        
        I worked in the sector for years and have been in more state houses than most people have had hot dinners. Some were immaculate, most were OK, some (and more than should be) were not at all OK. And that is just dwelling condition, not including rent arrears which were and are a huge problem.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:10am
- artemisia
  
  No no no, the homes are going to be top quality. I heard Mr Twyford say so on the wireless several times.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:09am
  - KiWombat
    
    Perhaps they should hold up one of their former offerings as a shining example ?
    
    They would need to tow away all the derelict cars and pitbulls first though !
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:41am
- Maxx
  
  I’m sure in years to come when someone wants to knock it down and build something worthwhile, Heritage NZ will step in and say that it is an example of 2020’s socialist modernism.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:20am
  - dime
    
    lol
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:30am
- PhilP
  
  Can’t have that dime, must have Liebore voters there!
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:02pm
DigNap15

It was farcical watching Twyford on Q&A, everytime Corran asked him a question he could not answer it as they were “working” on it or did not have the details yet.

They would have been better to keep it low key and just say that we are planing on building some houses on the Unitec land.
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March 26, 2018 9:08am
Swifty

Could KBers in the construction industry please educate me on the likely bottlenecks to emerge in NZ’s construction capacity – should the Kiwibuild programme rapidly ramp up?

Skilled-labour, materials, consenting processes, engineering, council inspection capacity?

Genuinely interested in your views.
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March 26, 2018 9:12am
- Maxx
  
  In my opinion:
  
  Labour – it’ll take years to get apprentice’s up to speed and people won’t want to imigrate with the proposed kiwibuild visa without some possibility of being able to get citizenship down the track if they wish. On top of that, construction skills in general are in short supply in the western world.
  
  Materials – ramp up the construction and you will create a shortage in materials which will likely see them increase in costs.
  
  Councils – short of the central government overriding local government, there will be siginifcant delays in approving. Then the RMA and objections from NIMBY’s will further delay construction.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:26am
  - tusker
    
    Maxx. I have an interest in a reasonably large business that supplies the building trade. The same predictions of supply constraints due to volume, were predicted in CHCH but didn’t happen. We can easily ramp up throughput by expanding our range of suppliers. While KIWI build is large for NZ, it’s a not by world standards.
    
    Labour can be solved the same way as in CHCH. The Filipino’s were good workers and adapted well, culturally. Don’t believe ongoing citizenship is a deal breaker for these guys – they’ll still come.
    
    Council/consenting down in CHCH was painful. But as prefabrication is going to be 70% of Twyfords ghetto build, this ought to be less of an issue.
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:24am
  - Classic Liberal
    
    The Greens give us the answer: kick all the old, stale, white men out of the construction industry and let young, brown women take over. Should be highly successful.
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:31pm
- DigNap15
  
  Did we have all the crap in the 1930’s when they built the state homes that are still up today?
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:50am
  - waikatogirl
    
    A historic clip at the end of Q+A yesterday about an ex-American army camp at Western Springs used after WWII to house homeless Auckland families while further housing was built. The families moved into small basic 2 bedroom huts with a kitchen, or they could eat meals together provided by a central kitchen in the camp. The men cleared the area and built a playground, sandpit etc for their children and everyone worked in together until the State housing could be provided. Different time, different world, less expectation back then.
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:24am
    - RF
      
      Yep… not a sky dish to be seen. Tough buggers in those days.
      
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      March 26, 2018 12:17pm
    - Piniwi
      
      True waikatogirl back in the day when a spade was a spade and not a prop like a tripod leg. The old Kiwi ingenuity is just another casualty of this progressive age. So many of the older generation that it was possible to make something out of nothing with the only cost the toil in make it happen. For free.
      
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      March 26, 2018 5:51pm
  - Happychappy
    
    The Labour Party started building state house in the late 1930’s but it wasn’t till after World War Two that the majority of state house were built and they are the old stock that are used today.
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:42am
- fisho
  
  There’s some good info floating around somewhere (MBIE from memory) that shows the total number of people to complete building training with Level 4 (i.e. qualified builder) in the last 7 years is something like 1500 (total, not per year).
  They’re going to have to really ramp up training if they want to cover off on the extra demands of kiwibuild, and this is only taking the builders into account. Not the plumbers, drain-layers, sparkies, roofers, roading contractors etc.
  Also, what are their plans for all these folk once the kiwibuild peak dies off in 10 years? Retrain them as police-staff to patrol the new ghettos that have mysteriously sprung up perhaps.
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:02am
- JIV
  
  It could easily be 6 months to design the subdivision and get it through LINZ before you can start digging any soil.
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:38am
cas

Now that Clarke has completed the questionnaire in one of the Sunday papers I was wondering if there is anything left we don’t know about Clarke and Jacinda. There has been such a lot of publicity telling us more than we needed to know but there might be more. Oh by the way Clarke good luck with the choice of cloth nappies over disposables when you are travelling.
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March 26, 2018 9:19am
- RF
  
  Reading about that plonker makes the bile rise up my throat.
  
  The women’s mags who pander to them should include a vomit bag with their publications.
  
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  March 26, 2018 12:15pm
VicParking

“Julie Anne Genter dragging women back into the dark ages” A similar “White Man” comment was made by a female councillor in Whanganui a couple of weeks ago. The only difference was that she only dragged women back to only the 1840’s. Did our Thrice (National Politics) failed Labour mayor call her into line. NO The comment however disappeared from the council minutes so it seems that somebody noticed. Maybe they are having a secret, three month investigation or is it different when a Labour controlled council does it.
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March 26, 2018 9:19am
- KiWombat
  
  Maybe JAG needs to aim some of her vitriol towards “old and white men and women” who are the “chairmen/women” of the board in our councils ?
  
  I can think of a couple of council Mayors that could do with a flush out – where better to start !
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:46am
fisho

So I’ve just dusted off the trusty calculator after reading the news story about the housing development in Mt Albert. As I understand it’s a 29Ha site and Twyford states they’re planning on building between 3000 and 4000 homes.
1Ha = 10,000sqm; 29Ha = 290,000sqm.
Divide this by 3,500 and you get 82sqm single lot size which also excludes roading, footpaths, green-space etc.
I understand this doesn’t take into account that you can stack houses on top of one another, but how frikkin high are they planning on going?
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March 26, 2018 9:40am
- KiWombat
  
  Does the analogy “packed in like sardines” spring to mind?
  
  – – – and how can you double or triple stack cars ? With an Auckland average of 1.8 cars per household they will need to allow space to park over 7,000 cars, not including the dumped ones !!
  
  Perhaps we need to ask JAG, our traffic engineer, how much space is required to accommodate 7,000 cars?
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:52am
  - GazzaW
    
    Does the analogy ‘ghetto’ spring to mind?
    
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    March 26, 2018 11:32am
    - sooty
      
      You have to provide space for all the wrecked cars on the front lawn as well.
      
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      March 26, 2018 11:48am
      - Classic Liberal
        
        Won’t be any front lawns. A tiny shared park if they’re lucky.
        
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        March 26, 2018 1:38pm
- Nigel Kearney
  
  Every family having 400-500 sqm of land to themselves cannot continue. New developments need to be four levels high at least.
  
  The problem is more of a cultural one. You can build medium density in the UK or even in Sydney and professional people will raise their families there. In NZ they would rather keep renting while moaning about the unfairness of the world, but this housing will be around a lot longer than that attitude.
  
  Of course with Labour doing it, there’s a risk they will give them away too cheaply or even to people without jobs and money at all and it will become a ghetto where no decent people want to live.
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:18am
  - Classic Liberal
    
    “New developments need to be four levels high at least. ”
    
    This is one reason Europeans (Germans in my experience) don’t have enough children. Bringing them up on apartments just isn’t as nice as having a house and garden.
    
    I don’t agree that we ‘need’ any of this crappy overpopulation. Just limit the number of immigrants (not at all based on race), because we should cherish our NZ lifestyle and not throw it away like this!
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:42pm
- RF
  
  Apparently Twitford has seen mushrooms on his front lawn and decided that will be the new housing.
  
  Small foot print with spiral stairs going up to living areas spread like a mushroom over the first floor.
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:22pm
- Piniwi
  
  Cheers fisho without even starting the question trail about the money. This is the first major move signalled to address Labour’s housing crisis and the initial Government funding is intended to be recycled to other similar developments. Sure others will be less extensive but if it will take a year to turn the first sod then when the next one be announced?
  
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  March 26, 2018 6:04pm
Harkman

You heard it here first. Yesterday Tom Walsh threw 22.67m, the longest throw since 2003. But last year European Athletics proposed scrapping all pre 2005 area records. Because they only began storing drug samples in 2005, and testing has gotten a lot stricter in recent years (they especially want to wipe East German records off the books). This might very well be elevated to World Record status in the next few years. The first WR in NZ since Filbert Bayi’s 1500m at the 1974 Commonwealth games.
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March 26, 2018 9:44am
- MrTips
  
  He’s amazing isn’t he? Just hope he hasn’t peaked too soon – two weeks can be a long time in sport.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:51am
- Poppa
  
  Wow I wish him all the best at the upcoming Commonwealth Games
  
  He is a talent
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:03am
  - Dave Mann
    
    When is the next Commonwealth Games? Who knows… by then he might have decided to be a ‘woman’… 😀
    
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    March 26, 2018 10:35am
MrTips

In this weeks NoIdea….

Jacinda shows us how to bake a scone using transparent flour. Flavourless and fluffy, good for feeding squirrels.

Run Robbo run…why Robbo thinks business talk is just not cricket.

Winston has a new injected lease on life! and a new leash on Fletcher. But drama as Obama don’t return his call…

Shane bares all about his plan for the regions, nethers and all.

We have a girth splitting, fun filled journey with Woodsey round the pie farms of Wigram and Wgtn Central. Nothing like the gravy train!

Nash cops a fantastic view in an 1800s Hastings posing pouch!! Hurrah!

Tragedy as Michael Cullen finds out he’s white and old, but still not yet a proper rich prick.

JAG goes mental again. Inside the never dull, Lyssian world of a wound back import!!!

All this and how to screw a country in 100 days!!!
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March 26, 2018 9:50am
- KiWombat
  
  – – – and don’t forget that the 100 days isn’t due to start for a couple of months yet ! So this is just an interim “no idea” report – love it !
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:03am
Tauhei Notts

Observations from a school centenary reunion I attended over the weekend that I last attended in 1966.
1. The sign prominently displayed alongside the sick bay for the emergency pregnancy kit.
2. Past student MP’s such as Maurice Williamson, Lindsay Tisch, Judith Collins and Tim Van Der Molen were mentioned but Sue Moroney wasn’t. Nor was Chris Liddell, but that might be the Trump effect.
3. The girl that represented NZ at Softball in 1951 was mentioned but the winning owner of the MELBOURNE CUP (Brew) wasn’t. They even had the Cup on display.
4. Two of NZ’s leading horse trainers were mentioned but the third one (Sue’s brother) wasn’t.
5. Those girls from the class of 1966 are now tidy 69 year olds.
6. A big big exporter had his name tag shown as Paul Tidmarsh N/A. Apparently when he lodged his entry it asked for his name and his maiden name. Of course he entered N/A for his maiden name, and that is what they printed in a prominent manner.
7. Apart from the above it was exceptionally well organised.
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March 26, 2018 9:55am
- Longknives
  
  Did you have a share in Brew Tauhei? I think he was owned by a syndicate from memory?
  I backed him! I read an interview with Bart Cummings years ago where he said he thought it was good for horses to have a run on Derby Day and then back up on the Tuesday. (Although the Northern Hemisphere stayers don’t seem to work that way for some reason…)
  Ever since I’ve often backed something that ran well on the Saturday (Either in the Lexus or the MacKinnon)- Obviously Brew with his royal breeding had my interest- Then he won the Lexus and came in on the Tuesday carrying next to nothing in the weights.
  Come the Cup- A peach of a ride by McEvoy and Longknives collects nicely at $15-1…
  Great Memories!
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:17am
Hugh Pavletich

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
KIWIBUILD … A LAUGHING STOCK …

NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENTS KIWIBLOG FIASCO …

We planned those KiwiBuild homes – National … Newshub …

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/03/we-planned-those-kiwibuild-homes-national.html

National was going to build 3000 homes in Auckland’s Mt Albert before it lost the election, but didn’t reveal the plans because it would have been seen as pork barrelling, Simon Bridges said on Monday. … read more via hyperlink above …
.
.
EARLIER REPORTS … AN ECONOMIC LAUGHING STOCK …

Doubts over KiwiBuild’s affordability: MBIE … Newshub

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/02/doubts-over-kiwibuild-s-affordability.html
.
.
… ECONOMIST RODNEY DICKENS EXPLAINS WHY AFFORDABLE DENSE DEVELOPMENT IS HOPELESS WHILE AUCKLAND FRINGES REMAIN STRANGLED …

Rodney Dickens says section prices are the key to solving the housing affordability problem, not higher density around transport hubs. He warns against force-feeding in areas that won’t deliver the intended outcome

https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/92556/rodney-dickens-says-section-prices-are-key-solving-housing-affordability-problem-not
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March 26, 2018 10:00am
- mandk
  
  Only three embedded links that no one is going to read, Hugh?
  
  You usually do at least four.
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:12am
- Swifty
  
  Ooooh, aaaaaah, ooooooooooooooh!
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:52am
4077th

Has Sky finally listened to it’s subscriber base? Fillet is finally stepping down after 27 years in the job! Some might say that is probably 8 to 10 years too late hence the technological back foot they find themselves on now. I think Sky are in serious trouble and may well loose some significant sporting rights in the near future. This will ultimately be their downfall unless they can offer a dependable digital platform with reasonable cost to the consumer.

The bell has been tolling for some time but the real nail in the proverbial coffin was the utter stupidity of removing the Fan Pass service. This was a very attractive service for those who did not have Sky. In shutting it down they basically threw away a bunch of subscribers they never had as standard subscribers and in the process alienating them as well? Lastly but probably less visible was the collaboration they had with TVNZ with IGLOO. Thousands of people (including myself) loved Igloo. A pay-as-you-go service for all the Sky channels you might be interested in like Discovery, Nat-Geo and such like along with all the FTA channels for $20 p/month. They ditched it in 2016. All the proprietary hardware needed for the service is now also redundant. The real icing on the cake was the latest “discounted” offerings.. This was nothing other than a poor attempt at a subscriber grab to stem the blood flow from bleeding subscribers and a sliding share price. Panic in other words!

Fellet should have gone a long time ago. he did his job in turning the company around within 10 years after starting. They spent the next 17 years bleeding their customers dry with an ever increasing low-tech offering (satellite) … susceptible to rain fade, troublesome hardware, HD content that costs extra to name but a few.

Sky would now do well to sell to Amazon or similar. 80% of the content should be delivered via the web and the remaining through celestial and/or terrestrial. The deal with Vodafone was never going to fly so they should be looking to create confidence with a major content provider.

//rant over! 🙂
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March 26, 2018 10:10am
- marcw
  
  I tried Igloo too, and it was ok but not worth $20 a month. I wanted it mainly for the BBC News because in NZ we get no FTA proper news overnight to catch up on what’s happening in the rest of the world. Then I discovered they actually have the Asia-Pacific region BBC News, which is a lightweight version of the real thing. And their Business correspondents were either thick or truly bizzare – one man, Andrew someone, used to stand in front of the cameras waving his hands around full of papers, and actually literally shout at you! A few months of this and I gave it away. I had also had had a gutsfull of all the Sky ads and relentless self promotion – how do others stand this and enjoy paying for it?
  
  Then I tried Fan Pass, and the $20 a month went on a chosen week of Sports. In 2016, Sky decided that they didn’t want my $250 odd a year, and in a failed attempt to convince us to go the whole hog and pay $80 to get full Sky, or $100 a month to continue with JUST the sports – they pulled the plug on Fan Pass. Too bad if you didn’t have $80 a month to spare.
  
  So now from me they get zilch, nada. And never will.
  
  I now subscribe to another overseas service which gives much greater selection (over 50 channels) with many ad-free channels, and I pay $12 per month. And they have lots of free sport too (hint: All the 6 Nation games and 12 F1 meets FTA).
  
  So good riddance Fellet – enjoy your redundancy. Shame you will take many good people with you.
  
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  March 26, 2018 12:17pm
  - Harkman
    
    They did lower Igloo to $15 just before they scrapped it but that just shows you how much they are ripping people off. The announcement 2-3 weeks ago did nothing for my bill.
    
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    March 26, 2018 2:06pm
tusker

4077th. Over the last 6 months Sky customer churn reduced to 15% compared to 18% the year before. One third of their subscriber base decline was from the shutdown of their Fatso service. Agree a CEO change was overdue but with 779K subscribers, strong free cash flow position and finally more flexibility in offerings and price, I wouldn’t write them off just yet.
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March 26, 2018 10:42am
- 4077th
  
  I only believe half of the damage control statement about the Fatso subscribers. It was a very convenient time to apportion blame when that service has been long dead..they choose a time when churn is at its highest to0 cash in that loss. Sure the balance sheet looks very good but only on the back of what is likely to be revenue based, for the most part on sports delivered. I suspect other channels will be patronised far less by comparison. I can’t say I’m not looking forward to a big shakeup at Sky but I would not like to see them exit the marketplace. They still have plenty to offer they really should have been investing in a fully digital over IP platform a ,long time ago. $30 p/month and I would pay for a digital service that includes sports and the other channels. The current on-demand service is utter rubbish. This needs sorting as well.. My 2C for what it’s worth..
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:24pm
Manolo

An animal on the loose:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/manhunt-launched-suspected-islamic-terrorist-12248332

A suspected radical Islamic terrorist from Tunisia is at the centre of an urgent manhunt amid fears he could be set to strike in Rome.

Italian media reported last night that the military had been ordered to search 42-year-old Mathlouthi Atef, who has been identified as a possible bomber.
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March 26, 2018 10:50am
- DigNap15
  
  Sadly what is needed is for about 10 big explosions and bombing to go off in Europe and kill a few thousand people, so that the lift wing liberal politcians will finally get the message and stop all muslim immigration.
  
  Why should the west have to spend billions on extra security just to stop these muslim terrorists?
  
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  March 26, 2018 12:03pm
  - Classic Liberal
    
    Won’t work. The politicians just appease further, enforce more ‘hate speech’ laws so islamists don’t get upset, tell women to keep an ‘arm’s length’ away from strange men in Cologne (female mayor actually told them that after the Cathedral Square sex attacks), and keep going on about what a terrible rape culture *men* cause and how dangerously ‘right wing’ the nasty populace is for daring to criticise islam.
    
    The main parties are cowardly appeasers and won’t to anything is limit islam. They may also be truly ignorant of how the koran is to be read (more relaxed Mecca suras have been replaced by violent Medina ones, i.e. ‘nasikh’ – abrogation).
    
    The politicians either naively or maliciously keep referring to the nicer but abrogated scriptures.
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:58pm
- Nermal
  
  Britain is just trying to locate him to advise that his state house is available
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:34pm
- Piniwi
  
  Perhaps Manolo we are seeing the effects of ISIS having their funding stream so much reduced as they loose more ground. There seem to much fewer sensational bombing events and a much more limited number of lone wolf attacks. More of their biggest kill rate attacks are in more of the regions where they battle with other “followers” judging by Aljazeera’s news coverage.
  
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  March 26, 2018 6:16pm
Jack5

I’m not a cricket follower, but I’m amused by all the indignation on Kiwiblog yesterday about the Australians tampering with the ball.

Then today, we have reports NZ has done the same – or at least similar.

Two cases – one in a test – and another with the NZ captain saying he tampered with the ball when he played for Otago.

1.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/102573254/when-new-zealand-ball-tampered-got-away-with-it-and-nearly-won-a-test-in-pakistan

2.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/102581674/former-black-cap-mark-richardson-comes-clean-i-tampered-with-the-ball-once
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March 26, 2018 11:06am
- Jack5
  
  New Zealand sports lovers’ pique about the ball tampering by the Aussies reminds me of the near-religious mystique that was attached to cricket decades ago, and lingers in veneration for school “first elevens” and a hard-core following for a sport whose matches can last for days.
  
  Sir Henry Newbolt’s poem that was often on the reading list at boys’ secondary schools, typifies the cult. The title, Latin for torch of life, reflects the status of cricket in middle class and upper class British life:
  
  Vitai Lampada
  
  THERE’S a breathless hush in the Close to-night –
  Ten to make and the match to win –
  A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
  An hour to play and the last man in.
  And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat,
  Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,
  But his Captain’s hand on his shoulder smote
  “Play up! play up! and play the game!”
  
  The sand of the desert is sodden red, –
  Red with the wreck of a square that broke; –
  The Gatling’s jammed and the colonel dead,
  And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
  The river of death has brimmed his banks,
  And England’s far, and Honour a name,
  But the voice of schoolboy rallies the ranks,
  “Play up! play up! and play the game!”
  
  This is the word that year by year
  While in her place the School is set
  Every one of her sons must hear,
  And none that hears it dare forget.
  This they all with a joyful mind
  Bear through life like a torch in flame,
  And falling fling to the host behind –
  “Play up! play up! and play the game!”
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:08am
- Longknives
  
  Yep.
  Howls of Indignation from ‘Holier than Thou’ NZ fans.
  
  Personally I think Match/Spot Fixing is worse than Ball Tampering..
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvpnfrgZYxk
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:38am
- Swifty
  
  It was wrong then and it is wrong now.
  
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  March 26, 2018 12:37pm
Stars And Stripes

I feel obliged to give my local South Taranaki District Council a big raspberry as it seems they are fast adopting the mantra of everything Maori is virtuous and we must be seen to be followed.
They opened two new walkways recently which are really nice but went totally retarded by naming them:
1.Te Araroa i te Huarahi o Denby
2.Te Ara Hīkoi ki te Arawhiti o Manawapou

Now I mean is anyone going to seriously use this long winded crap let alone even being able to pronounce it without causing “cultural offence”.
One would have thought Denby Road Walkway and Manawapou Walkway would have been a common sense choice but I suppose they don’t earn brownie points for council virtue signalling right?.
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March 26, 2018 11:08am
- RalphT
  
  Think yourself lucky that they left the word Denby in; other areas would have insisted on reverting to its former Maori name; or inventing one if one didn’t exist. Denby is too white to be acceptable.
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:29am
- Jack5
  
  Same in white Christchurch, Stars and Stripes.
  
  The Leftist council has given new or rebuilt suburban libraries Maori names. They called the rebuilt Bishopdale library Orauwhata, though I’ve noticed they’ve begun to follow it with the word “Bishopdale”, which shows “Orauwhata” was puzzling the book worms.
  
  The new central library, being built at a cost of around $100 million, is to be called Turanga, despite about 0.1 per cent of its books being in the Maori language.
  
  The name Otautahi is being pushed as a parallel for “Christchurch” though 20 years ago not more than a few dozen people in the city would have heard the word.
  
  The Avon river, named for the river that ran through the Ayrshire farm of the Deans before they became the pre-Anglican pioneers of Christchurch, is being given a parallel name of Otakaro.
  
  The rational path is to use Maori names when using the Maori language and English names when using English language. Pushing the Maori names into English is PC activism.
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:29am
  - Anne Glen Eden
    
    Mind you, I’ve often wondered (sometimes said and not been popular at all) over the years, if the people doing this are using reverse psychology.
    
    It satisfies ‘Maori’ to have it there, while the simplest fool knows that it’s never going to be used. At the ultimate best, it would be shortened to some expression that bears no resemblance – as every name in history has been everywhere by everyone.
    
    On the one hand it’s just a low-intelligence game. On the other, some people seem to think that recreating ‘Babel’, but within single societies, is something we should be striving to achieve.
    
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    March 26, 2018 12:22pm
  - DigNap15
    
    #European names matter
    
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    March 26, 2018 2:54pm
- Anne Glen Eden
  
  “Now I mean is anyone going to seriously use this long winded crap…”
  
  No. They’re not. But since when can ‘modern, progressive’ society be accused of rationality?
  
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  March 26, 2018 11:44am
Anne Glen Eden

Do other people have these experiences?

A week ago, some very nice young immigrant men tried to deliver me something I didn’t order. At least they showed me their paperwork and they’d been told my address but the order was nothing to do with me and had a totally different name.

Today, another couple of nice young immigrant men tried to deliver me all/part of a new kitchen. In this case, the intended address was Flat xx, xx road, avondale. The only possible corresponding information was the flat no. /street no being the same.

I asked, with utter incredulity as I read the address he was looking for to him, ‘How could you possibly think that this address is where you are?’, if only because he was looking for a flat in amongst a large number of them.

All he could say was, “Sorry. Very sorry. Very sorry.” Very politely. ????????????

I wonder how they cope with road signs, etc.
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March 26, 2018 11:39am
- Mobile Michael
  
  I have had a large screen TV and cabinet on my back doorstep but for one street over. The company did come and collect it, but you’d think that I was the one that had misdelivered it based on the way they wouldn’t fit into my schedule for collection.
  
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  March 26, 2018 12:02pm
  - Anne Glen Eden
    
    I know just what you mean.
    
    With the Invercargill parcel, one of the couriers I spoke during the lengthy, abortive process started to say, “What you need to do is…..”
    
    My interrupting response was. “Excuse me? I don’t ‘need to do’ anything at all. It’s not my problem. It’s yours to fix.” Having done everything humanly possible to cooperate.
    
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    March 26, 2018 12:33pm
- Stars And Stripes
  
  I am feeling in a generous mood today Anne so I am going to do something to cheer you up.
  I will send you a goodie box via my local immigrant courier due to arrive just in time for Easter.
  I will send it to the following address:
  Anne
  Glen Eden
  Auckland
  
  Please let me know when you receive it.
  S&S
  
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  March 26, 2018 12:18pm
  - Anne Glen Eden
    
    With the frequency of deliveries to me, it would probably arrive. I shall await.
    
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    March 26, 2018 12:29pm
  - Nermal
    
    I used to get mail from my fiancée holdaying in Europe addressed to:
    Paul Baby,
    Kaikohe,
    New Zealand
    
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    March 26, 2018 2:38pm
- stephieboy
  
  Ann Glen Eden , seems to me to be bit of Margret Mahy children’s fiction on your part .
  
  More to do with your personal distaste of immigrants with a dark skin IMO
  
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  March 26, 2018 1:45pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    That’s a pretty nasty smear.
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:51pm
    - stephieboy
      
      All on Wed ,
      
      Only my opinion and unlike you not the kind of abuse you monotonously dish up on KB
      
      Cant figure out why an immigrant courier driver ( with dark skin ) who may have the wrong address is relevant ?
      
      Can you ?
      
      Now what about shifting your focus to Stormy Daniels and the President . as per below ?
      
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      March 26, 2018 1:54pm
      - Shaun the Sheep
        
        And speaking of abuse monotonously dished out, how about this unsolicited and “wrong person” contribution to a discussion about Nigel Murray:
        
        stephieboy
        
        Greetings Morons,
        
        from this wiki link he is , among other things, a former National Party M P
        
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Simcock
        
        His academic background suggests he was far more intelligent than you both could ever hope to be .
        
        Thumb up 2 Thumb down 20REPLY REPORTMARCH 25, 2018 4:01PM
        
        Stephie didn’t your dad ever tech you not to lead with your lip?
        
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        March 26, 2018 2:19pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Stephie/Ralph
        The only person who get crap from me is you and you deserve it because of the type of nastiness above.
        You are a hypocritical pos and a pretend Christian.
        Btw, you are so thick you still haven’t worked out that stating something is your opinion doesn’t protect you from defamation.
        
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        March 26, 2018 5:39pm
  - Garbageman
    
    The difference stoopidboy is we will all believe Anne unlike the shit you pull out of your goats ass and after 22K comments that must be one seriously shagged & knackered goat
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:57pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Stephieboy , Read Anne Glen Eden’s post carefully.
    
    There is no mention of the immigrants’ skin colour.
    
    It is you that has a racist/ skin-colour fixation.
    
    Don’t ascribe your own prejudices to other folks.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:25pm
Manolo

Nothing sells like sex:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stormy-daniels-describes-her-alleged-affair-with-donald-trump-60-minutes-interview/

The adult-film star and director is being threatened with financial ruin, but she wants to set the record straight about her alleged affair with Donald Trump.
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March 26, 2018 12:41pm
- Anne Glen Eden
  
  Ain’t that the truth. LOL.
  
  The Democrats are desperate – and very, very low.
  
  Stormy Daniels is a very clever businesswoman.
  
  Lawyers are always a problem.
  
  Trump has lived up to my expectations of not being an ‘abuser’ but probably being a ‘naive juvenile’ in these times and your average ‘wining and dining philanderer’. A lot of men could take lessons.
  
  Most particularly, a woman says, “Stop doing that.” And he not only does, but respects it and actively changes his behaviour to that requested.
  
  Oh that all of our ‘ successful men/women’ were the same, especially at the moment, lawyers.
  
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  March 26, 2018 1:53pm
  - Shaun the Sheep
    
    I loved her interview the other day where she apologised to Trump’s wife.
    She said he offered her money afterward, but she said she wasn’t that kind of girl.
    Pfft. She’s “not that kind of girl” all the way to the bank now though. Just haggling over the price.
    
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    March 26, 2018 2:25pm
    - virtualmark
      
      Nope, that was Karen McDougal. She’s the Playboy model who’s alleging she had an affair with Trump.
      
      It’s hard to keep up with the number of women coming out of the woodwork. That said, while Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal have novelty value Trump can/should ultimately just say it was consenting adults acting in private.
      
      The one that will get him is Summer Zervos, who is alleging *sexual assault*. Once she testifies others are likely to come forward with similar stories (witness Cosby, Weinstein etc). And there are plenty who can/will come forward … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations
      
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      March 26, 2018 2:29pm
      - Shaun the Sheep
        
        Thank you for that correction VM.
        All these botoxed Barbies look the same to me, but in the interest of accuracy and all that.
        
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        March 26, 2018 4:48pm
- Garbageman
  
  i would imagine she can look forward to a very healthy retirement from Soros & co if she were the one to finally get something over Trump after all there isn’t much they haven’t tried against him over the last year
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:00pm
Manolo

The peddler of myth and seller of smoke keeps his sense of humour:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-easter-pope-palmsunday/keep-shouting-dont-become-anesthetized-pope-tells-young-people-idUSKBN1H10E3

Pope Francis, starting Holy Week services leading to Easter, urged young people on Sunday to keep shouting and not allow the older generations to silence their voices or anesthetize their idealism.
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March 26, 2018 12:49pm
virtualmark

A pornstar, a Playboy model and a reality TV contestant ~~walk into a bar~~ are suing the President of the United States.

Sigh.

Trump’s problem is that Stormy Daniels is just like him … a relentless publicity hound who will do anything to get herself on TV or in the media and places no value on her own reputation provided she can spin it for some money.

They deserve each other.
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March 26, 2018 12:52pm
- wreck1080
  
  But, did trump really hire someone to threaten to hurt or even murder her child?
  
  That is surely crossing a line if he or one of his employees really did that.
  
  And, who believes anything they read these days?
  
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  March 26, 2018 1:11pm
  - virtualmark
    
    You should read more about Roy Cohn (Trump’s mentor) and then Michael Cohen (Trump’s “lawyer”, but in reality his “fixer” … a bully).
    
    Then ask your question again.
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:25pm
  - stephieboy
    
    wreck 1080,
    
    “And, who believes anything they read these days?”
    
    Unless if its Fox News or Alex Jones , Leighton Smith etc ?
    
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    March 26, 2018 1:48pm
- virtualmark
  
  Two important questions all you Trump-ettes should be asking yourself:
  
  1. If Trump is prepared to pay $130,000 to hush a porn star about an affair doesn’t that prove he is eminently compromisable? In other words, if the Russians do have stuff on him you have to think he would be cowed by that.
  
  2. If Trump behaves as Daniel’s alleges (the affair, and then the things she said happened between then) and weigh that with the large number of other Trump extra-marital affairs … then how could the Russians *not* have compromising information on him?
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:00pm
  - Anne Glen Eden
    
    Firstly, I’ve seen little or no evidence that Trump did anything active in the whole saga, apart from screwing a porn star/director with her express consent. I’m not saying he didn’t – but it’s not his signature on the agreement and he never made any threats. I simply don’t believe he would threaten the safety of her child. That doesn’t make it impossible.
    
    On the contrary, he doesn’t seem to have cared who knew about it really, certainly in the first instance. I have no doubt that the whole kerfuffle was produced by political ‘advisors’ and associated persons – sort of like Andrew Kirton and Nigel Haworth. Mike Williams engaged in similar issues.
    
    Listening to her lawyer protesting the ‘pure moral and financial decency’ of the legal profession in the US was vomit-inducing – especially the part where he talks about they would ‘never’ do this, that, or the other. Likewise with the ‘payment’ for silence – it’s certainly par for the course here and it’s par for the course over there.
    
    Secondly, with his several wives and ‘large number of other extramarital affairs’, given that Trump doesn’t know any other way of doing anything but loudly and in plain sight irrespective of the consequences, the sheer notion of anyone successfully having ‘compromising’ information on him of a moral nature, especially such that they could control him, is simply and utterly laughable.
    
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    March 26, 2018 2:31pm
    - virtualmark
      
      Anne,
      
      I don’t mind if Trump has consensual sex with any number of women. So I don’t care if he shagged Stormy Daniels or not.
      
      I don’t mind if Bill Clinton did either … but that’s where the Republicans open themselves up for criticism given their pursuit of Clinton over Lewinsky, their close ties to the religious right, and their silence on Trump’s behaviour.
      
      I do care if it’s sexual assault rather than consensual sex … and there are many credible allegations of sexual assault against Donald “grab them by the pussy” Trump.
      
      I do care if the President of the United States can be shown to be vulnerable to kompromat. And Trump is clearly shown to be vulnerable. Steve Bannon said Trump’s attorney (Michael Cohen) “took care of a hundred women during the Presidential campaign”. The Russian’s clearly have financial kompromat on Trump. Likely personal/sexual kompromat too given Trump’s behaviour. And Trump is oddly deferential and obsequious to Putin …
      
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      March 26, 2018 2:44pm
      - Anne Glen Eden
        
        You really don’t understand the basic principles, do you? The inherent difference between:
        
        1. Consensual sex in a private capacity in a private setting by grown adults who both know exactly what they are doing, can opt out if they want, and choose it.
        
        2. A young political intern under the express authority of the US President who gives him a blow job in the Oval Office – their workplace.
        
        The latter is unforgivable of any employer and on every level of any POTUS.
        
        I repeat, I think Trump’s attitude to women is as a naive juvenile and the rest of it is rubbish. Every politician is susceptible to public embarassment. The Democrats are unbelievably desperate. I doubt it will work, either.
        
        The NZ government is far more compromised in dealing with Russia, China, and by extension, North Korea – as well dealing with the ME and in relation to Israel – than Trump is. Trade, trade, trade. Money, money, money.
        
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        March 26, 2018 3:26pm
      - virtualmark
        
        Lewinsky’s been quite clear in multiple interviews that she was a willing and consensual participant.
        
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        March 26, 2018 3:43pm
      - Anne Glen Eden
        
        As I say, virtualmark, you really don’t understand the basics.
        
        I’ve also seen the interviews and don’t doubt there are star-struck young people who might be prepared to do that. There are others who willingly do it for advantage.
        
        I question how any employer can find himself/herself in that situation to begin with, though, if they are acting professionally.
        
        The very next step, also – bearing in mind you’re talking about a man who has no problem with doing that – is to say to the next intern, “Blow job, please. Or no work. There are lots of others who’ll be willing if you’re not.”
        
        There is no place for sex as currency in the workplace. You don’t go to the workplace for sex. You go there to work.
        
        You can say that you couldn’t stop them meeting up in a hotel room – and you’d be right. But then there’d be evidence, wouldn’t there? And very likely, at some point, it would all hit the media. Which it should. On any grounds.
        
        If it’s all ‘above board’ and it’s all ‘okay’, you won’t mind everyone knowing about it.
        
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        March 26, 2018 4:09pm
- virtualmark
  
  Fun facts to keep in mind:
  
  1. Trump did not actually sign the NDA with Stormy Daniels. Cohen (EC LLC) *did* sign, but cannot show “loss” from Daniel’s going public. (Cohen is a bully first and foremost, not a lawyer, and cocked up).
  
  2. Daniels is believed to have compromising photographs of Trump (Orange God King dick pics!). Which she is free to release since she is not bound by any NDA.
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:24pm
- Chuck Bird
  
  Very interesting interview. I wonder how strong are prenups are in the US.
  
  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stormy-daniels-describes-her-alleged-affair-with-donald-trump-60-minutes-interview/
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:46pm
  - virtualmark
    
    What are the odds of Trump exploding on Twitter in the next week?
    
    Mueller’s closing in, his lawyers are quitting, Stormy Daniels is belittling him. His Twitter thumbs have to be getting twitchy …
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:02pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Muellers got nothing. There is no collusion and the obstruction charge is a fairy tale- despite your hopes and dreams
      The real game is being played in front of the Grand Jury put together by the Inspector General of the Department of Justice.
      People are really shitting over that one.
      
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      March 26, 2018 5:44pm
      - virtualmark
        
        Muellers got nothing. There is no collusion and the obstruction charge is a fairy tale- despite your hopes and dreams
        
        Well, one of us will be proven right. Maybe you. Maybe me. But so far all the facts I’ve seen point to Mueller having Trump dead to rights, and nothing that exculpates him. Note too that no name lawyers are jumping to represent Trump. Defending the President against a untrue “deep state conspiracy” would be a huge notch on your legal belt – but no one wants it. They know he has a losing hand.
        
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        March 26, 2018 5:56pm
DifferentPerspective

Nicola Willis – Good Job!

Maybe DPF has a point about Nicola Willis, I heard her earlier on the HDPA show with that old, white male Greg O’Connor.

Despite some extreme “mansplaining” by O’Connor she more than held her own, making salient point after salient point in response to O’Connor’s patrician sneering.

I’m warming to Ms Willis and am looking forward to her performances in the House – hopefully she’ll get a chance to show her stuff.
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March 26, 2018 1:04pm
- RF
  
  Greg O’Connor the turn coat from the Police is now detested by many of his former comrades.
  
  “Flip Flop”
  
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  March 26, 2018 1:47pm
  - Longknives
    
    Greg was never that popular when he was in the job RF!
    He was always known as a man who talked up a storm but achieved absolutely nothing for his troops.
    *I think he is just perfect for the Labour Party..
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:51pm
Brigitte

I’m expecting a gritty days test cricket today so might be worth taping it.

Oh, too soon?
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March 26, 2018 1:42pm
marcw

I see the news of Michael Woodhouse being announced as new Health spokesman for National replacing Johnathan Coleman lasted all of one hour as front page news on Stuff. Now relegated to the search only hole.

I commented that Bridges had a lot of experienced, knowledgeable and diverse talent to choose from and to take over Woodhouses’ other roles (Simpson and Kaye), compared to unionists, old politicians, teachers and lawyers in Labour. Not published of course, but at least they had to read it.

The top ‘news’ now is by Julie Chapman, head honcho of KidsCare who wails about a student with only one pair of shoes – no other supporting info of course, but it’s all our fault apparently because we don’t donate enough (not counting the $4billion or more pa on welfare). Boo hoo Ms Chapman – perhaps you could give up some of your more than $100,000 salary and get a second hand car instead of your free flash SUV you drive around in. A pair of shoes only costs $20 from Te Wharehouse. Comments not allowed online – mustn’t invite the taxpayers to weigh in.
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March 26, 2018 2:05pm
- marcw
  
  That reminds me, Charter schools provide free school uniforms – but Labour (Unions) don’t like them so they are to be scrapped. Don’t expect us taxpayers to be sympathetic when the Labour Government act like this. Ending poverty my ar#e.
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:20pm
- Jack5
  
  Woodhouse was unimpressive as Minister of Immigration. I wonder whether he keeps that role.
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:51pm
  - marcw
    
    Yes he does, but in opposition there is not much to be done, hence Woodhouse had 2 other portfolios as well. Now taken over by Simpson & Kaye.
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:27pm
- cmm
  
  I had shoes worse than that when I went to school.
  
  I also had shit parents who made sure there was plenty of wine available (pissed every night) before pesky things like shoes.
  
  My shoes were so bad that I have permanently deformed toes from wearing shoes that were too small – so much so that most of my shoes popped.
  
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  March 26, 2018 3:45pm
JasonJohns

Trumps wants to jail Stormy Daniels. He’s right. She’s a time-waster and a distraction. Time to show some steel to those who seek to sabotage.
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March 26, 2018 2:30pm
JasonJohns

Stormy Daniels should be in jail
https://www.nova-magazine.net/donald-trump-thinks-stormy-daniels-should-go-to-prison-for-violating-the-agreement/
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March 26, 2018 2:31pm
- DigNap15
  
  Yes I always thought that “professional” girls, were just that, and kept their clients names secret.
  
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  March 26, 2018 2:51pm
- Anne Glen Eden
  
  Let’s just be clear about the Non-disclosure Agreement.
  
  There is no time that an NDA should be used to cover up a crime or abuse of any sort, irrespective of how much money might have been offered or paid.
  
  However, in this case, Stormy Daniels states she feels she wasn’t paid enough and whether that’s the case or not, now wants to cash in on both screwing an old, wealthy man and one who happens to be POTUS.
  
  She particularly wants to cash in on the possibility that she might have photos/video/texts from him – presumably salacious ones. I can’t imagine who in their right mind would want to look at sex pictures of Donald Trump but there’s always some freakish tastes around.
  
  It’s not surprising she’s doing this. She’s clearly past her prime in the porn industry. I have to say, being in the porn industry, she just as likely knows people as bad as Cohen does.
  
  But anyway, her claim to fame is that Trump, personally, did not sign the contract she entered into. She didn’t dispute that when she took the money. There was no crime committed – no abuse.
  
  It’s clearly an attempt to break a contract for the purposes of making money. I’m not a lawyer but is a verbal contract not as binding as a written one – and in this case it’s both. Irrespective of his personal signature, she accepted it and took the money in accordance with the agreement.
  
  I’m not sympathetic to her cause myself. And, in fact, if she has any pictures/video he wasn’t aware of being taken, she should be on trial for abuse and blackmail herself.
  
  Notwithstanding that if you’re going to be ashamed of or embarassed by what you’re doing, don’t do it.
  
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  March 26, 2018 3:07pm
  - virtualmark
    
    Not quite.
    
    Trump didn’t sign the NDA. Daniels did, and EC LLC (the entity paying the money did), but Trump didn’t. So Daniels is claiming that the NDA isn’t binding. That seems to be supported by legal opinion.
    
    She is doing that because she thinks she’ll now get far more than $130,000 if she goes public. She’s a grifter. JUST LIKE DONALD. If you think Trump wouldn’t break a contract in order to make an extra buck then please step up and admire this bridge I have on offer.
    
    Daniels is a female version of Trump … a shameless money-seeking attention-hound. She’s no more embarrassed or ashamed of this than the Donald is with his endless exaggerations and lies.
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:25pm
  - cmm
    
    ” Stormy Daniels states she feels she wasn’t paid enough”
    
    It is called blackmail.
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:47pm
  - virtualmark
    
    I’m not a lawyer but is a verbal contract not as binding as a written one – and in this case it’s both. Irrespective of his personal signature, she accepted it and took the money in accordance with the agreement.
    
    Not how this works though. The contract was incomplete.
    
    she should be on trial for abuse and blackmail herself
    
    Blackmail would be if she said to him “I have your dick pics, pay me $[x] or I release them to the media”. But she’s not asking him for money in return for silence. She’s quite happy to talk. That’s not blackmail, it’s just shameless self-promotion.
    
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    March 26, 2018 3:47pm
Rich Prick

The middle-aged white gobby woman is walking back her comments. Apparently we all misunderstood her. Sort of. How about “I was wrong”?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/102594106/older-white-men-have-a-lot-to-contribute-theyre-not-the-only-ones
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March 26, 2018 2:41pm
Jack5

Earth calling Griff ….

Skunk cannabis – the high-strength cannabis can cause schizophrenia, warns a leading British psychiatrist.

This is the type being sold in the streets.

A marijuana advocate’s view might be that perhaps, just as legal alcohol protects drinkers from methanol, legalised and monitored cannabis would protect people from this danger.

Amateur distillers’ spirits can contain methanol, rather than the ethanol that drinkers want.

The psychiatrist and a colleague say British authorities should watch what happens in the American states that have legalised cannabis.

‘The USA has embarked on a major pharmaceutical experiment with the brains of its youth and we should wait and see the outcome of the experiment,’ they write. ‘While we wait, we need education to make the public aware of the risks associated with heavy cannabis use.’

The psychiatrist’s warning about “skunk” cannabis:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5539941/Top-doctor-warns-psychosis-paranoid-delusions-superskunk-schizophrenia-timebomb.html

How adulterated alcohol can kill you:

http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2013/09/10/3845522.htm
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March 26, 2018 2:45pm
- MH
  
  YEP, the Romans had lead in their pipes and now the yanks have dope in theirs.
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:15pm
Gravelroad

Having just read Ms Genter’s apologist opinion piece now gracing us with its presence on Stuff, there is really only one thing to say:
Minister Genter – you are a racist.
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March 26, 2018 3:06pm
- DifferentPerspective
  
  It wasn’t even apologist – it was a “not sorry, sorry” justification of herself.
  
  She’s a pig and disgraces the office of a Minister of the Crown.
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:25pm
Jack5

You thought the Politically Correct bullshit couldnt’ get any worse? Wrong, very, very wrong.

Good article in many of the Stuff newspapers today by Bob Brockie on Maori nonsense intruding on science in NZ.

It includes this:

Otago University recently proclaimed that Ngāi Tahu must be consulted about “all areas of research” before scholars undertake their work. All proposals must be submitted to the Office of Māori Development. Staff and students are warned that consultation may take time so are advised, “to start well in advance of preparing your proposal”.

From the version of Brokie’s column I read in the Christchurch Press it’s obvious that our (NZ) Royal Society has been polluted by, perhaps even hijacked by, humanities (that is non-science) academics or pseudo-academics.

The humanities councillors on the society, who are grouped under the title “Te Whainga Aronui o Te Aparangi”, say the Royal Society “needs to place the Treaty of Waitangi centrally, and bring alongside the inequity and diversity issues in a holistic manner.”

It’s time someone took a fire hose and sluiced out of our tertiary universities and quasi-universities mumbo-jumbo humanitarian departments.

Some of Brockie’s comments are in this piece on Stuff. If you get a chance have a look at his column in print.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/102508455/the-treaty-has-no-place-in-scientific-endeavour
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March 26, 2018 3:27pm
- Inandout
  
  I saw that article too and couldn’t believe my eyes. This would be akin to ancient UK cultures being consulted before any research was permitted into Norman or Saxon artifacts. I can imagine an ex- Maori truck driver poring over quantum physics research papers and giving permission for the Otago University to proceed. This is utterly crazy PC shit, but at the same time progressive academics invited this crap.
  
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  March 26, 2018 4:54pm
- Shaun the Sheep
  
  The Office of Māori Development.
  An oxymoron?
  
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  March 26, 2018 5:53pm
- rightoverlabour
  
  Very scary stuff. Top students will just go offshore and NZ academia will become a joke. Politics has no place in academic research. Ask Galileo.
  
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  March 26, 2018 7:14pm
DigNap15

Yeah like naming some Polytechs in Maori gibberish.
Bay Of Plenty Polytech is now Te Ohomai!

That will look great on your cv!
Oh I see you went to a Maori kindergarten.

Yes, cut the bullshit. Maori were not scientists, and very few are now.
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March 26, 2018 4:51pm
Kimbo

Bugger. Is raining and getting heavier here in West Auckland, just a few miles down the road from Eden Park due to weather brought in by the westerly. May blow on through, but we need wickets!

This is starting to feel uncomfortably like when England got out of jail last time they played a test in Auckland in 2012-13.
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March 26, 2018 5:31pm
- Swifty
  
  Yep – we need wickets pronto.
  
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  March 26, 2018 6:05pm
  - Kimbo
    
    Stokes goes just before dinner! Now their tail is exposed. With Wagner to pitch it in short if needed to soften them up, with Boult and Southee to pitch it up, and as long as the rain stays away I think we should do this.
    
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    March 26, 2018 6:25pm
    - Swifty
      
      Lovely.
      
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      March 26, 2018 6:32pm
    - Swifty
      
      Nearly there Kimbo – just two to go!
      
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      March 26, 2018 7:21pm
      - Kimbo
        
        Yep! Should do it now. Broad is nowhere near the batsman he once was. As I was once the world’s worst leg spinner, with the most telegraphed wrong ‘un you ever saw, I am delighted to see Astle get the wicket. ?
        
        Woakes needs to shield Broad and then Anderson from the strike, so he can’t really go for the runs to knock off the deficit. Which should ensure we won’t lose a potentially precious ten minutes with a change of innings.
        
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        March 26, 2018 7:22pm
      - Swifty
        
        A much more disciplined English batting effort this time.
        
        But will it be enough?
        
        Barring rain, they need to last another 24 overs with just 2 wickets remaining……or score more than 53 runs.
        
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        March 26, 2018 7:32pm
      - Kimbo
        
        Woakes gone, number 10 and 11 at the wicket, must have them now.
        
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        March 26, 2018 7:53pm
      - Kimbo
        
        Got them! ?
        
        Thoroughly deserved win from start to finish. Need to back this up in Christchurch. Series win is what we need to make this a good summer.
        
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        March 26, 2018 7:56pm
      - Swifty
        
        A win richly deserved.
        
        Well done to all.
        
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        March 26, 2018 8:07pm
JibberJabber

The Herald, running April 1st stories already,

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12020341
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March 26, 2018 5:38pm
Swifty

Hey Stephieboy – have you found out who the Martin Luther is yet?
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March 26, 2018 6:06pm
nasska

Just a reminder; the clocks go backward an hour this weekend.

Unless you’re a Muslim. In that case you need to wind yours forward 700 years.
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March 26, 2018 6:47pm
- GoVege
  
  Looking forward to the Compulsory Christianity this weekend also, nasska?
  They may not murder you like the Islamists, but I’m sure they’ve driven many to suicide on long, lonely weekends….
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:06pm
  - nasska
    
    Look on the bright side GoVege. It’s when the Godaddled are at their most delusional & vulnerable part of their miserable, cowed existences.
    
    You can feel the passion with which they viciously stab the downtick button as I (and others) slaughter their sacred cows. 🙂
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:18pm
lifesgood

Just read a tweet that says Kim Dot Com has been found justified in his complaints to the human rights commission about unfair treatment. He now claims his extradition will be over and he plans to sue John Key et al. Please, oh please don’t tell me we are stuck with the fat f**k. Get him on a plane forthwith, for goodness sake. Why on earth is he still here?
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March 26, 2018 6:48pm
- niggly
  
  So the Human Right’s Commission can now over-rule the Courts?!!!!
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:14pm
  - sooty
    
    Poor fat crim con, he’s got hurty feelz.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:59pm
Fletch

re: Trump et al – the media pretty much ignored the intimidation of Bill Clinton’s victims. Kathleen Willey was one such victim of sexual abuse by Bill –

As I relate in my book, Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton, my children were threatened by “detectives” hired by Hillary. They threatened my friend’s children. They took one of my cats and killed another. They left a skull on my porch. They told me I was in danger. They followed me. They vandalized my car. They tried to retrieve my dogs from a kennel. They hid under my deck in the middle of the night. They subjected me to a campaign of fear and intimidation, trying to silence me. I was not the only one.

Every woman Hillary has found to be a threat to her and her husband’s political capital has been subjected to choreographed investigations and terror campaigns.

~ Kathleen Willey

I bet these claims were never investigated.
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March 26, 2018 6:49pm
Andrei

Surely no one could be this stupid, surely not?
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March 26, 2018 6:56pm
Longknives

This Government continues to astound me!

I just saw a link on Facebook- It’s Chloe Swarbrick and Tamati Coffee at one of the ‘Anti- Gun’ protests in the States.
Jesus this mob just love spending taxpayer $$ on travel don’t they??
It gets better- Tamati Coffee has his hat on backward and looks like a teenage delinquent- While Chloe is speaking he pulls some ‘Gangsta’ hand signs in the background.
How very professional for NZ MPs supposedly representing us.
I stopped watching when Tamati started ranting about how the Republicans have been “Paid off by the NRA”.. (But you get the drift about how biased and awful it was)
Wasn’t this character involved in the Labour Sex-Camp Scandal? You might think he would have the brains to pull his head in…No??
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March 26, 2018 6:56pm
- Kimbo
  
  And to think, the Waiariki electorate traded Te Ururoa Flavell for Tamati Coffey – worst selection decision since the All Blacks’ three wise men dropped Ian Kirkpatrick for Doug Myers! ?
  
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  March 26, 2018 7:06pm
  - Kimbo
    
    …on second thoughts, no, Kirkie may have been past his best, so that may have complicated matters.
    
    …the worst selection since Rodney Redmond was dropped from the NZ cricket team after jus5 one test, in which he scored a century and then a fifty, and averaged 81.50
    
    …for John Parker, who, at the end of his eight year test career averaged less than 25! ?
    
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    March 26, 2018 7:18pm
  - GoVege
    
    But Tamati surely is not a real gangsta, whereas Flavell and the Maori Party support gangsterdom as “an acceptable alternative lifestyle” and “just another form of whanau”.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:10pm
    - sooty
      
      Has Tamati been sent over there so he’s out of discussion on sex camps?
      
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      March 26, 2018 9:56pm
      - niggly
        
        Another MP on the COL witless protection scheme?!!!
        
        Oh and what’s Chloe done, that we don’t know about yet, for her to also be on the COL witless protection scheme with Tamati in the USA?!!
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:45pm
- DigNap15
  
  More question time fodder?
  How to get tariff exemptions! – NOT
  
  They have forgotten that they are now MPs not protest leaders.
  I think we need a minimum age for all non right wing PMs – about 50. And a minimum dress standard.
  
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  March 26, 2018 7:54pm
  - sooty
    
    IQ as well.
    
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    March 26, 2018 9:53pm
Viking2

“It’s not fair, it’s not within the rules,” she said.

“It’s no wonder the public are outraged by it.

A bit like our last election.

Then their was Malcolm.
Aussie cricketers cheating. They just don’t do that.. said with a straight face and all.
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March 26, 2018 7:19pm
- Andrei
  
  Though to be fair if you are KIWI and not very good at your chosen sport you can always say you are a girl and become a champion
  
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  March 26, 2018 7:30pm
Shaun the Sheep

Look folks, its a “he said, she said”.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/politics/nz-first-accused-of-threatening-other-mps/

Are we to believe that NZFirst would but party politics ahead of regional development?
Are we to believe that Jenny Marcroft threatened Mark Mitchell if he didn’t start playing nicely with Ron Mark?

Which is telling the truth?
Mitchell (downtick) or
Marcroft (uptick)
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March 26, 2018 7:43pm
- sooty
  
  It’s getting more airtime than the sex camps.
  
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  March 26, 2018 9:47pm
Piniwi

Diversity and equality in all it’s glory as the Plunket Society which seems to have so many other labels these days. Royal NZ Plunket Society, Plunket and also NZ Royal Plunket Society Inc come up for what we know simply as Plunket. The diversity and equality is further displayed in the top paid bloated administration led by a native female. What could go wrong? Perhaps better to ask more correctly what could ever go right? Right or wrong the overpaid have been swelled with nephritism as the leaders daughter joins the ranks. No need to fill the vacancy with anybody who met the advertised credentials but much easier to keep it in the family perhaps as this a loose association of in the family way/babies and their wellbeing. Haven’t they done well?
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March 26, 2018 7:55pm
- nasska
  
  I can remember when Plunket nurses used to call on all homes where mothers & babies resided. On the East Coast where I was brought up this often entailed them riding a horse for the last few miles to visit Maori settlements. They were tough old birds but they ensured the best possible start for youngsters in an area where more people saw the tohunga for medical problems than a doctor.
  
  Nowadays they sit on their fat arses lobbying & excusing abuse by whanua as cultural & caused by colonisation.
  
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  March 26, 2018 8:20pm
  - Kimbo
    
    A trip down memory lane from your neck of the woods, nasska:
    
    https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/952
    
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    March 26, 2018 8:36pm
    - nasska
      
      ….”Nevertheless, in 1961 nearly thirty per cent of Māori lived in houses with no hot water, just over twenty per cent had no bath or shower, over forty per cent had no flush toilet and over seventy per cent relied on an open fire for heating “….
      
      Maori rural housing was & still is, a national disgrace Kimbo. Since I retired I’ve spent much time in the Far North where I reckon it’s probably as bad as, if not worse, than anywhere in the country.
      
      Simply put, bugger all has been built since one of our idiot governments put home financing through Maori Affairs loans to the sword. The scheme where Maori with rights to tribal land were able to borrow against their tribally held assets. In return the Crown assumed the members voting rights over
      use of that land. This saw the land used for something other than growing gorse while the factions bickered.
      
      So the Tangata Whenua of Northland live in 1920’s hovels.
      
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      March 26, 2018 8:56pm
    - simpleton1
      
      Not so long ago, and in a “fern land”, the houses had dirt floors, and sacks over the windows. (“Wash day” showed a wooden floor house, and glass in the windows)
      I went to school with such children, some managed to uplift themselves out of that situation, and by shearing, truck driving, moving to city and factory work.
      One employer of those times, made a special bank account, and it needed his co signature to release that money. That money was used as a deposit on a house in the village, securing a good home for the next generation, and close to the local school.
      Every one of his drivers ended up with a house, and those children have all done reasonably well.
      
      Would not be allowed today.
      
      Then some stayed in the system, producing kids (15 years old) with an underage girl, (13 years) and sadly I have seen that replicated for at least 3 generations and now probably more. In dealings with some of them, one can hear the message of colonization, and we are hard done by.
      They seem to create nests, and associate with gangs, even if not out and out gang members.
      The government through the years have staunchly funded them, and their cars have improved remarkably well over the years.
      
      Very difficult to relate to the young kids who have modernized, when they believe school is dumb, and trying to get them to find and appreciate some parts of the practical reasons of learning maths, like counting sheep, how to work out half way, etc, and how many more of something is needed. Yet will drop into a a kapa haka chorus for any reason, and quite happy to try and teach me reo. A whiff of grass being burnt too. Also how rich every one else is.
      
      They will do ok, as the government keeps all from cradle to grave.
      
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      March 26, 2018 10:11pm
      - simpleton1
        
        A point I want to add, is that I do enjoy catching up with those school mates, and hear how they and their families have done well.
        They were not always angels at school, and even to me, but we have all matured. They saw that they had to do better, and took what opportunities that they could.
        
        I think some have been an inspiration, that life could be done better, to others, who have grabbed on to their coat tails of change, and broke the cycles.
        
        How to reach certain families, to have inspirational goals, and then be able to take the necessary small steps, like education and learning?
        That is where preparation meets opportunity, so that even the basics of life is achieved.
        
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        March 26, 2018 10:29pm
DigNap15

Any real plunket nurse would need an armed bodyguard.
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March 26, 2018 8:33pm
EAD_TWO

Something Kiwiblogs own master of histrionics & faux outrage, Kimbo, would do well to read:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/102611220/steve-smith-in-the-wrong-but-overreaction-has-been-hysterical

First of all, and most importantly, I want to ask if you are OK? What about the kids? They’re the ones I worry about the most in all this.

Now turn to the person next to you, even if they’re a complete stranger, and ask if they’re coping with this shameful, gut-wrenching news that the Australian cricket team plotted to alter the state of the ball in the third test against South Africa in Cape Town.

If anyone feels the need to take a mental health day, please do. I’m sure the boss won’t mind. Hell, take the week …

That glow on the horizon is the angry mob, pitchforks and torches in hand, and they’re coming for Steve Smith and the Australian team. A hashtag campaign is sure to break out at any minute

Even the PM Malcolm Trotsky Turnbull virtue signalled his outrage:

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was particularly outraged: “I have to say the whole nation who holds those who wear the baggy green up on a pedestal — about as high as you can get in Australia, higher than any politician that’s for sure — this is a shocking disappointment and it’s wrong and I look forward to Cricket Australia taking decisive action soon.”

Politicians taking the moral high ground? A more pressing matter for the Prime Minister might be why he’s less respected than our cricket captain.

I’ll tell you the people you aren’t picking up pitchforks and torches, joining an angry mob wanting baggy green blood

Indeed – if only Marxist Malcolm (& Kimbo ?) showed as much passion about African Gangs terrorising Melbourne, reversing Australia’s Hate speech laws that were used against Andrew Bolt & Blair Cottrell, and turning Australia Day into “Invasion Day”, them maybe we might actually listen to the mutterings of Marxist Malcolm
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March 26, 2018 9:30pm
- Kimbo
  
  Sorry, EAD. You feeling lonely tonight and in need of attention? ?
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:07pm
rightoverlabour

I see Smith got a 1 match ban. Still think the best chirp of the whole game was De Kock. David Warner – “Cock, cock, that guys name is cock” Quinton de Kock – “The only cock I want to talk about is the big black one that Sonny Bill Williams put in your wife’s ass”

SA 1 – Australia 0

(Subject to confirmation, but this is doing the rounds in Saffer Circles – Hence the Sonny Bill Williams masks at the games. Anyone able to corroborate?
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March 26, 2018 9:46pm
- Kimbo
  
  Was in a previous test match that Warner was needling de Cock. Not sure if you’ve got the exact repartee correct, but yes, you’ve got the gist of it right. So Warner started and brought a knife to what became a gun fight.
  
  Also seems that Warner hasn’t got the same sense of humour at his own expense as this classic sledge of a generation ago, which has the Australian slips cordon doubled over in hysterics, when their bowler, Glenn McGrath had a go after Zimbabwe batsman and chicken farmer, Eddo Brandes kept on playing and missing:
  
  McGrath: “Brandes! How come you’re so fat?!”
  
  Brandes: “Because every time I f$@& you wife, she gives me a biscuit!”
  
  …and as I posted yesterday, there was the time Aussie wicketkeeper greeted Ian Botham to the wicket with the query
  
  Marsh: “How’s your wife and my kids?”
  
  Botham: “Wife’s fine. Kids are retarded”
  
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  March 26, 2018 10:02pm
Jack5

Remington Arms, founded 1816 and America’s oldest gun maker, has filed for bankruptcy protection as sales fall, and as Sandy Hook massacre parents pursue it in the courts.

Regardless of the state of America’s gun-buying controls, it’s a shame to see such an old firearms maker in trouble. Or it could this be a move to protect it from big damages to the Sandy Hook families?

However, there are newer American firearms makers, like Lewis Machine and Tool, founded in 1980 and maker of the very smart assault rifle adopted by NZ defence forces. (It can be adapted for right and left hand use, and the barrel can be changed.)

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/25/gun-maker-remington-files-for-bankruptcy.html
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March 26, 2018 10:31pm
Jack5

For military history buffs: next Sunday marks the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force.

Here a German air historian gives the background:

https://youtu.be/suPsZL9mEM0
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March 26, 2018 11:48pm
- rightoverlabour
  
  Followed shortly after by the South African Airforce on the 1st Feb 1920 ( the second oldest Airforce in the world.) Nowadays it has a few issues, surrounding nations could attack with Cessnas, and the best the SAAF could do is throw paper darts at them…..
  
  http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46013:feature-sa-air-force-facing-tough-times&catid=111:sa-defence&Itemid=242
  
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  March 27, 2018 8:09pm

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