General Debate 6 February 2020

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chaos

Hmmm, we may never know the truth with China

* As many experts question the veracity of China’s statistics for the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, Tencent over the weekend seems to have inadvertently released what is potentially the actual number of infections and deaths, which were astronomically higher than official figures.

On late Saturday evening (Feb. 1), Tencent, on its webpage titled “Epidemic Situation Tracker”, showed confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019nCoV) in China as standing at 154,023, 10 times the official figure at the time. It listed the number of suspected cases as 79,808, four times the official figure.

The number of cured cases was only 269, well below the official number that day of 300. Most ominously, the death toll listed was 24,589, vastly higher than the 300 officially listed that day.

Moments later, Tencent updated the numbers to reflect the government’s “official” numbers that day. Netizens noticed that Tencent has on at least three occasions posted extremely high numbers, only to quickly lower them to government-approved statistics.*

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3871594
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February 6, 2020 8:16am
- Aunty
  
  Mathematical modelling (in the West) done by academics who have expertise in epidemiology, virology, pandemics and infectious diseases when applied to this coronavirus outbreak have numbers that broadly concur with the higher confirmed cases number from Tencent. Number of deaths however, who knows?? Probably not as high as Tencents??
  
  But the mortality rate of the virus is not the only lens, and not necessarily even the most important lens to look through when considering the impact of this infection. It’s the sheer weight of numbers of people who get sick and those requiring hospital treatment that in many respects matter more.
  
  Around 20% or so of the people who become infected appear to become very ill, with many developing pneumonia. Could our hospitals and health care systems cope if all of a sudden we needed to provide oxygen therapy to 24,000 revolving patients over a 6 week period? Or say 2500 a week for 3-5 days at a time?
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:40am
  - artemisia
    
    There was a report from a family in China that the death certificate for their member with the virus just said COD pneumonia. Counted? Not counted? Who knows.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:55am
    - Stephieboy2
      
      Yes , who knows, who knows…. In other words I don’t know as trade with China winds down.
      
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      February 6, 2020 1:57pm
  - Harriet
    
    You will find very high volumes of elderly people with emphysema due to smoking.
    That will guarantee a shortage of oxygen equipment, and that will guarantee a high mortality rate.
    
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    February 6, 2020 2:11pm
  - Tall Man
    
    No.
    
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    February 6, 2020 8:10pm
- MrTips
  
  While this is not surprising and maybe true, it still doesn’t explain why the death toll OUTSIDE of China is much, much lower.
  
  Points to consider:
  1) we now have over 200 cases outside China. Only 2 dead (both Wuhan infected Chinese). If we were matching even the “official” China stats, then we should have ~10-12 dead. Unofficial, then 40.
  2) French and USA colleagues have confirmed it takes about a week to “get over” the worst of the symptoms. This IS consistent with official Chinese speak. French ICU/infectious expert went on record as saying “its not as bad as SARS”.
  3) People die in hospital for two reasons: bad disease/condition or shitty care (both preventative, tertiary and primary care).
  
  In this case in China, my money is still on the latter of 3) as the reason for most deaths.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:46am
  - JackRabbit
    
    >”People die in hospital for two reasons: bad disease/condition or shitty care (both preventative, tertiary and primary care)”
    
    World wide stats, including NZ, is that an average of two people die from medical misadventure / infections / or complications gained or caused while in hospital, for every one person who dies in or as a result of an automobile accident.
    
    I.e there is a 2:1 risk of dying from something other than what you were admitted to hospital for, compared to death by automobile accident. The environment increases the risk.
    
    Like you, I would say that the ratio would be much higher than 2:1 in China, as it is in places like Africa.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:14am
  - emmess
    
    It’s simple, the main reason the death toll outside China is lower because people outside China have not had it for as long.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:37am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Mr Tips was referring to the percentage death rate per number infected, not just the total.
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:05am
    - chaos
      
      I’d say there are a few reasons, one better medical care outside of China, enter hygiene. The Chinese hospitals are hammered and can’t care for all
      
      But that said here are the latest figures from feb 1 for the USA flu season
      
      * So far, there have been an estimated 19 million cases of flu, 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths in the U.S. this influenza season – including 68 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.*
      
      https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/02/01/coronavirus-flu-deadlier-more-widespread-than-wuhan-china-virus/4632508002/
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:09am
      - JackRabbit
        
        https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2020/02/04/chinese-coronavirus-not-zombie-apocalypse.html
        
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        February 6, 2020 11:39am
      - Aunty
        
        So that is a 0.95% hospitalisation rate and a 0.05% death rate for influenza this season in the US. That compares to a ~2% death rate and a hospitalisation rate of who knows, 10% (?) for coronavirus cases.
        
        Substituting the coronavirus hospitalisation and death rates onto the US influenza numbers for this season would yield:- 1,900,000 hospitalisations and 380,000 deaths. Quite a difference.
        
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        February 6, 2020 11:39am
  - SGA
    
    it still doesn’t explain why the death toll OUTSIDE of China is much, much lower.
    
    Part of that may simply be “general” population versus “selected” population. The disease seems particularly fatal for the elderly and those with preexisting conditions – these would make up a smaller proportion of “travelers” than the general population.
    
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    February 6, 2020 11:51am
    - cmm
      
      And almost all of the people infected and who have died outside of China are Chinese people that have recently traveled from Wuhan, so are effectively Chinese deaths.
      
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      February 6, 2020 1:52pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    If man-made is there anything about the Chinese themselves that make it specific to them?
    
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    February 6, 2020 4:45pm
    - SGA
      
      To the best of my knowledge, I don’t think one could make a flu-like virus to target exclusively a specific ethnic group.
      (It’s also useful to remember that the total genetic variation within a broad grouping such as Chinese, European, African is enormous – larger than the difference between those groups).
      
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      February 6, 2020 5:31pm
- JackRabbit
  
  As much as I am concerned about incorrect statistics, there could be equal cause for concern that the high figures may be wrong but ‘leaked’ to cause panic. I think you have to treat all information coming out of China, as probably dis-information. There are so many conflicting stories and opinions over the Corona virus, its source, its rate of infection, and how it came to be, only time will tell.
  
  Tencent, and WeChat are firmly in the pocket of and controlled by the Chinese government, with platforms used by the Chinese government to spy on private conversations.
  
  Furthermore every ISP has a responsibility under their own T&Cs to shutdown users of their platforms that use said platforms for hacking or spying activities.
  
  This does not appear to happen in China, because tracking of hacking attempts, shows that much of what comes out of China, originates from a surprisingly small number of ISPs, TenCent being one of them.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:06am
- cmm
  
  Well I certainly don’t buy it.
  
  Every day, about 70,000 people die or are born in China as part of the normal churn of life. During winter (flu etc) the death numbers are higher, say 100k and are lower during summer.
  
  If we look at the official death figures for corona it is around 50 a day or so.
  
  Scaled for NZ that would be a death rate of about 1 every 6 days.
  
  Would we completely lose our shit over a disease in NZ killing just over 1 person a week?
  
  I think not.
  
  All I can think are:
  1) The numbers (infections and deaths) are vastly higher than stated.
  2) There is something “racist” in this virus that makes it hit Chinese people much harder.
  
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  February 6, 2020 1:50pm
Jack5

Waitangi Day, and what a race bomb Radio New Zealand dropped on it yesterday.

It proposes to all but crush the Concert Programme, because mainly whites listen to it, and create a new programme aimed primarily at Maori and Pacific Islander youth.

Concert Programme staff will be slashed, and stations will be relegated to the AM network. You can read some of the details and find links late in yesterday’s General Debate thread on Kiwiblog.

What a row there would have been if it was going to cut back on its Maori programming because the listeners were mainly Maori, and divert the resources to what Radio NZ sees as a white radio programme.

And how thick. Classical music is not just white music. Kiri Te Kanawa, the Dunedin Samoan bass, Jonathan Fa’afetai Lemalu, the Sole3 Mio trio, are a few of the Polynesian classical music stars.

There are also many Asian classical music stars. Apart from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese pianists, violinists, and cellists, now conductors are coming through, such as Jing Huan, of China, and there are longer established Japanese conductorfs, such as Koichi Sugiyama and Seiji Ozawa. Many extremely good orchestras exist in Asia, and Asia provides many of the most talented composers.

And if you want to see what a classical group can do for Maori music, take a couple of minutes to watch this mainly white classical choir performing overseas:

https://youtu.be/kGIpS4pMBRM

Classical music is for whites? Nuts to that.
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February 6, 2020 8:18am
- Stephen Russell
  
  I love classical music… but I struggle to understand why the Government should be paying for an ads-free classical music radio station in this day and age. There if very little that the Concert Programme can provide that I cannot get instantly, online on demand.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:59am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Because they will play something that you never thought of or heard before. Hopefully, you will be suprised by how much you liked the piece and your sum knowledge and appreciation is increased just that little bit.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:30am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Yes, because people listening to streaming services only ever select pieces they have heard before. The more discerning can’t really do without someone selecting their music for them
      
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      February 6, 2020 9:45am
      - burt
        
        It’s not like you to advocate for freedom of choice or accept people can make their own choices. Have you resigned your Labour Party membership?
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:09am
      - emmess
        
        What an idiotic thing to say.
        If you choose playlists on Spotify, for example, you are constantly introduced to new music. You get far less of that on the radio.
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:42am
      - Tall Man
        
        All I can say mikey is that the shoe fits.
        
        Some people spend their whole lives trying to be relevant and work with others. And then there’s you!
        
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        February 6, 2020 8:16pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Also, I gather the plan is to change the concert programme to an automated music station playing on AM frequencies and online. So the content will still be widely available.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:34am
    - hullkiwi
      
      Mikey, the issues are why and where are the benefits for the cost? Because:
      1. Unless RNZ invests heavily, it will have no credibility or audience in the Maori/Polynesian market;
      2. They will lose the stations current audience; and
      3. When did you last listen to music on AM and enjoy what you heard?
      
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      February 6, 2020 9:57am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Yeah, the AM move is probably just a sop till the audience that can’t stream dies off.
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:08am
- Inandout
  
  Jack5, the cafe luvvies will not be happy that the high brow radio has been axed. I know two people who work from their home office and always have the concert programme on, and yes, they are Labour voters.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:04am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    They will still be able to listen to broadcast classical music, unless they are unable to find the AM frequency, cannot work Freeview, or do not have a PC or cell phone,
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:35am
    - Rodney Randall
      
      Relegating Concert to AM is a retrograde step.
      
      It is certainly not a move forward.
      I will not bore you with the science safe to say you are already aware of the limitations which for many will render the the listening experience null and void.
      
      AM receivers are also fast dying out and many vehicles (where a large amount of concert listening is undoubtably done) simply do not feature them which leaves internet streaming, the domain of those who can afford to constantly use data.
      
      It would appear that the executives have determined that there are larger mass consumer markets to pursue.
      
      if that is the case STRIP rnz of its tax payer funding. Let it become comnercial if it needs to target demographic audiences and deems existing audiences null and void
      
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      February 6, 2020 9:56am
    - Jack5
      
      Can’t tell the difference in music on stereo FM and mono AM, Milky? Why am I not surprised?
      
      On Rodney’s point: “… the executives have determined that there are larger mass consumer markets to pursue.”
      
      So, on their taxpayer subsidy, they will compete with commercial broadcasters for these markets.
      
      Taxpayter funding for the Concert Programme, on the other hand, is really part of State funding for the arts. There are no commercial broadcasting rivals in classical music.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:11am
- Rodney Randall
  
  It is indeed a peculiar excuse given global instrumental/vocal music, of the ages, is enjoyed and performed by a multitude of ethnicities within New Zealand and overseas.
  
  It will be interesting to see what this new INCLUSIVE ™ DIVERSITY ™ driven, music appreciation society sounds like.
  
  Try as these FASCISTS might to memory hole the Austro Germanic Canon from FM, Beethoven, Mozart will continue to blaze on into the next millenia. The music is timeless, the RNZ marxists not so.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:27am
  - Rodney Randall
    
    Jack5 sums up the hypocrisy at RNZ.
    
    “What if Radio NZ planned a service aimed at white youth? There would be a bloody uproar.”
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:34am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Don’t forget Wagner.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:36am
    - JimBobJoe
      
      Whats your problem with Wagner Mike? Spell it out don’t be cryptic – really interested in knowing…
      
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      February 6, 2020 9:44am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Surely he’s up there in Rodney’s Austro-German canon. But no degenerates like Verdi, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky or Dvorak.
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:11am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Barenboim didn’t
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJk4rb7za54
      
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      February 6, 2020 9:59am
    - Rodney Randall
      
      One of the greatest composers that ever lived.
      
      You see, my son, here time turns into space!” Verwandlungsmusik (Transformation Music) and grail procession from Act 1 of Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal (1882).
      
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s88hmJ_osjY
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:13am
      - KevO'Brien
        
        Most “music” the youth are fed on is rubbish.
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:46am
  - Rodney Randall
    
    This RNZ BS reminds me of the PM’S Chief Science Advisor at an Antarctic conference when she pointed to a picture of New Zealand Antarctic Scientists sitting at a table.
    
    Chief Science Adivsor asked the conference atendees “What is WRONG with this picture?” everyone sat in silence. Chief Science Advisor responded: They are all WHITE and MALE and this MUST CHANGE.
    
    “Neo-commissars variously described as Chief Equity Officers now infest public and private bureaucracies in departments of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” They manage aggressive staffs, expensive and empowered, micromanaging everything from micro-aggressions to the precise ethnic proportions represented in the personnel headcounts of every institution in America. This is authoritarian, totalitarian fascism, bureaucratized and masquerading as anti-fascism. It is explicitly racist, yet it markets itself as anti-racist.” – Edward Ring.
    
    Sound familiar?
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:41am
    - JackRabbit
      
      “They are all WHITE and MALE and this MUST CHANGE.”
      
      Who gives a rats arse. Discrimination is important and essential for personal choice.
      
      Last year, diversity got a male Santa fired, because it was not OK to limit a role to being male.
      
      On that diversity note, would it be acceptable for said male Santa to insist that Bra Fitting shops or waxing studios employ an equal number of male heterosexual fitters?
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:27am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      The discrimination against competency is evident.
      When are we going to require youth of all ages to be represented as science advisers or COL Ministers?
      Stupidty is as stupidity does.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:49am
      - JackRabbit
        
        Part of Socialism is wanting equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity. They believe that in a fair world, that the outcomes will represent equality and therefore diversity.
        
        The drive within those that want ‘diversity’ is stimulated by FOMO, the fear of missing out. So rather than looking inward and challenging themselves to do better, they want to change the outcomes by manipulation.
        
        They mistakenly believe that even if someone has not earned a seat at the table, by giving them a seat at the table, they will somehow earn the right to be there.
        
        Giving losers land and money and equal say does not make them winners. Just losers who will mismanage the opportunity and destroy what they have been given, and them have them lining up for more handouts and speaking rights.
        
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        February 6, 2020 11:20am
- Jade Warrior
  
  Putting concert FM back on the AM band? Back to the bad old days of the YC network. Perhaps classical listeners might also have to put up with their programming being interrupted by summer cricket broadcasts too … just like old times.
  
  But seriously – the idea of putting concert FM back on AM makes no sense at all. It is a music oriented station and the stereo experience is vital for all listeners of classical music. It would make more sense to put National Radio (primarily a talk station) back on AM.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:40am
- Max
  
  We are patrons of the APO have been for a number of years and we note over the years that more young people are attending which gives us hope for the future of classical music and the interest in the knowledge of history. One has to just look at the orchestra and audience to see the different nationalites and ethnicities, and appreciate the different cultures where the guest solo performers originate. RNZ have got this wrong and the government will take the rap, even subliminally by the loyal APO lefties.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:05am
  - pussycat
    
    This decision by RNZ is nothing less than cultural vandalism. The CEO needs to go as do the board. If the Minister doesn’t get this appalling decision overturned there will be consequences in September.
    
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    February 6, 2020 12:50pm
- rjay
  
  Why in the world should New Zealand taxpayers support European music widely available elsewhere. Is it just because some musicians who can afford to purchase expensive instruments hail from New Zealand? I have the same concerns about subsidising ballet. Bugger all jobs are created relative to “investment”. Even Shane Jones could get a better return on a voting slush fund.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:26am
  - JimBobJoe
    
    Hmmm… so your ignorance shines through….Concert often has NZ composers pieces and much music composed by overseas people played by local orchestras or small piece groupings (quartets, chamber orchestras etc)… shock horror even NZ pieces featuring indigenous Maori musical instruments….
    
    Concert are regularly at APO, OW, NZSO etc concerts recording talented Kiwi’s interpretations of classical pieces and concerts featuring quality soloists from offshore…
    
    If its ok for the Taxpayer to support Moari and Pcific Islands cultural events which we do, then its surely fine for ‘New Zealand taxpayers support European music’ to quote you – in the interests of cultural diversity and fairness…. don’t you think?
    
    Or you just another misguided ethnic european cutoff from your cultural heritage by a zealous adherence to marxist thought either in its pure communist guise or its trojan horse variety moderate socialism guises hating on the West to justify the ‘Killer Che beret and T Shirt? [and yes Che was a ruthless killer which severely undermines the achievements he made in bettering the life of the lower class Cuban]
    
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    February 6, 2020 1:22pm
- adamsmith1922
  
  Agree, but sadly this is what is happening in NZ. RNZ want to be in line with our woke PM, as more $ are on offer and there is a major reorganisation promised.
  Plus it is election year and so RNZ seeks to appease the amateur DJ masquerading as PM
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:47am
- Ruahine
  
  Can you not hear the conch shells and the Polynesian drums.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfe8tCcHnKY
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:48am
Yvette

While Winston berated media, Bridges and others for politicising the sacred venue and occasion that he seeming suddenly considers Waitangi to be, did not his first man, Shane Jones, reveal plans to take down National by standing in Northland – just a minor little bit of politicising?

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”, but Winston seems to settle just for the “big enough” bit – be buggered the “often” part – that applies only to his use of the technique itself.
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February 6, 2020 8:19am
- Tony Stuart
  
  Let’s just examine Jones’ record in electorate contests:
  
  2005: Lost Northland to John Carter by 9275
  2008: Lost Northland to John Carter by 10,005
  2011: Lost Tāmaki Makaurau to Pita Sharples by 936
  2014: Didn’t stand
  2017: Finished third in Whangarei, more that 11,000 votes behind National MP Shane Reti.
  
  Despite Peters having conned the people in Northland in the 2015 by-election (with Labour’s co-operation), I can’t see Jones taking Northland this time around. Sure, Jones has poured millions of dollars into the region, but he is a polarising figure, and most of the whanau who might vote for him are in Te Tai Tokerau.
  
  Winning an electorate contest takes hard work, and if there’s one thing we’ve always known about Jones, hard work is not his friend. It also takes building relationships with the ordinary party folk who will work hard alongside you, and who don’t want to be lectured in words they don’t understand by someone with a highly inflated opinion of themselves.
  
  I see no reason why Jones’ perfect record in electorate contests won’t be maintained in 2020.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:15am
  - pdm
    
    Jones and Angry Andy – kindred spirits with no ability to win an electorate seat whatsoever.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:28am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Not having won an electorate seat, they come in on the coat tales, a third wheel no less.
      
      I’m beginning to appreciate how Princess Diana felt. Win the ‘affections’ of Prince Charles and have Camilla thrown in as a free non returnable bonus prize.
      
      Same with these two guys.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:38am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    Jones and Peters could threaten the good people of Northland that all gummit assistance will cease if they don’t vote Jonesy boy.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:53am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Are we to believe that all those demonstrations/fracas at previous Waitangi days weren’t political?
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:31am
  - adamsmith1922
    
    Get with the programme Maggy, it’s only politicking when the National Party does it, which after all is a bastion of white supremacy led by honky Simon and whjtey Paula
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:50am
- RW Capitalist
  
  “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”,
  Interesting….
  A quote made by both Lenin and Goebbels.
  
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  February 6, 2020 2:04pm
Than

With the unmitigated disaster of the Iowa caucuses finally getting sorted out, it looks like Pete Buttigieg won. Or at least came a close second to Sanders, depending on which metric you look at.

While it’s kind of depressing that a radical socialist did so well, Buttigieg’s result is encouraging news for anybody who wants (or at least wouldn’t mind) a moderate Democrat kicking Orange Donny out of the White House in November. One data point in particular stands out;

That split result is happening because Buttigieg is doing well in rural counties, which have a lot of delegates relative to their population, and Sanders ran up big margins in urban areas and college towns, which punch a bit below their weight in terms of delegates.

This situation is kind of a miniature parallel of the nationwide electoral college – you can’t win with just the cities, you need at least some wider support. And rural Iowa is demographically and culturally very similar to the rural areas in other mid-west states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, i.e. the swing states that most campaign strategists agree will probably decide the 2020 election. A Democratic candidate who did well in rural areas of the mid-west would defeat Trump with ease.

This result is also an indication that Buttigieg’s potential weaknesses (mainly his lack of political experience and his homosexuality) don’t necessarily put people off voting for him, even in fairly conservative areas. It’s a significant boost to Mayor Pete’s claim to be the most electable Democratic candidate.
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February 6, 2020 8:20am
- Old White Loser
  
  Mayor Pete’s other weakness is that Black voters do not like him, something that would not show up in Iowa.
  
  With out the black vote you are done as a Democrat.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:01am
  - Than
    
    The lack of Black support certainly hurts his chances in the primary, where it’s a choice of several Democratic candidates.
    
    But if Buttigieg won the nomination, would Black voters really go Republican or choose not to vote? I doubt it. They’d vote for whoever the Democrats nominate, even if he/she wasn’t their preferred choice.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:58am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Who’s going to tell Than that the Dems are worried Trump is gaining traction and increasing support from Blacks?
      I nominate Van Jones
      https://www.nationalreview.com/news/cnns-van-jones-worries-trumps-overtures-will-win-over-black-voters/
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:15am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      When they haven’t finished counting using a program supplied by a Soros sponsored company how can there be a winner?
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:53am
- toby1845
  
  Pennsylvania? Mid-west? Snort!
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:01am
- chaos
  
  I asked a friend last night if America would vote a gay president, He has written Buttigieg, says no chance he will ever win because he is gay
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:03am
  - chaos
    
    That should be he has written him off
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:31am
  - Ruahine
    
    Buttigieg. I knew he was a homosexual but I did not know he was gay. Things do need to lighten up a bit I suppose.
    
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    February 6, 2020 12:17pm
    - chaos
      
      Oh do we have to use woke words?
      
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      February 6, 2020 5:04pm
- Colville
  
  Buttigieg is just practising for 2024.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:21am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Does all he going for him is his butt?
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:54am
- Fletch
  
  It’s these “unknown” candidates that are the real worry, like Obama, who the Left and the media can mold into who they want them to be. The older ones are easier to beat because everyone knows Bernie is Marxist and Joe Biden is, well, Joe Biden.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:21am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    I still think there’s something a bit fishy about that Obama guy’s background…
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:13am
- Scott
  
  Than don’t quite see it that way. The pundits I’m following on the left don’t see Pete as a serious candidate mainly because he lacks a broad constituency. Blacks don’t like him and yes his homosexuality is an issue there!
  
  Biden is done. He’s not been a good campaigner in his prime and his prime is well in the rear view mirror.
  
  I’m thinking Sanders looks the most likely? He’s the most radical – let’s spend at least $50 trillion and remake America – but the kids love him. The American young person finds socialism appealing and they have never experienced actual socialism. Maybe Venezuela studies should be part of the school curriculum? Better still a field trip to Venezuela might be eye opening for some.
  
  Fortunately Sanders has not got enough appeal in the general election. So it’s four more years of orange man for you. ?
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:24am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Blacks don’t like him because they know he’s treated Blacks badly in SouthBend – especially Blacks working in Law enforcement. People say he’s done a good job economically there.
    But he’s just riding on the fact the whole State has done well. Under a Republican Governor…
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:49am
  - Than
    
    As I said to Old White Loser, I disagree Buttigieg’s lack of support among Blacks will matter in the actual election. Party loyalty will win out, even if the Democratic candidate isn’t the one they would have preferred.
    
    As for whether his being gay will matter, the Iowa result tends to suggest it won’t.
    
    Iowa is moderately socially conservative. On the Cook Partisan Index, it’s R+3. If Mayor Pete could win every state with that lean or bluer (more Democrat leaning), that would give a clear electoral college win. The strongly socially conservative states where people would not vote for a gay candidate are states no Democrat would ever win anyway.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:12am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Orange is the new black?
    
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    February 6, 2020 5:10pm
- All_on_Red
  
  Buttigieg is not a ‘moderate Democrat’
  He’s a Bernie clone but younger.
  Don’t let the McKinsey and co background fool you.
  He’s doing well because he has ex Hillary Clinton staff helping him.
  Join the dots…
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:39am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    LOL. Sounding a bit worried there.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:43am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Well Smarmy, who knows what could happen but I think Pete might be outed as a bit of lightweight.
      And he’s no moderate, which is what they need to win.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:05am
- All_on_Red
  
  If we dig down to what’s going on the Swing States there were 206 Counties which made the difference for Trump in those States.
  In 2008 they all came out for Obama.
  In 2016, because Obama hadn’t delivered for them ,they voted for Trump.
  30 of those Counties are in Iowa.
  The recent Dem and GOP caucuses gave us a chance to assess the current level of support (remember the GOP just had an Election there too not just the Dems)
  If support for Trump had dropped, that would indicate a problem, and that would be acerbated if support for Dems (overall) jumped.
  It hasn’t. Support for Trump is slightly higher than 2016 level while overall Dem support (as far as we can see so far) is slightly softer.
  So Iowa looks still ok for Trump
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:46am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    The general election will not be decided by Iowa’s six voted in the electoral college.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:54am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Dont be a moron. My point- which you avoid, was about the trend in the Counties which made the difference.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:09am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Hard to get a trend from IOWA that you could apply nationwide.
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:14am
  - Than
    
    Electoral college votes are allocated on a state-wide basis (except in Maine and Nebraska). Digging down to the county level serves no purpose. Unless of course you’re desperately looking for an angle that looks good for Orange Donny.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:28am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Well, what other angle could he be looking for?
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:54am
- JimBobJoe
  
  Nice attempt at humour:
  ‘A Democratic candidate who did well in rural areas of the mid-west would defeat Trump with ease.’
  
  Its a Closed Democrat caucus not an open vote… so projecting a self selecting ‘liberal’ voting pools preferences onto the preferences of a wider rural based constituency is a rather large stretch.
  
  [To vote in a Closed Democrat Caucus you need to be a registered Democrat voter… can register on the day but still its a vote among very committed Dems]
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:52am
- Andrei
  
  This result is also an indication that Buttigieg’s potential weaknesses (mainly his lack of political experience and his homosexuality) don’t necessarily put people off voting for him
  
  Here is the rub
  https://youtu.be/F-x6n2kTbks
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:03am
- Billy Collins
  
  “This result is also an indication that Buttigieg’s potential weaknesses (mainly his lack of political experience and his homosexuality) don’t necessarily put people off voting for him, even in fairly conservative areas”
  
  I was previously in agreement with you, but then this showed up: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/04/watch-iowa-caucus-voter-ends-pete-buttigieg-support-after-hearing-he-is-gay.html
  
  It may simply be that many conservatives don’t listen to woke media, and conservative media doesn’t really mention that he is a gay, so they possibly don’t know. Pete is smart with knowing who he is talking to. When talking to rural cons, he promotes his Christianity. When with Blacks, he talks about racism. When with city libs, he talks about homosexuality and abortion. His homosexuality definitely will become more obvious if he is the candidate.
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:50am
hmmokrightitis

I would like to start the day with a gentle reminder to all my fellow KB’s.

Im sat on my deck, looking out at a gorgeous lake. Kids are inside making breakfast, The Blond is by my side, our plans include a ride, a swim, a BBQ. There will be dead animals and great red, probably prefaced by a lovely champagne as we celebrate comings and goings to university very soon.

Life is what you make it. Ive been through hell, and come out the other side. I have found peace and love, and the strength of an intelligent and very successful woman. Her kids and my kids get on like you wouldn’t believe, which given the age differences (oldest 19, youngest 5) surprised the hell out of us both.

But above all else is love, mutual respect and trust. And the fact that the Black Caps won last night, and we nearly bought the roof down as they did. Fill ya boots people, we live in paradise, and no pensioner or fake PM can change that.
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February 6, 2020 8:22am
- Lee C
  
  Feelin’ that, Hmmo.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:15am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Nothing truer hmmo. Friends arriving from overseas (Europe) shortly, and they will tell us about all the troubles they have. As Fred D once said, we don’t know how lucky we are.
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:06am
  - Swifty
    
    We don’t know how propitious are the circumstances Frederick.
    
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    February 6, 2020 11:23am
Captain Mainwaring

So protest leader Pania Newton has blurted out that the taxpayer is going to pay for Cindy’s bailout of Fletchers at Ihumatao.
What a disgusting and dangerous precedent, all because it was too hard to tell the police to do their job and evict the trespassers from privately-owned land.
This will cost the country big time, but fortunately it will also cost the CoL the election.

fletcher
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February 6, 2020 8:23am
- Chris R
  
  This is a depiction of the beliefs of all Commies. Ardern is not an exception. The precedent means that there are no inviolable freehold titles in NZ any more. Ardern here, Goff with his desire to have losers occupy “ghost houses” these creeps are all drawn from the same ideology.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:29am
  - Classic Liberal
    
    Soooo, what’s to stop the currently winning iwi now being kicked out by the previous iwi? The one they perhaps won ihumateo from centuries ago in battle?
    
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    February 6, 2020 5:01pm
- JackRabbit
  
  The condoning, endorsing, legalising, and payment of concessions to illegal squatters and trespassers.
  
  “…all because it was too hard to tell the police to do their job and evict the trespassers from privately-owned land.”
  
  When you give in to bullies and terrorists, never expect that they will go away and leave you alone. They will always come back for more, extorting you for everything you have got.
  
  Enough is enough.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:36am
  - adamsmith1922
    
    Danegeld is the old english phrase that come to mind and NZ has and is paying Danegeld to Maoris despite many barely being Maoris at all.
    NZ today is based on woke, identity politics.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:58am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Good insight.
      Thanks.
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:27am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      If Danegeld is being paid in New Zealand, who are the invaders in your scenario?
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:30am
      - JackRabbit
        
        I can see where you are going with this.
        
        Given the line of different settlers here from multiple countries over several thousand years, all are settlers. I would not use the term “invaders” to describe the Engligh. The last Maori settlers before the English were the cannibals, and not at all respectful or civilised. Unfortunately they did not afford the same civilised behaviour to their pre-decessors as the English did to them. So its a mute point.
        
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        February 6, 2020 11:46am
      - trout
        
        ‘Dangeld’ was a tax raised to pay tribute to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged. Today it is a term used to describe extortion; whereby one party or group requires payment otherwise it will embark on a damaging course of action. In NZ it can be called ‘Koha’.
        
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        February 6, 2020 12:11pm
  - Ruahine
    
    Labour is the Party of bludgers and criminals.
    
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    February 6, 2020 12:11pm
- slightlyrighty
  
  We are now seeing similar action being taken in Kaikoura, where works are being carried out to make the roads safer.
  
  The leaders of this breakaway group went to, and were inspired by Ihumatao.
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119223390/breakaway-group-occupies-kaikura-coast-to-protest-ongoing-rebuild
  
  Jacinda, this is what happens when you set a precedent. To quote the great Rene Artois, of ‘Allo ‘Allo, “You Stupid Woman!”
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:00am
  - Scott
    
    Slightyrighty – quite right. Went through Kaikoura a few weeks ago. Maori activism everywhere. Trying to stop roads being repaired and rebuilt! Crazy stuff but that’s where we are with this government. They surrendered at Ihaumato and they’ll surrender everywhere.
    
    People I know she smiles nicely but don’t you think we need a prime minister of consequence? One who actually gets things done and stands up to special interest groups?
    
    Unfortunately Labour is beholden to Maori activists and will never stand up to them. We need a change of government in 2020! ?
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:30am
    - Sydney Alvarado
      
      If those people interfere with the road works they should be arrested. WTF? Those workers have done an amazing job on that road over three years. My neighbour in Christchurch works down there and only sees his family on weekends. I must ask him for his views. ? I can predict what he will say. And he is Maori.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:02am
- Sir Cullen's Sidekick
  
  People are queuing for hours to get breakfast served by Cindy and some bloke was saying in the NewstalkZB news today she will do good for Maori and NZ. So 2020 is secured for Cindy. Move on Captain. No chance of CoL losing the election.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:55am
- KevO'Brien
  
  It should also cost Pania & supporters Police interviews. Certain COL Polticians seem to be implicated in this illegal occupation and takeover by strongarm too.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:59am
Dave Mann

HAPPY MAORI MOANING DAY!

Today our country offers it’s deepest apologies to our Maori brethren for destroying their beautiful civilisation – denying them their noble traditions of tribal warfare, slavery and cannibalism and depriving them of their wonderful culture of literature, theatre, poetry, music, architecture, mathematics and philosophy.

In their place the evil Europeans imposed a tyrannical system of parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, property rights, equal opportunity, education, health and welfare on these poor oppressed people. Not only this, but these unfortunate victims were also made equal citizens of the most powerful empire the world had known to date.

Obviously all this was totally against their will and for these terrible injustices it is only right that we send our politicians to grovel at their feet and beg their forgiveness.

WE’RE SO SORRY. PLEASE FORGIVE US. WE ARE TERRIBLE PEOPLE.
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February 6, 2020 8:26am
- iMP
  
  Who earnestly petitioned Q. Vic. to be allowed to become British citizens, again? And got the vote BEFORE white women?
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:00am
  - Tall Man
    
    Pffftt…. who needs facts, we’ve got hugzilla.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:03am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Um, no one petitioned the queen for that.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:05am
    - Tall Man
      
      “This letter was sent by 13 Maori chiefs to King William IV from the Bay of Islands. The main concern of the letter was seeking protection from the French who had recently sent a navel vessel to New Zealand. The Maori chiefs were also concerned about the inter tribal wars as a result of tribes having muskets and also British misconduct. They were hoping the KIng could protect them from the lawlessness so that Maori and European could live together in peace. ”
      
      King Queen, what’s the difference other than being pedantic or trying to show how smart you are.
      
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      February 6, 2020 4:02pm
Albert_Ross

So when does Ross get his knighthood? Not me, the one with the cricket bat
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February 6, 2020 8:26am
- slightlyrighty
  
  I thought you meant Jami-Lee!
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:00am
  - pdm
    
    sr I gave youan uptick because I too thought you meant the Botany fiend.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:31am
- mikenmildagain
  
  I’m not generally keen on knighthoods for sports stars, let alone making them members of the ONZ. I’d like to think that a knighthood or ONZ membership caps a lifetime of achievement.
  ONZM or CNZM for Taylor when he retires, which I hope is not for another couple of seasons.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:11am
- Tony Stuart
  
  Yes, he played a magnificent innings last night. He paced his innings perfectly and held his nerve as we lost a couple of wickets towards the end.
  
  And as well as being one of our very best batsmen ever, he’s also one of the nicest men you could want to meet. He deserves every success he achieves.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:22am
  - projectman
    
    Agree with your comment but he just looks a dork with his tongue-waving.
    
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    February 6, 2020 11:28am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      It’s for his kids. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s eminently better than David Warner’s celebrations.
      
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      February 6, 2020 12:31pm
JibberJabber

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/02/05/why-im-anti-woke/

this monomaniacal need to expose an ever-expanding set of ‘phobias’ in society means that they end up detecting prejudice even where it does not exist. In the absence of evidence of racism the woke have a habit of simply concocting it.

the labels ‘racist’, ‘misogynist’, ‘homophobe’, ‘transphobe’ and ‘fascist’ – extremely serious allegations that should only be used when there is incontrovertible evidence to support them – are now so promiscuously applied that they have lost their impact.
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February 6, 2020 8:26am
Captain Mainwaring

Gary Stead goes on leave after an eight match losing streak and the Black Caps chase down their biggest one-day total ever.
Looks like he might be the problem.
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February 6, 2020 8:29am
- Lizziep
  
  Great match last night Captain. Taylor and Latham were fantastic, So happy for Taylor he got his 100+ and Latham got his 50+ also their batting was great. Hamilton ground is a great pitch for Taylor. Very well done. It was past time they had a win though.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:48am
  - pdm
    
    Nicholls was pretty good too and it took an outstanding piece of fielding by Kohli to get rid of him.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:56am
- cmm
  
  Bread and circuses.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:54am
- Prince
  
  I’m really worried about Taylor now. He has spent a lot of time at the crease lately – time to take a break for a few games to spend with his family.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:55am
- MT_Tinman
  
  There was, of course, one other notable absence from the NZ team last night.
  
  Maybe it ain’t Stead at all.
  
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  February 6, 2020 8:56am
- Fletch
  
  Team Rugby always seem to do well against the real cricketers in their annual match-ups. Maybe it’s time to let the rugby guys have a go at a few test matches.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:24am
- Chris R
  
  He seems well qualified to be PM then doesn’t he?
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:23am
- Sir Cullen's Sidekick
  
  Captain – The scoreline in T20 series could have been 3-2 had we used our heads a little bit better. India is near full strength team. Without Boult, Henry and Feguson we are just NZ A team. Despite that in the last three T20s, we restricted a very strong Indian team to totals below part scores and cruising towards victory before committing hara-kiri. In the ODI despite conceding 347, it was an excellent planned chase no doubt helped by the dropped chance for Taylor when he was on 12. But that is the luck you need when chasing such massive scores.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:36am
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    Maybe our heads were in disarray due to confused messages from a useless coach.
    
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    February 6, 2020 12:00pm
Paulus Gnome

Happy National Grievance Day!

The day in the year where we celebrate creeping apthied, the cancer that will kill New Zealand
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February 6, 2020 8:33am
- sam green
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Still with the hate Paulus. Where did your ancestors arrive? What relationship with Maori did they have at the time? It’s a time for us to reconnect with that relationship. It’s not a time to be hating don’t ya reckon?
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:37am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Reconnect with which Maori?
    
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    February 6, 2020 11:00am
    - Stephieboy2
      
      All of then!
      
      1 27
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      February 6, 2020 11:23am
      - KevO'Brien
        
        How many varieties are there? Are you one?
        There are a great number of ex-Maori.
        
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        February 6, 2020 1:05pm
    - sam green
      
      Read for meaning Kev.
      
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      February 6, 2020 12:16pm
  - JimBobJoe
    
    Sam Green attacks and confirms he is in favour of apartheid in NZ…nice to know where you stand Sam…
    
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    February 6, 2020 1:26pm
    - sam green
      
      You could try reading for meaning too JimbobJoe.
      
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      February 6, 2020 2:31pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Before you pontificate smugly, I suggest you acquaint yourself with the real history of New Zealand. Te Wiremu, the letters and diaries of Henry Williams would be a good start.
    
    The primary function that Henry Williams served was not writing the treaty of waitangi in maori, it was stopping them from killing and devouring each other … which he did on numerous occasions.
    
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    February 6, 2020 4:40pm
    - sam green
      
      Do you know your ancestors? – was my question. Where and when they came here and their relationship with mana whenua. Simple question not deserving of hatred.
      
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      February 6, 2020 6:25pm
oldpark

Heard the woman known as NZs PM Ardern speaking at Waitangi . Some of her words “A chance for all NZs to get together”.
Wonder how that will work out when it has been revealed that M/S Ardern has done a secret deal with Maori over the massive protest at “IHUMATAO”.
Seems “Private Property” rights in NZ are not worth the paper they are written on . Once that gets officially confirmed ,sadly instead of bringing NZs together it will drive a wedge forever between NZs Private Property owners and any claims by the same type of protestors that Ardern has buckled to.
What a bloody indictment . Ardern and her associates have set NZs race relations in free fall in a perilous state. Yes seems she has trashed the Private Property rights of hard working NZs.Go figure that one.
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February 6, 2020 8:33am
- rockape
  
  That deal is going to be really hard to spin to voters. Especially as most Maori voters who are activists vote in Maori electorates.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:41am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    Sheeple will forget this in due course rockape. Cindy knows that very well. Let us see what Winnie does.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:38am
- Sydney Alvarado
  
  The dangerous thing about left activists is that they never sleep. They don’t seem to have jobs or responsibilities and they will just keep going. If IHUMATAO ends with the occupiers victorious expect dozens of similar outbreaks.
  
  I previously commented that the oil and gas exploration ban was the most stupid and damaging public policy decision I had seen in the last 30 years. Well IHUMATAO may be a new winner.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:08am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    Taranaki will vote Labour no doubt like the West Coasters did. Cindy knows Ihumatao will be long forgotten when Labour announces free dentistry for Maori at a cost of 750 million. She has heard the call from Maori.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:39am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      There’s no chance whatsoever that Taranaki will ever vote Labour again after the twin attacks on oil and gas, and dairy.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:43am
  - Nermal
    
    “The dangerous thing about left activists is that they never ~~sleep~~ work“
    
    There, fixed it for you
    
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    February 6, 2020 4:32pm
- KevO'Brien
  
  Polynesians recognise property title through possession–if you take land off someone by force it’s yours. Ihumatau is a forceful takeover.
  
  Are the rules changed so that now applies to all people living in NZ?
  
  The COL should be impeached for this breach of peace.
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:05am
- adamsmith1922
  
  I pointed this out ages ago, this is one example https://adamsmith.wordpress.com/2019/08/23/oh-dear-more-protests-are-now-inevitable-as-ardern-now-says-she-will-visit-ihumatao-property-rights-trampled-for-political-pr/
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:06am
toby1845

Thanks to an early finish yesterday I was able to watch the SOTU live. I must say that I was impressed by Trump’s delivery: the messaging was simple, the barbs were subtle, and Nancy Pelosi facial contortions were a thing to behold.

And, at the end of a speech in which he paid tribute to victims of illegal aliens, acknowledged one of the first American-Indian pilots to serve in the US Air Force for his recent 100th birthday, acknowledged a black veteran who had overcome addiction and depression to turn his life around and reunite with his family, acknowledged the young female aid worker who was kidnapped by ISIS and used as a sex slave (and eventually murdered) by Al-Baghdadi, acknowledged the sacrifices made by the families of service personnel while their family members served abroad – and then welcomed home one of those personnel; AND highlighted the lowest black, latino and Asian unemployment in decades (the lowest black unemployment ever), and the greatest growth in wages (especially for lower and middle income earners) in generations, and the greatest workforce participation by women since WW2…..Dumbass Nancy tears up his speech!

This was a masterclass. Coming on top of the DNC’s Iowa Caucuses clusterf*ck, the latest Gallup poll, and his acquittal today, this wasn’t the opening salvo of the 2020 campaign; it was a series of simultaneous surgical strikes with precision weapons against multiple targets.

#LandslipTrumpNov2020 #4MoreYears
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February 6, 2020 8:38am
- Fletch
  
  Pelosi came across as a petulant brat throwing a tantrum, but really, it’s all she and the Dems have left. As University law school professor Jonathan Turley said in tweets, this was disgusting.
  
  Pelosi’s act dishonored the institution and destroyed even the pretense of civility and decorum in the House. If this is the Speaker’s “drop the mike” moment, it is a disgrace that should never be celebrated or repeated. In a single act, she obliterated decades of tradition.
  
  — Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 5, 2020
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:30am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Good burn though: “It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative.”
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:39am
    - All_on_Red
      
      What was the ‘alternative’?
      
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      February 6, 2020 9:56am
      - Sydney Alvarado
        
        Maybe self immolation. ?
        
        17 1
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        February 6, 2020 10:10am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Are you really that lacking in imagination?
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:16am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      It wasn’t a burn at all mikenmild. It was Pelosi’s “explaining is losing” moment, where she tried to justify her disgraceful behaviour.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:45am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      In a different place and time her treason would have seen her hung, drawn & quartered and her head place on a pikestaff for all to jeer, all with in the day.
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:09am
    - Ed Snack
      
      Burn ? More like a wet fart. Pelosi’s alternative was another bottle of Vodka and a handful of pills, might have been more seemly.
      
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      February 6, 2020 12:21pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Speaking of conditions, what is it with Trump’s sniffing?
        
        1 7
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        February 6, 2020 12:53pm
    - JimBobJoe
      
      So Pelosi was playing teenager games and it was a good burn ay Mike?
      
      Seriously is that all the left have: envy, sloth, lust, greed, gluttony whipped in with some wrath and pride?
      
      It would appear so – always grasping for other peoples hard worked for rewards, and envious and wrathful about their comparative lack of achievement…
      
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      February 6, 2020 1:31pm
  - Lance
    
    I am not a Trump fan, well his behaviour anyway, some of his policies aren’t too bad, some even very good.
    But the Dems are a joke and Nancy ripping up the speech was childish at best and proof the Dems are a collective basket case.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:59am
    - Sydney Alvarado
      
      I was definitely not a fan. But with politicians it is results that matter. I hope he gets reelected and I am confident it will be a bigger margin than 2016.
      
      I suspect like a lot of people I keep my opinions to myself. Unfortunately my livelihood depends on clients who do not share my views.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:14am
- Scott
  
  I thought this moment from Trump’s state of the union speech when he unexpectedly reunited a soldier with his family was amazing. This is something really nice! ?
  
  https://dailycaller.com/2020/02/04/trump-surprises-army-wife-heros-homecoming/
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:50am
- All_on_Red
  
  Another recent Gallup Poll shows 59% satisfaction with the economy- trending up 10 points in a year.
  This is (apparently) the highest level ever recorded.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:55am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Makes it all the more remarkable that Trump’s approval ratings continue to he at historically low levels.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:17am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      Actually, his approval rating this week reached its highest ever; 49%. After the SOTU and his acquittal in the Senate, watch that rise.
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:47am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Check this out Tony, particularly the historical comparisons:
        https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo
        Don’t be silly like AoR and jump for joy at single polls.
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:57am
    - emmess
      
      What the hell are you talking about?
      It’s at 45%
      https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_trump_job_approval-6179.html
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:55am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        So the Trumpistas talk about his record approval ratings and they’re still under 50%. Sad!
        
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        February 6, 2020 10:59am
    - Ed Snack
      
      Maybe having virtually the entire MSM be part of the opposition and run negative stories and promulgate actual flat out lies non-stop has some influence on those contacted for polls. Who’d a thunk it, eh ?
      
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      February 6, 2020 12:24pm
chaos

Looks like this election year is going to be the year of pushing your kid and useless pathetic stories

* PM Jacinda Ardern’s daughter Neve packs away boxes at Waitangi*

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119314921/pm-jacinda-arderns-daughter-neve-packs-away-boxes-at-waitangi

Compare this with the disgusting trash articles they ran of Key’s kids.
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February 6, 2020 8:38am
- slightlyrighty
  
  The media have simply set themselves as the propaganda arm of the Labour Party. It’s getting to the stage where they may as well have a party authorization at the start of the news.
  
  Contrast the Lack of reporting of the NZ First donor issue, with the rush to shout from the rooftops the laying of charges by the SFO.
  
  Look at the fluff articles on Neve, and the trashing of Key’s family.
  
  There is a precedent for this. In 2019, Unifor, The Canadian Union representing Journalists, publicly announced that they would actively work to prevent the Canadian Conservatives from winning the election. In doing so, they called themselves “the Resistance,” and “Andrew Scheer’s worst nightmare.”
  
  While the 4th estate in NZ might not be so brazen about this, one only needs to remember Katie Bradford reporting on Poll Results, remarking that National support is holding “no matter what we do, No Matter what we say” The mask slipped a little then.
  
  Our media does seem somewhat selective about who they hold to account, and why.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:13am
- lifesgood
  
  Careful mentioning that child. You’ll be punished for “child targeting”.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:24am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Her mother is responsible for taking the kid with her.
    
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    February 6, 2020 11:12am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      FFS. If she takes her child with her, she is flaunting her for the media; if she leaves her at home, she is neglecting her.
      
      4 28
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      February 6, 2020 11:33am
      - JimBobJoe
        
        No Mike – JA could have easily taken Neve with her to Waitangi and had the Nanny look after her while JA performed her duties.
        
        Pushing the child into the spotlight is a deliberate ploy to curry favour and have a convenient child shaped screen from criticism at hand….
        
        Its rather sad really that the little girl cant just have a normal childhood out of the glare of the national press…. I wonder what it does to her psyche long term –
        
        Think of the Children Mike! FFS!!! Think of the Children!
        
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        February 6, 2020 1:36pm
  - Tall Man
    
    I have been down that path with the mods who may amend my comment should they wish.
    
    Mentioning the “first child” as part of a discussion is fine, even a negative discussion with the negativity directed at ardern but a comment deriding the child child for what the mother chooses to do is frowned upon and would possibly get the chop.
    
    What ardern did is disgusting and she is using her child as a political prop. Nothing more, nothing less.
    
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    February 6, 2020 4:16pm
Tall Man

“Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson also delivered a prayer in Māori”

I wonder if there were many “C” words in her prayer. What a bloody hypocrite she is.
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February 6, 2020 8:43am
- KevO'Brien
  
  What gods did She invoke?
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:13am
Biscuit

Indeed, Captain.

I really fail to see why folk buy into the notion of the’super manager’, the ‘wonderful leader’, the ‘inspirational captain’, the ‘visionary coach’.

Sport is sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose…
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February 6, 2020 8:44am
Tall Man

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2020/02/aussie-mum-praised-for-breastfeeding-son-on-shop-floor-despite-disgusted-customers.html

“Look at me look at me”…….
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February 6, 2020 8:45am
- chaos
  
  I take your look at me breastfeeding and top it
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPlT5QxVvX4
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:07am
- TripeWryter
  
  Well, it might be ‘look at me, look at me’.
  I am the (former) husband of a young mum who in a cafe one afternoon in 1979 flipped out her boob and our daughter docked.
  Her mum used a cloth to ensure, well, modesty. Everything unobtrusive.
  The reaction was interesing. Somebody from the caff wanted her to go to the Mothers’ Room. I told the cafe person that would not be necessary because we were doing nothing wrong. Also, Mothers’ Rooms those days were often disgusting: basic, cold, unhygienic, unfriendly, dirty.
  Mainly women patrons expressed their outrage and disgust.
  Quite often, I’ve found, it’s always the women.
  I argued with the cafe owners, a married couple, and finally the Missus had had enough. We packed up and left. Never went there again.
  It wasn’t the only time.
  Listen: there is nothing disgusting about a mother breastfeeding, and in public.
  The harassment, outrage, and expressions of disgust at a mother doing what is most natural to her and her baby has to stop.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:47am
  - chaos
    
    There is something absolutely stupid about a mother sitting on the floor, in the middle of a shopping aisle breastfeeding, this was certainly a look at me moment. Placing herself in the middle of the aisle so no one can get past her.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:09am
    - TripeWryter
      
      It might be stupid, as well as look-at-me, Chaos.
      From the photo I saw there was plenty of room to get around her.
      Here’s what you do: don’t embarrass her, don’t make things awkward for her, don’t make her feel awkward.
      You walk around her or you find another aisle.
      It’s not hard. What ever the inconvenience to you is minor.
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:03am
      - chaos
        
        Ah no, here is what you do, you find a suitable place to feed your child and not pretend that this is all about you and your child. Plenty of spaces in a shop a mother could feed their child without stopping people from doing their shopping. And to take a shops product and lay it out on the floor around you while you breast feed, with another child taking up the aisle beside you taking the photos. no there was no way in the photo she took to get around her.
        
        Nothing wrong with people breast feeding in public, plenty wrong with people like this woman who decide that it’s all about her and her child and fuck everyone else. Plenty of places in target she could of sat down and breast feed the child without sitting on a floor blocking people’s path. And that is what some of these people need to stop and consider, their child needs feeding but how can I do it without interfering with others in the shop shopping.
        
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        February 6, 2020 11:45am
    - GoVege
      
      The stupid shop should provide seats for tired/ harrassed or elderly or disabled patrons to sit on, or the only alternative is the floor.
      I take it the reason many don’t these days is because they just want shoppers to buy their stuff and then p**s off.
      Not taking into account that the customer are human beings with human needs, not robots.
      
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      February 6, 2020 3:13pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Some people find it hard to cope with women being mothers.
    
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    February 6, 2020 10:19am
    - Tall Man
      
      And some people just find it difficult to cope, like you mikey.
      
      Next time you need a dump, how about you drop your trousers wherever and let it go, after all, it’s natural and no. I’m not equating breastfeeding with taking a crap but they are both natural functions.
      
      I suggest you read the article and absorb the facts. The kid was three so was not desperate for food as breast milk was his only source of food, there were more private spaces and I would imagine she would also been able to “feed” the kid with a little more discretion than flopping on the floor and flopping out her breast without any covering. How would she feel if some bloke sat down in front of her and watched her? I’ll guarantee she would have railed at the world via social media.
      
      So I stick with my first comment, it was nothing more than a provocative look at me moment.
      
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      February 6, 2020 4:10pm
- Lizziep
  
  Anxiety all her life yet can breast feed her child in front of all the shoppers???? I think not.
  
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  February 6, 2020 12:19pm
  - GoVege
    
    Breastfeeding releases hormones that calm an anxious mum down.
    How on earth would countless babies have been successfully breastfed over millions of generations if mum was a nervous wreck during the process?
    
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    February 6, 2020 3:08pm
- Rachael Membery
  
  She could have just pulled off to the side.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:55pm
peterwn

Winston seems very tetchy at the moment making digs at Simon Bridges. Despite his brave face National’s decision to rule out forming a coalition with NZF has obviously significantly de-powered Winston. So he is left hoping that a revolt within the National caucus will pot the possibility of a National/ NZF coalition back on the table.
Interesting too that BFD is continuing to dig at Simon, latest one being that the National caucus has just become aware that they need a potential coalition partner. Sorry BFD writers, National has realised this sort of thing for quite some time, but is not going to hop into bed with NZF or any other flea ridden outfit that appears on the scene.
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February 6, 2020 8:47am
- Tony Stuart
  
  If there was any doubt that the BFD is a vehicle for Winston Peters, that has been well and truly erased in the last week or two.
  
  Bill English did the right thing in 2017, not caving in to Peters’ extravagant demands, and in ruling out any deal with NZF this year, Bridges has continued to do the right thing. If Peters is going to sit around waiting for the phone to ring later in the year, he’s in for a long and lonely wait.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:29am
  - yossarian
    
    My theory is that as the BFD crew is short of funds, and to help offset the legal fees of their lawyer (who is also Winston’s lawyer) that a bit of quid pro quo is going on.
    
    Notwithstanding they’re still delusional about how Telling everyone to support Winston to “keep National honest”
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:46am
    - Biscuit
      
      Yossarian, there are Nigerian billionaires sending me e-mails whom I trust more than Winston Peters…
      
      37 1
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      February 6, 2020 10:07am
  - rockape
    
    But one has to ask why? Is it just hatred of Slater for National except Collins or is he indebted some way to NZ First like bills to lawyers. Slater sold his soul and is now irrelevant.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:51am
    - peterwn
      
      I remember his very last posting in which he took a big dig at the other side’s lawyer and pleaded for more funds. The first part got redacted presumably he was reamed by his lawyer or the judge or both. Possibly his own lawyer pulled the plug. He became deeply depressed at that time leaving SB and others to pick up the pieces. Matt Blomfield and his lawyer must have been laughing their heads off.
      
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      February 6, 2020 3:47pm
- KevO'Brien
  
  I am fully confident with Ardern, Winston and Finance-Poobah cavorting, whining and spending there will be a National majority of epic proportions. We must not be complacent as this is likely to be a very dirty campaign and we will need to give as good as we get.
  It looks like a re-run of 1975.
  
  Winstone has been winded. His health is discernibly shaky and I see he has lost a lot of his real sharpness. We now get a lot of silly giggles to his own jokes. He should be retired. Age and booze does things.
  ☑️☑️Rout2020☑️☑️
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:23am
  - peterwn
    
    National’s internal polling indicated a rout was afoot in 1975 but Caucus kept very quiet about the result so the party machine, door knockers, letterbox stuffers, etc did not let up. So if National’s caucus senses there is a potential rout this time they will not want to be the hare in the race.
    
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    February 6, 2020 3:50pm
- Paulus
  
  What is BFD ?
  Sounds like a new disease.
  
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  February 6, 2020 2:26pm
  - peterwn
    
    A new name for Whaleoil since the property in http://www.whaleoil.co.nz and associated names passed to the Official Assignee thence to Matt Blomfield when Cam Slater filed for bankrupcy.
    I got banned from BFD for daring to commenting on this on Kiwiblog at the time and unlike Facebook restoring BFD when BFD was banned after 24 hours, in my case the 24 hours has long since passed.
    
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    February 6, 2020 3:54pm
Tall Man

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12306438

Woo Hoo … Bacon and neve for the media to feast on.

Things must not be going too well for ardern.
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February 6, 2020 8:51am
- Old White Loser
  
  Cooking bacon while Southland floods!
  
  We now know who in New Zealand is more Important!
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:06am
  - Tall Man
    
    ardern probably doesn’t care for oysters.
    
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    February 6, 2020 4:33pm
rightoverlabour

Posted this on the other blog that does respect freedom of speech. Was in response to this statement:
“David Parker on farmers fencing off waterways:

“I would also point out that the stock exclusion proposals do not apply to rivers less than one metre wide.”

Phew, had me worried there.”
Response:
“That’s interesting, How do you actually measure a river’s width. And with a tape measure is not the answer either! I have a “river” of sorts on my property. It only flows when there are these major flood events. So normally its dry. I received a communication some time last year or the previous one where it stated that my property was identified as having some watwer way and there was funding for fencing etc. But I would argue that the river is less than a metere wide, in fact it only exists when we have major flood events. I studied Geography. You can’t actually measure the width of a river. You can measure the width of the flood plain, but the width of the river varies as the rain fall does. As usual, Ministers in this goverment have no fucking idea.”
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February 6, 2020 8:55am
- projectman
  
  River: “a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another river”.
  
  Your occasionally-wet ‘river’ is just a water course.
  
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  February 6, 2020 11:47am
  - rightoverlabour
    
    Parker uses the term waterways
    
    “… a target of a generation to restore our waterways,” David Parker said.”
    https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-launches-action-plan-healthy-waterways
    
    Waterway – watercourse… is there a difference?
    
    And yes, I know my water way isn’t a “river”, but at what point does an occasional water course become a river and not just a watercourse. 2 years ago it sure looked like a little river….
    
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    February 6, 2020 12:11pm
iMP

ROMNEY votes 1/2 to impeach Trump.

What a load of disingenuous I-protesteth-too-much-on-conscience, God-made-me-do-it self serving pap from, Romney. He has always hated Trump and this is just that. Jeaousy, retribution, hatred dressed up as “God.”

1) He assumes the Schiff fantasy that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.
2) Both the Ukr presidet and foreign secretary confimred he never presured them to do so.
3) There was no investigation of the Bidens.
4) Trump released the USA aid anyway.
5) There is no evidential causal link between the aid and a Biden investigation.
6) 12 people heard the conversation, not one of them mentioned the Biden link.
7) The Ph transcript does not include one either.
8) Ambassador Bolton AT THE TIME never mentioned this alleged conspiracy, and he heard the conversation.
Romney has for the first time in US history a President almost 100% aligned with his moral and political framework. But he votes to “remove that President from office” on the non-evdential partisan hatchet-job of known liar Schiff and the hateful Democrats. Ri-ght.

Bye bye Romney, your career is over amongst your colleagues and the Conservative Repub. base.
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February 6, 2020 8:55am
- sgthree
  
  has Romney never heard of the benefit of the doubt going to the accused. You can’t on the one hand vote for the need to have more witnesses because there isn’t enough information to determine the case, then vote to convict based on the information at hand.
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:17am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  How the hell is Trump, a thrice-married, serial pussy-grabbing, multiple bankrupt, compulsive liar ‘100% aligned’ with Romney’s moral framework?
  
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  February 6, 2020 9:21am
  - JackRabbit
    
    So what do you think of our PM who is a [alleged -mod.] liar?
    
    [Please tone it down a bit JR – mod.]
    
    9 5
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    February 6, 2020 9:39am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Mod – if it is OK for mikenmildagain to use the c********e word, but not me, does that not show your personal bias?
      
      Subjective moderating is not a good look.
      
      [Mod: If you want to make statements such as I deemed inappropriate using your real name on your own public blog then feel free to go ahead. You are a guest on someone else’s blog, accept the decision and move on. I don’t care what someone else did.]
      
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      February 6, 2020 10:30am
    - alloytoo
      
      @Mod.
      
      There’s nothing alleged about Ardern’s lying, she has been exposed on numerous occasions when her “stories” simply haven’t added up.
      
      [JR made a statement about the NZ PM which I deemed inappropriate here. Understand what the term “please tone it down a bit” means. Ends. -mod.]
      
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      February 6, 2020 11:01am
  - JibberJabber
    
    LoL, triggered.
    
    16 2
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    February 6, 2020 9:41am
    - mark15
      
      Trump acquitted on both counts
      
      17 1
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      February 6, 2020 10:43am
  - peterwn
    
    Seems Donald Trump was never made personally bankrupt. Agreed he made extensive use of ‘Chapter 11’ proceedings which (unlike NZ laws) enable companies to keep functioning, presumably because the USA legislature regards it beneficial if stressed companies can keep operating even if detrimental to debtors. Alternative would be job losses and ‘fire sale’ of assets. Who can blame Donald (and other businessmen) for taking advantage of this when potential lenders and creditors are still willing to lend.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:50am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      Chapter 11 is not uncommon among many successful businesses. Variant forms of it are in use in NZ too.
      
      8 2
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      February 6, 2020 11:28am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Serial pussy grabbing. You have an example Mike? Not an opinion, an example. Or was it something he said but did not do?
    Come on loudmouth, or are you full of shit?
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:58am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Embrace the power of ‘and’
      
      15 2
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      February 6, 2020 10:00am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Sure, Steve. Here’s one list:
      https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-sexual-assault-allegations-all-list-misconduct-karen-johnson-how-many-a9149216.html
      
      3 20
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      February 6, 2020 11:21am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Opinions, never charged. All sound like Christine Ford stories. Once again, you can not provide proven examples – just a troll
        
        13 3
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        February 6, 2020 12:24pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Sure thing. Just a coincidence that dozens of women have recounted similar experiences about a man who just happens to have boasted about his sexual assaults…
        
        2 13
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        February 6, 2020 12:57pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Don’t get upset Mike. Trump is just getting what you never get.
        How does he sleep at night they ask? Naked, with a supermodel
        
        6 3
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        February 6, 2020 2:54pm
      - RW Capitalist
        
        and all stories, factually debunked.
        ALL these accusations went away, when at one of his speeches DJT said , regardless of the election results, he would sue all of them…next day….silence.
        
        4 1
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        February 6, 2020 3:47pm
  - rightoverlabour
    
    Romney is a Morman. They grab a lot of Pussy, even if its legal in their religion ( or was). At least more than us Catholics are allowed to…..
    
    11 3
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    February 6, 2020 12:02pm
- All_on_Red
  
  Apparently Orrin Hatch is furious.
  Mittens might find himself Primaried.
  
  12 1
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  February 6, 2020 9:59am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    I see one of the Fredos has already called for Romney to be expelled from the GOP. Very Stalinesque.
    
    3 19
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    February 6, 2020 11:23am
    - Ed Snack
      
      Romney’s just acting out his personal animus towards Trump, it’s not a principalled decision but a petty personal one.
      
      12 3
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      February 6, 2020 12:28pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Or, he was convinced by the evidence and is not scared of the ‘base’ like his whipped colleagues.
        
        3 13
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        February 6, 2020 12:58pm
      - Batman
        
        One spine to around 53 senators isn’t really a great sign for the future of the GOP.
        
        Servile little snowflake cucks, the lot of them ?
        
        4 15
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        February 6, 2020 1:43pm
      - RW Capitalist
        
        Romney…the winston peters of the GOP?
        
        2 1
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        February 6, 2020 3:49pm
  - Vory v zakone
    
    No the original real cucks were the 28 of 31 marginal Demtard House Reps who, under threat of being primaried, voted for the sham, partisan, non constitutional Articles of Impeachment.
    
    Of course their Senators are cucks as well, including Cryin’ Chuck in New York threatened by AOC.
    
    Say bye bye to the House, Speaker Pelosi.
    
    3 2
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    February 6, 2020 3:45pm
    - Batman
      
      Haha insults and school yard nicknames instead of anything approaching a coherent defence of Trump’s actions or the spineless GOP. Classic.
      
      2 6
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      February 6, 2020 5:23pm
RiP NZ

FFS.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119314921/pm-jacinda-arderns-daughter-neve-packs-away-boxes-at-waitangi

And this breathless tripe from the Herald,
‘Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s daughter Neve has joined her parents at Waitangi celebrations this morning.
The toddler was seen playing with boxes as father Clarke Gayford watched on.
She then moved into her mother’s arms’
44 1
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February 6, 2020 8:56am
- projectman
  
  FFS what utter garbage. The women’s mags would be proud of the Horrid.
  
  20 1
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  February 6, 2020 11:53am
- rightoverlabour
  
  So, we are not allowed to have a go at Neve ( which I believe is correct), but in that case why are the left doing their damnest to do exactly that. I have never posted a single comment on Neve. She has no control over her circumstances and does not deserve any criticism. Her mother shoud insist that there is no reporting on Neve that could be construed as having a political angle. Stuff deserves a major serve for this.
  
  21 1
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  February 6, 2020 11:59am
- Scooter
  
  No need for a 2nd baby or wedding, JA has her perfect prop.
  
  12 1
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  February 6, 2020 12:17pm
kevn

‘Pedal out a baby’ day. No photos?
No, it’s all on for this occasion.
42 1
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February 6, 2020 8:59am
- JackRabbit
  
  Grandstanding?
  
  Neve R
  
  25 1
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  February 6, 2020 9:28am
- chaos
  
  Election year, the baby will be rolled out for the media constantly now.
  
  21 1
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  February 6, 2020 10:54am
- lifesgood
  
  OK I made a very similar remark to this one and got a nasty reply from the mod about baby targeting. A bit of consistency on here would be a good thing. BTW, kevn, I agree with you.
  
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  February 6, 2020 5:32pm
The only red for me is that of Manchester United

Radio New Zealand have announced that they will be removing Concert radio off the FM band and replacing Concert with a youth channel aim at 18 – 34 year olds. Concert will move to AM and will be automated.

I listen to Radio New Zealand Concert. In fact it’s playing right now. It serves a place in New Zealand for those of us who don’t wish to listen to commercial radio, nor National. Concert went through a bit of a programming change this this last. The presenters are younger and a equal mix of male and female. The format of concert works well. Performances by the NZSO and the Auckland Philharmonia are recorded and played at a later date. Or a live crossover takes place. That does well to support live New Zealand artists. It’s not known if that will continue. And if it is an automated radio station then we might not have anyone announcing the music. The AM frequency is dreadful to receive reception on. To try and even attempt to listen to classical music on AM is going to be sub par. Reception would be dreadful. Listeners will be able to stream concert, or use freeview. I object to using my data when my taxpayers dollars have gone to Radio New Zealand with the expectation that broadcasting will be free to receive.

There are plenty of commercial radio stations that cater to the youth of New Zealand. Kiwi FM shut down several years ago. Radio New Zealand’s digital youth radio station closed down around two years ago, because nobody was listening to it.

John Key once hinted at tinkering with Concert, but the left sent out enough protest for Key to back off. Why does Labour have to meddle in every small aspect of peoples’ lives? I’ll be writing letters to ministers to express my opposition to this move.
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February 6, 2020 9:06am
- Fletch
  
  I don’t know any 18 – 34 year olds who listen to the radio. Maybe only in the car? Most younger people stream music nowadays over Spotify or similar services. They tailor-make their playlists to order so they’re always listening to stuff they like. Whoever had the idea to change Concert FM into a youth station is woefully behind the times.
  
  27 2
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  February 6, 2020 9:34am
- Jade Warrior
  
  If you are a music oriented station (as concert FM is) then you need to be on the FM band. There is no way that AM comes close.
  
  Interestingly, I note that the Titahi Bay AM transmitting station appear to be rebuilding the mast that was taken down four years ago. Perhaps the transition of the concert programme from FM to AM is already a done deal. ?
  
  17 1
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  February 6, 2020 9:45am
  - Sydney Alvarado
    
    They are mad if they think anyone will listen to classical music on AM
    
    18 1
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    February 6, 2020 10:22am
    - adamsmith1922
      
      Well it is RNZ pitching to the woke PM and wannabe DJ Ardern
      
      8 2
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      February 6, 2020 11:17am
- peterwn
  
  Presumably they will use the network of 8 AM mono transmitters that used to broadcast Concert but now broadcast Parliament. RNZ does not even mention this ‘network’ on its web site. Presumably they will only broadcast Concert when Parliament is not sitting and the only purpose would be to keep some Concert presence on air as an interim measure until more serious listeners arrange alternative delivery.
  
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  February 6, 2020 10:12am
- wreck1080
  
  Why should I pay so you can listen to your elitest and snobby music ?
  
  If you and your fellow concert fm listeners are so important, why can’t you pay your own way?
  
  5 11
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  February 6, 2020 10:37am
  - Ed Snack
    
    We do, pay way too much tax with little enough return.
    
    This decision is just another way to feed money to the favoured group who will “create” and dish up the tripe they want to describe as music. It will get minuscule audiences at best, but will succeed in sending millions to the “right” people. Just more corrupt actions by corrupt people.
    
    9 1
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    February 6, 2020 12:31pm
JibberJabber

LoL Pelosi,
https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1224898547289509888

79 going on 12.
27 4
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February 6, 2020 9:17am
- Swifty
  
  What’s the mouth thing with her JibberJabber, do you know?
  
  Facial tick?
  
  12 3
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  February 6, 2020 10:35am
  - JibberJabber
    
    Either dementia or afraid of her teeth falling out or both, I`ve noticed a lot of geriatrics do the same thing.
    Pelosi does it quite often.
    
    17 4
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    February 6, 2020 11:05am
- Garbageman
  
  The funniest part is she has now been caught on video pre-ripping the papers, so the old crone had it planned but didn’t want her moment of glory busted by her shriveled old hands failing her, i don’t think it matters if you like Trump or not anymore as i doubt the Dems could sink much lower or get any more spiteful or childish, this election is his to lose as most Americans will be sick to death after over 3 years of this never ending bullshit
  
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  February 6, 2020 12:59pm
Yvette

Bishop burns National leader Simon Bridges for no-show at dawn service.

Oh, God! – not the bloody Burning Bridges line again

The Rt Rev’d Te Kitohi Pikaahu kicked off the Thursday morning dawn service at Te Whare Rūnanga, or ‘upper marae’, by going through the morning’s schedule and announcing who would speak.

He said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would speak as well as the leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges – but Bridges wasn’t there, and the bishop made a joke about how National MP Alfred Ngaro would speak instead.

Seems the Bishop went to considerable effort to point out Bridges’ absence and laugh at Ngaro.

He looked around as if trying to find Bridges, and paused before saying: “Alfred is named in the booklet so you just bump yourself up the ladder.”

So everyone had a booklet – in fact there was no need for the Bishop to say anything.
As was his treatment of Winston, who apparently wasn’t there either.
But will Winston berate The Rt Rev’d Te Kitohi Pikaahu as another person politicising Waitangi?
No, I don’t think so
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February 6, 2020 9:21am
- MrTips
  
  Who cares what a pretend Bishop thinks?
  
  (stands back after pointing out the deeply politically incorrect, but true fact of the matter)
  
  24 3
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  February 6, 2020 9:51am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    How does on e define a ‘real’ bishop?
    
    2 14
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    February 6, 2020 11:24am
    - Engelbert Humperdink
      
      When an actress has a conversation with him.
      
      15 0
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      February 6, 2020 1:26pm
  - sam green
    
    How is he a “pretend” bishop?
    
    2 11
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    February 6, 2020 1:51pm
    - MrTips
      
      Because Henry VIII was a thief and murderous sod.
      
      7 1
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      February 6, 2020 4:32pm
      - sam green
        
        Rrrrrrighto. Not an Anglican then?
        
        3 0
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        February 6, 2020 6:28pm
      - Tall Man
        
        He was dumb enough to ask !!!!!!!
        
        3 1
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        February 6, 2020 8:07pm
      - sam green
        
        Still with the hate. Sigh.
        
        1 0
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        February 6, 2020 9:14pm
- Gravelroad
  
  Bridges said on radio yesterday afternoon that he had committed to go to Waitangi Day activities in Tauranga today.
  Is that not good enough for Mr Bishop?
  
  34 1
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  February 6, 2020 10:34am
- Inandout
  
  Yvette, Winston doesn’t do ‘dawn thingies’. He doesn’t front up to radio interviews before 11am.
  
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  February 6, 2020 12:41pm
Komata

Weren’t Nancy P’s actions post SOTU absolutely marvellous and so very revealing?

The ‘Theatre of the absurd’ writ large, and the icing on the cake for the entire Russia / impeachment charade.

It will be interesting to see the MSM try to explain it all away…
34 2
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February 6, 2020 9:23am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  The second one . . .
  
  https://twitter.com/i/status/1224900886171922433
  
  7 1
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  February 6, 2020 9:53am
  - Ed Snack
    
    I would have put Pelosi’s actions at a slightly older age group, more like 11-12 as a “mean girls” act.
    
    It is hard to imagine just how petty and mean spirited the Democrats will get as the 2020 campaign continues.
    
    10 1
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    February 6, 2020 12:34pm
  - Tall Man
    
    I find pelosi’s lip movement quite reptilian…
    
    2 3
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    February 6, 2020 4:24pm
    - Batman
      
      What about McConnell’s face and neck? Dude looks like a legit frog/lizard ?
      
      All of them need to hurry up and retire anyway. Including Pelosi, who’s 79. McConnell is 77.
      
      3 6
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      February 6, 2020 5:08pm
Vallager

It’s a public holiday, and our poor old hard working PM can’t take a much needed day off.
It’s rotten luck for her, but we should be so grateful that we have such a leader, who puts nation above self interest. Hurrah for Jacinda!
22 5
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February 6, 2020 9:38am
- KevO'Brien
  
  Try another forum for interns.
  
  9 1
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  February 6, 2020 11:31am
- alloytoo
  
  Please support the allegation that the PM is “Hard Working.”
  
  It’s absurd.
  
  8 2
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  February 6, 2020 2:35pm
- Tall Man
  
  I really think it is unkind to call “what’s in it for wynston” “she”.
  
  3 1
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  February 6, 2020 4:25pm
- Sacha
  
  Will she get time-and-a-half, and a day in lieu for working a public holiday?
  
  0 0
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  February 6, 2020 10:01pm
chaos

* Over 300,000 migrants have arrived in New Zealand in the last decade and are now set to play a key role in the 2020 election. Voters in the Indian communities are particularly unhappy with the Labour-NZ First coalition’s migration rhetoric and policies. Dileepa Fonseka reports some regular Labour voters are set to jump to National.*

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/unhappy-indian-voters-eye-shift-to-national/ar-BBZGBKI?li=BBqdg4K
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February 6, 2020 9:54am
- Muzza M
  
  [Mod: MM – Your comment has been deleted as it was offensive. Please if you wish to discuss a NZ community, then do not do it in a way that is so derogatory.]
  
  0 9
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  February 6, 2020 11:29am
  - Muzza M
    
    OK Mod, (Kokila ?), in my defence I didn’t tar them ALL with the same brush.
    
    10 3
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    February 6, 2020 12:58pm
mikenmildagain

Important as Waitangi Day is, we should not forget that today is also the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. So don’t be out there tolerating FGM today, please.
It’s also the 68th anniversary of the accession of our monarch.
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February 6, 2020 9:59am
LTA1955

Outbreak of TDS imminent across USA…..Trump is acquitted of all charges
23 3
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February 6, 2020 10:35am
mark15

Trump acquitted on both counts
22 2
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February 6, 2020 10:38am
rangitoto

Good news. Trump found innocent of the fabricated charges brought to the Senate by the Dimmocrat party.
26 8
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February 6, 2020 10:43am
- rightoverlabour
  
  I knew today was going to be a great day to celebrate. I am also celebrating being a White, Heterosexual, Catholic, Climate Skeptic, Right Wing, Conservative, Male. MAGA and MAGA. (maybe we should rename 6th February MAGA Day?).
  
  16 5
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  February 6, 2020 11:52am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Similarly, except I’m Protestant and I’ve got age too.
    
    4 1
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    February 6, 2020 5:17pm
Maggy Wassilieff

The Greta Cult loses a member

https://notrickszone.com/2020/02/05/former-fridays-for-future-teen-activist-reveals-cult-like-control-hostility-leftist-infiltration/
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February 6, 2020 11:18am
- rightoverlabour
  
  Yup Patrick Moore had a similar experience with Greenpeace. Eventually intelligence wins over subservience. Now all she has to do is start following Tony Heller.
  
  22 2
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  February 6, 2020 11:47am
- Stephieboy2
  
  MW,” Sina, aged 14..’ Is that all?
  
  2 28
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  February 6, 2020 11:53am
  - JackRabbit
    
    So young children are OK, and should be believed when signing petitions requesting plastic bags be banned, and should be believed when they wag school to demonstrate over Climate Change.
    
    But when they see the Climate Change cult for what it really is, you treat them as just young children.
    
    22 2
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    February 6, 2020 12:42pm
    - Stephieboy2
      
      Jack Rabbit, it would be helpful and much more credible if “Sina’s” full name was given ( like Greta’s) to establish authenticity,
      
      https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/notrickszone/
      
      1 17
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      February 6, 2020 2:08pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Why would it be more credible?
        
        Click on the imbedded TV interview and you will see she is not making any attempt to disguise who she is.
        
        15 1
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        February 6, 2020 2:36pm
      - alloytoo
        
        Credible, like Greta’s twitter feed is managed?
        
        7 1
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        February 6, 2020 3:00pm
      - Stephieboy2
        
        MW, I was also alluding to the credibility of Notrickszone which is not much!
        
        We only have Sina as a name. Now imagine if we had only Greta.
        
        2 7
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        February 6, 2020 3:00pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        No, you specifically mentioned that Sina should give her full name to establish credibility.
        
        I may remind you that I give my full name… and look at the nasty sexual/psychobabble crap I have had to put up with from you and your fellow trolls.
        
        I hate to think what a 14 year-old climate-denying girl would be exposed to if she revealed all her details.
        
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        February 6, 2020 8:07pm
      - JackRabbit
        
        “We only have Sina as a name. Now imagine if we had only Greta”
        
        Stephie,
        
        We do only have Greta as a name. Who she really is as an individual is probably lost forever. She is not who once could have been. She has become an automaton.
        
        What Sina is describing about being told what to say and how to act, by her handlers, is what any intelligent astute person can see in Greta.
        
        1) Greta suffers from Autism / Aspergers. Anyone who understands Autism / Aspergers immediately recognise the traits in Greta. But we don’t have to guess at that since the parents have openly volunteered that information.
        
        2) In the most part, those suffering from Autism have obsessive personalities.
        
        3) With obsessive personalities comes the inability to be rational about something they have taken on as a belief.
        
        4) With obsessive personalities comes the inability to let things go. It is immaterial whether the autistic suffer is right or wrong – they cannot let things go, long after it is irrelevant or proven wrong.
        
        5) For the most part, Autistic people are not spontaneous where said spontaneity requires underlying spontaneous thinking.
        
        6) It is very hard to get something out of the head of an Autistic person, if they believe it is true, whether it is true or not.
        
        7) If an Autistic person believes it is true, then attempts by anyone to discredit that belief are seen as enemies.
        
        8) For the most part, Autistic people require set routines and life has to be scripted. For the most part, Autistic people thrive on having set routines. However they can erupt if unexpected change occurs. Having stability, and not feeding obsessions is paramount.
        
        9) Once there is stability, spontaneity can be nurtured. It is a growing process.
        
        10) In situations where Greta has been asked questions about Climate Change she has not been able to answer. She is only able to repeat apparently scripted or rehearsed statements. This shows a lack of ability to rationally consider new or opposing ideas, also an Autistic trait.
        
        11) Her twitter account and social media were managed. As per her condition, she is incapable of spontaneous interaction.
        
        12) Greta’s parents lost the battle years ago and gave in to her obsessions and then it occurred to them that the obsession was useful and that they could capitilise on it (in pushing Climate Change agenda). It is highly likely that they themselves have somewhat obsessive personalities.
        
        Anyone who understands Autism / Aspergers can also immediately recognise that Greta has been abused by her parents feeding and using her condition to promote their own agenda. Their only agenda should have been to help their child.
        
        To an Autistic person, the long term mental damage of feeding the Autism and obsessions, and in Greta’s case turbocharging it by grandstanding her on the public stage, is on par with a normal child being abused in other ways. Greta has lost all chance of ever being normal.
        
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/toxic-parenting-myths-make-life-harder-for-people-with-autism-that-must-change/2019/02/25/24bd60f6-2f1b-11e9-813a-0ab2f17e305b_story.html
        
        https://www.autism.org.uk/about/behaviour/obsessions-repetitive-routines.aspx
        
        https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/behaviour/understanding-behaviour/obsessive-behaviour-asd
        
        https://iancommunity.org/cs/challenging_behavior/challenging_behavior_restricted_interests
        
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        February 7, 2020 8:19am
Happychappy

Unhappy Indian Voters eye shift to National
Over 300,000 migrants arrived in NZ in the last decade and are now set to play a key roll in the 2020 General Election.
Voters in the Indian communities are particularly with the Labour- NZ First Coalition’s migration rhetoric and policies Dileepa Fonseka reports some regular Labour voters are set to jump to National. Paul Spoonley notes ” I think the immigrant and minority ethnic vote is going to be critical this Election, what has happened is between 2013/ 2018 we got our largest net gain of migrants ever 260,000″. That number were people who had settled long term in NZ as permanent residents so will have voting right at the 2020 General Election.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/02/06/1019249/migrant-votes-critical-to-election. My wife says many Indians that work for Countdown tell her they will never vote Labour again while Winston Peters is part of the Coalition.
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February 6, 2020 11:22am
- Jack5
  
  Third World, here we come …
  
  For the last three years, NZ has had probably the highest rate of immigration in the developed countries of the OECD.
  
  The population surge has pushed up the GDP as you would expect, but in GDP per capita, which is the true international measure of wealth, NZ is flat. We will undoubtedly fall further behind Australia.
  
  In productivity, NZ’s performance is worse. This is at least partly because poorly focused high immigration fosters growth of industry based on cheap labour.
  
  An acquaintance who taught IT at a private educational college told me that 90 per cent of the mainly Indian students he taught had no intention of working in IT. Real estate was the most common target occupation.
  
  When our immigration levels are at record levels, what do Indians want? An open border, and a still higher inflow of Indians?
  
  This pair of economic facts gives the lie to the belief that pure GDP growth is the best national target:
  
  India’s GDP – 3rd in the world.
  Indian’s GDP per capita – 156th in the world.
  
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  February 6, 2020 12:08pm
  - tf78
    
    Welfare dependency and too much dole money has created this problem. Don’t know how you fix it now without increasing crime for income instead of welfare. Jacinda just ripped the scab off the wound that was healing under Bill English’s policies which were just starting to make a visible difference. MAKE MAMMA GO AWAY!
    
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    February 6, 2020 6:04pm
  - GoVege
    
    Jack5, you can’t expect a country with a caste and dowry system to have high productivity.
    ALL sexist societies fail to prosper because 52% of the population are effectively disabled by the way they are ill-treated.
    (Of course that percentage would be going way down thanks to gender selective abortion. )
    Indians (and other cultures) who come here eventually learn that they can’t treat their women like second class citizens.
    A large part of the problem is their women’s reluctance to call the police on their husbands.
    And in the past women’s refuges sometimes rather unkindly declined to give help to abused Asian women unless they agreed to leave their husbands.
    Fortunately they now have their own Asian women’s refuges.
    
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    February 6, 2020 9:37pm
- BananaLlama
  
  Paula Bennett, who is running National’s campaign, said many Indian voters felt “let down” recently by the coalition Government around key issues like law and order.
  
  Yeah i bet they do. A bit of a trope but i imagine the Indian shop keepers are sick of it and the communities they live in aren’t the safest either.
  
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  February 6, 2020 12:21pm
Hugh Pavletich

NEW ZEALAND …DUNEDIN’S HOUSING DISASTER …

House prices in Dunedin rise 20.8% (over year … QV) … Jacob McSweeny … Otago Daily Times

https://www.odt.co.nz/business/property/houseprices-dunedin-rise-208

Dunedin’s house values are up by more than 20% on last year, which is more than double the increase in any other main centre, according to new figures.

Quotable Value’s [QV] House Price Index data for January has Dunedin’s houses up 8.4% from just three months ago. …

… In January, the 16th annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey rated all New Zealand markets ‘‘severely unaffordable’’.

It found Dunedin people were being evicted from their rentals and struggling to keep a roof over their head.

Dunedin’s housing market had become more unaffordable than Wellington’s, it said.

Survey co-author Hugh Pavletich said there was no doubt affordability was getting worse.

‘‘This survey is a huge wake-up call, basically, for all involved at central and local government.

‘‘The whole situation has moved from a crisis to a disaster.’’

Nationally, house values were up 4.4% to an average of $714,747. … read more via hyperlink above …
.
.
… What ‘new supply lessons’ are being learned from Greater Christchurch (Christchurch, Waimakariri, Selwyn Council Areas) thanks in large measure to the dynamic and responsive smaller Councils of Waimakariri and Selwyn ?

No wonder New Zealand’s increasingly affordable larger metro Greater Christchurch population growth is about 2% per annum … in contrast to Auckland’s 1.5% per annum.

As this year’s Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey illustrates, at 7.0 times annual household incomes, New Zealand housing is double the cost of American housing at 3.6 times annual household incomes.

When can we expect land supply and proper infrastructure debt financing to be ‘sorted out’, so like the Americans, we can be provided with serviced lots / sections at or below $50,000 (refer US Section this years Demographia Survey or 2019 Section http://www.PerformanceUrbanPlanning.org …

New survey ranks NZ’s most and least affordable cities … Anne Gibson … NZ Herald

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12301144

Tired of the traffic hassles and back-to-work blues? Thought of moving to Christchurch to get a better life and lifestyle? That city turns out to be by far our most affordable when incomes are compared to house prices.

Down south, the house prices are low but the incomes are high and out of eight areas just surveyed throughout New Zealand, Christchurch house-buyers have by far the best deal financially. … read more via hyperlink above …
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February 6, 2020 11:41am
- Hugh Pavletich
  
  … Are Dunedin (and other) property buyers professional advisors clearly explaining the different risk profiles of true market value and artificial political / planning scarcity value … and what lessons were learnt by the Central Bank of Ireland following the 2007 event ? … access background research via ….
  
  Cantral Bank of Ireland – Mortgage Measures
  
  https://www.centralbank.ie/financial-system/financial-stability/macro-prudential-policy/mortgage-measures
  .
  .
  A clear structural definition of an affordable housing market …
  
  Structural Definition of an Affordable Housing Market – Performance Urban Planning
  
  http://www.performanceurbanplanning.org/affordability.html
  
  4 13
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  February 6, 2020 11:43am
- KevO'Brien
  
  When there’s no margin left to make money in one market the property arbitrage team move onto another. It looks like the FED will keep feeding the money supply for a a while longer so the games afoot.
  
  1 1
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  February 6, 2020 5:10pm
Harriet

Here’s a big shout out to all my besties getting ready for the Sydney Mardi Gra

Make Arseholes Great Again

Pray Instead.

😎 😎 😎 😎
7 7
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February 6, 2020 12:17pm
- Tall Man
  
  Go away robbo, you’ve got your own blog .. it’s called the Standard 😉
  
  5 2
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  February 6, 2020 7:03pm
trout

re the Concert programme I listen to it on Freeview (via satellite) when I am travelling; reception is excellent. Will this not now be in stereo?
6 0
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February 6, 2020 12:24pm
- Rodney Randall
  
  “when I am travelling”
  
  Lucky for you,if you are retired and have a hyperbolic dish on your campervan/motorhome.
  
  AM shite for the rest of us when mobile.
  
  6 3
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  February 6, 2020 1:32pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Are the benefits of hyperbolic dishes greatly exaggerated?
    
    2 5
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    February 6, 2020 3:36pm
    - Tall Man
      
      I don’t know mikey but .. there are few microwave transmitters near you .. maybe you could stand under them and let us know what the effects are .. if any 😉
      
      3 1
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      February 6, 2020 7:00pm
- peterwn
  
  The Concert Programme infrastructure and FM transmitters are stereo. Concert on Freeview, Sky or internet would presumably remain stereo. It is the AM transmitters that would be mono. Although stereo can be and has been broadcast on AM transmitters, AM stereo has died out because of a lack of AM stereo receivers (Even though the FM part of a receiver is stereo, it is unlikely that the AM part is also stereo).
  Being cynical the proposal would seem to be the first stage of dumping the Concert Programme completely and it is not being dumped in one go to limit the political backlash. Listening numbers are likely to plummet giving an excuse to pull the plug completely.
  
  1 0
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  February 6, 2020 7:13pm
chaos

It complaining, but I have had to pay no gst on international purchases since it came in. The businesses doesn’t charge it and haven’t had to pay it once it gets here
6 1
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February 6, 2020 12:26pm
- arkhad
  
  Lucky you – I have had GST added automatically to amazon and aliexpress purchases at the checkout phase. They don’t call it that but the price rise from that advertised is always +15%.
  
  3 0
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  February 6, 2020 4:20pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Who collects that 15%. And do they pass it on to NZ?
    
    5 2
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    February 6, 2020 5:27pm
    - arkhad
      
      The websites collect it ( they previously did not) so can only assume it is being passed on to the gobblement? Good topic for an OIA perhaps?
      
      3 0
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      February 6, 2020 6:36pm
  - chaos
    
    yeah the company I brought from doesn’t do gst, so I’ll keep using them and not their amazon account
    
    3 0
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    February 6, 2020 5:37pm
  - Tall Man
    
    @METOO 😉
    
    3 1
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    February 6, 2020 6:58pm
- info@cruzpro.com
  
  As a business we are allowed to reclaim the GST that we pay for purchases off AliExpress but the amounts are so small that it’s not actually worth our while because the cost of entering the GST into our accounting package exceeds the amount of the refund.
  
  4 0
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  February 6, 2020 7:47pm
rightoverlabour

Well at least the Californians who hate Trump are waking up to lovely warm weather….

https://electroverse.net/sudden-freeze-brings-record-breaking-cold-to-california/
8 2
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February 6, 2020 12:36pm
rightoverlabour

This Corona Virus has me worried. What is the truth? I dont trust the Chinese, I dont trust our Government, I have no faith in our minister of Religion ( oops health), I don’t trust the MSM, or the UN or the WHO. I just really don’t know. I saw some youtube stuff that seems to be smuggled out of China, that looked really bad, but is it true? Who bloody knows?

http://joannenova.com.au/2020/02/coronavirus-huge-ghost-statistics-mysteriously-come-and-go-a-hint-of-much-worse/
14 2
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February 6, 2020 12:44pm
- JackRabbit
  
  Your sentiments probably echo a large sector of the NZ population right now.
  
  Suffice to say that unless a given news outlet or authority has direct access to the facts, and a history of ONLY reporting the facts, they will spin the story to the outcome they want.
  
  As the company in the link, Tencent, are not exactly a bastion of honesty, sharing the bed with the CCP.
  
  7 1
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  February 6, 2020 2:14pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  More deaths (official) are being reported each day.
  
  Now up to 560 confirmed deaths.
  
  Clearly the outbreak in Wuhan has not peaked.
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/feb/06/coronavirus-live-updates-in-china-wuhan-coronaviruses-outbreak-death-toll-latest-update-news
  
  9 1
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  February 6, 2020 2:48pm
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    Ambrose Evans Pritchard in the UK Daily Telegraph is saying that the death toll may be 10x what the PRC are reporting.
    
    5 0
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    February 6, 2020 4:34pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Yep, The Melbourne Age is also running his piece
      
      The coronavirus numbers are fiction. Far more have died than 490. A Lancet study last week by the University of Hong Kong estimated that the Chinese authorities have understated the epidemic tenfold. It calculated even then that the true figure for Wuhan cases was likely to be 76,000, and that Chongqing and Changsha are already riddled with the disease. “Independent self-sustaining outbreaks in major cities globally may become inevitable,” it said.
      
      Views differ but it is striking how many global experts say it may already be too late to stop the spread. “It’s very, very transmissible, and it almost certainly is going to be a pandemic,” said Anthony Fauci, head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
      
      It is the same warning from an “increasingly alarmed” Peter Piot at London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The danger is that it will become endemic and circulate everywhere like flu, a manageable headwind for rich countries but certain havoc for Africa or South Asia.
      
      https://www.theage.com.au/business/markets/the-coronavirus-is-far-from-under-control-and-the-threat-to-the-global-economy-is-growing-20200206-p53y72.html
      
      8 0
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      February 6, 2020 5:22pm
- Harriet
  
  It’s the amount of anger from Chinese diplomatic staff towards foreign governments for taking reasonable steps in safe guarding their civilian populations from harm that has real concerns for me, as it shows the true face of China – total disregard for all others at all times, for the benefit of the CCP and their internal authority.
  
  People have to realise that anything China does inside or outside China – is first and foremost for the benefit of the CCP — it is not about benefitting the Chinese people first and foremost, as that is not what communist rulers do.
  
  8 1
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  February 6, 2020 2:53pm
  - tf78
    
    Harriet, Mmmmmm sounds very close to home.
    
    3 0
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    February 6, 2020 5:51pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Sounds like team ardern and team “what’s in it for wynston”.
    
    3 1
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    February 6, 2020 6:42pm
- Stephieboy2
  
  Joannae Nova has zero credibility which is not a good start. But more faith in our Health authorities and medical professionals which is a much better start
  
  It also pays not to be afflicted with Paranoia and fear-mongering a very poor start.
  
  1 11
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  February 6, 2020 3:05pm
  - Stephieboy2
    
    And don’t forget the SARS virus and how that was overcome!!
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome
    
    1 10
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    February 6, 2020 3:09pm
  - chaos
    
    No, you have zero credibility, do try to keep up because all the link above is mentioning is what other news sites are now reporting on. But you know that so you prefer to troll a conversation than deal with what is in the conversation because google hasn’t got anything for you to post yet on that screen shot. Seriously mods, time to put an end to trolling, it is against the site rules and this person uses it solely to try and stop a conversation
    
    7 1
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    February 6, 2020 8:01pm
  - rightoverlabour
    
    Like the way they dealt with the Measles outbreak? LOL….
    
    And if you don’t like fear-mongering stop talking shit about catastrophic climate change. You can’t have it both ways, twat.
    
    1 0
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    February 6, 2020 9:49pm
- Inandout
  
  The videos in China show some disturbing footage of bodies being carried out of houses and whole streets being fumigated. One cruise liner friends had booked on has been berthed and their long awaited holiday has been changed almost by the hour. I just hope the true fatality stats aren’t 25,000.
  
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  February 6, 2020 3:50pm
- Tall Man
  
  Stay home, dose yourself with liberal quantities of any decent Irish whiskey and throw stones at anyone who comes to your door … especially if they are wearing a red rosette 😉
  
  5 0
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  February 6, 2020 6:52pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Oh dear!

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/02/supporters-cheer-as-brian-tamaki-blasts-parasite-immigrants-at-waitangi-day-service.html
11 1
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February 6, 2020 2:01pm
- chaos
  
  Weird, I consider Brian to be a parasite, just can’t find a worm pill big enough for him.
  
  14 0
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  February 6, 2020 2:05pm
  - Tall Man
    
    But like a broken watch, even a parasite can get it right once in a while.
    
    8 2
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    February 6, 2020 4:17pm
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Someone has to stand against muslimisation.
    
    6 5
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    February 6, 2020 5:04pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      He leaves his most vicious attacks for Labour…
      
      Listen to his entire speech…. no wonder the media want to deflect it to an anti-immigration rant….
      
      He only spends a minute or so on the sell-off of NZ lands.
      
      8 3
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      February 6, 2020 5:19pm
- GoVege
  
  That’s strange.
  My doctor/ pharmacist/ blood tester/ builder/ plumber/ and most other trained professionals I deal with are all immigrants.
  I have a sneaking suspicion their taxes are paying the bennies of all these losers complaining about them…. 🙂
  
  12 1
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  February 6, 2020 2:51pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Mine are not but ….. you are correct on one level, most of these “professional immigrants” don’t just work for a living, they are desperately needed in most communities for a variety of reasons.
    
    However, there is a sector of “economic refugees” that do create a strain on our limited resources and that is an issue.
    
    Also, and this may struggle to get past our sensitive new mod but ….. here goes…
    
    I find it really odd that ardern and marama said their prayers today when both are clearly not even remotely Christian and one of the first things the labour coalition did was remove the “prayer” from Parliament yet fell over themselves to broadcast the muslim prayer in Parliament. That still does not sit well with me and I would hardly call myself a religious man .. unlike young Scott 🙂
    
    7 1
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    February 6, 2020 6:26pm
    - GoVege
      
      My gosh…I forgot my Indian dentists and banking consultants.
      They are great, too.
      The dentists are just totally 100% caring and dedicated.
      (Unlike a Pakeha 18 years ago who left me with a wrongly filled molar that rotted from the inside, taking the tooth next to it as well.)
      The Indian dentists are wonderful with my disabled son also.
      Yes, its a problem with some of the refugees.
      I know two Maori women who married Vietnamese refugees.
      They had beautiful children but the husbands weren’t exactly committed and left, taking no interest in the kids.
      I have known other refugees who have never worked sonce they got here.
      The kind of immigrants we need are those prepared to make the effort to succeed, and are not just here to live on handouts.
      
      1 0
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      February 6, 2020 9:21pm
- Close Hen Counters
  
  Brian Tamaki the gift that keeps on giving …. claims the gummint is not fixing the poor maori and here is a bloke who demands 10% of parishioners income prior to tax be paid to his church ATMs at his ‘church’ …… bloody rich coming from this man ……
  
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  February 6, 2020 4:58pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Although I have little time for the man the “tithe” is a fairly standard grab for a “link with god” to charge.
    
    Unless you are unfortunate to be a Samoan ot Tongan and belong to the church of the “grab it all god”.
    
    4 2
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    February 6, 2020 6:16pm
Jack5

David Seymour rips into the new gun laws:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/408979/act-leader-david-seymour-criticises-gun-laws-in-state-of-nation-address
9 2
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February 6, 2020 3:31pm
chaos

* Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is leading the chorus of outrage over a proposal that will gut RNZ Concert in favour of a youth-focused radio station.

Helen Clark, who held the arts and culture portfolio during her nine years as prime minster, said the decision was a “severe diminution of the cultural services available to New Zealanders”.

“The plans to decimate the Concert programme need to be seen in the context of the National Library no longer wanting to have an overseas collection and the National Archives deciding to drastically reduce its opening hours,” she said.

“What will be next? Such decisions raise serious concern about the level of support for cultural services available to New Zealanders.” *

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/119320084/rnz-proposal-to-dial-down-concert-a-slap-in-the-face
10 2
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February 6, 2020 4:09pm
- tf78
  
  Oops, has the protege gone off script – good show!
  
  6 2
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  February 6, 2020 5:55pm
- Tall Man
  
  I back helun to win this one.
  
  3 1
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  February 6, 2020 6:14pm
  - chaos
    
    Well she is the prime minister along with Winston so why is the puppet going against her.
    
    0 0
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    February 6, 2020 9:13pm
- Inandout
  
  Well chaos, she stopped concerts at Eden Park so she may win this one.
  
  4 1
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  February 6, 2020 6:25pm
chaos

* A New Zealander has tested positive for coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, an MFAT spokesperson has confirmed to Newshub.*

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/02/kiwi-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-on-cruise-ship-near-japan.html
4 1
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February 6, 2020 4:10pm
chaos

Housing crisis sorted? Tiny tiny home?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7970103/Tech-millionaire-ties-two-WHEELIE-BINS-create-sleep-pods.html
3 0
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February 6, 2020 6:43pm
Hugh Pavletich

CORONAVIRUS …

OPINION China’s coronavirus is not remotely under control and the world economy is in mounting peril … Ambrose Evans – Pritchard … UK Telegraph

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/02/05/chinas-coronavirus-not-remotely-control-world-economy-mounting2/

The workshop of the world is closed. China is on a total-war footing. The Communist Party has evoked the ‘spirit of 1937’ and mobilized all the instruments of its totalitarian surveillance system to fight both the Coronavirus, and the truth. Make GDP forecasts if you dare.

As of this week two-thirds of the Chinese economy remains shut. Over 80pc of its manufacturing industry is closed, rising to 90pc for exporters.

The Chinese economy is 17pc of the world economy and deeply-integrated into international supply chains. It was just 4.5pc of world GDP during the SARS epidemic 2003, which some like to use as a reassuring template. You cannot shut down China for long these days without shutting down the world.

Today’s investor euphoria at reports of two new wonder drugs from Zhejiang University show how badly unhinged the market has become. This is not the way that medical science advances. Nor could these anti-virals possibly be ready, in time and at scale, to avert serious economic upheaval. … read more via hyperlink above …
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February 6, 2020 6:49pm
- Hugh Pavletich
  
  Coronavirus spread will leave ‘a real weight on the economy’, warns (Australian) Prime Minister … 9 News Australia
  
  https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-economic-impact-will-be-significant-warns-scott-morrison/93139e9a-5e82-4bc5-9389-49a0b4bf5526
  
  2 5
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  February 6, 2020 8:45pm

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