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May 12, 2021 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 12 May 2021

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General Debate

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Happychappy

When is a back down not a back down, obviously when staunch Labour voters call her out on dumb policy from Grant Robertson, Chris Hipkins and the not so truthful Prime Minister herself.
This was just onother play to grab the blue vote that went wrong and now those involved are in damage control to soften the pain.
Thawed freeze: Government softens stance on Public sector pay restraints following
backlash.
The Government has softens its stance on restraining public sector pay following two meetings with furious Unions.
It will now review the policy a year earlier and will consider cost of living expenses for Public Servants on moderate incomes, Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins said .
This was not a back down and the Goverment had always been happy to discuss cost of living increases.
This doesn’t match his statements last week that Publc Servants earing between$60,000 and $100,000 could only expect a pay increase in ” special circumstances ” with permission of the Public Service Commissioner.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300304535/thawed-freeze-government-softens-stance-on-public-sector-pay-restraint-following-backlash
Jacinda Ardern the Prime Minister and her two Loyal Ministers up to their same tricks of telling a lie to cover another they told earlier.
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May 12, 2021 8:00am
- Brian McDonald
  
  I wrote here on Monday that the freeze wouldn’t hold, but the other point you miss happy – is that they got the pay freeze in for a period, caveats and all. And so, to this point, bank their traditional vote. You will note that the union reps agreed about lifting the lowest paid – they had to.
  Despite your daily jubilations of “failures”, these guys are slick. They’ll sit on other parts of their vote between now and the next election then bring them back on board.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:16am
  - Happychappy
    
    Is slick the new meaning of corrupt.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:31am
    - Happychappy
      
      Brian can you show me anything in this column that’s says Jacinda Ardern and Labour won or achieved what they set out to achieve.
      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/unions-delighted-public-sector-pay-freeze-off-the-table-after-crisis-talks-with-government.html
      
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      May 12, 2021 9:08am
      - cmm
        
        Yes they set out to achieve what they wanted.
        
        It all comes down to understanding what they really wanted to achieve.
        
        If you really think they wanted to upset government workers/unions then you probably misunderstand their intentions.
        
        They got to make a big deal about being careful with spending, then they go behind closed doors with the unions and make a different deal there.
        
        Win win for all, except the taxpayer.
        
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        May 12, 2021 2:55pm
    - Ruahine
      
      Is not Labour wanting to bring back compulsory Unionism?
      This is just a smart aleck devious ploy which should fool nobody.
      It goes like this. How can we sell compulsory unionism to a skeptical electorate. Let us announce a wage freeze particularly against those much loved ‘workers’ like Nurses and Police and Firees and even Teachers. The news media will give this this great coverage and there will be much outrage. Lo and behold the ‘Unions” ride in to the rescue and after no more than a couple of meetings with whom we are not sure there is not going to be a wage freeze after all. All thanks to the wonderful union ‘leaders’. Listen up people if you want to be sure of a pay increase from nasty employers join the Union and vote to make it compulsory.
      
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      May 12, 2021 10:55am
      - Jaundiced
        
        They’re not that clever
        
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        May 12, 2021 1:22pm
  - tf78
    
    Brian, or do you think they made the play in cahoots with the Unions making the Unions look “tough” standing up to the government, therefore enticing people to become a union member.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:50am
    - Brian McDonald
      
      I think it is very possible, it takes wage pressure off the economy as it rebuilds. This Government was never going to go anywhere near elections with the unions still steaming over a wage freeze. But things are far from fully settled.
      
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      May 12, 2021 9:28am
      - KevO'Brien
        
        It’s 1972 predecessor gave in to the unions too and started a wage/price spiral.
        Easily started but extremely hard to stop.
        
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        May 12, 2021 10:20am
    - theoldbloke
      
      Noam Chomsky, one of the most important intellectuals in life today, has drawn up the list of 10 media manipulation strategies.
      Give 5 minutes and you won’t regret it.
      If only to expand your knowledge.
      1-The strategy of distraction
      The primordial element of social control is the distraction strategy which consists of diverting the public’s attention from major problems and the changes decided by political and economic elites, through the flooding technique or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information.
      Distraction strategy is also essential to prevent the public from becoming interested in essential knowledge in the area of science, economics, psychology, neurobiology and cybernetics. Keeping the audience’s attention deviated from real social problems, imprisoned by themes without real importance.
      Keeping the public busy, busy, busy, with no time to think, back to the farm like other animals (quoted in the text ′′ Silent weapons for quiet wars ′′).
      2-Creating problems and then offering the solutions.
      This method is also called a ′′ problem-reaction-solution “. It creates a problem, a ′′ situation ′′ planned to cause a certain reaction from the public, with the aim that this is the source of the measures they want to accept. For example: letting urban violence intensify or intensify, or organize bloody attacks, with the aim of the public being those requiring security laws and policies to the detriment of freedom. Also: create an economic crisis to make social rights demotion and dismantle public services accept as a necessary evil.
      3-The Strategy of Graduation.
      To make an unacceptable measure accepted, you only need to apply it gradually, to dropper, for consecutive years. This is how radically new socioeconomic conditions (neoliberism) were imposed during the decades of the 80 s and 90 s: minimum state, privatisation, precariousness, flexibility, mass unemployment, wages that no longer guarantee dignified incomes , so many changes that would have brought about a revolution if they were implemented at once.
      4-The Strategy of Deferring.
      Another way to get an unpopular decision accepted is to present it as ′′ painful and necessary “, gaining public acceptance, in the moment, for future application. It is easier to accept a future sacrifice than an immediate sacrifice. First, because effort isn’t that taken immediately. Second, because the public, the mass, always tends to naively hope that ′′ everything will be better tomorrow ′′ and that the required sacrifice could be avoided. This gives the audience more time to get used to the idea of change and accept it resigned when the time comes.
      5-Reach to the public like children.
      Most advertisements directed at the large audience use speeches, arguments, characters and a particularly childish intonation, many times close to weakness, as if the viewer was a few years old creature or a mental moron. When you try to deceive the viewer the more you tend to use a childish tone. Why? Why? ′′ If someone addresses a person as if they are 12 or under, then based on suggestionability, they will probably tend to a response or reaction even without a critical sense like that of a 12 person. years or less ′′ (see ′′ Silent Weapons for quiet wars ′′).
      6-Using emotional aspect much more than reflection.
      Take advantage of emotion it’s a classic technique to provoke a short circuit on a rational analysis and finally the critical sense of the individual. Additionally, the use of emotional register allows the unconscious access door to implant or inject ideas, desires, fears and fears, compulsions, or induce behaviors.
      7-Keeping the public in ignorance and mediocrity.
      Making the public incapable of understanding the technologies and methods used for their control and slavery.
      ′′ The quality of education given to lower social classes must be as poor and mediocre as possible, so that the distance of ignorance that plans between lower classes and upper classes is and remains impossible to fill from the lower classes “.
      8-Stimulating the public to be complacent with mediocrity.
      Pushing the audience to think it’s fashionable to be stupid, vulgar and ignorant…
      9-Strengthening self-guilt.
      Making the individual believe that he is only the culprit of his disgrace, because of his insufficient intelligence, skills or efforts. So, instead of rebelling against the economic system, the individual devalues himself and blames himself, which in turn creates a depressive state, one of whose effects is the inhibition of his action. And without action there is no revolution!
      10-Knowing individuals better than they know themselves.
      Over the past 50 years, science’s rapid progress has generated a growing gap between public knowledge and those possessed and used by dominant elites. Thanks to biology, neurobiology, and applied psychology, the ′′ system ′′ has enjoyed advanced knowledge of the human being, both in its physical and psychological form. The system has managed to learn better about the common individual than he knows himself. This means that, in most cases, the system exercises greater control and greater power over individuals, greater than that which the same individual exercises over himself.
      
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      May 12, 2021 11:58am
  - hullkiwi
    
    Brian, this was not a win for the govt. You are trying to be too Machiavellian in your thinking here. Trying to say, that they provided an opportunity for Wagstaffe & the CTU to get concessions is rubbish.
    The headlines are costs are increasing, govt freezes pay of front line public sector workers earning not very much.
    
    Any attempt to say this was slick work by the govt, when Robertson admitted tax receipts had been better than expected is trying to spin a mishandled situation of one own’s making!
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:10am
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Impressive it only took two meetings.
  
  Was anybody under the impression that wage freezes actually meant wage freeze.
  
  It is guaranteed that the public sector wage cost will increase guaranteed.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:35am
  - GJM
    
    Their problem is that they were to definitive
    
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    May 13, 2021 10:12am
- hullkiwi
  
  It was a dumb policy in the first place. The presentation of the policy was poor and then there was Chippy and co attempting to say that people could get pay increases if they got band adjustments. This was utter bs!
  
  Secondly, it shows that those that lead govt and the public service have someone reading straight from the playback of RD Muldoon (or for those that can remember – the playback is I’ve borrowed and overspent, inflation is going to get out of control, so I need to dampen everybody’s expectations rather than address the poor underlying state of the economy).
  
  What we are seeing is economic mismanagement 101, while giving out a false message, which in turn is being parroted by all commentators and economists despite the glaringly obvious. Which are:
  1. why is a country at the bottom of the world with a small economy going gang busters, while larger economies are not?;
  2. Is it really good to have an out of control property market in such a small economy?
  3. Why are the only mechanisms that the govt & bureaucrats can come up with are regulation, freezes and controls to the above?
  
  What the hell has happened to NZ that we have politicians and bureaucrats who can only resort to the failed policies of 1957 to 1984? These policies led NZ to the abyss in 1984 and they will do so again!
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:47am
  - artemisia
    
    When scrambling to walk it back, Ms Ardern said the policy was not well communicated originally. Clearly the Minister of Finance did not practice the communication under correct tutelage.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:09am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    They have already started. I warned they were amateurs. Now they are claiming superior rights because they had the votes.
    New Tyranny–New Venezuela.
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:24am
- Okahu
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  So let me get this right. The Kiwiblog commentariat are for the most part delighted the government’s efforts to reign in public sector pay is facing pushback. Alrighty then.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:07am
  - David George
    
    No one has said that, the comments above were simply highlighting the usual incompetence and dishonesty of the Government.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:58am
  - hullkiwi
    
    You’ve got it wrong on a number of fronts, such as:
    1. If you believe Brian McD, it was never a serious attempt to rein in public sector pay;
    2. Pay freezes don’t work, have never worked, and are blunt instrument to resolve a problem that is more basic – public sector pay = number of public servants * pay rates. Control the number of public servants and you control more than public sector pay , if concern about public sector costs is really the issue, a 3 year pay freeze will do nothing; and
    3. Paying people peanuts and then freezing hope of better remuneration, is not a good way to insentivise somebody.
    
    So, if Jax, Robbo and Chippy are feasting on humble pie, I’ll gloat happily here on KB!
    
    Suggest, you go back to Fraser House and get a better crib sheet. Because whoever wrote this morning’s is short on political smarts, if your’s and Brian’s comments are the best they have got!
    
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    May 12, 2021 11:01am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Control the number of public servants
      
      Also doesn’t work, as demonstrated by the previous government’s ‘cap’ on the number of pubic servants. Agencies staffed to the cap, and then hired (usually more expensive) contractors to do the work the government still demands.
      both a staffing cap and pay limits are in direct contrast to the general approach favoured by government for the past 40 years – specify results sought and provide money for managers to achieve the result in the way best judged by them to be effective.
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:16pm
      - hullkiwi
        
        Mma, yes, you are correct. A growing public service has been the approach favoured by NZ govts for most of the past 75 years, and where has that got the country? That’s right, poor productivity output.
        
        Yes, most post War NZ governments have favoured/allowed growing public sectors. The only time this may have been vaguely valid was because of the GFC, at all other times it has been:
        1. Counter productive to the interests of NZ; and
        2. For political gerrymandering in certain regions.
        
        Caps, sinking lids, and pay freezes do not work, the only true mechanism for controlling public sector cost is having a defined public sector agency/department/ministry with an accountable staff, a defined budget, with defined level of outputs for the budget. I know it is anovel idea fou you and Okahu, but that is what Douglas and the Peebles tried to implement in the 1980s with their public sector reforms. Instead since 1988, we have had lazy ministers who with their public sector executives have reverted the NZ government machine back to May 1984.
        
        I know this because my day job involves working with Wellington agencies, where the staff are clueless, they do not care about the sums of money being spent or how it is being spent. And you think having a larger public sector comprising such monkeys is a good idea?
        
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        May 12, 2021 2:56pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Funnily enough, the State Sector Act came into force in 1988, enshrining the very same principles you think were abandoned in that year. Since then, there have been successive attempt to set government objectives, outcomes, outputs and what ever other terms have been fashionable for defining results. These have all failed, for entirely predictable political reasons. none of this failure has been due to laziness on the part of minister, chief executives, or staff. There are inherent difficulties in defining objectives to start with, let alone determining whether objectives have been met, and then attributing blame for failure or praise for success. this is not a problem for which any government, anywhere, has been able to provide a solution.
        
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        May 12, 2021 4:30pm
      - hullkiwi
        
        Mma. You’re correct about the Douglas/Preble inspired State Sector Act, but the rest of what you wrote is rubbish.
        
        We have a state sector that has reverted to how they functioned pre 1985. Bolger chocked in 1993, and since then it has been back to the past. I work with 2 govt departments. There is no strategic leadership. Just the instruction to spend money, and show cultural diversity., which has nothing to do with delivering the services we splash the cash for. There are no budgets, no restraint.
        
        So, your claim about setting objectives, targets and what the outputs should be for the funds expended demonstrates you don’t understand organisational management.
        
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        May 12, 2021 8:00pm
    - Okahu
      
      Lemme get this right. You support limiting public service cost increases but are just as happy if that isn’t achieved because it offers you the opportunity to ‘gloat’. I see you are a team player.
      
      ‘Skipper, I was gonna tell you about those rocks but crikey I laughed when I saw you swimming last night.’
      
      Given the cozy relationship our host has with certain political operatives I did chuckle at your Fraser House crib sheet jibe.
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:38pm
      - hullkiwi
        
        Lemme guess, you are Labour’s attempt to show us all that Labour is a balanced party, with SB being the idiot from Mt Albert (or is that Jax), and you the idiot from East Auckland?
        
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        May 12, 2021 2:58pm
    - Paulus
      
      Only 2 1/5 years more of this so called Corrupt Government.
      A week in media paid for is a long time – if it is enough.
      And 53% of the voters gave her as much freedom to do what she wants.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:27pm
      - chukar
        
        HK,
        The pain and suffering inflicted by Lange and Douglas would only have been acceptable if successive Governments ( in particular Bolger ) had built on those actions.
        Bolger started ok with Ruth Richardson’s “ mother of all budgets “ but then National slid away rapidly.
        Even Lange was demanding a cup of tea by that stage.
        National have never returned.
        
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        May 12, 2021 9:19pm
- rockape
  
  What does “ earn more than 60k mean? Not so easy to answer. Take nurses, many on over 60k some on over 100k but because many are married with kids, they work part time. So that reduction in hours means they earn less than 60k so does the part timer get the rise and the full timer not? A different hourly rate for two people doing the same job !
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:18am
  - Paulus
    
    Don’t forget Working for Families additional to wages.
    
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    May 12, 2021 1:28pm
- Maxx
  
  It seems Robbo is making a habit of being too definite.
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:25am
Tony Stuart

BJ Watling will retire from all cricket after the World Test Championship final at Southhampton in July.

Without doubt, Watling is the best wicketkeeper New Zealand has had in the 60-plus years I have followed cricket. He holds the record for the most dismissals as a ‘keeper for New Zealand, he’s tenth in the list of Kiwi test run-scorers, and with eight test centuries to his name, is ninth on the NZ most test centuries list.

Watling will leave a big hole, but it’s also an opportunity for Tom Blundell to cement his place in the side. With two test hundreds to his name already, Blundell will be an ideal replacement. Here’s hoping that some of BJ’s fighting spirit has rubbed off on him!
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May 12, 2021 8:11am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Watling has indeed been a fine player Tony. And perhaps the best wicket keeper|batsman. But best keeper? Probably not. In my opinion, both Ian Smith and Adam Parore were far better keepers.
  And on the next keeper batsman, Devon Conway can keep wicket, and is a fantastic batter.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:25am
  - Frank the tank
    
    There have been plenty better keepers although none could bat and hold an average of 15+ in test cricket. Watling has done an admirable role in light of the circumstances.
    
    Conway is best concentrating on batting and will take over from Taylor over the next couple of years. They would be better focused on converting a young promising batsman on the cusp of selection to a keeper/batter. You can always train a batsman to keep but alas not the other way round. Will Young?
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:40am
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      Ergo Frank, I said perhaps the best keeper|batsman. On training a batsman to keep? Sure, but they will generally be a shit keeper and cost the team in the medium to long run. And on Conway, if he should be left to concentrate on batting, then the same could be said for Blundell. And using the same logic, why would you destroy a promising batsman by trying to make him into a keeper? At least both Conway and Blundell are, or have been wicket keepers.
      
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      May 12, 2021 10:17am
      - Frank the tank
        
        What you look for is a batter that technique-wise hasn’t the ability to be in the top-4 consistently at an average above 30 but otherwise can fill a role down the order when the ball is older. Both McCullum and Watling fitted this bill as did/does Alex Stewart, Gilchrist, Jos Buttler, MS Dhoni, De Kock et al.
        
        Very few out and out wicket keepers (without being a recognized batsman as well) are successful long term keepers – only Healy and Boucher spring to mind.
        
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        May 12, 2021 12:55pm
    - Happychappy
      
      Ken Wadsworth wasn’t to bad.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:22pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Wicketkeeper is an interesting position. A poor keeper can cost matches, but most international keepers are good enough for that not to happen, so it is their batting contribution that becomes vital.
    I think it more likely to be Blundell to keep wickets and Conway to open the batting.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:53am
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      It may be more likely mike. That’s not what I’m saying. Most international keepers that are batsman|keepers are definitely not good enough to not cost games. Keeper|batsmen on the other hand, give a better chance of minimising bog mistakes, and contribute with the bat. And Conway isn’t an opener. Opening is a special position as well as keeping. It’s not often that a middle order player makes it as an opener in high level cricket.
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:44pm
  - Tony Stuart
    
    No, no and no! Conway hasn’t played a test yet; he is a batsman first and foremost, so let him establish his place in the team first.
    
    Blundell has been the reserve test wicketkeeper since 2017, keeps wicket in first class cricket, and is the logical replacement for Watling. He can slot in at #7, which means he’s not used as a makeshift opener.
    
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    May 12, 2021 11:14am
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      Conway has kept wicket all through his career until lately. And having seen both Blundell and Conway play, I’d suggest that Conway is a significantly better batter than Blundell. Blundell is still a very good player. My view was that Blundell would take over the position, but with Conway, I reckon he has to be in the team. And not opening.
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:49pm
      - Tony Stuart
        
        Short of dropping Taylor for the two tests against England and the Indian match, I can’t see how Conway can be fitted into the team unless he opens. He can certainly take over from Taylor in the longer term at #4, but there simply isn’t a place for him at the moment.
        
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        May 12, 2021 3:48pm
Maggie Pie

On the odd occasion we tune into ‘The Hui’ to see if Mihingarangi has had her Moko Kauae done yet.

Earlier this week, Mihi was interviewing Judith Collins…. as to why National were sooo opposed to ‘power sharing’ with Maori.

Well, what a cluster! Starts with Judith telling Mihi “…..she finds her insulting” (WATCH)

https://twitter.com/TheHuiNZ/status/1391981360932294659
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May 12, 2021 8:12am
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, the Forbes woman was racist and pushing a line which is so predictable now. Some Maori have seen an opening and are exploiting it to the max.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:31am
  - Paulus
    
    Am I not correct that Forbes and her husband are one of the largest financial earners in media production in New Zealand.
    They have a large share of Maori production.
    Remember her backdoor fiasco with Clare Curran which led to Curren’s demise.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:48am
    - Maggie Pie
      
      Is she still hitched to TV3’s Duncan Garner?
      
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      May 12, 2021 9:05am
      - hullkiwi
        
        She was, but I don’t believe they are anymore.
        
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        May 12, 2021 9:13am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Are you muddling Carol Hirschfeld with Mihingarangi Forbes?
      
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      May 12, 2021 9:21am
      - Maggie Pie
        
        Don’t think so…one of the girls from tennis knows Mihi from playing hockey. Reckons her and Dunks have a few kids together.
        
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        May 12, 2021 9:39am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        @Maggie Pie..
        
        My comment was meant for Paulus..
        Clare Curran got caught out for not revealing her tête-à-têtes with Carol Hirschfeld.
        
        I know you wouldn’t muddle up such important old gals.
        
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        May 12, 2021 10:05am
- Tricati
  
  When an interviewer won’t allow the guest an opportunity to explain their position, and constantly interrupts or over-talks, clearly indicates the guests position is strong, and the interviewer doesn’t have a cogent argument to put up as an alternative.
  I watched the interview and felt for Judith having to endure the toxic approach of the interviewer. I felt Judith was professional and on topic, and the interview reinforced the view there are many of these ‘media activists’ with an agenda to push the 16% control of NZ. Thankfully people with fortitude like Judith won’t take it.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:50am
  - Unity
    
    I thought Forbes was disgraceful in that interview. She doesn’t seem to get it. There was no partnership and Maori should just be New Zealanders with no special treatment. She is obviously very racist with her views. Well done Judith for putting up with the total rudeness demonstrated by Forbes and staying on topic.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:05am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      We saved their bacon, what more do they want?
      
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      May 12, 2021 10:27am
      - Phronesis
        
        Was that a “long pig” reference?
        
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        May 12, 2021 12:26pm
      - Paulus
        
        Before the advent of the Colonialist there was no bacon on New Zealand.
        (and McDonalds).
        
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        May 12, 2021 1:31pm
    - Ruawai
      
      I think Judith is starting to get cut through and the media don’t like it.
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:19pm
  - Tarquin North
    
    I can remember when her name was Joanne and she was relatively normal compared to the racist bleating harridan she has morphed into.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:08am
    - Apropos of the Wet Snow
      
      Very revealing isn’t it. I’m sure that Joanne is still in there somewhere, however there is clearly nothing to be gained for Mihingarangi/Joanne in letting Joanne out. This proves there is no such thing as white privilege, because if there was, Joanne would be the dominant and public side of her identity.
      
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      May 12, 2021 9:50am
  - Swifty
    
    And if we don’t like media offerings we can not look at them, turn them off, switch channels etc and otherwise deny them our eyeballs and money and let market forces prevail – but now, thanks to Labour, we are forced to fund them regardless, through our taxes.
    
    The news media have allowed themselves to become horribly conflicted – and Labour is on the sidelines rubbing their hands with glee.
    
    An appalling state of affairs.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:10am
- Ehlana
  
  Actually that pretty clearly illustrates the two different ways of thinking about the Treaty. One focuses on the idea that Maori did not cede sovereignty, so the Treaty sets up an equal partnership between Maori and the Crown, requiring co-governance at all levels and, if you accept Maori as still sovereign in New Zealand, ultimate (veto) power does belong to them.
  
  The other focuses more on the third article, whereby Maori have the rights and privileges of citizenship, making them equal in standing in governance with all other New Zealanders. That path supports our existing democratic system. It allows for voluntary association, such as Maori schools, or a Maori community setting up their own health clinic. It does not allow for a Maori veto.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:09am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    That’s a fair enough way to look at the different perspectives on the treaty. Maori did not cede sovereignty, they explicitly retained tino rangatiratanga. I don’t think that can extended as far as permitting veto power in the modern polity though.
    At present, the legal and political perspective remains as set out in the courts’ interpretation of the 1980s legislation mandating the treaty principles. I can’t see that approach changing without widespread consensus.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:57am
    - Paulus
      
      Did Maori have Sovereignty ?- I thought they just had different warring tribes.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:32pm
    - Unity
      
      There were no Principles of the Treaty. They were an invention and put into law by Geoffery Palmer in 1986. Also can anyone imagine Queen Victoria going into partnership with a bunch of Stone Age natives which they were in those days?
      
      It’s long overdue for a line to be ruled under everything and for us all to be New Zealanders and all treated the same. The Treaty served its remit long ago.
      
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      May 12, 2021 2:07pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        I’m just pointing out what has been the overwhelming political and legal consensus for 35 years. If you want to rewrite the constitution – go ahead and get some support for that.
        
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        May 12, 2021 4:21pm
  - Frank the tank
    
    The treaty was designed to prevent France from ‘taking’ NZ without the need for an army of Redcoats coming all the way to the end of the world.
    
    The treaty itself isn’t fit for modern law and/or international treaty. That’s why we have the “principles” of the treaty defined by liberal judges based on ideological as opposed to judicial viewpoints.
    
    Successive governments, both blue and red allowed this nonsense to continue and were too feckless and lazy with a belief that this wouldn’t impact middle NZ too much if you gave a few trinkets and met some minor brown mail along the way.
    
    NZ’s first woke-based government shattered that consensus and given their inability to do anything meaningful are playing to their base by developing a indigenous segregation philosophy. Obviously (for political reasons) they wanted to perform as much of this via stealth so I applaud Judith for exposing this for what it is.
    
    This segregation ideal is a key plank of woke-based new left philosophy now that it has been found that simply throwing money at racial inequality doesn’t work. The next step in the cargo cult of diversity theory is that devolution/segregation will work where money throwing will not.
    
    Of course it won’t work because like other failures it treats the symptoms and not the cause (intergenerational welfare).
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:08am
- Badger
  
  It’s not about democracy. It’s about the Treaty, stupid. Almost as if the two might be mutually exclusive?
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:28am
  - Ehlana
    
    Mihingarangi Forbes basically admitted that, insisting that the conversation was about the Treaty, not democracy. I did indeed get the impression she considered the first trumped the second.
    I’d really like someone to ask those who believe that why they think non-Maori New Zealanders should accept relegation to second class citizenship. Maybe they’re hoping all those people will leave and they’ll be able to buy their assets cheaply. Though that is only an advantage if you know how to use and maintain said assets.
    
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    May 12, 2021 1:53pm
    - Yabster
      
      she’s a deluded confused person of no consequence-end of story.
      
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      May 12, 2021 2:29pm
    - trout
      
      We have a growing cohort of European descendents who have a few drops of Maori blood promoting an undemocratic power grab. They seem to be really getting off on flexing ‘cultural muscle’, and perceived entitlement here there and everywhere. The author and apologist for the radical manifesto He Puapua (that the Labour party will not acknowledge, and will not disown) would be very suitable for the leading role in Snow White and the 7 Dwarves.
      
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      May 12, 2021 3:07pm
lastmanstanding

For anyone who doubts the political naiviety of this Government I give you…………………………The Public Sector Wage Freeze.

Even Rob Muldoon never singled out any sector with his various and numerous freezes Rob believed in equal pain and suffering.

To target your core voter base like this is a gift to the Opposition. I suggest when asked they use the ‘Sir Humphrey” reponse…… this a very courageous move by the Government” and shut up and say no more.

I suspect they will back down but by then the damage will have been done. They will be seen as weak with no ( to use a current buzz word) sustainable plan for the economy.

Wonderful.
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May 12, 2021 8:17am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  They will be seen as weak
  
  No, Jacinda will be seen as a strong , caring leader who listened to her beloved workers and told the nasty boys.. Chris and Robbo and Andy .. to pull back a bit.
  
  The journos will write it up as a victory for Labour.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:26am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    But what will the Economy mark it as? Ever on and upward as marching to the sky
    Without Muldoon to guard them they will get there by and by.
    Then the plebs will really grumble “where’s my booze and cigs?”
    Don’t you know that due to Covid Dear, you’re to take to smoking figs.
    The Police are in their barracks watching out for crims,
    On the streets, the activists, treating them as dims,
    Recruiting for the Labour Party and other elementals
    Doing well in Chem at Uni in bomb making fundamentals.
    I’m sure there’s more, but I’ll let it go ere the muse consume me
    This Labour Party are not fun you know, send them all to Aramoho.
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:49am
- Brian McDonald
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Wishful thinking. Weak is a party not behind its leader, the unions just copped a wage freeze – it was always going to have to be remedied before the election so after compromise the Government still got a good stretch in place with the unions’ agreement. Work it out.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:27am
- cmm
  
  I think the term they actually used was “restraint” not “freeze”. Big difference.
  
  But remember that Jacinda is not judged by results, only her expressed intents. Also, she presents different pictures to different people.
  
  She expressed the intention to get restraint to the public, but behind closed doors she makes a deal with the unions which is different.
  
  Win win: the public in general think she tried and the unions still got what they want so they are happy too.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:28am
  - Paulus
    
    Jacinda should stop digging – the smell is getting worse.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:49am
  - Bobba Fret
    
    They were obviously being to “definitive”.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:43am
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Replace nievity with dishonest, inept, incompetent. ………….or is there a hidden agenda, like transform the country into a one party socialist nirvana.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:39am
Monique Watson

And why the pay freeze at the same time as the Fair Pay Agreement? It’s like cooking with the oven open in Summer and expecting the kitchen to stay cold. Everyone’s gonna heat up.
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May 12, 2021 8:17am
- Benedict Yu
  
  That’s the bizarre thing about command and control governments. Presumably the whole purpose of the fairy pay agreements is to increase wages. Nek minit ?
  
  I have obviously read accounts of what New Zealand was like from 1975 to 1984. There can be no doubt that this government is dragging us back there and probably worse. And there is nothing surer that it will culminate in a series of economic and social crises that a new government will need to fix. And who will pay the price? Like always The poor.
  
  If I had young adult children in New Zealand I would be encouraging them to leave the country as soon as they graduate from university.
  
  It is very clear that the pace of the madness is ramping up. And yet for now 60 percent of the people support either Labour or the Greens.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:05am
yossarian

When does the knife buy back scheme start? I’m clearing out the kitchen
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May 12, 2021 8:23am
- Mr_Blobby
  
  I think after the screw driver buy back scheme.
  
  So start with the toolbox.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:43am
- Raphael
  
  As soon as they can pin knife crime on the correct demographic to get enough targeted outrage that people will think it’s the only reasonable course of action
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:52am
- kowtow
  
  I see there’s also quite a craze among the feral class for “stomping”.
  
  When will the boot buy back start.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:52am
Happychappy

I wonder whether Jacinda Ardern our Prime Minister will push her luck and blame others for the Government’s inept ability to organize a vaccine site.
Covid-19 : Coronavirus carpark shambles’ sees 81 year old denied vaccine.
A Auckland Vaccination site is being described as a “shambles” after a 81 year old was turned away from her pre- booked appointment when the site closed temporarily yesterday due to lack of space.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-carpark-shambles-sees-81-year-old-denied-vaccine/FD2KHUT3VXOLO4A5KMG2RTLXPQ/
Surely these site have been scrutinized by officials before testing is put in place or is this just a Labour Government short on ideas and probed to failure even with the simple things need to complete these tasks.
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May 12, 2021 8:25am
- Benedict Yu
  
  I was watching my regular video yesterday by Dr John Campbell who reports on everything covid.
  
  Apparantly the UK established a group to plan the vaccine roll out at the start of the pandemic. When it was not even clear if there would be a vaccine. Well they did a brilliant job. Unlike the EU which is a shambles. Not as bad as New Zealand though.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:09am
  - Ehlana
    
    Almost as if the UK leaders knew that a vaccine was being worked on and wanted to be prepared for it…
    
    Wonder what that sort of government is like?
    
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    May 12, 2021 1:44pm
- Ruawai
  
  In their utopian world they thought everyone would come by public transport instead of bringing car.
  
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  May 12, 2021 12:26pm
MJHNZ

Wasn’t Poto Williams brilliant on Newstalk ZB last night ……….. worst interview ever.
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May 12, 2021 8:27am
- Bobba Fret
  
  Yes she was absolutely hopeless. Cant believe these people earn the huge money they do, in the private sector she would be lucky to get a job paying $60k.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:58am
- artemisia
  
  Ms Williams is getting some airtime this week, for sure. Just not in a good way, unless fluffy nothings are your kapoti.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:14am
- Swifty
  
  Thanks.
  
  Just looked it up – she’s no great speaker that’s for sure.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:45am
- Bob
  
  Correction Bobba Fret…
  Williams doesn’t ‘earn’ anything; she is paid for attendance and dancing to the masters strings.
  She would be unemployable in the private sector, hence she became a Labour MP.
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:16am
- Badger
  
  Funny. My 11-year-old is more articulate than the Police Minister.
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:37am
Nickc2

I have just finished listening to that idiot Stewart Nash try and explain away the Public Service pay freeze. He has obviously memorised the Govt’s Spin Scribblers scripts where they decided it was never a pay freeze, it was all about raising salaries for the lowest-paid workers (socialism in progress).
Let’s face it, the Unions stood up to their masters and achieved a Govt backdown. The pay freeze will now be reviewed in 1 year instead of remaining in force for 3 years. But consider, in 1 year this Govt will be in election mode and unions will be given whatever they want.
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May 12, 2021 8:30am
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Is that useful idiot still around,
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:47am
- Nickc2
  
  As an afterthought to my post above, I would not be surprised when the Public Service Union enters pay negotiations with the Govt in 1yrs time, one of their major demands will be that all pay increases be backdated to Pay Freeze implementation date.
  What will the Govt have achieved?
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:58am
- KevO'Brien
  
  In another year the cost of living will be through the roof so the pressure will be on again for more pay and to stop the price rises at the same time.
  
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  May 12, 2021 3:47pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Many more customary marine title claims in the pipeline.
https://www.teaomaori.news/whakatohea-hapu-win-customary-marine-title-case

https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/foreshore-and-seabed-issue-re-ignites

2 of the claims concern the entire coastline of NZ
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May 12, 2021 8:31am
- Justitia
  
  Another legacy of John Key, along with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples now making the headlines with He Puapua. No wonder he got out while the going was still good. Well, at least we don’t have his stupid flag that looked like a wrapper for men’s underwear.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:37am
  - Mr_Blobby
    
    At least we got to vote on it. Democracy at work.
    
    Did we get to vote on changing the national anthem or the name of the country.
    
    The maorification of everything.
    
    The apprentice what?
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:54am
    - Justitia
      
      Yes, thank goodness we had a referendum on the flag, although Key now says he should just have gone ahead and changed it :https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/06/sir-john-key-says-he-should-have-changed-the-flag-without-a-referendum.html
      
      I share your concerns about the name of the country and absurdities like “Waka Kotahi”. But the UN Declaration was signed behind our backs under National with no public forewarning or debate and we were not told the whole truth about the changes to the Foreshore and Seabed regime. All of which is why I resigned from National a decade ago and now support Act. National have a lot of ground to recover from the Key years.
      
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      May 12, 2021 9:39am
  - edhunter
    
    At least we had the choice to accept or reject the flag, pity no such choice is available as to what our country should be called.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:55am
    - [email protected]
      
      The name of the country may change without approval of its inhabitants but we can’t actually be forced to use the new name.
      
      Just continue to say and write New Zealand instead of the A word.
      
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      May 12, 2021 11:34am
      - KevO'Brien
        
        No name change without a referendum. If the promoting govt loses it resigns.
        
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        May 12, 2021 3:43pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Instead we have a bunch of fools elected by even more fools that between them don’t have the IQ of a wrapper for mens underwear.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:57am
  - hookerphil
    
    2 votes – 1 up for the UN bit, 1 down for the flag bit.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:06am
  - Yvette
    
    Justitia
    NZ does U-turn on rights charter April 24 2010
    At the UN: Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples has flown secretly to New York for a speech to the United Nations signing New Zealand up to a declaration on indigenous rights.
    
    Labour strongly opposed the declaration, fearing it was too sweeping and labelling it incompatible with New Zealand’s constitutional and legal arrangements and Treaty settlement policy.
    It also feared the creation of two classes of citizenship and said the declaration would give indigenous people veto rights over laws made by Parliament.
    
    In fact most of Sharples speech endorsed the Treaty of Waitangi and it continued use –
    
    12. Further, where the Declaration sets out principles for indigenous involvement in decision-making, New Zealand has developed, and will continue to rely upon, its own distinct processes and institutions that afford opportunities to Māori for such involvement. These range from broad guarantees of participation and consultation to particular instances in which a requirement of consent is appropriate. [1]
    _______
    
    Meanwhile – … August 2019 … a Declaration Working Group (DWG) was set up by the Labour-New Zealand First coalition to devise a plan and vision for what it might all look like come 2040. The DWG was given two months and 15 meeting days to report back …
    
    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the reason for not publicly releasing it was because it wasn’t government policy, hadn’t been considered by Cabinet, and she didn’t want its release to suggest to people it was being implemented in full.
    
    While the new Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says he’s read it in its entirety, Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says he hasn’t read it at all – ruling out Collins’ suggestion He Puapua had “inspired’’ his announcement of a Māori Health Authority.
    
    E kore te patiki e hoki ki tona puehu
    The flounder (fish) does not return to his dust (muddy water)
    But the Labour Government returns time and again to muddy the water
    
    [1] http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3599153/NZ-does-U-turn-on-rights-charter
    [2] https://www.newsroom.co.nz/he-puapua-the-report-dividing-parliament
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:23am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      Dogs always return to their bones until they have completely chewed them up or a hedgehog has polished them off.
      
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      May 12, 2021 3:41pm
  - Nickc2
    
    Justina, is that why a female fashion designer has plagiarised the design for a line in women’s scarfs?
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:53am
Bobba Fret

So although Jacinda is way too busy to go on Newstalk One ZB with Mike Hosking, and answer important questions about the country and the mess it is in, I heard her this morning on 91.8 More FM, joking about wedding invitations with Gary McCormack etc.
Good to know she has time for the important media interviews. sarc.
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May 12, 2021 8:36am
- kowtow
  
  The problem is the thicko swing voter , in the so called ‘centre’ that the commentariat say is so important in politics these days.
  
  To think our futures , wealth and security are in the hands of folk who are so easily impressed by her …….
  
  The Teddy Bear Cultists , mask wearers and fearful.
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:56am
- Nickc2
  
  Oh, the wedding of the millennium! How much is that going to cost Gisborne Ratepayers?
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:06am
  - Frank the tank
    
    More so how much is it going to cost all of us – the ratepayers for shit such as “security”.
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:10am
    - Paulus
      
      And the Army providing for our Commander for Koha and Kai on the Marae for the special invited and uninvited tribes.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:38pm
- Diogenes
  
  I presume that Cindy will be hosting a Wedding Date Reveal Party any time soon? Around the time the next bit of bad news breaks out.
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:29am
- Badger
  
  For people who are so scornful of her wedding you sure expend a lot of energy discussing it.
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:48am
  - Phronesis
    
    She’s legally married already in effect. As a de facto couple they have all the same rights and responsibilities as a married couple. The only thing getting married does is make for an easy name change on her part, but I doubt she will be bothering with that.
    It’s entirely about the marketing and PR for Jaspinda.
    
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    May 12, 2021 12:41pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    They live for it. and can have their cake an eat it. If she gets married, she can be criticised for a publicity stunt or distraction. If she doesn’t get married, she remains an ‘unwed mother’ of suspect moral status.
    
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    May 12, 2021 1:55pm
Ehlana

Looking for workplace wellbeing information this morning and came across this gem: “Rather than using lockdown or quarantine, try using terms like noho rahui.” A rose by any other name…
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May 12, 2021 8:38am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  . . . a turd rolled in glitter. . .
  
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  May 12, 2021 12:51pm
Tomtoddy

Some group of wallies are going to spend $300 million building solar panels in sunny spots in the North Island. Wow!!! It will produce enough electricity to power a city the size of Hamilton!! Fantastic!!

Pity the people in this city. No electricity in the cold mornings to warm the house, no hot coffee to take to work, no lights to find your way around on a winter’s morning, no electricity to power up the electric car, no way to cook a meal in the evening, no TV to watch, no powering up the phone……

Nah – not a livable city. Give me coal and gas any day (and night).
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May 12, 2021 8:42am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  PV is now the cheapest form of Grid electricity in sunny places, under $0.02/kWh. We have more than enough hydro to balance it at small scale of current installations.
  
  Seems inevitable that we will end up with 10’s of GW of PV installed in NZ over next few decades, for purely economic reasons (and to support inevitable rise of EVs)
  
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  May 12, 2021 8:58am
  - alloytoo
    
    You mean installed and reinstalled in the next few decades, as they only last about 10 years.
    
    Mind you so do the cars, which represent an impending environmental catastrophe.
    
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    May 12, 2021 12:23pm
- slijmbal
  
  While absolutely no fan of intermittent renewable energy as we have predominantly hydro it can be used to replace hydro when it works and thus slow down the emptying of dams. The hydro does make intermittents more effective or, more accurately, intermittents make hydro more effective.
  
  The fact that even then economics around intermittents mostly don’t work is, of course, the real issue.
  
  The real solution is to increase the hydro capacity as we run relatively a very large amount of generation on a small amount of hydro capacity as NZ gets lots of continuous smaller amounts of rain and relies on that to keep hydro capacity very low. If we upped the hydro capacity then bye bye drought years though that might kill a rare snail somewhere in the middle of nowhere and would never get past the Green Police.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:00am
  - kowtow
    
    Hydro is also “intermittent renewable energy”.
    
    Right now some of the hydro dams are low , despite spilling only what 6 or so months ago.
    
    Coal is the answer. Cheap , local , plentiful .
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:39am
    - Southtop2
      
      Hydro is intermittent when you build dams on the dry side of the mountains – WTF
      
      3 1
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      May 12, 2021 3:13pm
- Okahu
  
  Now I appreciate you think whispering sweet nothings into this echo chamber will garner the approval of upticks, but really? Do you honestly think that is how our electricity grid works?
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:15am
  - slijmbal
    
    @Okahu – I have really no idea why you think reducing the amount of drawdown on hydro doesn’t have an effect and yes that is what intermittents can do (expensively).
    
    It only really works if there is a high proportion of on demand electricity (hydro) and common sense says we just need to increase hydro if we want more power rather than nibbling at the edges.
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:15am
    - Okahu
      
      Other than your somewhat pessimistic outlook on the potential contribution of renewables I see no problem with your contribution slijmbal. I think you may have misread the thread. I was responding to the offering of Tomtoddy (and his/her uptickers) who apparently have no clues as to how our grid works.
      Since you evidently do understand, what are your thoughts on the Onslow pumped storage idea? Does this meet your increased hydro capacity or do you like some around here believe it’s impossible because Labour…
      
      For what it’s worth, I recall the glee with which our host and many commenters welcomed the share offerings in our electricity generators. I wonder how much noise is being made by those who see a successful Onslow as a severe restraint on the exiting generators income and certainly their interrupted supply windfall prospects, and thus share price?
      
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      May 12, 2021 11:51am
      - slijmbal
        
        @Okahu – makes sense now you’ve pointed out your response was to TomToddy.
        
        In terms of pumped storage not a great fan as it has many of the costs of proper hydro and then there’s the energy loss of pumping the water reducing efficiencies. Might as well do real hydro especially as we have a low amount of storage for our generation compared to others. Whether that particular example of pumped storage is viable no idea. Might get around RMA issues.
        
        I’m not a great fan of most intermittent renewables as they are still much more expensive than the doctored numbers would have us believe. Exposed Solar panels would be lucky to last 25 years with a performance degradation over that time, for instance. Then there’s increased transmission costs with intermittents as they’re typically not as concentrated and require cleverer (= more expensive and fragile) interfaces in to the network.
        
        Don’t get me started on how useless and expensive wind farms are.
        
        One of the reasons our commercial power generators aren’t doing lots of intermittent renewables is that the numbers just don’t stand up without subsidies or similar. We’ve been told that solar, wind (introduce intermittent source of your choice here) are close to commercial viability for decades and from the results of the exercises in Germany, for instance, they seem more likely to cause greater energy costs and not make a lot of difference in the creation of that mythical pollutant CO2.
        
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        May 12, 2021 1:16pm
- MCos
  
  I don’t think that’s quite how they work.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:15am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Morons are addicted to moronic thinking.
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:01am
- Apropos of the Wet Snow
  
  Wait until the middle and upper-middle class Extinction Rebellion useful idiots realise what their anti-humanity worldview entails in practice: expensive and intermittent power, being forced onto public transport, less protein in their diet, and having to live in shoeboxes in the urban areas due to the inherent racism and acceleration of global warming that comes with owning and living on a large block of land away from the decaying urban areas.
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:02am
Benedict Yu

New Zealand’s productivity performance…

I knew it was not great. I just did not realise how bad. I have been reading the excellent accounts of New Zealand productivity at Croaking Cassandra. An excellent blog. There is a link to the right hand side of Kiwiblog.

Check this out ?

https://croakingcassandra.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/productivity-07-to-19.png

There is no evidence that the Government understands the scale of the problem. And if it were explained to them they would not care. It is this issue that should be the number one economic priority. Not “wellbeing”.
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May 12, 2021 8:53am
- kowtow
  
  Matters not a jot.
  
  The soft in the head uncritical swing “centre” voter is easily swayed by catch phrases , nice photos of caring leaders and sound bites .
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:01am
- Swifty
  
  Meanwhile Labour, on one hand, makes a big song and dance about appointing Ganesh Nana to the Productivity Commission, but on the other hand has done nothing these last four years except heap on NZ businesses more and more regulation, cost, compliance activity and complexity. Oh and more sick leave and holidays etc.
  
  Sickening.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:18am
  - kowtow
    
    From today’s market commentary for the share market . NZ Herald. lacklustre trade.
    
    ” Govt policy could also be weighing on the market, he said.
    Let’s be brutally honest here, we’ve had the govt pull out some pretty big conversations recently in terms of policy across housing, health and the labour market.
    perhaps that is giving a little bit of a steer to maybe make the offshore investors have little bit less confidence about NZ”
    
    I’d say that’s not brutally honest . Not to mention the oil and gas ban , the RMA shake up , attacks on farmers, private property rights, race division , law and order ,day to day security , closed borders with no signs of opening , useless vax roll out etc
    
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    May 12, 2021 12:28pm
- hullkiwi
  
  Yes, NZ’s productivity is poor, and so is any measurement and underlying understanding of causes and how to fix things. Improvements to productivity will not be helped by the recent appoint of Berl’s infantile economist Ganesh Nanna & friend of Robertson to head the Productivity Commission.
  
  Things will not improve any time soon.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:25am
- mandk
  
  The first page on the Productivity Commission’s website states:
  “The Commission aims to lift New Zealand’s productivity and, as a result, lift the wellbeing of New Zealanders.”
  
  I think the problem is that the gov’t has forgotten the “… as a result …” bit and doesn’t know what to do about productivity. Instead, Jacinda and her crew of incompetents and numpties are pretending that it is possible to improve wellbeing just by wishing it.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:34am
  - chukar
    
    Berl is pretty left leaning so Nana is acting as expected.
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:53am
    - Paulus
      
      Remember it was BERL who confirmed Labour Party arithmetic at the 2017 election.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:41pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  If you are a fan of Michael Reddell’s blog, you will be aware that NZ’s poor productivity performance is an issue dating back decades. Productivity, quite simply, is not an issue that our political parties care about.
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:04am
  - hullkiwi
    
    MMA and therein lies the contradiction and politician’s lack of understanding with economics.
    
    All politicians want a bigger GDP pie, but what they miss is:
    
    1. Inflation can make the GDP pie bigger, but after removing inflation the sum gain is either zero or less than zero;
    2. Growing GDP can be at a cost to other activity;
    3. There are some jobs where productivity can never be improved – so how can such people benefit, if they are working/producing at maximum productivity etc.?
    
    So, people need to be careful as to what they think the issues might or might not be in order to improve NZ’ productivity.
    
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    May 12, 2021 12:06pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      No argument with that. A relaxed immigration policy, such as ours, is also a good way to grow GDP, while GDP per capita declines, and with it the ability to afford infrastructure needed to support a growing population.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:53pm
    - Jack5
      
      Growth in GDP per capita is surely the goal of increasing productivity.
      
      Immigration pushes up GDP, which is why National and Labour let our population growth shoot to the highest in the developed world.
      But when not matched by economic growth it weakens growth in GDP per capita, and we are performing poorly in this.
      
      According to the CIA World Factbook NZ is 40th in the world in GDP per capita.
      
      (In real GDP growth rate the CIA World Factbook rates NZ 127th in the world.)
      
      The march to the population-growth, low productivity mirage continue: citizenship bonuses for foreign students resume; cheap seasonal labour from Melanesia resumes.
      
      We foster industries dependent on cheap Asian labour, such as horticulture, dairy farming, and tourism.
      
      Meanwhile, the education-citizenship rort pushes up population growth. It brings in as permanent settlers Asian students who are less than their countries’ most smart.
      
      The really smart ones go to the United States; the smart students to Britain and Continental Europe.
      
      On productivity, it’s relevant that the world’s most advanced apple picking robotics is done in NZ by a German-owned agriculture company and that German company’s California robotics subsidiary. The German company’s NZ orchards were once a local co-operative, Turners and Growers.
      
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      May 12, 2021 3:04pm
      - MCos
        
        In years gone by NZ used to have labour intensive industries propped up by draconian import restrictions.
        We used to pay eye watering prices for electronic goods, whiteware, cars because the stuff couldn’t by imported and sold at normal prices.
        Once import restrictions were removed all those local industries couldn’t compete and disappeared.
        While not quite the same this pandemic has shown what happens when cheap labour isn’t on tap for fruit picking.
        
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        May 12, 2021 5:07pm
Maggie Pie

Just imagine being a Front-line Cop, working as a Dog Handler, based somewhere like ‘The Tron’ 🙁

First, you hear last week not to expect a wage-rise for the next three years, then you wake up yesterday, to find the ‘IPCA’ has upheld a pathetic complaint against you….. because your trained K9 had bitten some little scrote you were were chasing on his arse.

Like my partner said when he read thru the 20 page PDF report….”To think these guys are out there protecting us rain hail or shine, yet have to put up with sh*t like this from shiny arse beaurocrat pulling in 500k a year sitting at his desk all day”

https://twitter.com/IPCA_NZ/status/1391877524947304449
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May 12, 2021 8:58am
kowtow

I see the fear and panic porn merchants of the Media Pardy are now pushing the bodies in the Ganges theme .

Situation normal . But the fearful still need reminding .
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May 12, 2021 8:58am
- zulumonster
  
  Absolutely normal – well it was normal when I was there in the late 80’s anyway. Something to do with the cost of wood to have an official pyre on the ghats at Varansi – those who cannot afford the wood go for the next best option – cast the body into the holy waters of the Ganges and hope the gods understand and reward with a satisfactory incarnation …
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:27am
Maggy Wassilieff

Our kind PM smears an efficient NZ Company to hide her Government’s inefficiencies.
Nor is his biggest beef the fact he believes Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern openly maligned his product when she said in Parliament on April 7 that “we have not had a national, well-functioning immunisation register for years”.

Actually, we have had, McCrae says. When Ardern’s daughter Neve got her childhood vaccinations, he bets the system worked just fine.

He also categorically denies a Ministry of Health assertion that Orion said it would not support the National Immunisation Register after March 2022. Rubbish.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/govts-opaque-42b-procurement
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May 12, 2021 9:00am
- Bobba Fret
  
  It is always someone else’s fault.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:37am
- zulumonster
  
  I wonder how the shiny new Immunisation Register is going today with the global Salesforce outage!
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:29am
Bobba Fret

Did anyone see TV Three news last night. Pike River analysis has been done by some independent group and apparently for a mere further $8 million, they reckon they can safely get to the fans etc. which apparently are only “just round the corner” and there could be bodies / evidence there.
Surely the govt cant pour anymore money in to this (as the $8m would almost certainly double) and when they get there and find nothing they will probably again want to go further.
If it’s only $8m, perhaps the families could do a fund raiser to pay for it themselves.
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May 12, 2021 9:06am
- Paulus
  
  The families have received many times more than the $8 million.
  Many do not want to do anything more anyway and have done for a long time.
  It is only Bernies Mob who want more money and publicity.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:47am
- Rusty
  
  Pike river mine should be left as a memorial to these men who lost their lives .
  
  To expect the Govt to pour millions and millions of dollars into “possibly” recovering the dead remains of these men because “some” of these families want it done is not the Govt/tax payers responsibility nor is it anyone else’s.
  
  Bernie Monk and the family members are acting on selfish emotions and not on reality and practicality.
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:33am
- Yvette
  
  Bobba Fret
  In the THREE coverage you mention, an accompanying animation portrayed the axis of the main ventilation fan motor as lining up north to south, which would appear to be wrong.
  A diagram accompanies an article headlined: “Former chief mines inspector backs calls for Pike mine re-entry investigation” [1] and shows the fan motor runs west to east as is confirmed in Figure 8.9: Orientation and operation of underground fan – Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy Volume 2 page 93 chapter 8.
  
  The difference may be related to a part of the fan housing, 3 meters long and weighing a tonne, which was blasted by the explosion down the short connecting passage to the drift, turned the corner and travelled the length of the two roof falls (estimated 50 metres) to rest beyond the Rocsil plug, towards the drift entrance.
  If the motor suffered a similar blast, it may still be in position, or blown west further into the mine workings, a direction 90 degrees different to where the animation indicates it could go, ie towards the drift. But as the fan and motor orientation appears to be wrong in yesterday’s animated presentation, it may not be “just around the corner”.
  
  And the crucial brass bush removed from the fan during installation, may have still been in the vicinity of the fan, or even returned to a surface workshop, where it may be sitting on a shelf. Or it could be said, by anyone charged over its absence, that it is lost in the explosion.
  Who knows?
  
  [1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124613373/former-chief-mines-inspector-backs-calls-for-pike-mine-reentry-investigation
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:36am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Is the inspector going to pay for it?
    Far too much as been wasted on this frippery already.
    
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    May 12, 2021 3:30pm
Fletch

Report about a Chinese military document from 2015 that details weaponizing the coronavirus.

First tonight, new details from a document produced by Chinese military scientists, where they discuss weaponizing SARS coronaviruses five years before the pandemic hit. The book was written by People’s Liberation Army scientists and senior Chinese public health officials back in 2015. It describes SARS coronaviruses as heralding — and I quote — “a new era of genetic weapons.” It says that they can be artificially manipulated into an emerging, human-disease virus, weaponized, and unleashed in a way never seen before.

One of the authors of this book is the former Deputy Director of China’s Bureau of Epidemic Prevention, Li Feng, and the Editor-in-Chief of the paper, Xu Dezhong, was the leader of the SARS epidemic analysis expert group under the Chinese Ministry of Health. He reported to the top leadership of the Chinese Military Commission and the Health Ministry during the 2003 SARS crisis. He briefed them twenty-four times. He also prepared three reports for the General Office of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, and the General Office of the State Council. He gave two big interviews on Chinese State TV and appeared in six news articles. He was responsible for sixteen national and military command topics. […]

In this document — unbelievably — there’s a whole section on the best conditions under which to release a biological attack. It says, “Bioweapons attacks are best conducted during dawn, dusk, night, or cloudy weather because intense sunlight can damage pathogens.” It says, “Biological agents should be released during dry weather. Rain or snow can cause the aerosol particles to precipitate.” And it says, “A stable wind direction is desirable so that aerosol can float into the target area.” […]

This 263-page paper was published by the Chinese Military Medical Science Press, that’s a Chinese government-owned publishing house managed by the General Logistics Department of the PLA. I’ve confirmed while investigating this story, that senior State Department sources obtained this paper and analyzed it during their investigation into the origins of the coronavirus back in May 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuKPBur_TiI
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May 12, 2021 9:08am
- cmm
  
  Maybe they were working on a SARS virus.
  Maybe that’s what the SARS-COv-2 virus is.
  But there is no way the SARS-COV-2 virus was deliberately released unless it was a “trial run” with weak virus, because it is nowhere near “weapons grade”.
  The SARS-COV-2 virus is pathetic compared to many other viruses that have stomped humanity in the last 100 years or so. For example, the impact of the Spanish Flu was 300x as much as CV19 (depending on how you want to count).
  
  Rolling with this theory for a bit (not that I really believe it), only one of the following makes sense:
  A) This was an unintentional release from the biolab while they were doing some of the research you suggest was going on. ie. a weaker than weapons grade virus was unintentionally released due to a cock up in the lab.
  B) This was a trail run with a deliberately weakened virus.
  
  More plausible, IMHO, is that it was a biolab leak of sorts, but not necessarily linked to military goals.
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:45am
  - tf78
    
    cmm – ever heard of “testing 1-2-3, testing”.
    
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    May 12, 2021 6:10pm
In Vino Veritas

Hmmm, retired US military don’t like the way America is heading, saying among other things, there is currently a conflict between Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty. https://www.scribd.com/document/507518506/2021-Open-Letter-From-Retired-Generals-and-Admirals-9-May-2021#from_embed
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May 12, 2021 9:16am
- fightingtemeraire
  
  Neither do the French Military like the way France is going.
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:27am
  - Paulus
    
    France cannot prevent a Muslim base civil war.
    The number and birth rates are allowing greater no go areas and poverty.
    
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    May 12, 2021 1:45pm
kowtow

When the gubmint went to seize lawfully held fire arms from licensed owners , the Greens and others were ecstatic .

Now the gubmint proposes to seize unlawful firearms from violent criminals and the Greens ( and Maori Party) complain.

You can’t make this shit up . The world really has been stood on its head.
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May 12, 2021 9:20am
- cmm
  
  Who was the Green sweetie who called legal firearms owners C-hunters?
  
  Certainly the upside down world is here and we see that all around us: in schools (where doing poorly is encouraged over doing well), in transport (where trains that triple the CO2 output of commuters are being sold as climate friendly)…
  
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  May 12, 2021 9:48am
  - kowtow
    
    The Upside Down World.
    
    NZ sending a man to the Olympics to compete as a woman.
    
    To comment on that potentially ( in time) being a crime .
    
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    May 12, 2021 10:33am
Maggie Pie

-1
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May 12, 2021 9:30am
Parnell Gun Club

It’s almost as if the Greens and “others” are engaged in a war against New Zealand using violent criminals and gangs as their vanguard. But surely not…

Meant as reply to Kowtow 9:20
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May 12, 2021 9:36am
- Badger
  
  Yup. It’s almost like gangs are a standing army held ready for mobilisation.
  
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  May 12, 2021 12:40pm
Happychappy

How come it was alright for the Prime Minister ,Stuart Nash and many in Labour to castigate Simon Bridges when he wanted to set up a unit to go after Gangs in the same way Labour have announced yet it’s alright for them to virtually do the same with a different name.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nationals-law-and-order-plan-tough-on-gangs-murderers-and-the-worst-youth-offenders/RBNVM5T4NP7TPC4V7VHYGUJ6PI/.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/gangs-must-prove-they-can-legally-afford-flashy-cars-assets-and-even-shoes-under-new-law.html
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May 12, 2021 9:49am
thirteenstars

Free Speech Union starting its good work:

https://www.fsu.nz/mighty_ape

Including:

“This is literally judging a book by its cover. For an academic to claim a text ‘promotes fear and hatred of transgender people’ (as was quoted by Stuff) when she hasn’t even read the text, is pathetic.”

Take note: the coming hate speech/thought crime laws will specifically allow the mere perception of hate to be grounds for a police investigation and the banning of such speech, in this case, the book.

This will be cancel culture on steroids. Imagine being a seller of any such publication and having the police investigating whether your actions constitute a hate crime punishable by up to 3 years jail/$50,000 fine.

Might Ape are cowards and they have to answer to their own consciences and their customers but the day is coming very soon when the police will be able to intimidate businesses into removing publications or any other material on the mere anonymous allegations made by anyone offended by such material.
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May 12, 2021 9:52am
- tf78
  
  13stars, I emailed them as much today and am awaiting a reply.
  
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  May 12, 2021 6:07pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Stuff is allowing comments on the story about Andrew Little and the Health Department misleading Parliament about the delayed and inadequate Mental Health report.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300305202/ministry-of-health-apologises-for-misleading-minister-and-public-on-edited-mental-health-report#comments

Not many comments in favour of this Government’s actions.
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May 12, 2021 9:53am
Rich Prick

Woke vs Woke. Pass me a beer.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-11/nbc-not-air-golden-globes-tom-cruise-returns-awards/100129970
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May 12, 2021 10:03am
mikenmildagain

Happy International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day!
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May 12, 2021 10:05am
Sarkozygroupie

Hopefully this can be opened-a Twitter picture of Golriz and Marama draped in Hezbollah and Palestinian Authority keffiyehs deriding Israel.

Perhaps they could actually do the job they are paid to do by NZ taxpayers to promote and debate green issues in Parliament, instead of being full time pro-Palestinian political activists.

blob:null/3c6b7b01-d9cb-42ca-8788-67993fa4482e
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May 12, 2021 10:10am
Maggie Pie

Actually, this is getting a wee bit embarrassing 🙁

People are coming up to me in NW and asking if we live anywhere near such-and-such’s house?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300304906/remuera-death-mystery-cops-quiz-hairdresser-husband-hires-top-criminal-defence-qc
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May 12, 2021 10:10am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Perhaps you should shop at Pak ‘n Save, where there would be fewer vacuous knobheads gossiping about such tiresome topics.
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:41am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    You’d probably live out SB2’s way would you mike?
    
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    May 12, 2021 11:42am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Live in Auckland? No way!
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:19pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        Didn’t mean ‘Auckland’ silly! Mt Roskill !!
        
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        May 12, 2021 12:55pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Any Auckland suburb, including whatever shitty spot you’re in.
        
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        May 12, 2021 1:50pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        Honestly milkey…..you are such a tugi.
        
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        May 12, 2021 4:25pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, hairdressers seem to have replaced butchers as purveyors of gossip.
  
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  May 12, 2021 11:31am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    You’re right there I&O! 😛
    
    TBH I’ve got idea what milky’s on about…..everybody we know is talking about it.
    
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    May 12, 2021 12:17pm
Steve Todd

Hundreds protest Māori ward delay in Manawatū (msn.com)

Here I go again, Kiwibloggers.

Surely, the answer to the problem of the lack of Māori representation on local councils, is to elect all councils by STV at-large!

The 10 Manawatū District councillors are elected from two 5-seat wards — Feilding, and Rural. That means, under the FPP voting system this council persists in using, each elector had five votes each. That, in turn, means the largest minority grouping of electors, comprising, say, 40% of electors, could elect (at least, theoretically), the five candidates they want, leaving the remaining 60% of electors with no representation (by someone they voted for) at all!

Now, the population of the Manawatū District is about 30,000 (2018 census), of which 16.5% (say, about 5,000) are Māori. We know that, in 2019, a total of 9,172 people (excluding special votes) voted in these two elections (participation rate = 43.87%). (See https://www.mdc.govt.nz/About-The-Council/Governance/Elections.) Statistically, 1,513 of these electors were Māori (but this figure is likely to be lower, due to the percentage of Māori people under 18 years of age being slightly higher than for non-Māori people, and, because (it seems to me, not having any local knowledge) no Māori candidates stood for election).

So, if the ten councillors were to be elected district-wide by STV, the initial quota for election (that each of the ten successful candidates would need to attain) would be 9,172 / 11 = 833.818 votes (9.09%). Not only is that figure low enough to encourage Māori candidates to stand for election, it would ensure that, even if only 1,000 Māori electors voted (and, necessarily, placed the Māori candidates 1, 2, 3, etc., in their own personal order of preference, before going on to rank-order non-Māori candidates, 4, 5, 6, etc., if they so wished), the most popular Māori candidate would be elected. (NB. the implied proviso here: Māori must stand for election, and people, particularly Māori, must vote for them. Of course, this assumes the candidates are considered by Māori electors, in particular, to be worthy of election.)

In this way, all ten successful candidates would enjoy equal status around the council table, because they would all have been elected with a near-equal number of votes (each having attained the final quota*).

* Using the above figures, and given that some votes would have become non-transferable during the count (and therefore dropped out of the count), the final quota might have been around 700 / 750 votes. This means, if Māori electors were to vote (near-)rigidly for Māori candidates, 1, 2, 3, etc., they could in fact elect two candidates, especially if they “turned out” at a rate even slightly higher than 44%.

Consider the likely outcome if the council had resolved to establish a Māori ward, or wards, elected by FPP. Whereas the non-Māori candidates in the two current wards would continue to need around two or three thousand plus votes, to be elected, the successful candidate in the Māori ward would likely need only about 500+ votes.

There are two or three reasons for that, including a reduced incentive to vote, not only because Māori electors on the Māori roll would know that they are guaranteed representation, regardless of whether they vote, or not, and because, under FPP, they would know that, unless they vote for the winning candidate, their vote will be wasted.

Furthermore, under single-seat FPP, the successful candidate would quickly become entrenched, meaning he or she would almost certainly be returned (often unopposed), election after election, from then on. (We have seen exactly this in the Bay of Plenty region.) That is because potential challengers would soon be put off going up against an entrenched incumbent, knowing the incumbent only needed one vote more than he or she, to be re-elected.

Given the above, it astonishes me that no-one has put forward the STV-at-large alternative to separate FPP Māori wards. Under STV-at-large, Māori electors on the Māori roll would have the predominant say as to which Māori candidate represents them on council, because the votes cast by the Māori electors on the General roll would be dispersed across a range of both Māori, but predominantly non-Māori, candidates.

STV-at-large is the answer to this question. Māori should be demanding that the government legislate for all 78 local and regional councils to be elected by STV. That one act, alone, would go a long way to solving the lack of Māori representation at the local level.
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May 12, 2021 10:20am
- Steve Todd
  
  Hopefully, this link will work: https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/hundreds-protest-m%C4%81ori-ward-delay-in-manawat%C5%AB/ar-BB1gB2Yc?
  
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  May 12, 2021 10:26am
  - Jack5
    
    The cause of low voter turnout in local body elections is wider than the local electoral system.
    
    One cause is the decline of local-body reporting by independent regional newspapers. These, often quite small, usually covered local body politics in detail.
    
    With the rise of national TV, then the internet, first regional evening daily newspapers became unprofitable, then many morning dailies
    followed them down the financial drain.
    
    The rise of retail chains from the Warehouse to Mitre 10 and Bunnings decreased the small retailer advertising that bolstered
    regional papers.
    
    The free city or even suburban papers that are left are mostly, and necessarily, too lightly staffed to match the coverage of the former local dailies.
    
    Staffs changed, too. A traditional way to become a reporter or desk journalist was to start as an apprentice-style cadet on a small local paper and then move, trained, or part-trained, to a bigger newspaper.
    
    Polytechnic and university courses replaced on-the-job training.
    
    A row about a local road isn’t so interesting to a humanities B.A. who’s inspired by Black Lives Matter, or international peace, or LGBT issues.
    
    This personnel-type change affects most English-speaking countries. Even in strongholds of conservatism and capitalism like the Wall Street Journal, staff pressure management for more “diverse” (and Woke) news coverage.
    
    In the meantime New Zealand is taking a socialist route on the problem with subsidies for regional newspaper coverage. That’s the Marxist road, and leads nowhere, IMHO.
    
    New communications systems to come will provide the solution. The world wide web on the internet is Act 1, Scene 1.
    
    13 1
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    May 12, 2021 11:12am
    - Steve Todd
      
      Although my post wasn’t concerned with the separate question of low voter turnout in local elections, or what to do about that, I wouldn’t argue with any of what you say, Jack.
      
      There is no doubt that society has changed radically over the last 35+ years — since the election of the Fourth Labour government in 1984, a government that tricked and betrayed the great majority of those who voted for it.
      
      Regarding separate Māori wards, I have a nagging suspicion that the Māori elite just want Māori councillors who are elected by Māori electors, even if that means that usually 50% or more of such electors will miss out on being represented by someone they voted for.
      
      In other words, they are happy (in most cases) for 50% or more of Māori-roll electors to cast votes that are ineffective, in order for it to be guaranteed that a prominent person within Māoridom, elected solely by Māori, is guaranteed a place around the council table.
      
      To me, that is rather sad, especially given that the truly democratic answer, that would satisfy everyone, being STV-at-large, is known to our politicians, both central and local, and to their advisers, particularly those advisers in the Local Government section of the Department of Internal Affairs.
      
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      May 12, 2021 12:54pm
  - Tall Man
    
    “If” there were “hundreds”, where are the photos?
    
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    May 12, 2021 5:22pm
- Inandout
  
  Perhaps there could be a survey done on the total sum in unpaid rates on Maori land. I have heard many councils simply write the rates off because the land is often ‘owned’ by thousands of iwi stake holders making it virtually impossible to find anyone who can pay. Having unelected Maori councillors would be a kick in the teeth for honest ratepayers.
  
  13 2
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  May 12, 2021 12:29pm
- KevO'Brien
  
  Maori only want their chosen appointed. They don’t do votes–mana is sufficient.
  
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  May 12, 2021 3:24pm
Maggie Pie

And I’ll tell you another thing I was thinking about yesterday….
I reckon we can blame a lot of the mayhem and violence that’s happening at Countdown Supermarkets on the ridiculous decision by this Government to scrap Single-use Plastic Bags!

From the feedback I’ve been getting, Countdown just don’t have adequate facilities to cope with the change. They are more & more dependent on people using the self-checkouts, and often only have one lane open with an operator….AND you have to pack everything yourself!

I think this is causing some customers sooo much stress that a few lose their rag. Just saying
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May 12, 2021 10:40am
- Rusty
  
  Come on Maggie — that’s not good reasons for a person to stab innocent people with a knife over!
  
  9 2
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  May 12, 2021 10:46am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    OFGS Rusty – where on earth did I say that?
    
    As I’ve commented previously, this country has become a free-range asylum under this government…..I’ve even had people completely kick-off at me for saying their ball was out.
    
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    May 12, 2021 11:38am
    - Jack5
      
      Stories of bravery when facing a knife maniac will come out of the Dunedin supermarket attack.
      
      What would be a handy thing in the supermarket aisles to clobber a knife maniac with? Big bottles of Coke and the like are now plastic. Maybe in the booze section a bottle of wine would be better than nothing.
      
      As an old guy, I think one of those Victorian-Age walking sticks with a sword inside would be useful. A metre-long blade through the belly button would settle down a crazed knife thug.
      
      17 2
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      May 12, 2021 11:59am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Throw a frozen chook? Canned food?
        
        12 2
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        May 12, 2021 12:21pm
      - Jack5
        
        Just in from Stuff about the supermarket attack:
        
        It was understood a blessing was held by kaumatua Hata Temo for about 50 staff, after the store had undergone a clean by contractors. Senior police also attended.
        
        What sort of blessing? Christian? Maori spiritual?
        What were the senior police doing at it? Was a policeman among the victims?
        
        A Hata Temo is described on Facebook as a Maori spiritual healer.
        
        As people abandon Christianity, other sets of beliefs fill the void. Maybe evolution programmed us to need some sort of mystical belief.
        
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        May 12, 2021 12:22pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        A broken bottle is a far better weapon than a knife
        
        3 4
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        May 12, 2021 12:26pm
      - Jack5
        
        Steve, I’m no self-defence expert but surely you would need to get in close with a broken bottle.
        
        I asked a commando who served in Iraq and Afghanistan can you be trained to defend yourself, unarmed, against a knife attack.
        
        “No guarantee against someone who knows how to use a knife,” he said. “A gun is the only real option.”
        
        11 1
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        May 12, 2021 12:32pm
      - kowtow
        
        Cigarettes ; they’re so dangerous they have to be locked out of sight ,come with a warning and must be age verified.
        
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        May 12, 2021 1:10pm
      - david
        
        Most liquids are incompressible so being clobbered by a bottle of coke would be little different from being clobbered with a piece of steel pipe.
        My suggestion, whatever is handy and fits your hand.
        
        3 0
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        May 12, 2021 3:04pm
      - Ehlana
        
        I was wondering if one of the spray cans would be useful in these circumstances – assuming the spray went in their eyes, for example. Not sure if you could do that from far enough away to stay safe though.
        
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        May 12, 2021 3:41pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Jack, about the broken bottle thing. You do have to get in close, just as you do with a knife. But a knife has one sharp edge, a broken bottle has many.
        I have seen it in a pub brawl in Frankton, Hamilton, circa 1977.
        Nasty brawl that was, I escaped with minimal injury
        
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        May 12, 2021 5:44pm
      - tf78
        
        Jack – cooking oil on the floor would be fun to watch.
        
        2 1
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        May 12, 2021 6:00pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        david – you missed it by a mile – 100 miles mate.
        They smash the bottle on the floor and there is you multi bladed knife.
        Try thinking, we are talking about crims with knives, who will use a smashed bottle as a weapon.
        Fuck, I dunno how you missed all that
        
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        May 12, 2021 6:48pm
    - cmm
      
      Maybe it is time to consider low-end self defence options for the citizens.
      
      How about pepper spray? Sure it does not always work, but it is better than nothing.
      
      Sure, some wankers will use it illegally, but they can be sorted out in the legal system.
      
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      May 12, 2021 1:17pm
    - Biscuit
      
      It was CLEARLY in, though, Maggie…
      
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      May 12, 2021 2:10pm
Frank the tank

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cartoons-slideshow

Specially for Batty. Enjoy
9 2
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May 12, 2021 10:44am
Surely Knott

Wow, the amount of plastic on the free school lunches , a disposable plastic tray with a plastic cover, wrapped in the banned plastic grocery bags.
Second school lunches should be paid for then they wouldn’t be uneaten. In the USA you buy a paper concession ticket like a bus ticket with 10 lunches ($2.50 each or something nominal). The kids that can’t afford it apply privately and are given the same concession tickets so everyone looks the same in line. Less wasted lunches and not paying for those kids who can afford their own lunch. Then you could do all schools not just some.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125079039/thousands-of-taxpayerfunded-school-lunches-left-uneaten-by-students
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May 12, 2021 10:56am
- Jack5
  
  Those are excellent ideas, Surely Knott.
  
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  May 12, 2021 12:25pm
- Tall Man
  
  The voucher system is too hard for ardernists but you are right, it is an excellent idea and those that still want to eat their own are able.
  
  5 1
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  May 12, 2021 3:32pm
- Monique Watson
  
  Yep.
  Each of ours has a reusable lunch card which we reload. $4 or $5 a serving. I just checked the menu. Cheese pizza, bean and cheese burrito, peanut butter jelly sammies are on offer over the next few days served with with milk a salad bar and fruit. Everything is disposable because it’s a criminal offense not to recycle here in California. Even your husband 😉
  It’s all cooked onsite. It saves me a job and I imagine there are District subsidies for hard up families.
  It’s brilliant having school cafeterias. If it’s done right.
  
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  May 12, 2021 4:07pm
mandk

At last, a mordantly witty cartoon from NZ’s MSM:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/94869389/sharon-murdoch-cartoons

They are as rare as hens’ teeth.
10 2
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May 12, 2021 10:58am
I remember when

Ardern had to apologise to Gayford after accidently revealing wedding info.
See she does apologise when appropriate!
11 12
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May 12, 2021 11:02am
- Nickc2
  
  How sad? Does anyone give a fuck?
  
  13 3
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  May 12, 2021 2:55pm
  - tf78
    
    Nick – maybe he’d say “NOooooooooo” way.
    
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    May 12, 2021 5:56pm
fredonas

Glad that National is pointing out the many rorts of MSD. Anyone who has had even a fleeting encounter with MSD (e.g. retirees who have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to get payments they are entitled to) will be aware of the blatant way they funnel taxpayer money to a minority of indolent, non-productive freeloaders.
“ “If you are in a job, you will always have a higher income than on a benefit. That gives you more choices and more opportunities,” she said. “ Duh. They see nothing wrong with encouraging a welfare mindset in their “clients”. MSD should change their name to MSC (Ministry of Santa Claus) ? https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/442365/msd-s-payout-to-help-with-car-repairs-trebles-to-33-point-6m
20 2
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May 12, 2021 11:23am
Tauhei Notts

I posted on here last week about the postal system.
I have a message for Kiwibloggers.
AVOID THE POSTAL SYSTEM.
IT IS NOW COMPLETELY PHUCKED
Five page legal document, that may have to be used in court, if things turn to custard, took eight days to go 900km to Halswell Road, Chch.
This is on top of the three other examples I mentioned last week.
We are becoming, institutionally, third world and the Ardern regime could not give a stuff.
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May 12, 2021 11:25am
- kevn
  
  @Tau… I have given up on doing online rego. Two out three vehicle docos have just gone missing after waiting for weeks. Hop into the PO and pay (again) for a new rego label.
  
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  May 12, 2021 2:44pm
  - Tauhei Notts
    
    Just when I thought NZTA’s online rego system was real good you come along and tell me not so.
    Bugger.
    
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    May 12, 2021 9:42pm
- Tall Man
  
  I could be wrong, no I couldn’t ;), but I’ve heard that any letter addresses in crayon gets priority treatment.
  
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  May 12, 2021 3:25pm
Maggie Pie

A twitter bezzie from Canada tweets…..

thort the group might appreciate it 😀 😀 😀

https://twitter.com/EndTheCovidScam/status/1392262641154936838
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May 12, 2021 12:08pm
Aunty

The Minister is delighted with the pace of the vaccine rollout in New Zealand. After three months, the entire Cabinet has been vaccinated along with a lot of brown faces from South Auckland who vote for Labour. The Minister is satisfied that New Zealand is on target to have vaccinated the entire population by 2067, and is already ahead of projections that 2.1% of the population would be fully vaccinated by the end of May.
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May 12, 2021 1:31pm
Surely Knott

Home nz architectural magazine has posted an article on Facebook about David Seymour and the ACT parties alternative budget putting money in middle income earners pockets. Grumpy commentors are saying it’s irrelevant and they will unsubscribe. But I have seen many unrelated nz businesses (multiple fashion businesses, an art gallery, magazines) etc visibly supporting Jacinda and labour without any negative comments
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May 12, 2021 1:32pm
- tf78
  
  Surely, as usual David has sensible solutions to what used to be normal problems. Labour turns small issues into big problems by interfering everywhere and then forgetting what they’ve said. They are nothing but a bunch of headless chickens.
  
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  May 12, 2021 5:52pm
Maggie Pie

I see the whole of Remmers has just had a Flyer put in their box by some outfit called ‘Voices for Freedom’.
It actually looks like an official Government publication that sets out….
‘8 IMPORTANT COVID VACCINE FACTS’.

Has anyone else received it? Well don’t get sucked in!!
7 4
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May 12, 2021 1:43pm
kowtow

Very serious escalation of cross border violence Gaza rockets indiscriminately fired into Israel.

Also street fighting in Lod . 3 synagogues torched.

What a mess.
9 2
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May 12, 2021 2:42pm
slightlyrighty

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/125108556/mori-partys-rawiri-waititi-ejected-from-house-for-protesting-nationals-racist-propaganda-in-parliament-with-a-haka

I think this sort of action can only result in an INCREASE in support for Judith Collins.
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May 12, 2021 3:12pm
- EssenX
  
  Yep. An own goal. They’re just generating exposure for Collins by forcing the media to cover it.
  
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  May 12, 2021 4:26pm
- surfing
  
  Can’t agree.
  
  Judith Collins is unable to articulate the consequences for New Zealand adopting a dual separatist state.
  
  She is hopeless, National should be polling 60% plus given what is going on.
  
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  May 12, 2021 5:12pm
Maggie Pie

BREAKING….just minutes ago!

Mob of Palestinians attempt to lynch a Jewish man in the streets of New York…. (warning graphic)

https://twitter.com/StopAntisemites/status/1392307979077226498
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May 12, 2021 3:40pm
- RiP NZ
  
  Bidens America.
  
  Batman’s utopia
  
  11 1
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  May 12, 2021 4:55pm
- Inandout
  
  Maggie, zapped by Dorsey.
  
  5 1
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  May 12, 2021 5:16pm
- RiP NZ
  
  https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1392358886955315203?s=19
  
  Portland paradise.
  
  2 0
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  May 12, 2021 6:41pm
Ehlana

Did anyone else know this week is NZ Sign Language week?

I haven’t noticed additional interpreters or sub-titles on tv, or our presenters adding signing to their sentences. It might improve some commentary.
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May 12, 2021 3:43pm
- rockape
  
  I hadn’t heard.
  
  10 1
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  May 12, 2021 4:12pm
Swifty

More Maori Party showboating in the House today. But more than that, I believe there was also a hint of menace – with an attempt to use the Speaker to shut down free and fair debate.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/125108556/mori-partys-rawiri-waititi-ejected-from-house-for-protesting-nationals-racist-propaganda-in-parliament-with-a-haka

It appears that Maori Party MPs don’t understand that they sit in a house of representatives – and that different representatives will have differing opinions on matters.

One of the great strengths of our parliamentary democracy is that national matters are discussed openly, courageously and without fear nor favour – and if people don’t like the way our representatives conduct themselves they will be voted out.

A great threat to our democracy however is MPs of any party attempting to bully, threaten, intimidate or coerce other MPs in an attempt to silence them.

I think we saw that today in the House. And, if so, it’s a sad day for the nation.

I’d add that throwing a tantrum and storming out when you don’t get your way is poor, poor behaviour and we should expect better from our representatives.

When my arguments are strong and my opponents arguments are weak or non-existent, you won’t catch me performing like that. I wonder why Rawiri Waititi thought it necessary to carry on like an overtired kid having a meltdown in the supermarket?
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May 12, 2021 3:46pm
- Tony Stuart
  
  Waititi’s behaviour today was appalling, and Trevor Mallard would have been justified in naming him.
  
  33 2
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  May 12, 2021 3:59pm
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    Agreed. This prick is going to set Maori/Pakeha relations back a very long time.
    It will all play into Judith’s hands. A repeat of the famous Brash Orewa speech.
    
    30 2
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    May 12, 2021 4:10pm
    - EssenX
      
      I agree. He Puapua is going to open a can of worms for Ardern. The political centre thinks its cool to korero, but radical interpretations of the Treaty are not favourable and I don’t feel that the underlying sentiment that drove Brash’s popularity post-Orewa has dissipated at all.
      
      23 3
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      May 12, 2021 4:30pm
      - septic skeptic
        
        I reckon New Zealand is the only country in the world where you can advocate for equal rights for all citizens regardless of race, and be branded as racist as a result.
        
        29 3
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        May 12, 2021 5:24pm
      - Jack5
        
        The media is building up Davis’s speech, and this plays into National’s hands.
        
        The more the Ardernists keep the State’s evolving racial separation in the headlines the better for National.
        
        Audrey Young in the Herald, of the subsidised print arm of the State Media Conglomerate, today gave Davis the richest praise he’ll ever get:
        
        “Maori-Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis gave a brilliant speech in Parliament today, the speech that Jacinda Ardern probably should have given some time ago if she had wanted to avoid the unfortunate events that preceded it.”
        
        Who’d a thought: Davis lauded as brilliant?
        
        More on how Ardernist racial separation differs from apartheid, please Mr Davis.
        
        No rush. Twenty-nine months to the next general election.
        
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        May 12, 2021 9:25pm
  - tf78
    
    Tony, we should take his ‘colonial’ spectacles, jacket, hat and clothes off him.
    He wants to be indigenous well he can act like it in his very own grass skirt and if he’s elitist enough, his feather cape.
    
    I really have had about all I can take of this bs.
    
    19 2
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    May 12, 2021 4:38pm
- JerJer
  
  Because he is a disrespectful, amateur lightweight. He doesn’t deserve to be there and can’t contribute anything of merit. He is just like all the other lefties. All bluster and BS and when they know they are losing the argument they start yelling and screaming. Last resort of a loser.
  
  30 2
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  May 12, 2021 4:02pm
  - Bobba Fret
    
    And why does he wear a cowboy hat? Is that a traditional Maori head wear?
    
    20 1
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    May 12, 2021 4:39pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Hot Friday??
      
      9 1
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      May 12, 2021 5:35pm
      - hullkiwi
        
        The man be a clown, but he is no Billy T.
        
        0 0
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        May 13, 2021 7:59am
  - surfing
    
    You’ll find he is the way of the future for this nation.
    
    You are the relic, destined to yearn for the old days.
    
    8 3
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    May 12, 2021 5:08pm
    - tf78
      
      surfing – I hope you’re not too keen on the beach because you will be paying to go there very soon – unless of course you have a season pass.
      
      11 1
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      May 12, 2021 5:37pm
    - JerJer
      
      Tui add? Right?
      
      4 0
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      May 12, 2021 7:03pm
- nathie
  
  The clown wearing the colonial cowboy hat (and colonial clothes, shoes and glasses) says:
  
  “When it comes to views of indigenous rights and indigenous peoples, those views must be from those indigenous peoples for the indigenous rights of our people. They can’t be determined by people who are not indigenous.
  
  Excellent, I’m glad Waititi cleared that up for everyone, because that surely also means:
  
  *Maori activists, radicals and their MSM journo supporters can no longer interpret the views of Pakeha as being “racist”.
  
  *Similarly LGBQTI activists can longer interpret the views of non-LGBTQI (i.e. everyone else) as being “anti-trans”!
  
  Thanks Waititi, still think you are a clown though!
  
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  May 12, 2021 4:29pm
- mandk
  
  I think what we saw from Rawiri Waititi is typical of behaviour amongst lefties and activists more generally.
  
  If you say anything they disagree with, or find difficult to accept, you are likely to be denounced with words ending in -ist or -phobe.
  
  These people should not be tolerated, and for once Mallard did a good job by not putting up with Waititi’s barbarian antics.
  
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  May 12, 2021 4:40pm
- Badger
  
  What the hell are they all wearing? For a minute there I thought I was watching Woodstock and Hendrix was about to start playing, but then even better… a haka by a dude in a pink jacket.
  
  Priceless.
  
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  May 12, 2021 4:53pm
- graham
  
  It appears that Maori Party MPs don’t understand that they sit in a house of representatives – and that different representatives will have differing opinions on matters.
  
  The Maori Party doesn’t want to sit in a house of representatives – they want (in fact they demand) a Maori Parliament.
  
  We demand a Maori Parliament, exactly the same as has been granted to the Irish, the Scots and the Welsh. Westminster did not work for the Scots or the Irish – Wellington definitely does not work for Maori. Our right to self-governance and self-determination is clear. All fiscal transfers to this Maori Parliament have been clearly identified by the Maori Party in the release of its policies. Mainstream management of matters Maori will come to an end.
  
  (Emphasis added).
  
  https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/mana_motuhake
  
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  May 12, 2021 4:57pm
  - tf78
    
    graham – well if that’s what he/they want they can bloody pay for it with ‘their own’ money – our tab stops from here on in.
    
    8 1
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    May 12, 2021 5:40pm
    - chukar
      
      Was I wrong, or did Waititis mate DNPacker actually give the sticks to parliament and Mallard?
      She certainly gesticulated.
      If this is so she should not be welcome to return!
      
      1 0
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      May 12, 2021 9:37pm
- Maggie Pie
  
  My partner’s mum just txt…..
  
  “You’d shit yourself if you were shopping in Countdown and saw him coming in”
  
  12 5
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  May 12, 2021 4:58pm
  - MCos
    
    Tell her not to come over to the cafes in Mangere Bridge.
    One or two of the locals might alarm her!
    It’s a long way home in soggy drawers!
    
    3 0
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    May 12, 2021 6:57pm
- surfing
  
  Rules are racist UK rules, so maori can do anything.
  
  It is the way now.
  
  11 1
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  May 12, 2021 5:07pm
- cmm
  
  Isn’t a haka basically a death threat?
  
  17 2
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  May 12, 2021 5:28pm
  - Local Miller
    
    My understanding was the Haka was more a declaration of war or challenge to fight. Did the Maori just declare war on the Queen?
    
    11 1
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    May 12, 2021 8:00pm
mikenmildagain

You cheated? Nah, I was a victim of cancel culture:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/10/bob-baffert-medina-spirit-kentucky-derby-horse-racing-cancel-culture-disqualification
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May 12, 2021 4:15pm
mandk

@ Mod – edit facility not working.
My comment should end: ” with Waititi’s barbarian antics”
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May 12, 2021 4:45pm
graham

Incidentally, on the same page – https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/mana_motuhake – are these following gems:

Use of private and council land

It is time to get rid of the policy that says land that is currently in private or council ownership is unavailable for use in Treaty settlements and negotiations with hapū and iwi.

The Māori Party will:

– Ensure that private and local government land can be returned to mana whenua
– Introduce a first right of refusal policy for mana whenua when private land of historical significance comes up for sale

Oh, and you know the discussion about DOC land being handed over to Maori?

Use of conservation land

The Māori Party will return conservation land to whānau, hapū and iwi Māori.

It is imperative that the Crown and its department, DOC, recognise that hapū and iwi are not just up to it, but that we are the ideal kaitiaki of our own whenua, awa and moana.

We would also overturn the policy, implemented in 2009, of not using camping grounds in the DOC estate, for the purpose of returning land to tangata whenua. While affording camping opportunities for New Zealanders have their importance that does not compare to the importance of reconciling the historical theft of land that is of huge significance to tangata whenua.

Everybody should take the time to read the Maori Party policies, and understand that today’s Maori Party is actually an extremely radical group. Gone are the days when they proclaimed that the Maori Party was for all New Zealanders – today’s Maori Party is for Maori interests only, and if they have to ride roughshod over your interests in the process they won’t hesitate.
25 2
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May 12, 2021 5:07pm
- tf78
  
  graham, it’s about time we got to view their blood lines as to how much honki blood they actually have -a lot of Irish judging by their sense of humour.
  
  They really are becoming a very bad joke which I hope backfires on them spectacularly.
  
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  May 12, 2021 5:44pm
  - graham
    
    tf78, unfortunately I think they have gone beyond being considered a bad joke.
    
    I am quite serious in this – I strongly urge everybody visit the Maori Party website at https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/, and spend some time reading through their policies. Have a look at what their MPs are demanding from NZ – these are just some policies I picked at random:
    
    – All government funding over the next two years must guarantee 25% direct resourcing towards the Maori workforce and Maori businesses and services.
    – 25% of the total government housing budget will be allocated towards Maori and include Maori trade trainees and Maori owned businesses, providers and services.
    – Establish a $100M Whānau Pakari fund for 3-years to invest into Māori sporting codes
    – Ensure sporting codes with high Māori participation have Māori governing boards, allowing them to individually compete at world cup events as Aotearoa Māori
    – Build 2000 houses on our ancestral lands, we will do this in the next two years. Cost: $600 million. These houses will be funded by the state as a long-overdue investment that others have taken for granted.
    – Ensure fifty percent of all new social housing must be allocated to Māori to give our Whānau and tamariki a fair go in education, health and welfare.
    – Overturn the Crown’s position that “everyone owns water” and instead adopt a position that acknowledges Māori proprietary, customary, and decision-making rights and interests to freshwater.
    
    Judith Collins is getting hauled over the coals when she attempts to raise any questions, but if any of our so-called “journalists” care to spend half an hour reading through this website, they might just have to start taking her a bit more seriously.
    
    In particular, read their Mana Motuhake Policy. This is where they talk about a Maori Parliament, return of DOC land to Maori, and so on.
    
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    May 12, 2021 8:55pm
    - hullkiwi
      
      graham, Tongariro National Park was gifted to the nation by TeHeuheu, it was not “stolen” or “confiscated”.
      
      What the Maori Clown Fest and Ardern’s Maori document is saying is an insult to this legacy. These ignorant clowns are trashing what has gone before, so they can play politics their way.
      
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      May 13, 2021 8:14am
  - greybeard
    
    Just what is a “maori” ?
    If I have 31 bottles of water and mix them with one bottle of wine, do I end up with wine or do I end up with water ?
    Could anyone justify calling the mix “wine” ?
    
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    May 13, 2021 7:18am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Democrats seem to be getting worried.
https://theinformedamerican.net/what-everyone-on-the-hill-about-2022-should-have-democrats-worried-sick/?
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May 12, 2021 5:23pm
surfing

Jacinda Ardern needs to learn that partnership and separatism mean the same thing.

Partnership means two authorities governing New Zealand, it will end up in disaster as these dual maori / non-maori governments fight for limited resources and control .

Communism is a partnership, between everyone.
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May 12, 2021 5:41pm
Exhumed

“Taiwan has accused China of “maliciously” excluding it from a meeting of the UN’s health body despite calls from G7 nations and others for it to attend.

Britain and other G7 nations made the case last week for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the World Health Organisation’s annual World Health Assembly, saying that the international community should be able to benefit from “Taiwan’s successful contribution to the tackling of the Covid-19 pandemic”.” – source – The Times.

Taiwan, a peaceful, independent nation, is being treated by like a pariah by the UN. This shows us who the masters of the bureaucrats who run the UN, really are.

No wonder Helen wanted so desperately to lead that erstwhile body.
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May 12, 2021 6:20pm
chukar

Graham,
We need to identify who is getting the benefits.
There is a faceless bureaucracy that has assisted the treaty processes.
Some of these smart professionals are no doubt getting their share.
There needs to be an audit of taxpayers settlements to see where the money has gone.
Follow the money?
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May 12, 2021 9:53pm

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