General Debate 16 February 2024

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Yvette

■ The world is watching one of NZ’s most contentious climate cases
An important dimension of the Supreme Court case, which distinguishes it from similar proceedings overseas, is the relevance of a body of indigenous custom, law and practice known as “tikanga Māori”.
Recent Supreme Court decisions have accepted and applied tikanga as the “first law of New Zealand” now to include environmental protection.

In a significant climate case involving Māori elder Mike Smith, the court acknowledged the relevance of tikanga principles: Smith acts not only for himself but as a kaitiaki (guardian) for the land, water, and sea. This underscores the unavoidable consideration of tikanga in legal matters.

■ A “recent decision” concerns Peter Ellis, when the Supreme Court deliberated on the significance of tikanga within the legal system. This case, viewed in the context of the history now of Peter Ellis’ reputation, still after his death simply demands justice out of common human decency – akin to matters of ‘face’ and honour in other cultures like Japanese, Chinese, or that of Indonesia and Korea – not just Maori tikanga.

To emphasis tikanga as such a great legal ‘find’, is exceptionalism – raising one ethnicity above others. Indeed, regarding law, should exceptionalism or superiority of one ethnicity be considered a corollary of denigrating any ethnic group?

Additionally, the consideration of tikanga in legal matters prompts questions about the threshold of Māori heritage (like the amount of Maori blood you may have, or other identification) required for its application and the potential separation of legal realms between te Ao Māori (the Māori world) and conventional law.

____________
World watching climate, tikanga case – https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/15/analysis-the-world-is-watching-one-of-nzs-most-contentious-climate-cases/
Peter Ellis case – https://www.russellmcveagh.com/insights/october-2022/whakamaramatanga-series-supreme-court-considers-place-of-tikanga-in-the-law-judgment-on-continuat
Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill, tree chainsaw-chopper now has some regrets – https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/regional/287488/one-tree-hill-tree-chopper-now-has-some-regrets
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February 16, 2024 8:00am
- NothingLeft
  
  Enough is enough. Judiciary are there to uphold the law, not to impose their niche woke racist and spiritualist interpretations on the country.
  
  Clean up the law and pull them into line or fire them.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:47am
- I remember when
  
  What happens when tikanga conflicts with English customs and rights?
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:49am
  - mawm
    
    I remember – One group gets away with things while the other gets prosecuted.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:11am
  - Paulus
    
    Does English Custom, include the Magna Carta of 1297 and Bill of Rights 1688, and the continuing underlying principle of Common Sense decisions ?
    Or does the so called Waitangi Treaty override all these.
    There is nothing wrong the Treaty, it is the Geoffrey Palmer 28 Principles which need to be looked at in 2024.
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:47pm
- PurplePen
  
  Thanks. Had to read it a couple times to understand. Not sure if this is on topic, but what I don’t get is how or why tikanga and just about anything Maori is put on this pedestal of greatness or mysteriousness and it’s all ooooo ahhhhh hush sacred etc, particularly by the “woke, Wellington, pounamu- and David Jones-wearing, yet mainly Pā kehā elites.” (Hooton). That attitude in itself is sort of racist as the woke-erati don’t revere or are not deferent to any other culture even their own.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:04am
  - Yvette
    
    PurplePen, thank you for your perseverance with my English, but you would seem to understand the point perfectly.
    The only reason Maori can be treated as “all ooooo ahhhhh hush sacred” and no one question until now the growing pedestality (sorry, sounds like something you should get two digit years for in the slammer) is that they were here first – which in the 21st century is a kindergarten sand-pit defence. I should treat this with more reverence, but I am between coffees, and that feels like getting out of bed in the morning, the wrong side – the one against the wall
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:44pm
    - PurplePen
      
      Lovely to read your post the end of today. Made me laugh.
      
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      February 16, 2024 7:02pm
- Handyman
  
  A Hawaiin court recently ruled that “the aloha spirit” overrules the USA constitution. The case was related to gun rights but could be applied to anything. The ruling confirms certain people or certain regions can operate outside the mainstream legal system.
  
  The “aloha spirit” sounds very similar in nature to “tikanga”.
  
  https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2024/02/08/hawaii-supreme-court-scoffs-u-s-scotus-no-state-constitutional-right-carry-firearm/
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:21am
- Chris Nisbet
  
  I guess that if governments keep perpetrating the idea that one race is special in this country, some of us will start to believe it. Nonsense like this ‘logically’ follows.
  If only we had a politician who want to clear up all this nonsense and make it clear we should all be treated equally.
  Oh, wait..
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:17pm
  - Bridgenag
    
    Don’t forget the ankle bracelets on show at Waitangi
    
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    February 16, 2024 12:24pm
- Beach Haven expat
  
  Presumably they have to look at the history of tikanga in the whole – causing the extinction of the moa and burning down forests means these ‘polluters’ are bang on complying with the Treaty.
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:05pm
Opie

Winston destroying Jimmy shaw in the house.

I saw Winston arriving at the airport later on and he looked like he was still laughing

https://twitter.com/ResistanceKiwi/status/1757950514384506967/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1757950514384506967&currentTweetUser=ResistanceKiwi&mode=profile
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February 16, 2024 8:03am
- Chuck Bird
  
  It was funny when Winston mentioned Shaw’s qualifications or lack of them.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:53am
- OlderChas
  
  The link shows “This page does not exist.”
  
  [Mod – try this https://twitter.com/ResistanceKiwi/status/1757950514384506967. ]
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:03am
- Jethrod
  
  Reminiscent of Muldoons comment about giggling gays. Referring to Colin Moyle
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:24am
- Beach Haven expat
  
  It was very funny but a more serious blow would have been pointing out Shaw’s hypocrisy in terms of donors et al when he gave our cash to the green school. How he could stand up there and make that point is amazing.
  
  What next, Marama demanding jail for those who jaywalk in front of motorcyclists?
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:08pm
G152

So who is the Christchurch arsonist.?????

Two fires in the same area isnt a coincident even though there is a space between them.
And will we ever know???
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February 16, 2024 8:04am
- Damocles11
  
  Some ‘climate change’ nutter no doubt.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:10am
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArF18l-L53M
You Won’t Beleive What’s About to Destroy Fani Willis!
Is it a probe? Is it receipts? Is it a tattoo? What about whistle blowers? Could it be all three?
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February 16, 2024 8:05am
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c7-uggIm-s
TREXIT: NZ First May Back the Treaty Principles Bill Past First Reading.
TREXIT: NZ First may back the Treaty Principles Bill past first reading. More good news for nationalist-populists. Bits of the gravy train are getting turned into razor blades.
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February 16, 2024 8:06am
- I remember when
  
  The discussion on Treaty Principles is about at least stopping the endless unthinking extensions to said Principles.
  If the train has left the station lets, at least, restrict the number of carriages.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:58am
  - JeffW
    
    What’s in place has the potential to destroy the country. Today’s fantasy principles need to be rolled back.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:31am
kevn

This will ‘help’…
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/scary-soros-prepares-takeover-200-radio-stations-ahead-us-presidential-election
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February 16, 2024 8:06am
- kowtow
  
  Time Magazine did a very long item on how the 2020 election was “saved”.
  
  That included literally hundreds of millions donated by some of the very wealthiest of US businessmen.
  It also included a conspiracy between big business and labour unions.
  
  That money was used to hire an army of activists.They were able to do the ballot harvesting that postal voting enabled.
  That’s how BidenCorp won.
  
  Talk about election interference.
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:34am
- Maggie Pie
  
  Combine that with the old nazi owning politicians and judges, it could be a rough ride for Trumpy this year 🙁
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:43am
hmmokrightitis

I did so you dont have to:

Spent a little time perusing The Standard. Observations:

The MO is create a strawman, based on a range of wild ass guesses and assumptions and then tell everyone that this coalition (you can rename it to anything derogatory, but just ignore that for 3 years we loved Winnie) is the worst thing ever and will lead to the downfall of humanity – despite basing this on “making shit up”.

The level of delusion is staggering. If you dont subscribe to the last Government / Robertson being the BEST THINGS EVER you are clearly deranged and a feckless no hope Tory. There is zero acknowledgement that the last government left the country divided; the economy in a shambles; delivered virtually nothing of substance despite spending vast sums of money AND made things worse.

A disingenuous bunch of frankly odd humans.

Social experiment over, I need a gin.

Edit to say: And PS, Atlas is funding EVERYTHING!!! (Except they arent)
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February 16, 2024 8:09am
- Bobba Fret
  
  I have been banned from commenting on the Standard. Any one that disagrees with their hard left views is a “troll” according to Incognito or Weka. There are only about 50 hardcore commenters over there.
  It amuses me that general debate here has hundreds of comments each day, whereas over at the Standard, they are lucky to get 60 comments in their open mike!
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:05am
  - pdm
    
    `I have been banned from commenting on the Standard’
    
    Haven’t we all been at some time.
    
    You should have been around in the Red Alert days!! Mallard and Claire Curran would ban people for breathing. The Standard can be quite lenient compared to them.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:15am
    - Paulus
      
      I look at the Standard in recognition of Sun Tzu’s comments “Know your Enemy” !
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:51pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Wear your ban as a badge of honour. It shows you have pissed off a precious snowflake!
    I was banned years ago by that guy with a girl’s name Linda.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:25am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  Why does RNZ National have news web site when The Standard does exactly the same thing?
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:07am
  - Paulus
    
    Similarly why is there a Maori spoken TV programme in late afternoon, every day, when there are two fully paid for Maori TV programmes on at the same time ?
    Lets face it very very few speakers of Maori watch it anyway as they are not Maori conversant.
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:55pm
- Beach Haven expat
  
  The Atlas trend is hilarious. They first called anyone not ‘progressive’ boomers, then racists, then Nazis, then white supremacists, then cookers and now slur du jour is you’re funded by Atlas.
  
  Is there a regular group email that goes around dishing out the new word to use?
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:14pm
Simon

The violent criminals that are allowed to roam NZ by the state vs the health and safety keep safe culture enforced & brain washed by the state on civil society reminds of this quote.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
“Your punishment for having a knife when they searched you would be very different from the thief’s. For him to have a knife was mere misbehavior, tradition, he didn’t know any better. But for you to have one was ‘terrorism.’”

The state has emptied the prisons of violent criminal scum while enforcing 30 kph judder bar safety zones. Marxist turds as they attempt to enfeeble civil society.
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February 16, 2024 8:11am
- Exclamation Mark
  
  There is a term for this: Anarcho-tyranny.
  
  This term was coined by Sam Francis, from his wikipedia page (I’m not linking to it as they have gone all-out in the last year to smear him as a white supremacist):
  Francis’s term “anarcho-tyranny” refers to armed dictatorship without rule of law, or a Hegelian synthesis when the state tyrannically or oppressively regulates citizens’ lives yet is unable or unwilling to enforce fundamental protective law. Commentators have invoked the term in reference to situations when governments focus on weapon confiscation instead of stopping looters.
  
  Gosh, doesn’t this sound familiar, I’m sure Lucy Rogers would agree.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:48am
  - kowtow
    
    In the Daily Telegrapg recently was an opinion column on same , used that term too.
    
    The state prosecutes ordinary citizens for the minorest of infringements and for things that not long ago weren’t infractions ( with gusto) and yet there’s a generalised lawlessness that is ruining the country .
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:02pm
Simon

NZ style death penalty. When NZ police go easy on “low level” crime and it escalates, then justice system lets violent criminals roam NZ. The police end up random killing.

Doesn’t even make the front story. The police close down all information and MSM choose to forget about it half an hour later. Great stuff NZ police & MSM.

NZ style death penalty NZ’s glorious half arsed criminal justice system in action.
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February 16, 2024 8:14am
- Bobba Fret
  
  At least he wont be re-offending!
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:07am
Maggie Pie

RANDOM IMPERTINENT QUESTION

Look, first to admit that I might be a bit thick when it comes to matters financial, but if the RB Gov Adrian Orr says he can just “print money”…. then why do we need to pay tax?

https://twitter.com/Ghost_of_Phi/status/1757516114815221834
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February 16, 2024 8:26am
- pdm
  
  maggie I think you are a hell of a lot smarter than Adrian Orr and Grant Robertson as well.
  
  I bet you would not have squandered the housekeeping money if you had been occupying their offices since 2020.
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:34am
  - notreadyet
    
    not only that, all his $$$$ printing lead to the inflation we now live with when in reality his job was to manage inflation. a double double fail in my mind
    
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    February 16, 2024 9:21am
    - mogg
      
      Printing billions of dollars into a shut down economy, inflation through the roof and Orr has still got his job!!
      
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      February 16, 2024 9:39am
      - kowtow
        
        And can publicly joke about it and get a laugh from the ruling elites.
        
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        February 16, 2024 1:04pm
    - Paulus
      
      Orr’s Boss, Robertson tells him what to do, and at the same time creates a new selected Rates Committee, including special Labour Party aficionado from the Unions.
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:58pm
- Paulus
  
  Keep your hair on – it’s Friday and the sun is sill shining in the North Island.
  Sorry to hear that some of our Leaders may have a sense of humour – wish more was available.
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:35am
  - kowtow
    
    Hilarious , losing $11 billion.
    
    How funny’s dat ?
    
    How much he spend on turning the Reserve Bank of NZ, once a world respected financial institution into a global laughing stock.
    
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    February 16, 2024 10:13am
    - Paulus
      
      The Ardern Robertson Government destroyed New Zealand for a very long time !
      Pigshit ignorance and incompetence.
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:59pm
- kowtow
  
  I wonder what Michael Reddell would have to say .
  
  Another point is how very little has been said in te media over this very serious matter about this latest clown show stuff from this Buffoon.
  
  NZ Inc ? ( laughing stock)
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:44am
- sirknz
  
  It’s a simple equation, more money in circulation means that it has to find a a home, so the price of everything increases as a result. This is why we are still suffering from ~6% non tradeable inflation, the bit that the Labour luvvies like to ignore when trumpeting about their team’s impact on bringing down inflation in NZ.
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:46am
  - Paulus
    
    And evet Union driven wage rise clips up the inflation figures.
    Very long way to go !
    
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    February 16, 2024 2:00pm
- Cassandra
  
  You can’t just print money unless you are Vernon Cracknell or Major Douglas (no kin to Roger).
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:46am
- Skippytony
  
  Here is the “intellectual framework” that underpins that kind of thinking.
  
  https://www.investopedia.com/modern-monetary-theory-mmt-4588060
  
  A woman called Stephanie Kelton has sold this snake oil to Bernie Sanders and other morons, including apparently some home grown ones
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:57am
- Sensible moderate views
  
  Maggie Pie, printing money runs the risk of hyperinflation which massively distorts markets and crashes the economy, making most people much poorer. Examples of hyperinflation include Weimar Germany in the 1920s, Zimbabwe recently. Argentina has also tried money printing repeatedly and just gets poorer and poorer as a result.
  
  So money printing is a bit like chocolate. A little bit seems lovely, but if you eat a 10kg New Word Easter Bunny in one sitting, you are going to seriously regret it. 🙂
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:14am
- Aquarius
  
  The Clown Prince of Central Bankers !
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:19am
- JohnRidd
  
  Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has become popular amongst lefties. The MMT people don’t understand that money and wealth are not the same. Our fiat money is not backed by anything except the promises of politicians.
  
  The fiat dollars in circulation are a representation of the wealth of the country.
  
  If the Reserve Bank doubles the number of dollars in circulation, the wealth of the country remains the same. The value of each dollar is halved.
  
  Governments print money when they can not resist the temptation to spend more than they raise with taxation.
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:58pm
  - JohnRidd
    
    I should also have said that wealth is created when production is more than consumption. If a country or a business or a family consume less than they produce their wealth increases. Our country has been doing the opposite and as a country we are getting poorer.
    
    And when the wealth of a country goes down, the number of poor people goes up.
    
    There is a MMT woman called Stephanie Kelton who has written a book called “The Deficit Myth” in which she argues that a government that has its own currency is not like a family or business as it can always print money to cover deficits.
    
    She is wrong. Countries also have to be fiscally responsible.
    
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    February 16, 2024 2:26pm
Simon

Did NZ, as part of five eyes, spy on the 2016 Trump campaign under orders from CIA director John Brennan?

The U.S. Intelligence Community asked fellow members of the “‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance to surveil Trump’s associates and share the intelligence they acquired with US agencies,” sources told a small team of independent reporters who broke the story yesterday.

https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/14/sources-say-u-s-intelligence-agencies-tasked-foreign-partners-with-spying-on-trumps-2016-campaign/
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February 16, 2024 8:29am
- mawm
  
  Simon – Yes.
  
  I still want to know why NZ has “retired” CIA agents working in NZ with our 5Eyes. Are we a captured nation? Did they “guide” Jacinda during our Covid response?
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:23am
Paulus

Why does the dreadful Herald seem to make all its main pages columns written by these experts on everything, from their well paid University jobs – suppose for the Herald that they are cheap publicity for the writers, the results of what I read are typical academic crap ?
But that is the so called Media!
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February 16, 2024 8:39am
Cassandra

The Government has appointed three men with extensive relevant experience to advise on the future of Cook Strait ferries. No woman, no Maori, no rainbow representative, although I suspect someone who was all three who had relevant skills would be top of the list. A refreshing change from Labour’s woke.
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February 16, 2024 8:44am
- Blog-aholic
  
  You mean they applied the ‘who is most qualified’ rule?
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:44am
- Taieri
  
  The Government has appointed three men with extensive relevant experience to advise on the future of Cook Strait ferries.
  ———
  The competitor, Strait NZ, also known as Bluebridge, seems to be running quite well without the Government input. Financial or otherwise.
  Starting with a small livestock carrier in 1992, they built their business to the point where over half of the vehicle freight across the Cook Strait is carried on their two vessels.
  Perhaps the Government should take a good look at the wisdom (and cost) of owning/operating a transport company under the state ownership.
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:05am
  - marcw
    
    Bluebridge operate without the dead-weight of a rail freight anchor.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:17am
    - rouppe
      
      Most of the interislander ferries also do not have rail capability either. Only the aged Aratere.
      
      Part of the reason for the large cost to the replacement ferries was because kiwi rail insisted on rail enabled ships, something which is no longer common.
      
      Interislander has 2 ferries that are simple roll on roll of and things seem fine…
      
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      February 16, 2024 12:47pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Yes, we are now at the stage where the shit has hit the fan, and only competence will do….
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:43am
kowtow

Hilarious.

While the Elites of the West bollocks on about the weather and net zero targets the emerging middle classes of the East don’t give a shit.

Record car sales in India and huge demand for gas from Asia .

Any western cliamte clutcher like to buy some offset indulgences to compensate for that .

Bwahahaha .
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February 16, 2024 8:51am
kowtow

I see te national media getting climate upset about fires near Christchurch .

Those pines look suspiciously wilding and the grass very long and unmanaged .

Perhaps the landowners need to engage in some good housekeeping before we blame The Little Baby and our SUV’s for these eventsbeing so unconrollable.

Innit.
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February 16, 2024 8:54am
BeaB

Remember how RNZ used to pore through pages of Arden’s emails and those of her ministers for any little snippet they could pounce on and make a shock horror story out of?
Me neither. Nobody went looking for the missing billions or any of the genuine scandals that they reluctantly publish now, or don’t.
But with the new government RNZ gleefully produces emails they have trawled through to find some ridiculous non-story.
They do realise that one day they are going to have to ask Melissa Lee for more funding?
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February 16, 2024 8:54am
- kowtow
  
  We don’t call ’em “muck rakers” for nuttin’ .
  
  And that’s being polite.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:15am
- JeffW
  
  Do you have any confidence National will do anything to stop the far left gravy train of MSM?
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:37am
- Beach Haven expat
  
  I seem to remember them censoring their own records when a genuine news story of public interest happened during a leaving do under their own roof.
  
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  February 16, 2024 8:49pm
gravedodger

A randomly selected beetroot from any supermarket or greengrocer will have better financial nous and communicative skills than the current occupant of the Reserve Bank head office.
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February 16, 2024 9:00am
- imalwaysright
  
  Graved,
  
  I think your beetroot comment is reprehensible.
  
  It would be the height of foolishness to select a beetroot at random.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:53am
  - gravedodger
    
    Don’t shoot messengers imal, it was “Dolly” robberson’s picking
    
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    February 16, 2024 10:54am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Yes, you should select your root vegetables with care. Bureaucrat selection however…. seen the “odd bunch” selection at countdown?
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:45am
    - Bridgenag
      
      remember Countdown is Australian and do not promote NZ products
      
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      February 16, 2024 12:30pm
PurplePen

Good piece from Chris Trotter today in the ODT “Iron has entered her soul” about Swarbroke after her interview with Tame. A flavour of the piece:

“How many times has revolutionary zealotry offered this millenarian mirage to an angry and despairing world? How many times has it all gone horribly wrong? And how sad is it that a politician as talented as Chloe Swarbrick now finds herself wandering this arid trail?”

If you have PressReader from your library you can get the ODT daily as the opinion is behind a paywall. But good to see a frank opinion piece and Trotter is usually on the left.
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February 16, 2024 9:07am
- Bobba Fret
  
  People over at the Standard now think Trotter is a traitor!
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:11am
  - pdm
    
    BF – please stop spreading unfounded rumours.
    
    All of us here know that those regulars over at The Standard do not think. Full stop.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:23am
    - AitchW
      
      They’re a weird mob over there. I have just read a post from one who opines that in three years time the current government will have wrecked the economy.
      
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      February 16, 2024 12:43pm
- 7kiwi11
  
  You can read it here https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2024/02/chris-trotter-iron-in-her-soul.html
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:12am
- kowtow
  
  Swarbick talented ?
  
  Trotter’s delusional .
  
  Without an adoring te media pardy and a global ( western) pearl cluthching , hysterical urban middle class ,composed of low information , intellectually challenged voters , she’d be nothing.
  
  Maybe that’s why she seems to be concentrating her efforts on a possible new class of voters .
  
  Hamas Huggers .
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:20am
  - lastmanstanding
    
    I predict Chloe will crash and burn between now and the next election.
    
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    February 16, 2024 12:10pm
    - AitchW
      
      Every public utterance she makes is increasingly unhinged, not to mention shrill. Perhaps the psychosis from heavy cannabis use affects one’s ability to communicate coherently.
      Disclaimer: I’m not suggesting that Green Party members are heavy dope users.
      
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      February 16, 2024 2:43pm
    - Beach Haven expat
      
      But only because we neglect the harm faced by wimmin in parliament, and wimmin of colour. And until we do confront this, more brave whine will be sacrificed on the altar of toxic masculinity enacted by TERFs.
      
      It’s literal genocide.
      
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      February 16, 2024 8:53pm
- Nobby2
  
  Chole Swarbrick is just a grownup version of the Swedish shouty, enraged, deranged, motormouth, Greta Thunberg.
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:15am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    “How dare you? I should be in school. You have taken my childhood” or something.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:40am
  - Beach Haven expat
    
    Grown-up? I think not.
    
    Greta comes across as far less immature and, frankly, loopy. And at least she’s recognisably for a condition, rather than a made-up one to excuse going full tanty.
    
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    February 16, 2024 8:55pm
- Skippytony
  
  For once the media have done NZ a favour by handing Ms Swarbrick a microphone. No one can act surprised when the greens do a hard pivot to the left.
  I’d like to see someone ask this emerging leader a few direct questions to allow her to more fully articulate her position(s) on such things as:
  -Universal Suffrage
  -Who should be in prison and on what basis?
  -Does she condemn rape and murder by people out of uniform as an act of terrorism?
  -How much wealth is enough?
  -How much tax is enough?
  
  Lets keep adding to the list 🙂
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:30am
  - AitchW
    
    How do you reconcile prohibition of tobacco for those born after 1990 (or whatever the year is) with a sustained campaign to legalise weed?
    
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    February 16, 2024 3:18pm
  - Beach Haven expat
    
    Luckily Chloe has answered:
    
    -Universal Suffrage but only for wimmin and people of colour. The patriarchy has had its chance.
    
    -Who should be in prison and on what basis?
    No one. Except TERFs, white cis men, class traitors and blokes on motorcycles near Albert Park.
    
    -Does she condemn rape and murder by people out of uniform as an act of terrorism?
    Jewish lies. Your question is literal genocide.
    
    -How much wealth is enough? Anyone with $1 more than me is a despicable human being climbing on the corpses of dead Hamas children and my good friend Golriz. My own wealth has plummeted now due to an unforeseen rise in clothing expenditure.
    
    -How much tax is enough? There is no ceiling for those who pay tax. Because the only ones who do are white cis men and TERFs. If we take all their money so they starve to death then I’ve rebalanced society. Now that’s a literal genocide I can get behind.
    
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    February 16, 2024 9:04pm
- CJames
  
  The article is up on Bowalley Rd too.
  
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  February 16, 2024 3:21pm
Grunter

For those that want a bit of critical thinking into “Green Hydrogen” and number crunching…

PS: It doesn’t make sense
The conclusion at the end of this link
“Governments now want to create a new hydrogen fuel industry using market intervention, mandates, and massive subsidies. But physics and economics strongly oppose the development of a green hydrogen fuel industry. Get ready for a spectacular failure of these government-sponsored efforts.”

https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2024-2-14-when-you-crunch-the-numbers-green-hydrogen-is-a-non-starter
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February 16, 2024 9:09am
- cmm
  
  Repeat after me…. there is no green hydrogen.
  
  Hydrogen can be made in two ways:
  1) Reacting natural gas or other hydrocarbons. Very wasteful. You’d do better to just burn the gas.
  2) Electrolysis of water with electricity: very wasteful, you’d do better to just use the electricity.
  
  Hydrogen, like electricity, is just an energy transfer mechanism (and a very inefficient one). It is not an energy source.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:21am
  - Wayne Mapp
    
    Apparently there are reservoirs of pure hydrogen in deep rock strata. A lot of effort is going into extracting such reservoirs.
    Hydrogen is not just an energy transfer system. Burning it with oxygen, as with hydrocarbons, releases energy. Ask any rocket scientist. Although perhaps on that analysis, hydrocarbons are also just an energy transfer system, but the process of transfer releases usable energy.
    
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    February 16, 2024 10:54am
    - Taieri
      
      Apparently there are reservoirs of pure hydrogen in deep rock strata. A lot of effort is going into extracting such reservoirs.
      —————
      
      It is still early days for natural hydrogen. Scientists don’t completely understand how it forms and migrates and—most important—whether it accumulates in a commercially exploitable way. “Interest is growing fast, but the scientific facts are still lacking,” says Frédéric-Victor Donzé, a geophysicist at Grenoble Alpes University.
      
      https://www.science.org/content/article/hidden-hydrogen-earth-may-hold-vast-stores-renewable-carbon-free-fuel
      
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      February 16, 2024 11:20am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Time to start drilling in the Olivine Mountain range…(and perhaps Dun Mountain, Nelson,, & the Serpentine belt on D’urville Is)
        
        THE MAIN ENGINE of natural hydrogen production is now thought to be a set of high-temperature reactions between water and iron-rich minerals such as olivine
        
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        February 16, 2024 12:44pm
    - rangitoto
      
      If the hydrogen is being manufactured from hydrocarbons, or electricity then it is definitely just an energy transfer system.
      
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      February 16, 2024 2:47pm
    - CJames
      
      Wayne – those deep hydrogen reservoirs are just modeller’s dreams. No real drilling has ever hit one. That Mali one is unexplained but not a precursor to a new gold rush. But academics know better though with a lower predictive success rate than the man in the street.
      
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      February 16, 2024 3:23pm
- kowtow
  
  Green hydrogen is today’s tulip mania .
  
  Mind you our betters have quite a few manias they want us distracted by , while they screw us over.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:22am
  - AitchW
    
    I suppose the question needs to be asked in view of the fact that ICE vehicles will, apparently, inevitably become obsolete is which of the two power production methods, ie hydrogen fuel cell or lithium ion battery is more efficient, reliable, green and safe?
    Everyone knows that lithium ion batteries are a fire hazard, full of heavy and rare earth metals and a huge problem when spent. How does a hydrogen fuel cell compare?
    
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    February 16, 2024 2:20pm
    - miltonF
      
      “How does a hydrogen fuel cell compare”
      
      Not favourably. At all. More expensive to build and fuel, bigger fire hazard, poor performance. The only benefit they have over a Battery EV is a (slightly) longer range. If that’s the case you might as well go petrol. You could say the race ended before it started.
      
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      February 16, 2024 4:24pm
- Burtland
  
  “More fundamentally, hydrogen, green or otherwise, is not a useful dispatchable energy resource because it requires more energy to produce than it can provide.”
  
  “That is an immutable thermodynamic fact.”
  
  from Lesser’s article
  
  https://manhattan.institute/article/green-hydrogen-a-multibillion-dollar-energy-boondoggle
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:37am
- NothingLeft
  
  Green hydrogen has a bright future, because making solar PV in tropical deserts is ridiculously cheap – around as little as USD $0.015/kWh, but that power is very far from potential users with no cost effective method of delivering it other than hydrogen.
  
  In the OECD wholesale electricity typically costs ~$USD0.06-.1/kWh, meaning that even with only 50% efficiency of electricity=>hydrogen=> electricity that desert PV produced hydrogen is cheap enough to power the grid.
  
  But what is a bigger deal is that it is far cheaper to supply gas to the home than electricity, meaning if everyone has a small 60% efficient 2-3kW fuel cell plus some batteries at home then they can get electricity at about half the current retail price.
  
  Hydrogen can also be cheaply stored in large facilities to get through winter demand increases.
  
  For that reason I expect Green Hydrogen to take over and perhaps render grid obsolete within 20 years, because it will be cheaper for consumers
  
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  February 16, 2024 4:37pm
Matt Long

Japan slips into fourth place behind Germany in GDP, soon to be overtaken by India.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/15/japan-recession-economy-falls-behind-germany-worlds-largest
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February 16, 2024 9:13am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Remarkable, considering Germany’s recent deindustrialisation.
  
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  February 16, 2024 7:19pm
In Vino Veritas

Further to yesterday’s post on NZ Super, “the Retirement Commission”. Perhaps the “Retirement Commission” could start with self. Cutting costs would be good. For instance, meet Kaihautū | Director – Māori & Learning Erin Thompson (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngaati Tiipa). Further meet Māori Lead Donna Robinson and Kaitakawaenga/Māori Specialist Marina Kawe-Peautolu (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu) and Kaikōkiri/Māori Specialist – Kura Kimiorangi Thompson (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Rangiwewehi) and Learning and Māori Administrator Lexia Hansen and Learning Lead Yasmin Frazer and Learning Specialist Su Min Ahn and Learning Specialist
Claire Bailey. Dollar to a knob of goat poo, there is well over a million dollars of salaries being paid wasting money that might be paid out as super.
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February 16, 2024 9:16am
- Matt Long
  
  Their employer, the government, that gets money for free is probably contributing 12% to their KiwiSaver account, so they’re really helping with retirement for a least some people.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:03am
- kowtow
  
  See my comment below on the NZTA .
  
  Under Ardernism the whole of the public service has been undermined by her racist vision for a divided New Zealand.
  
  They’ve abandoned their core duties to all New Zealanders and we’re all very much worseoff for it.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:25am
  - Taieri
    
    Waka Kotahi has never been the agency’s legal name. While the Cabinet in 2022 approved that name, it was never put through in law, and its legal name remains the ‘New Zealand Transport Agency’.
    
    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/emails-show-concerns-about-waka-kotahi-name-change
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:31am
    - Observer of Life
      
      Tai: We received something in the mail from NZTA the other day on letterhead that had NZ Transport Agency ABOVE Waka Kotahi. A very pleasant surprise.
      
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      February 16, 2024 7:44pm
      - Beach Haven expat
        
        Rawiri and Debs need to be alerted. That’s literal genocide.
        
        Quick, sound the hikoi klaxon.
        
        Um, um, er, Atlas or something.
        
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        February 16, 2024 9:09pm
- artemisia
  
  We know from the previous government that some within organisations had (have) more influence than others. It takes a brave team member, or even manager, to object when they perceive this. In case they are called out as racist, a career limiting move.
  
  It remains to be seen what will change now. At the very least, the new government has indicated race based policies may well no longer get the funding tick.
  
  Though we may never really know how much proposals and policies are actually influenced by certain considerations.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:50am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Approaching retirement, I should take one last job in the public sector.
    
    Just for the shitz & giggles, you understand.
    
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    February 16, 2024 7:26pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  Gotta laugh at these self absorbed pricks quoting their so called Maori ancestory. Bet they have a couple of percent of Maori if that. I on the other hand can trace my ancestry directly back to 12 Century north west England to the exact village my ancestors settled and bears my name. However I would never be so pompous as to add that detail after my name like these pricks.
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:15pm
  - Cassandra
    
    Ive been to Lastmanstanding in Yorkshire – actually it’s a pub car park and I was not. Yours Cassandra (Scotland, Opotiki, Mangere, Canada, Australia).
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:32pm
- AitchW
  
  Hard to tell from some of the names, but most of those appear to be women. I’m not sure what that says about the hiring policy at the Retirement Commission. Like most people I’m far more puzzled about what ethnicity has to do with retirement. Surely, you reach 65 and you’re entitled to government superannuation? Does an Asian superannuitant require a different level of government super than a Maori or European?
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:49pm
  - artemisia
    
    Ethnicity may very quietly inform reasons to strongly oppose increasing eligibility age.
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:28pm
kowtow

This shows how off track the whole “public service ” went under the Ardernist regime.

‘It came shortly after Rosie stressed to staff and the board that partnering with Māori was vital and would “expand”; and days after Transport Minister Simeon Brown told Waka Kotahi to change its “branding and communication in media” as soon as possible.’

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-transport-agency-emails-reveal-concerns-within-waka-kotahi-about-name-change/Q4LY3V55EZA2HMXH2CYSCZSG4E/

Partnering with Maori ? How about just doing your job , for all of us.
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February 16, 2024 9:18am
- Yabster
  
  yep- the public service is ingrained with this attitude- what has NZTA got anything to do with promoting Maori language etc- the board the ceo, the lame staff member- should all resign. Road to Zero?- fucking Brillant -twats.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:49am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Resign? Nicole Rosie should fired for insubordination, for that comment alone!
    
    Minister Brown, express your lack of confidence in your CEO.
    
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    February 16, 2024 7:24pm
  - Beach Haven expat
    
    Given how many times a day you see a road sign, it would be the most efficient way to start people learning the language, by osmosis.
    I’m not advocating it BTW, just putting myself in their heads. Nationwide subliminal indoctrination. Simples
    
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    February 16, 2024 9:14pm
- KiwiSapper
  
  “………“I am insulted that the names gifted to us by Iwi now have no relevance, and I think it’s a slap in the face for them, too.”………”
  
  Anybody else recall the old rhyme, ‘
  “Sticks and stones may break my bones,
  but names will never hurt me”.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:33pm
Maggie Pie

Strange behaviour from a Lecturer at Auckland Uni if you ask me 🙁

https://twitter.com/Carlodaz/status/1757962202760581212
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February 16, 2024 9:27am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  These days Mags, this is entirely normal for a lecturer at Auckland University.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:50am
- Paulus
  
  Winston last year said that you could be a Maori on the basis of 1/512 parts.
  
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  February 16, 2024 2:08pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Jackson, pretending to be Jacksdaughter.
  
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  February 16, 2024 7:29pm
Matt Long

Tucker Carlson’s shopping experience in Russia, a week’s groceries he thought would cost US$400 costs $104.
He reflects the anger that Americans feel that their government has made staple items unaffordable through their anti American ideals and policies.
Here in New Zealand, under six years of anti farmer Labour, I’m told nearly 40% of dairy farmers in Northland went out of supply, that’s a starling loss of economic resource in a resource hungry province.
https://x.com/atensnut/status/1758151845971702217?s=20
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February 16, 2024 9:28am
- Jake Dee
  
  Thanks for that it was interesting.
  It’s kind of amazing that with our info-tech systems we don’t already have a good idea of what’s going on in a Russian (Chinese, Palestinian etc.) supermarket.
  But Tucker Carlson was a bit sloppy here. It seems like he just wandered around a bit and picked up what he thought a family of four would need for a week and had his crew guess what it would all cost.
  What he should have done would have been to make a specific list first of so much bread, rice, milk, meat etc. and then go and find it.
  he should go to the Russian McDonalds ” Vkusno and Tochka” which the Russian McDonalds franchisees created after McDonalds pulled out.
  Examine their food and prices to the originals.
  
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  February 16, 2024 5:15pm
MCōs

It seems that pretty much anybody can wander round with a gun in Missouri unhindered until they start shooting people
https://x.com/markmobility/status/1758185695259017261?s=61&t=yFkzCNMWRCaVt1p5eRxUog
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February 16, 2024 9:30am
- All_on_Red
  
  Your X post is deceptive.
  In Missouri, Minors can carry long guns in Public but not pistols.
  They also need Parental consent to purchase a long gun and have to go through a Federal Check (FBI)
  They cannot own pistols.
  Their Laws are lax enough without having to lie about it.
  Still, I guess weak minds are easily led.
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:58am
  - MCōs
    
    Kids are only allowed to wander round with long guns
    Well that’s a relief
    
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    February 16, 2024 10:38am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Only if Daddy says and the context is so you can take your children hunting.
      We used to wander around with 22’s and shotguns when I was a minor.
      The incident looks like its gang related.
      How would you suggest we disarm criminals?
      Set up a Gun Register?
      Perhaps next time don’t fall for Fake News just because of your confirmation bias
      
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      February 16, 2024 11:02am
      - MCōs
        
        I’m guessing that you didn’t wander round some NZ city CBD with your collection of rifles and shotguns
        
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        February 16, 2024 11:33am
      - All_on_Red
        
        No and neither were the 2 juveniles in Kansas City.’
        They had pistols
        As I said, their laws are lax but do try to keep up and not fall for fake news
        
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        February 16, 2024 11:44am
      - Keith White
        
        As a kid 6+ decades ago I wandered around what we now call the CBD and boarded ARA buses with a single-shot 22 to hunt possums for bounty (briefly – stopped in early ’60s) and for the fur. Only time anyone reacted was one day I’d left the bolt in. Telling off by the driver who also told my father, and then a beating from father. Curiously, I have never made that mistake / been that careless since. Also, there were no massacres committed in the 60s by long-gun-toting primary school possum-cullers.
        
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        February 16, 2024 12:05pm
- The Redbaiter
  
  MCos- “It seems that pretty much anybody can wander round with a gun in Missouri unhindered”
  
  Which is the way it should be.
  
  See they’re forming new legislation designed to go after knives in the UK now.
  
  How long will stupid progressives/liberals pretend that it is something else other than their socially corrosive narcissistic immorality that is the real problem?
  
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  February 16, 2024 9:58am
  - MCōs
    
    They can make whatever laws they like in Missouri, but some might say there’s a downside
    Kansas City, which has a population of half a million, not an awful lot more than Chch, had 180+ homicides last year
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:49am
    - marcw
      
      Kansas City metropolitan area – Population
      • Total 2,192,035
      [Wikipedia]
      
      Try to update on some debate skills. Took all of 30 seconds to get the truth.
      
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      February 16, 2024 12:04pm
      - RichardX
        
        https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kansascitycitymissouri/PST045222 shows 509,297 from 2022 so not sure what you are calling “the truth”.
        
        You are both correct but using different definitions of what makes up Kansas City so not really anything to do with debating skills.
        
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        February 16, 2024 12:18pm
      - MCōs
        
        Kansas City
        Population: 508,394 (2021)
        According to Google
        I expect it depends what’s included
        Here’s Wikipedia’s analysis of Wellington
        Population (June 2023)
        • Urban 215,200
        • Metro 440,900
        “The wider metropolitan area for Wellington encompasses areas administered by four local authorities: Wellington City itself, on the peninsula between Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour; Porirua City on Porirua Harbour to the north”
        
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        February 16, 2024 12:26pm
      - Ghost
        
        You are actually both right
        
        The 2020 census has the Kansas city Missouri population at 508,090 which is what Mcos was giving. Kansas City metropolitan area Which you are giving is 2,392,035
        
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        February 16, 2024 1:34pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Kansas City, Kansas + Kansas City, Missouri = the same city, divided by a river
      
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      February 16, 2024 7:33pm
- MCōs
  
  Two of three arrested for the Kansas City shooting were juveniles
  The media over there doesn’t seem to have any trouble finding eloquent witnesses to describe what happened
  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/kansas-city-parade-shooting-live-updates-rcna138881
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:07am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Yes, we know…
    But unlike what your X link infers they, being juveniles, weren’t allowed to own or carry pistols
    It is illegal in Missouri
    
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    February 16, 2024 10:12am
mandk

I heard the odious Helen Clark on Hosking this morning, bemoaning Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Strangely enough, she uttered not a word about why Israel is there.

No condemnation of the vile actions by Hamas in Israel on 7 October.

No condemnation of the fact that Hamas is still holding Israeli hostages.

No condemnation of the fact that rocket attacks on Israel continue.

No condemnation of the role of UNWRA in actively supporting the atrocities by Hamas.

I wonder why.
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February 16, 2024 9:34am
- riffer
  
  That would all be fair enough if Israel were actually killing Hamas operatives. Sadly, they seem to be happy to kill women and children instead.
  
  Which I imagine is okay to you. After all, women breed potential terrorists and children can grow up to be terrorists.
  
  What needs to be recognised is that what Hamas did was awful and what Israel are doing is even more awful.
  
  But alas, the world will sit and watch while Israel enacts their final solution on the Palestinian people, while all the while strengthening the resolve of either Hamas, or whatever group will arise after Hamas to commit even worse atrocities on Israel.
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:02am
  - mandk
    
    “Sadly, they seem to be happy to kill women and children instead.”
    
    Your source (not including Hamas or UNWRA or the Hamas-run Gaza ministry of health) is?
    
    And I think it is slanderous to claim that the Israelis are happy with any deaths of women and children.
    
    Certainly there is a lack of the sort of glee Hamas and their supporters demonstrated when they committed atrocities against Israeli women and babies on 7/10/23.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:17am
    - mawm
      
      Mandk – of course one has to ignore the elephant in the room to believe Israeli soldiers are deliberately targeting women and children. Hamas have always hidden behind their women and children. Nothing has changed.
      
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      February 16, 2024 11:31am
      - riffer
        
        Whether Hamas are or are not hiding behind the women and children is immaterial.
        
        Are you claiming that it is acceptable to kill women and children if bad people are hiding behind them?
        
        Monstrous.
        
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        February 16, 2024 1:38pm
      - mawm
        
        Riffer – I’m not claiming anything. As usual you try to put words in someone else’s mouth. Hamas are the cowards that need to be criticised for deliberately exposing their woman and children in a war just for propaganda.
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:13pm
    - Jake Dee
      
      What are your standards for assessing the accuracy of reports coming out of the middle east (or anywhere else)?
      Surely it cannot be “all Israeli claims are true, and all Palestinian ones are false”. How can you assess the accuracy of (for example) IDF reports based solely on IDF reports? You can’t check the accuracy of your measuring stick just using the measures on your measuring stick.
      Everything can’t be a Potemkin village, and how do you tell the difference between a Potemkin village and just a regular village?
      The argument from bias is not an argument, you must have some way to check it.
      
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      February 16, 2024 5:29pm
  - vand
    
    That would all be fair enough if Israel were actually killing Hamas operatives. Sadly, they seem to be happy to kill women and children instead. ??/What!
    
    I don’t see you complaining about civilian deaths in Sudan , Yemen , Ukraine etc )Hamas choose to fight among human shields so Hamas “operatives” are counted as civilian deaths. Naivety is your strong suit.
    Jordan has 80% of the original Palestine mandate. Israel defends it’s 10 % of the original mandate. Easy end to war- Hamas surrenders.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:20am
    - riffer
      
      No. Because even if Hamas surrenders the subjugation of the Palestinian people remains. The attack on Israel did not occur in a vacuum.
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:39pm
      - Swifty
        
        That’s correct, it hasn’t occurred in a vacuum.
        
        The Hamas attack must be seen within the context of 1400 years of attacks on Jews by Muslims.
        
        Ever since Mohammed set an example by murdering the Jews who opposed him and rejected his claim of being divinely inspired, Muslims who have come after him have frequently been all too willing to follow that example.
        
        That’s what you get for rejecting Islam’s God claims and pointing their religion out for the absolute horseshit that it is.
        
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        February 16, 2024 2:12pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        Riffer,
        
        Good points.
        Also I don’t think the Israeli government realise that they have pissed off many people and are putting their own innocent citizens at risk from retribution. Not only those in Israel, but Israeli people everywhere.
        
        The Israeli government should also realise that, once they have completed the genocide of the Palestinians, their own country will become a target that will be indefensible.
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:52pm
      - Che Guava
        
        “That’s correct, it hasn’t occurred in a vacuum.
        
        The Hamas attack must be seen within the context of 1400 years of attacks on Jews by Muslims.”
        
        Yeah, let’s implausibly go back one and half millennia to fill in the background to the conflict and look for motivations, rather going back to much more recent events like the Jews displacing the Palestinians and declaring a state in the region within the last century, and then oppressing and abusing the Palestinians ever since. Let’s just ignore the more proximate, concrete and therefore more relevant causes, and instead talk in abstractions about founders of “horseshit religions.”
        
        Generally, the further back in time someone goes to explain a current event, the more dishonest they are being.
        
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        February 16, 2024 6:55pm
      - Swifty
        
        Your logic is horribly flawed Che.
        
        1. There’s nothing implausible about what I wrote. Bad choice of word on your part.
        
        2. What caused the formation of Israel in the first place? Have a good think. Look back into history.
        
        3. Islam is horseshit. It’s claimed foundational events didn’t happen and the main players didn’t exist.
        
        4. You allude to me being dishonest? Just say it outright, and point to my untrue statements please.
        
        You’re full of it pal.
        
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        February 16, 2024 7:11pm
    - Paulus
      
      It appears that the Hospital the Rafa is used by Hamas as a base – under it of course, and it is believed that is where the Israeli hostages have been held.
      
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      February 16, 2024 2:15pm
    - miltonF
      
      This kind of “what aboutism” logic actually scares me.
      
      So because of some deranged muslims in Yemen it’s now OK to murder innocent civilians in Gaza? Well blow me down.
      
      I’ve seen my share of this tactic. “They are homophobic. They are anti woman’s rights. They have low IQ. Muslims hate Jews”
      
      Sure, all of that may well be true, but it still does not justify the actions that Israel is taking.
      
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      February 16, 2024 4:42pm
  - artemisia
    
    It is reported that the October invasion involved thousands of Hamas operatives. A lot anyway, who knows really apart from Hamas commanders.
    
    Hundreds of Israelis were killed, tortured, wounded or kidnapped.
    
    But. Imagine if those thousands came over the border with a different plan. Say a coordinated approach to completely take over a single town and claim the territory. Would anyone be left alive?
    
    That could have been a realistic plan. Would that be different?
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:22am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    A couple points:
    
    Hamas has been attacking Israel this whole time (including through the ceasefires), firing rockets indiscriminately at civilian targets. They have stated they will continue (deliberately murder innocent civilians).
    
    What Hamas did was far more awful than what Israel is doing. Hamas indiscriminately targets civilians, Israel targets military which Hamas surrounds with civilians.
    
    As for blaming Israel for the proliferation of genocidal Gazans (currently called Hamas but they existed before Hamas and will after) – Hamas etc have always tried to commit genocide against Israel. They will always have willing genocidaires – Israel not killing today’s terrorists wouldn’t stop tomorrow’s terrorists from trying to commit genocide against Israel.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:59am
    - artemisia
      
      Hezbollah increasing their role in the fray. Last number I saw – 196 dead, as announced by Hezbollah, along with their military ‘martyr photos’.
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:36pm
    - riffer
      
      Numerous dead women and children would disagree with your comments that Israel only target Hamas.
      
      I am not claiming at all that Hamas are not acting in a potentially genocidal manner. But after 70 years of subjugation of the Palestinian people I wouldn’t blame them if they wanted all the Israelis dead.
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:41pm
      - Taieri
        
        Numerous dead women
        ————
        
        So, what’s so special about women? Are they protected species?
        Are there no women terrorists?
        
        Most of countries, including NZ, allow women in the military. Are they immune from death and injury during the war?
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:00pm
      - Che Guava
        
        “So, what’s so special about women? Are they protected species?Are there no women terrorists?”
        
        If we’re going to try and say that the deaths of innocent women in Gaza at the hands of the IDF is nothing to be concerned about, then let’s substitute ‘women’ for ‘Jews’ in the context of the deaths of Jews on 7 October: “what’s so special about Jews? Are they are protected species? Are there no Jewish terrorists?”
        
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        February 16, 2024 7:01pm
  - AitchW
    
    Hamas has the ability to end the Israeli attacks. All it needs do is release the Israeli hostages. Instead Hamas hides among non-combatant civilians then plays the victim card when well telegraphed Israeli attacks kill the very civilians they hide behind. Or is that under in their many tunnels?
    
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    February 16, 2024 2:49pm
  - miltonF
    
    Not sure why you got so many downticks.
    
    The IDF wouldn’t be killing woman and children if they were Jewish. Does anyone actually believe that if Hamas was located in Tel Aviv, they’d be bombing the city flat, tearing up the roads and intentionally destroying homes to “make it safe for civilians to return”. Not a chance.
    
    This seems quite obvious? There is more going on here than the propaganda would have you believe. Open your eyes and minds people.
    
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    February 16, 2024 4:34pm
    - Che Guava
      
      Of course. Imagine the US military destroying the buildings and infrastructure of Los Angeles and killing tens of thousands of Californians on the pretext that some murderous criminal gangs lived in the city. Any thinking person would conclude that the real target of the military was the citizens of Los Angeles, and that “destroying the Bloods and Crips” was a very thin pretext used to justify the destruction.
      
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      February 16, 2024 6:47pm
- AitchW
  
  Why do they keep seeking her views? Why would you interview a life long socialist and expect an unbiased opinion?
  Or do her opinions align nicely with the interviewer and his/her employer so she’s essentially a patsy?
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:55pm
  - artemisia
    
    Te media interview Helen to maintain balance in reporting. //
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:19pm
  - riffer
    
    Same reason they interview the likes of Paula Benett.
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:41pm
- Grunter
  
  Both the Israel Govt and Hamas are murdering innocent men, women and children. Both are nutters IMO. And this is getting worse, not better each day.
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:56pm
  - Beach Haven expat
    
    Agree Grunter. Two sides who are being [Mod – if you know a word won’t pass moderation then just don’t use it]. Why do people have to pick sides and claim they are the pure ones? It can be true that both sides are in the wrong.
    Depressingly, but wisely, Andrew Neil recently said why are we getting so hung up that there must be a solution to this problem like that nice sounding two state option. He believes not every problem can be fixed and this is an example. An horrific thought but maybe one we should accept.
    The only solution is both sides saying ‘today I’m going to stop being an a*sehole’. And that ain’t happening any time soon.
    
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    February 16, 2024 9:40pm
- kowtow
  
  I am mystified at how so called avowed feminists can be in such thrall to Islamic extremism directed particularly at the most vulnerable ie women and girls .
  And there is evidence that the hostages are subject to sexual abuse .
  
  And Peters and Luxon can blither all they like about proportionality etc but Israel is right and fully within its rights to finish off Hamas .
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:20pm
  - Grunter
    
    Yep, but…..
    ….. there will be consequences to Israel’s recent actions. The rest of the Arab and Muslim world will now go full barbaric nasty. Israel will respond of course. No one will win. There won’t be much left when the bombs stop.
    
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    February 16, 2024 2:40pm
    - kowtow
      
      ‘The rest of the Arab and Muslim world will now go full barbaric nasty.’
      
      No they won’t, and they haven’t.
      
      This is a shia Tehran thing.
      
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      February 16, 2024 5:33pm
  - NothingLeft
    
    Regardless of their professed beliefs, women are instinctually strongly attracted to strong men (for powerful evolutionary reasons)
    
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    February 16, 2024 4:44pm
  - miltonF
    
    Now it’s OK to kill people because they aren’t feminist?
    
    Scary proposition comrade.
    
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    February 16, 2024 4:45pm
  - Jake Dee
    
    All other things being equal, foreign men are more exotic and exciting to women than local men. If she shows an interest in foreign men, it displays to her local men that she has more options and is thus more valuable.
    Also, it’s much easier to support an ideology if you don’t have to live under it.
    
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    February 16, 2024 5:38pm
- Steve Todd
  
  @mandk @ 9:34AM
  
  I wonder why?
  
  Perhaps because Hosking didn’t ask her about them? (Just saying. I don’t know; I no longer listen to Hosking, or to the execrable du Plessis-Allan.)
  
  She was, after all, a guest on his show to answer/respond to his specific questions, not to take it upon herself to waste precious commercial radio time running off at the mouth about a range of matters he did not specifically raise with her.
  
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  February 16, 2024 2:10pm
Maggie Pie

Is it time Parliament introduced a Dress Code?

Watched that new LIST Greenie Ross Able give his maiden speech yesreday.
What a disgrace!
Clothes from a jumble sale, big tiki, receding greasy hair tied back in in a man-bum.
And while I don’t wish to sound mean, JAG looked dreadful all week as well 🙁

https://twitter.com/nzpoliticsgroup/status/1757950630558372317
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February 16, 2024 10:26am
- cmm
  
  Personally I wouldn’t care if they turned up wearing bin liners.
  
  So long as they display some competence.
  
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  February 16, 2024 10:37am
  - riffer
    
    Exactly. Who gives a flying *&^ what they wear?
    
    That’s such outdated thinking. If parliament is truly representative, we’d allow all sorts.
    
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    February 16, 2024 11:03am
    - Maggie Pie
      
      So would you allow any old riffraff ?
      
      13 3
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      February 16, 2024 11:27am
      - riffer
        
        You bloody snob. If you had your way the country would only be run by wealthy white entitled people.
        
        Luckily you don’t.
        
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        February 16, 2024 1:43pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        Come on riffs…I thort we were mates?
        
        7 2
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        February 16, 2024 2:25pm
      - Taieri
        
        If you had your way the country would only be run by wealthy white entitled people
        ————–
        
        Lange, Bolger, Muldoon, Clark, Ardern…to name just a few. They were white, but were they wealthy? Or “entitled”, whatever that means?
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:03pm
    - Bridgenag
      
      everyone should be the best they can be
      
      3 2
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      February 16, 2024 1:01pm
    - Jake Dee
      
      No. We have to have standards. We care about how people talk, we care about how people act, we should care about how people dress.
      Dress and appearance is both action and language, it speaks both consciously and subconsciously. A person who is filthy and ungroomed displays that they don’t care about hygiene.
      Indian Fakirs are an interesting example of that.
      Do you seriously believe that government should be open to all sorts? Society is full of all sorts, but they are not all suitable for government. Government is a serious business, and it has to be done well.
      Maybe this is the real difference between the Right and the Left. The Left wants equality but the only way they will get it is by forcing everyone to abide by the same very, very low standards.
      
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      February 16, 2024 5:51pm
- pdm
  
  Maggie I think Robertson leads the way on scruffiness. mrspdm even commented on his appearance yesterday during question time.
  
  Good to see Government male MP’s all wear ties and no hats in the debating chamber. They may not all be gentlemen but at least they look like gentlemen.
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:35am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    That’s the thing pdm. The guys are always immaculatly groomed,
    I mean could you see any of National’s female MP’s dressing like say….. Chloe, or Debra Russell.
    
    SHEESH!
    
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    February 16, 2024 12:01pm
    - pdm
      
      Maggie I have often thought Deborah Russell one of the `tidier’ Labour ladies, until she starts speaking. Jan Tinetti sometimes looks like an old maid and Ayesha Verrall sounds like a `fish wife’.
      
      Slovenly fits for all of the Greens except James Shaw – he is going to be a huge loss to them as far as credibility goes.
      
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      February 16, 2024 12:52pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        TBH, I do tend to rely on ‘X’ for the reality pics.
        
        Here’s one of Debz in campaign mode….
        
        https://twitter.com/BeeFaerie/status/1703166699955266004
        
        And here she is again on Polling-day casting her vote….
        
        https://twitter.com/MrJKirwan/status/1708579177660854310
        
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        February 16, 2024 1:17pm
      - Taieri
        
        Slovenly fits for all of the Greens except James Shaw
        ———-
        
        Golriz Ghahraman was always immaculately dressed.
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:05pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        YIP! Got to hand it to Golly… she had great taste in clothes.
        I’ve shopped at Scotties for ages. They can be expensive, but some of their recycled gear is just fabulous. Managed to score a Dries van Noten jacket a few months back…. marked down 50%! An absolute steal.
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:41pm
      - Bobba Fret
        
        I actually feel slightly sorry for Ayesha Verrall as I find her voice very annoying (I Know she can’t help it). Whenever she starts talking especially when she gets a bit animated, it is like someone scraping their nails down a blackboard to me.
        I also tend to not agree with anything she says, and think she will be right snarky as the opposition health person.
        
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        February 16, 2024 4:09pm
- AitchW
  
  My understanding is that parliament has a dress code. It includes jackets and ties for male MPs, and a ban on hats. Not sure of the rules for female MPs.
  In my opinion it’s quite reasonable to expect our elected representatives to be well dressed and that the speaker would enforce the rules. On all parties.
  Perhaps customary North American cowboy hats are allowed for tangata whenua
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:01pm
Jmac

Absolutely ridiculous that a Real Estate Agents licence in 2024 is contingent on a Diversity and Inclusion training course on Te Reo and the Treaty.

“Oh but its a small course and helpful to know in Aotearoa.”

No, the principle is if you lose your job over it it better actually be essential to your job.

Enough is enough.

https://www.hobsonspledge.nz/meetjanetdickson?fbclid=IwAR09LvSlxgoNVC_-YmtavcRAh3kBffVzz2H6zhWJzqI-jvhIWAyuxJoz91Q#the-case
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February 16, 2024 10:32am
- pdm
  
  Where is her support from her Real Estate peers and colleagues?
  
  Have they sucked on the `woke kumara’ and given in without a fight?
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:54pm
- Paulus
  
  Still dunno where this place Aotearoa is, and when it was agreed that it would replace New Zealand – which on RNZ and TV New Zealand still does not exist, although one Weather lady did not use it last evening for cities – she will be sacked.
  
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  February 16, 2024 2:22pm
- NothingLeft
  
  I think we should all refuse to use licensed RAs until this policy is fixed (and it soon would be)
  
  2 0
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  February 16, 2024 4:46pm
  - Inandout
    
    NL, there is absolutely no reason to not sell your own house, just be carefull and use a competent lawyer.
    
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    February 16, 2024 5:56pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Stop Co-Governance. Julian Batchelor.

https://stopcogovernance.kiwi/blog/how-we-know-maori-ceded-sovereignty/
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February 16, 2024 11:01am
Matt Long

NIWA everyone’s favourite climate alarmists buy four 2024 Silverados, one of the most inefficient carbon emitting vehicles on the market because they need to tow big boats. I wonder if they chose the biggest least fuel efficient boats as well?
Maybe downsize the boats, downsize the Utes and downsize NIWA.
16 1
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February 16, 2024 11:24am
- gravedodger
  
  Hi Matt, Unaware of anything Niwa Might deliver of real value that could not be done with a 2015 Corolla or a cellphone?
  
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  February 16, 2024 11:44am
slightlyrighty

Remember Racheal Dolezal? The White woman claiming to be Black and teaching African Studies at University?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/14/rachel-dolezal-nkechi-diallo-onlyfans-arizona-school-fired
7 0
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February 16, 2024 11:27am
- NothingLeft
  
  Oh no, it appears insane behaviour has employment consequences. Who knew?
  
  5 0
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  February 16, 2024 4:48pm
- Jake Dee
  
  Only Fans! Good God!
  Only Fans (pornography and digital prostitution for those who are unaware) is rapidly become the final filthy bus stop on the road of utter ruin and degradation for progressive females (and a few progressive queer males).
  
  3 1
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  February 16, 2024 5:59pm
  - Break First!
    
    Only fans is by subscription to each page.
    So its a personal choice.
    
    Bye the bye. Its not illegal!
    Unless kids are subscribing, kids wont see any content.
    
    Just fires up those of a certain morality persasion.
    
    2 0
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    February 16, 2024 9:14pm
    - Jake Dee
      
      Quite apart from the morality and dignity, which I admit are at least partially subjective, Only Fans and other forms of pornography and prostitution are just not productive enterprises.
      How could it be that burning off your youth and beauty or selling off the last few scraps of your fame or notoriety for the purposes of erotic stimulation and masturbation is the best thing for that individual or their community?
      And that goes for BOTH sides of the equation, why waste your time and money on that false fantasy when there is a real world waiting outside?
      And just in case you want to come back at me with a “Well what about YOU?” I am not a saint or a monk, but I do appreciate saints and monks, although they are both extremely rare and getting rarer every day.
      
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      February 16, 2024 10:10pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Ha! She’s even more orange than Donald Trump.
  
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  February 16, 2024 7:47pm
Maggie Pie

And something else that’s been really bugging me….
what was the outcome with that disgraced sexual deviant teacher Taurapa Matthews,
after Stuff revealed his appointment to Te Puni Kokiri’s Maori Capability Team?

Anyone know where that’s at now 🙁
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February 16, 2024 11:34am
mawm

The Ukrainians are not doing very well at the moment.

The poorly trained, inferiorly equipped, decimated Russian army seem to have trapped them in a cauldron of their own making in Avdeevka. Allegedly the evil Russians offered them the opportunity to surrender and it was turned down… except for small groups who want to survive giving themselves up.

The Ukrainians in Krinki have retreated leaving the settlement to be cleared of booby-traps by Russian forces.

Along the whole frontline the Russian army is making gains as Ukie troops were moved to defend fortress Avdeevka.

Ukraine needs to forget NATO and start talking to Russia before they lose another half million men.
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February 16, 2024 11:46am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  “Seem to have”. “Allegedly”. Where are you getting this from?
  
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  February 16, 2024 12:20pm
  - Lance
    
    Always plenty of work for Vlad’s sock puppets
    
    3 5
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    February 16, 2024 12:56pm
    - Jake Dee
      
      “In Soviet Russia you like to play with the puppets,
      In woke America, the puppets like to play with YOU!’
      
      Yakov “Jake-D” Smirnoff.
      
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      February 16, 2024 6:19pm
  - Grunter
    
    Many sources saying that for many months. Try Col. Douglas MacGregor as one such source. He’s an American and thinks what Biden and the clown man (Boris Johnson) have done to Ukraine is criminal. The days of the evil Zelensky are numbered.
    
    What a waste of human life.
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:06pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Speaking of Vlads Sock Puppets, Macgregor is quite the Russian stooge and wrong a lot
      https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-how-russia-uses-retired-us-colonel-s-ukraine-misinformation-for-domestic-propaganda-/6972765.html
      
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      February 16, 2024 1:18pm
      - Grunter
        
        Polygraph….. o dear!
        
        “VOA is funded by the United States government through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.”
        
        You may as well quote Stuff & the BBC.
        
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        February 16, 2024 2:49pm
      - Grunter
        
        Even your beloved BBC agrees with mawm!
        
        “The US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine’s key eastern town of Avdiivka – the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.”
        
        “Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing Ukraine’s ammunition shortages.
        
        “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do everything to “save as many Ukrainian lives as possible”.
        
        “Russian troops have made gains in Avdiivka, threatening to encircle it.”
        
        “At Thursday’s briefing in Washington, Mr Kirby said Avdiivka could fall largely “because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition”.
        
        https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68313306
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:37pm
      - Grunter
        
        Or try this one – again on the BBC site. Nothing new here apart from the fact that the BBC are finally being truthful and reporting it. Various YT channels have been saying this for 12 months +
        
        Europe needs a decade to build up arms stocks, says defence firm boss
        “Armin Papperger said that ammunition stocks are currently “empty”.
        
        https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68273449
        
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        February 16, 2024 3:44pm
      - Jake Dee
        
        Again and again I keep seeing this sort of nonsense.
        You can’t dismiss information solely because of the political (cultural, religious etc.) alignment of the source. You have little incentive to go back to the source that has constantly be feeding you bullshit for many years, but it doesn’t mean they are wrong this time.
        Check important information by cross referencing specific details against multiple sources, each of whom work independently from the others.
        
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        February 16, 2024 6:26pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      G
      Yes,
      Zelensky will soon be dead. Probably the CIA will do him if he tries to spill the beans. Unfortunately so are many innocent Ukrainians and Russians all for what purpose.
      
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      February 16, 2024 4:49pm
  - mawm
    
    DQ – I’m not in Ukraine so I have to rely on both pro Ukraine and pro Russia reporting That is why I use those terms. BTW both sides have been reporting the above.
    
    Lance – I’m not a Russian sock puppet and I can easily see through blatant Western propaganda. Maybe one day you too will wake up.
    
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    February 16, 2024 3:19pm
  - Jake Dee
    
    The alt-media have been following this and delivering accurate updates for quite some time now.
    But now the Avdiivika situation has become so critical for the Ukrainians that now not even the MSM can ignore or deny it. Here is the BBC from today,
    “Ukraine Russia war: US warns Avdiivka could fall”
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68313306
    
    I don’t have to prove the accuracy of the alt-media over the MSM at all, you can do it for yourself. Just watch where the chips fall and then back track to see who made the best predictions and when.
    I have heard that the only true measure of intelligence is the ability to predict the future.
    Not that all alt-media is equal of course, it’s a highly diverse mob. I personally recommend Simplicius The Thinker on Substack
    https://substack.com/@simplicius76
    
    Some of his work is truly remarkable.
    
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    February 16, 2024 6:11pm
    - Grunter
      
      Well done Jake – Simplicius are a very good Substack. It’s hard to convince many KBers how they have been conned again by the MSM. They have been sucked in by the Zelensky mania.
      
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      February 16, 2024 8:06pm
      - Jake Dee
        
        Do you think Simplicius is one guy or a team? He comes up with a lot of very sharp stuff very quickly. maybe he is a crippled genius of independent means just living his life on the internet like he’s plugged into the matrix.
        Right now I’m going through his
        “Planetary Scare: Russian Doomsday Space Weapon Steals Headlines of Avdeevka Collapse”
        It’s heavy stuff on multiple different dimensions, political, technical, social. military. It blows typical MSM (dare I say it “normie”) analysis right out of the water.
        Anyway, you might see me in the comments section over there.
        
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        February 16, 2024 8:21pm
- NothingLeft
  
  Ukraine are in the shit with termination of US weapons supply (perhaps for good given how it’s become an election issue) leaving them struggling to defend against currently ~5-10x as much Russian artillery. With nearly exhausted missile and air defense stocks they are no longer able to keep Russian aviation launched missiles and glide bombs off their soldiers or some of their manufacturing.
  
  But it’s not collapse. Russia are still losing many times as much stuff and soldiers as Ukraine (estimates in Adivka before last few days were 10-20x the losses amongst assaulting Russians, and Ukraine has been pretty clear that they were holding it only because ratio was so fantastic), and Russia are taking huge losses in the range of 3-5x Ukraine all over during their current offensive as Putin looks to create some PR ‘wins’ ahead of his March (re)’election’, offensives are always costly against dug in defenders.
  
  And Ukraine will be getting a lot of surplus F16s in next few months (something like 50) that will make it possible for them to start using JDAM glide bombs and shoot down scarce Russian airforce far behind front lines, removing the current glide bomb threat.
  
  In the meantime Europe has really woken up to US disengagement, and are now commiting to a big increase in military supplies to Ukraine that will see tactical balance restored if war goes on for another year or more, particularly as Russia runs out of Soviet weapon stocks (already happening as we now see 70 year old T54 tanks showing up occasionally with Russians, and sat photos of Russian storage facilities show them greatly emptied – they will be taking the serviceable stuff first and cannibalising a lot of remaining stuff for spares).
  
  And more importantly Ukraine drones are getting more and more prolific, longer range, smarter, more resilient/resistant to defenses and far more deadly. They’re relatively cheap and fast to scale up to production in overwhelming numbers once developed ($1billion buys 1-2 million FPV drones).
  
  Ukraine are sinking Russian navy at about one to two ships a month, and are also getting more longer range missiles supplied, to the point the Crimea has become a liability for Russia. Ukraine have a growing sabotage effort in Russia and together this is all starting to impose major economic costs on critical strategic oil infrastructure within Russia – pretty much every day sees new reports of major refinery and other oil infrastructure strikes, which is what Ukraine have decided to focus on. As this keeps up Russia will bear ever increasing costs and difficulties in keeping the war going (like Allie targeting of oil infrastructure did to Germany in WW2).
  
  Ukraine are going to lose ground this year. but not much, they have built major defensive lines along most of front now, and they are not going to capitulate. Russian economy and logistics are going to get very stretched as Ukraine attacks on Russian territory increase and may see Putin negotiating for peace by end of year.
  
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  February 16, 2024 4:14pm
  - Jake Dee
    
    If you think the Russians have an advantage in manpower, artillery, long range rockets and aircraft then why do you think Ukraine is inflicting a favorable casualty ratio?
    One way of getting a rough idea of the casualty ratio (and Simplicius pointed this out to me) is to consider the POW ratio. Except for a few instances (rocket and air attacks where Russia has the advantage) prisoners taken should track pretty closely to casualties inflicted.
    If 1 for 1 prisoner exchanges happen regularly (which they are) the losing side should be reduced to zero prisoners held or pretty close to it.
    Which do you think is more likely, that Ukraine is holding thousands of Russians that they can’t exchange or that Russia is holding thousands of Ukrainians?
    
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    February 16, 2024 6:38pm
    - mawm
      
      The Russians have definitely lost more than their usual numbers, but that is what happens when one side is behind fortifications and the other is attacking. Their losses are not anywhere near what NothingLeft quotes. Ukraine OTOH have a severe manpower shortage, They do not have artillery shells, insufficient drones and they can only sink a ship when guided by the US/UK in a sucker punch. The long range missiles being used by the Russians are causing considerable damage to manpower and materiel.
      
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      February 16, 2024 9:51pm
  - Grunter
    
    Putin wants to negotiate now!
    
    In fact he had a deal back in early 2022 and Boris the clown flew in and stopped it. That is irrefutable. Even Boris told us that he was a hero at the time.
    
    You’ll never understand what is going on by only reading the MSM.
    
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    February 16, 2024 8:17pm
    - NoFax
      
      There is a difference between negotiation and a surrender – Putin wants a surrender. Of course, he could end the war today and no one else has to die – go home!
      
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      February 16, 2024 9:24pm
- SPC
  
  It is because of the lack of supply of artillery and other munitions because of the GOP withholding funding.
  
  The irony as per Trump’s comments about not supporting NATO nations he does not like, it is his open disdain for Ukraine that is behind the GOP funding block.
  
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  February 16, 2024 4:59pm
  - Jake Dee
    
    The shells just aren’t there. NATO stocks (plus Pakistan, South Korea et al.) are tapped out and are holding the rest for themselves.
    If the ammo is on the shelf in the warehouse and a desperate battle is going on right now, then you just take it, ship it, get an IOU and sort the money out later.
    You can’t pin this on Trump, the slow decay of Western systems, including military systems has been going on for decades, maybe generations.
    
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    February 16, 2024 6:44pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Newshub seems very coy in identifying which electorate offices were vandalised.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/02/woman-arrested-for-allegedly-vandalising-auckland-electorate-offices.html

Was this an example of right-wing thugs threatening our politicians again, I thought.

Seems not…..just a left-wing lady under stress.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/509340/woman-charged-over-vandalism-of-auckland-electorate-offices
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February 16, 2024 12:56pm
- mandk
  
  “just a left-wing lady under stress.”
  
  Clearly, Melissa Lee and Paul Goldsmith should apologise to her and offer her compensation.
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:14pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Why has the media not named her?
  
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  February 16, 2024 7:51pm
  - Ghost
    
    the media are just reporting the police press release
    
    https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/police-make-arrest-over-damage-electorate-offices?ref=/news&search=&cmin=&cmax=
    
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    February 16, 2024 8:09pm
Swifty

Some feedback please.

Is it an issue that our younger folk are no longer taught to write, and read, cursive? Or is it now outdated and no longer worth teaching in our schools?

I admit with some sadness that my late-teens and early twenties kids cannot write in cursive and can not read notes or cards from their grandparents – or at best with great difficulty.

Maggy, your thoughts especially welcome.

https://www.facebook.com/share/zST6uXD7Y8x4YWNW/?mibextid=WC7FNe
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February 16, 2024 1:00pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  I’ve found that the year 9 and year 10 pupils that I’m doing volunteer literacy with don’t do cursive writing, let alone read it….so I don’t pursue the matter.
  
  I’ve noticed that a few of these young folk can’t hold a pen, pencil in their fingertips to print . They grasp the pen/pencil with their fist.
  
  They don’t seem to have to write/ print anything much in class… definitely not expected to write a few paragraphs… let alone a precis or a story.
  
  I had one young chap who was interested in bikes and sound systems, etc..and I asked to see how he used a fine screwdriver….again the fist grip…the poor kid seemed to have no fine motor control of his fingers, unless he was texting on his phone!!
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:17pm
  - Swifty
    
    This is one I’m genuinely unsure on.
    
    I would like my lot to have the skill should they need it – I find myself penning notes to people fairly frequently, or addressing a letter, writing a Chrissy or birthday card etc – and how you write does say something about you, I believe.
    
    As my parents downsized a few years back they cleared out a lot of their accumulated stuff and sent all us kids our primary school exercise books that they had stored all these decades. I was writing cursive (with a fountain pen) at age eight but I am embarrassed to say that my two youngest kids write like primary school kids as late teenagers (the early 20s daughter does a bit better).
    
    But on the other hand I just can’t decide whether this is just a now out-of-date skill; no longer relevant to the modern world like shoeing a horse, .303 practice on the range or teaching kids 101 ways with mutton.
    
    I’m more clear with mathematical times tables which I believe a tragedy that it is still not taught. I had them drummed into me in the 70s and I use it still everyday of my life – while my kids take forever to calculate the change they should receive at a shop or other similar mundane events I take for granted. I think we’ve done our kids no favours at all by stopping the teaching of times tables – by rote or otherwise.
    
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    February 16, 2024 1:52pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      Mental arithmetic is so easy to get good at as a primary kid with a little drilling, something that primary schools have no shortage of time to do (given most of what they do is just filler as they socialising kids via osmosis) – and it’s a valuable skill for life.
      
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      February 16, 2024 3:39pm
    - Jake Dee
      
      I fear that cursive writing has now gone the way of shoeing a horse or hand stitching leather shoes. I may be of the last generation to learn it as a matter of course.
      Interestingly Chinese kids still learn traditional brush pen writing and Japanese kids still learn abacus mathematics, but they still have a massive amount of digital technology training as well.
      It’s a much more intensive education process.
      
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      February 16, 2024 6:55pm
  - rockape
    
    My handwriting skills peaked aged 9. And have gone downhill for the last 68 years.
    
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    February 16, 2024 3:16pm
  - cmm
    
    I take it they can’t sketch or draw either then.
    
    It seems they are incapable of doing anything except via electronics. This is shocking.
    
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    February 16, 2024 5:29pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  Cursive a skill that takes quite some time to master. They no longer teach it because it is not really that relevant in a digital age. What they should work on is teaching children some writing discipline so that the scraggy scratching they do put to paper can actually be read.
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:25pm
  - cmm
    
    “They no longer teach it because it is not really that relevant in a digital age. ”
    
    Direct relevance is not the reason to teach something or not.
    
    Why even bother leading to read or write? There are text to speech applications that will read you emails and Siri or AI will write emails for you.
    
    Why learn mental arithmetic when people have calculators?
    
    Why learn to cook when you can buy frozen pizzas?
    
    Why learn to crawl? You’re not going to be spending your life crawling.
    
    The point for learning these things is not because they are directly useful but because they are gateway skills to other more important skills.
    
    If you don’t learn to read or write you will lack some of the basic understanding of language etc required to express yourself properly or understand others. You will be inarticulate. Maybe OK if you’re going to become a Tiktok rapper, but not much else.
    
    If you don’t learn mental arithmetic you will not develop the “feel” for numbers required to become mathematically competent. No STEM for you!
    
    Learning is progressive. It needs the foundation steps, but people (including trained educators) seem to think you can ignore the basics and fast forward to the higher skill levels.
    
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    February 16, 2024 5:40pm
    - Swifty
      
      Some great points there cmm.
      
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      February 16, 2024 7:23pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Physical writing is one of those tasks that shapes the plasticity of the brain, in the same way that does having a phone jammed in one’s hand.
      
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      February 16, 2024 7:57pm
    - NoFax
      
      I guess I should learn to shoe a horse and make a barrel too?
      
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      February 16, 2024 9:25pm
      - Jake Dee
        
        And why not?
        Horse riding, archery, yachting and rowing are still good sports. Painting, weaving and knitting are still excellent hobbies. People still make barrels for wineries.
        Heck! People still grow grapes in vineyards and wine in wineries, when you can very easily get totally drunk on alcohol cooked up in the laboratory from industrial sugars at a fraction of the price.
        
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        February 16, 2024 9:44pm
Ghost

National is extending its lead over Labour, with support for the party lifting two points to 38 per cent, a new poll shows.

Labour’s support fell one point to 29 per cent. The figures come from Talbot-Mills’ poll for corporate clients. Talbot-Mills runs a separate internal poll for the Labour Party.

The Greens were steady on 12 points, while Act fell one point to 7 per cent.

NZ First was on 6.2 per cent, Te Pāti Māori polled 4.9 per cent, and Top polled 1.4 per cent.

Article
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February 16, 2024 1:02pm
- MCōs
  
  Quite different among the also rans from the recent Curia poll
  I’m not sure how these polls are done, but it may be that a few respondents can have a major bearing on results
  
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  February 16, 2024 1:21pm
  - greybeard
    
    I do not believe that ACT has fallen, at all. In fact, given the recent political activity and very positive performances by David Seymour I would have expected ACT to have increased in popularity.
    
    I do not believe that the Maori Party is anywhere near 4.9%: are we really to believe that one in twenty NZrs are in favour of their policies ? Virtually all of their public exposure since the election has been negative, especially on a personal basis.
    
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    February 16, 2024 8:13pm
- mogg
  
  Talbot-Mills did the last poll before last year’s election showing National and Labour neck and neck.
  
  3 1
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  February 16, 2024 2:11pm
  - Ghost
    
    that is not true
    
    Article
    
    A new Talbot Mills poll has shown NZ First rising again to 6.4 per cent into a hypothetical kingmaker position, while Labour continues to drop and Act drops back into the single digits.
    
    The final pre-election NZ Insight poll by Talbot Mills Research for its corporate clients also has National rising to 38 per cent (up two since the last poll a month ago) and Labour dropping again to 27 per cent (down 3).
    
    The Greens have nudged up to 13 per cent, the party’s highest result in the poll since mid-2017. NZ First is up from 5.4 per cent in the September poll.
    
    Act is on 9 per cent, down one. Te Pāti Māori is at 3.1 per cent and The Opportunities Party (Top) are on 2.3 per cent.
    
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    February 16, 2024 2:22pm
- SPC
  
  National at their election level 38%, Labour are 2 points higher at 29%.
  
  ACT down 1.7% to 7% – Greens 11.6 to 12% and NZF 6.1 to 6.2% are stable.
  
  TPM are up to 4.9%.
  
  NACT are now below Labour/Green/TPM 45-46%. Important because NZF has never had a term in coalition government without leaving parliament at the next election (1999, 2008, 2020).
  
  The coalition was 52.7 to 41.5% ahead and now its 51-46%.
  
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  February 16, 2024 4:51pm
  - kowtow
    
    HDPA and Barry S were opiningthis was released nowas their client labour wants tocounter the recent Curia Act goodnews poll.
    
    Are webeing played in the polling stakes too.
    
    3 1
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    February 16, 2024 5:38pm
    - SPC
      
      The only known facts, the polls were done at the same time, but one is reported in the media a week after the other.
      
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      February 16, 2024 6:07pm
- cmm
  
  Here is the bit that matters:
  “The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent”
  
  So basically no statistically relevant change, everything is within the margin of error.
  
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  February 16, 2024 5:44pm
Maggie Pie

TRENDING….
CHINA DEMOLISHES MOSQUES TO BUILD TOILETS

“For China, Islam is a mental illness that needs to be cured”

– ALJAZeera

https://twitter.com/Shunyaa00/status/1758024434416570686

All our Chinese friends are very very smart people.
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February 16, 2024 1:44pm
- kowtow
  
  India same.
  
  Building temples on sites that had mosques that were built on sites that had temples .
  
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  February 16, 2024 3:27pm
- Jake Dee
  
  Have a closer look at that. firstly, it’s from 2020 (fighting the Wuhan virus) and it’s a classic “reports claim” attribution. China is demolishing but also building and re-building at an enormous rate. Part of that rebuilding is new public toilet facilities. No doubt Churches, Mosques and Temples are being destroyed but Temples Mosques and Churches are also being built. How many Churches, Mosques, and Temples old and new are there in China, including Xinjiang? Is the number zero? Remember they claim that they can spot a Mosque and new constructions from orbit, so surely they have an accurate number, if they don’t then why not?
  WION is an interesting news site, fiercely Indian nationalist, fiercely anti-Chinese, but also highly skeptically of America and pro-Russian. An unusual mix.
  
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  February 16, 2024 7:10pm
lifesgood

I couldn’t sleep last night so flicked on the radio and unfortunately got to hear that bonehead Travers going on and on and on about the terrible Israelis. He is a prime idiot so I don’t take any of his views seriously. A grown man who can’t tell the difference between “younger” and “youngest” gets no respect from me. He constantly refers to the younger of his two daughters as his youngest and the elder of the two as the eldest. Anyway, a few minutes of him last night was more than enough. I suppose Newstalk sticks him on in the middle of the night so most people don’t have to listen to him.
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February 16, 2024 1:56pm
- Maggie Pie
  
  I know my partner’s mum hates him as well. She was saying there now isn’t ONE resident in the Village that can stand him. People used to reckon he spent most of the night making up txts about how great he was.
  Apparently he only ever got about 3 calls a night, mainly from Incontinence sufferers.
  
  And imagine being an Advertiser having to pay for his timeslots.
  ZB needs to get a grip. Both him, and that lefty idiot Rockbrah, are unlistenable.
  
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  February 16, 2024 2:21pm
  - Tauhei Notts
    
    It makes one think that Newstalk got their management staff from Fletcher Construction.
    Our ageing population provides a ready market at that God awful time slot, but Newstalk insist on putting those far quits on. Many listeners at that time do not have mortgages and are a great market to target. But it is useless trying to target a lucrative market with dingbats and dongbeaters.
    
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    February 16, 2024 5:24pm
    - Maggie Pie
      
      “far quits” and “dongbeaters” LOL!!!
      
      Hey Toe…. dont be surprized if they appear in a few of my posts going firward 😀
      
      4 1
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      February 16, 2024 5:39pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery…
        
        (plagiarised from some Yank writer)
        
        5 0
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        February 16, 2024 6:58pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        AHA! Thanks for clearin that up Maggz.
        I always thort it was known as ‘perjury’
        
        4 0
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        February 16, 2024 7:06pm
    - Aquarius
      
      Well,
      Their Chair is on the Fletcher board ……
      
      5 0
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      February 16, 2024 7:25pm
Ghost

Western Australian real estate agent Tony Maddox faces jail under the “abused” Aboriginal heritage laws after building a bridge over a creek on his property.

Sky News Australia host Andrew Bolt said the Aboriginal heritage laws were being used to defend what in his opinion is “the imaginary”.

YouTube

Just stupid
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February 16, 2024 2:17pm
- Keith White
  
  Rawiri Stetsonman could have quite the Reaganesque moment in Auckland, if he but seizes the opportunity: “Tear that bridge down, Mr Brown!”
  
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  February 16, 2024 2:48pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Always wondered what ‘waititi’ meant in English.
    Stetson. Well done and thanks.
    
    2 1
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    February 16, 2024 6:58pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/350182872/how-helen-clark-became-tourist-attraction-no-not-helen-clark
I think they got the name and sex combination just right.
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February 16, 2024 4:01pm
Maggie Pie

X TRENDING…

Although it’s hard to believe that a short vid of some old dude picking his nose
and patting a girl on the head would garner nearly 20 MILLION VIEWS!

https://twitter.com/interesting_all/status/1758043253914370163
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February 16, 2024 4:08pm
- Albie
  
  Yik- creepy!
  
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  February 16, 2024 4:58pm
Ghost

WTF

2 1/2 years

A young Auckland couple convicted last year of dragging teenager Connor Boyd to his death outside a Britomart nightclub after a night of drinking and “aggressive bullying” have been sentenced to prison – with a judge today rejecting their requests for home detention based on their youth

Article
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February 16, 2024 4:09pm
- cmm
  
  … and permanent blurry face…
  
  “The judge agreed that youth played a large part in the couple’s “very bad choices” that night and allowed for significant discounts. ”
  
  Fuck, really? I don’t know any youth that commit murder but then I don’t go out much. Ok, one person I knew as a child committed murder but that was in his mid 20s and he hanged for it. Another (a cop) got done for culpable homicide and IIRC he got 7 years.
  
  Life is cheap in Rowerland…
  
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  February 16, 2024 5:24pm
Ra Henare

After a month or so being “retired”by a mod.
(Thanks DPF for restoring my commenter status.)

I resumeed reading KB.

But my entusiasm for robust debate has wained as I need to contain my enthusiasm in case of getting on the wrong side of a gatekeeper.

The days of freedom of speech are slowly being exhausted as more and more restrictions are imposed.

I am reminded of a quote by Thomas Sowell who I regard as todays best thinker.
………………..
If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today.

Thomas Sowell

[Mod – your ban was lifted after 5 days and a password reset sent to your registered email. Your ban was because of ongoing snarky comments made at moderators for not allowing abusive comments towards members]
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February 16, 2024 4:14pm
- Aquarius
  
  If you have the same regard for Sowell as I do
  The why don’t you try to live by standards that he would respect
  Rather than the behaviour that has typified you
  
  6 1
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  February 16, 2024 7:22pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Everything is in the eye of the beholder! 🙂
    
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    February 16, 2024 8:39pm
Maggie Pie

Does anyone know why ‘The Horrid’ still thinks it necessary to report on the same old racist sh*t that Willie Jackson continues to spout?
As I’ve seen him described on antoher blog….
just another useless scum Labia list MP suxing on the taxpayers t*t.
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February 16, 2024 4:56pm
Ghost

OpenAI release text to video

https://openai.com/sora

The benefits of this will be huge. ‘Joe Biden’ could give a coherent speech now…..
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February 16, 2024 5:54pm
- Inandout
  
  Ghost, presently it looks jittery but in time..
  
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  February 16, 2024 6:35pm
Maggie Pie

I’ve just come back inside to expressly share this with the fam.
A wonderful ‘2 ingredient Summer Cocktail’ that is just sooo delish!!
All you need it a glass of well chilled big Aussie Shiraz….
and 2 tsps Condensed Milk.
Spoon the CM into a 200ml Wine glass, top up with Shiraz, and whisk.

OMG… unbelievably refreshing and moreish.

(best to source ‘Longevity’ CM or ‘Black Cow’….Nestles is crap)
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February 16, 2024 6:35pm
- greybeard
  
  The West Coast “Wild Foods” festival has this exact same offering !
  Well, not quite exact, they use bull semen instead of condensed milk.
  
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  February 16, 2024 7:55pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Stirred or shaken, gb?
    
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    February 16, 2024 8:07pm
Swifty

Could folk more up with the play than I comment on whether this Trump clip is broadly accurate?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kqyOKKrUkWk

Many thanks.
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February 16, 2024 7:31pm
Ghost

I haven’t seen Benedict Yu or ClanMcleod for a while, hopefully both are ok
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February 16, 2024 10:23pm

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