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November 28, 2024 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 28 November 2024

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General Debate

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Yvette

“Akin” to “Equality”
For one person “equality” should allow a right to “freedom of religion”
but for another individual the same “equality” should ensure “freedom from religion” –
so, in regarding religion the Crown should be neutral, making no one as more equal than another?

Principle 3
1 – Everyone is equal before the law.
2 – Everyone is entitled, without discrimination, to—

(a) the equal protection and equal benefit of the law; and  
(b) the equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights.

– Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2024/0094/latest/whole.html  

I have several times expressed my disappointment that the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill nowhere stipulated that –

the New Zealand Government and all its services shall be secular (religiously neutral)

To be utterly transparent, I had hoped that such a statement would, in a rear-action pincher move, eliminate the racially discriminatory practice of favouring one religious world view, that of te Ao o Maori, which seems to attach a Maori Advisory Council to the Water Regulator, Taumata Arowai, and any other considerations regarding Government services – when such observance should be made as an individual or believing-group submission on any issue, as would any other likewise body in our communities – Islamic, or Jewish. for instance. Children’s education, for another example, has no special accomodation of Gloriavale beliefs in science.

But, as the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill is devised to clarify interpretations, will it itself not also be subject to interpretation?

So is it reasonable that I take the “equality” expressed in Principle 3, to mean that I am free to express my religion in a reasonable and acceptable way, but also inversely it should be my right to be free of anyone else’s religion.
So does “secularity” need expression, when “equality” should ensure the religious freedom I seek – to not suffer anyone else’s religious world-view – as a reasonable interpretation?
Would it eliminate special allowances for te Ao o Maori in Government and its services.

Do Christopher Luxon’s understanding of Christianity tell him what Christ’s view would be in this situation?

In his Letter to the Galatians Paul wrote: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Therefore, everyone is equal in the eyes of God and should not be made to feel inferior because they may be different to someone else.

No one … should not be made to feel inferior – or superior …

And if “akin* to a partnership” can become ‘co-governance’
why can “equality” not mean … um … well, “equality”?

__________________
• In 1987 the Lands case characterised the Treaty relationship as “akin to a partnership”

Would ‘equality’ ensure total religious freedom?
Like, being totally free from religion?
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November 28, 2024 8:01am
- lastmanstanding
  
  I suspect the Nats are playing the long game as regards race relations. In their first term they are focused on repairing the economy and fixing health education and law and order. These will get them re-elected in 2026 especially as it appears they will have an economic tail wind leading up to that election.
  They are allowiing Seymour and ACT to soften up the race relations target by drawing out the Maori Party and their increasing desperate stunts. This will marginalise the Maori Party and make it difficult for Labour and even the Greens as their more moderate supporters might desert them if they align with the Maori Party. Where those 3 Parties marginalised supporters go isnt a problem for the Nats. They will most likely go to NZF and maybe ACT so still favourable to the Nats.
  I suspect we have around 3% to 5% supporters of the Maori Party policies across all Parties so a small minority at best.
  The Nats may even hold a binding referendum on abolishing the Maori Seats pointing to the fact that Maori are over represented in the House even without those Seats so they are unneccesary.
  This would consign the Maori Party to having to contest the non-racist Seats with the 1nevitable result.
  
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  November 28, 2024 10:02am
  - Burtland
    
    long game 👍 no game 👎
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:24am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    This could be correct, it amazes me that so called intelligent people want to stamp their feet and see change on every issue overnight.
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:31am
    - Keith White
      
      Overight? Yeah, nah, that word does not mean what you think it means when you use it in this context. Luxon & Co been in Government quite a few hours longer than ‘overnight’.
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:04pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Here we go again. “overnight”. It has been 14 months.
      
      Tbe government has unimaginable resources to effect change. If the government has not fixed things to date, resources have nothing to do with matters. It is simply due to lack of will.
      
      The government is facing a crisis in New Zealand of a scale unprecedented for 40 years. Yet it s simply messing around the embroidery on the fabric of policy.
      
      Yay we have a more efficient school lunch system. That about sums it up.
      
      Resource management policy is in limbo. We are heading for impoverished doom on climate change policy. The Ministry of Education is still there. The long term fiscal position is unsustainable.
      
      Yes they are better than the last government. Well surprise. That is hardly an achievement.
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:38pm
      - backster
        
        Bene…….You haven’t factored in ‘a unified left wing mass media’ A privileged Alt Left Deep State Obese Public Service, and an inheritance of a $95 Billion debt. that slows change down a bit.
        
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        November 28, 2024 1:32pm
      - 70andstilllearning
        
        How the hell 27 Nov 2023 to 28 Nov 2024 makes 14 months beats me but if you say so Bene, must be true ….
        
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        November 28, 2024 7:50pm
    - kiwikidsnz
      
      It’s successive elected leaders (both National & Labour) “playing the long game” of self serving electorate appeasement & don’t rock the boat over the last 50 years that created the current defacto ethnostate. The 6th Labour Govt was attempting to finally legislate it.
      
      Times up.
      
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      November 28, 2024 2:07pm
  - Mark Hanley
    
    I concur last man.
    
    The only thing that worries me is Luxons comment it is better to deal with treaty issues on a case by case basis.
    
    Luxon knows case by case is an expensive disaster, especially when Labour is pulling the strings. So I am assuming Luxon is following a step by step plan to manage the politics of change.
    
    I hope I’m right….
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:43am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Looking back of the last 57 years and my associated interest in politics. (I started voting with Walter Nash)
      
      I would say Mr Luxon is the leading “”National”” expert on not reading the political room.
      
      Not to say there is no competition in the list
      https://www.britannica.com/place/list-of-prime-ministers-of-New-Zealand-1804874
      
      Palmer springs to mind.
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:09pm
    - Scott
      
      I’m very happy with the govt and what they are doing. Maybe I’m just a happy fellow. 😊
      But look, 3 waters gone
      – Maori health authority gone
      – a commitment to take references to the Treaty of Waitangi out of the legislation.
      – law and order being restored
      – gang patch ban being enforced
      – open road speed limits being restored
      – a cut to the interest rates by the reserve bank
      – schools teaching the basics and cellphones gone from the school day
      – a promise of cuts to regulations
      – pushing back against transgender agenda.
      
      I could go on and on. It’s an impressive list and I shall continue praying and continue staying optimistic and happy. 😎
      
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      November 28, 2024 2:42pm
      - fernglas
        
        Aside from interest rate cuts, which are out of the control of the Government, none of the things you have mentioned have the slightest effect on the economy.
        
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        November 28, 2024 5:58pm
- Paulus
  
  But we now appear to have a new Third Religion in New Zealand, after Anglican, Catholic, and now Maori.
  I want to rever te God Taniwha, but where can I do that ?
  As I do not know the language of this new religion neither do some 98% of the population it must be very special, only for the real elite.
  
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  November 28, 2024 10:03am
  - Yvette
    
    AI Overview
    The 2023 New Zealand census reported the following religious affiliations:
    [ … ]
    • Christian: 32.3% of the population, or 1,614,636 people
    • Hindu: 2.9% of the population, or 144,753 people
    • Islam: 1.5% of the population, or 75,138 people
    • Māori religion: 1.3% of the population
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:11am
  - Keith White
    
    Round up a pukeko or two and I betcha the priests, Pharisees and Pilates of this new religion will appear toute suite to crucify you, metaphorically speaking.
    
    And whatever you do, don’t mention Teh Moa or The Curious Story of Sonny Tau and the Five Smuggled Pigeons.
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:07pm
    - Quail
      
      The view of what is right and wrong in NZ has largely emanated from the Christian religion.
      And in fact Christians have done an incredible job in ensuring people can live in harmony together.
      Even the mighty USA relies and useson religion for guidance.
      A brief glance at pre European life in NZ , and some other places . demonstrates the undesirable effects of self interest and greed in humans without any respect for others .
      If humans are to survive on this planet adopting a secular approach will not help!
      
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      November 28, 2024 1:29pm
      - Graeme Hall
        
        I suspect the Greeks & the Romans, in particular, played more than a small part in giving us the foundation of our language, politics, & values as well as setting up the major institutions, which were adopted and extended by the British.
        
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        November 28, 2024 9:20pm
- PurplePen
  
  Good point on being free from other religions. Will add to my submission. One other thought “the equal protection and equal benefit of the law”.
  
  Would it be correct that “equal benefit of the law” is only available to those that can afford the best lawyers? If so, how do you ensure equal benefit. Should it be that the only lawyers available are those provided under a scheme similar the pay per use building inspectors approach and there are then in fact no private practice lawyers. Just poking the bear.
  
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  November 28, 2024 11:53am
Benedict Yu

So Kamala Harris has released a video to lift the spirits of her supporters. Here are two short clips.

https://youtube.com/shorts/dToZRYV82fA?si=aaWFqguCUJkMoe

https://youtube.com/shorts/sUGtjm4mfnU?si=BhnIRwBG_czgCVuC

It reminds me of a skit involving a rambling drunk in a bar.
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November 28, 2024 8:06am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  She’s not pissed. It is just her blatant word salad stupidity.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:12am
  - igm
    
    Maybe she has seconded help from NZ’s ex-PM, she being a stalwart socialist. Both have similar commands of English.
    
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    November 28, 2024 8:39am
    - AitchW
      
      Not so much command as a passing acquaintance…
      
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      November 28, 2024 8:51am
    - pdm
      
      `Both have similar commands of English.’
      
      Gobbledegook springs to mind.
      
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      November 28, 2024 9:07am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Word soup waffle.
        
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        November 28, 2024 2:01pm
  - Paulus
    
    Nah, it is real standard American linguistics !
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:04am
  - carlsbad apple
    
    For some actual word salad we only need to listen to Trump.
    “They’re destroying our coun……try and we’re gonna….I just wish we could do it quicker”
    
    “He’d (Putin) much rather see Biden as president, and I agree with him”
    
    “..the voices of evangelic al people and evan gellists.”
    
    “I don’t think it could ever be wokenized”
    
    “They released Hillary Clinton. She hammered her phones, she used all sorts of acid testing and everything else. They call it BleachBit, but it’s essentially acid that will destroy everything within 10 miles, I mean, what she did was unbelievable. Nothing happens to her.”
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:36am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Hahahahaahahaha
      Talk about Triggered
      You remind me of the commentator ‘Its only I’
      They had really really bad TDS and used to have epic unhinged rants- eventually resulting in a tantrum, a meltdown and a ban
      IIRC they were South African, but the sort of racist South African which gives other Saffas a bad name.
      Lots of casual racist remarks. Quite sad.
      
      Anyway, “Copium for Table 4!”
      Keep it up. Its funny.
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:22pm
      - carlsbad apple
        
        I find the term TDS is used when the user has no rational counter-argument.
        
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        November 28, 2024 1:02pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        This is not an argument
        I’m laughing at you
        
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        November 28, 2024 2:26pm
      - ISeeRed
        
        @carlsbad apple “Rational counter-arguments” are wasted against those who have not posited a rational argument or any argument at all.
        
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        November 28, 2024 9:18pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Quite funny really. Do you have links? You should have a cup of tea and a lie down after that TDS!
      Oh, lefties do have a hard time grasping satire.
      
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      November 28, 2024 2:05pm
      - carlsbad apple
        
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_7lvMI7ws
        There’s one for you.
        
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        November 28, 2024 2:15pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      CB Apple, keep in mind Trump is not of the DC swamp.
      
      Yes his choice of words on several occasions have left a lot to be desired. Most Trump supporters recognise this. However, he is definitely not a word salad monger. While his choice of words has been sloppy and idiosyncratic he does actually directly answer questions (once you get used to his quirks). One knows exactly what he stands for and what he doesn’t stand for. Kamala, not so much! She left most people thinking “WTF was that all about?”
      Also, in 2024 Trump was generally a lot more polished language wise. See Joe Rogan interview and many other interviews with influencers.
      
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      November 28, 2024 9:58pm
  - Scott
    
    “She’s not pissed”.
    
    Are you sure about that Steve? I’m not the only one who thinks she might have had an extra glass of chardonnay or two before speaking? Robbie over on “Rising” is of the same mind.
    
    The funny thing is she is still the vice president! She’s supposed to be in charge. Along with her boss Joe Biden.
    My only consolation is that come January they will be out of office and I hope never to hear from them again! 🙏
    
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    November 28, 2024 5:50pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Her speech mannerisms have always struck me as those of someone on something. I’m thinking maybe psych meds, or maybe something else.
      
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      November 28, 2024 10:05pm
- AitchW
  
  She sounds like an old drunk in a bar consoling another old drunk who’s just lost his best drinking mate.
  FFS, they lost an election. Nobody died, nobody got locked up.
  She’s obviously feeling desperately sorry for herself and she’s looking for sympathy.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:19am
  - kowtow
    
    ‘nobody got locked up.’
    
    Despite the best efforts of the Swamp.
    
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    November 28, 2024 8:56am
  - Paulus
    
    She was told all through the election that as she was a women and therefore special, people would vote for her.
    Must have been so thick as to agree with these stupid people b ehind her fiancially.
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:08am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    She is contemplating standing in 2038, but she swore black and blue that democracy will be gone for ever and Trump would become a dictator. Perhaps right their is where she should think where she went wrong, this was always bullshit, and voters smelt the desperation
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:36am
- Swifty
  
  For two ‘perfect’ Democratic candidates to fail to beat a supposedly racist, sexist, dangerous, mad, convicted felon for President of the US – what does that say about them?
  
  While I consider Mrs Clinton downright evil and a shocking liar – Harris I find just completely inauthentic, empty and without any substance.
  
  It’s one of my greatest satisfactions from the recent election that the Democratic puppet masters who lied and lied about Biden’s (declining) abilities and then did the in democratic switcheroo with Harris, we’re not rewarded for their deceit and fraud.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:19am
- Matt Long
  
  All that has to happen is that Weekend At Biden’s or one of his body doubles has an inconvenient medical event and Harris is the new president.
  At least she would represent the mentally ill liberal women well.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:20am
  - pdm
    
    That would piss Hillary off.
    
    Even if it was only for two weeks.
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:09am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Now there has been an election she may well be called acting president
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:38am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      No.
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:40pm
- Tom Hunter
  
  The great Iowahawk responds….
  
  Absolutely, that’s some deep stuff to think about, umm hey why don’t you let me keep your car keys and I’ll call you an Uber
  😂😂😂😂😂
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:41am
- JerJer
  
  She could just tell the truth. It would go something like “I was the most useless vice president in history, part of an administration which was also the worst and tried to take your freedom. I wasted 1.5 billion dollars of the money you had left after my terrible economic management drained most of what you had away. I got pummelled by Donald Trump, who only had a third of the funding I had. You voted for your freedom and a return to normalcy. You won’t see me again in National politics. I’m going to slink away to the crazy state where people I am normal. Good bye.”. She would need to translate to word salad first, but this should be her message.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:50am
- sirknz
  
  Come on Benedict, she’s only had 3 weeks in Hawaii at a $1300 a day rental, along with a full Secret Service Detail and all the trappings that go along with it, so go easy on her.
  
  She was raised in a middle class household…
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:51am
  - Don Beckett
    
    ………with nicely mowed lawns…………
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:47am
- The Goblin
  
  Makes mention of raising 1.4 billion from grassroots people, no acknowledgement of the fact that it was all a waste…
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:51am
- Gussy Fink-Nottle
  
  See if I can beat Steve O to it…
  
  https://babylonbee.com/news/kamala-officially-unburdened-by-sobriety
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:52am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    I did not see that on the email I got today and I rarely go to the main website.
    God she is a headcase, even if it is satire!
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:07pm
- PurplePen
  
  Its odd, in fact bizarre that this sort of pseudo psychological speech is used by a public leader in the 21st century and accepted by many I’m assuming as sane or ok. I put it down to the increase in secularism and the need for anything that is what I would call non-religious religion. Climate change is and example of that.
  
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  November 28, 2024 11:58am
- Keith White
  
  “The liver is evil. It must be punished.” – ‘Dr’ Fauci.
  “On it.” – Kammy.
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:08pm
gravedodger

Oi Ben can we be sure she was not??
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November 28, 2024 8:10am
Bridgenag

Germany……Why is the Green Party using activist front groups to subvert the law and allow refugees to convert government benefits into untraceable cash?
EUGYPPIUS
NOV 27

https://open.substack.com/pub/eugyppius/p/why-is-the-green-party-using-activist?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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November 28, 2024 8:11am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Not happening in NZ though is it?
  Imagine refugees in NZ on benefits who send money to their relatives back home.
  Nah!
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:19am
  - Keith White
    
    Yup. As improbable as a man granted refugee in NZ from Evil Algerians, flying back to Evil Algeria for a visit and then complaining about Evil Detaining…
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:11pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      NZ let him out of the Country when he should have been in jail.
      We are probably still sending him funds for his Court and Jail defence.
      
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      November 28, 2024 2:09pm
- kowtow
  
  How did it go so wrong there , particularly under Merkel. Who made them dependent on Russian gas , shut down nuclear and undermined the law ,society and economy with the migrant mobilisation.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:27am
  - Paulus
    
    Merkel was brought up under Communist rule in Germany’s East so it never leaves her thinking !
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:10am
- Grunter
  
  Germany is completely broken beyond repair IMO. No longer in any position to be the foundation of a thriving EU.
  
  France about to face a Greece-like debt issue, but no one can bail them out.
  
  Who does that leave……? (chirp, chirp…..)
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:54am
- Keith White
  
  We all know the answer – because they can.
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:09pm
RRM

I hope RNZ and GWRC are mistaken about this 70% fare increase.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/534941/bus-and-train-fares-may-surge-by-up-to-70-percent-to-meet-nzta-targets

I really can’t afford for my $400 monthly train pass to turn into a $700 monthly train pass overnight.
I would have to hold my nose and vote for the Labour Party to stop this.
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November 28, 2024 8:14am
- wsk12345
  
  Well here’s the thing. I don’t use public transport – EVER. It doesn’t go anywhere I go, its that simple. My family don’t use it EVER, they live in a town with no PT. Yet we are already paying most of your PT costs.
  We are all low income earners, and have to manage our money carefully yet you want US to stump up more money to pay for YOUR convenience. Perhaps you can do what we have to every week and review your budget.
  Entitled much?
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:11am
  - RRM
    
    That’s the funny thing though…
    
    No motorist is carrying everyone else. They only THINK they are.
    
    Wellington trains, fares cover about 20% of costs. Somebody else pays the rest.
    
    But look at some of the roads they want to build:
    
    Mt Victoria second tunnel, users’ petrol tax will cover about 0.9% of costs. Somebody else pays the rest.
    
    East-west link, users’ petrol tax will cover about 4.5% of costs. Somebody else pays the rest.
    
    SH1 Whangarei to Port Marsden, users’ petrol tax will cover about 4.6% of costs. Somebody else pays the rest.
    
    SH1 Warkworth to Wellsford, users’ petrol tax will cover about 3.8% of costs. Somebody else pays the rest.
    
    Why is “Somebody else pays” only an issue to you when it’s Public transport? Motorists have their hand in you pocket FAR more.
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:19am
    - artemisia
      
      The bus subsidy % relates to operating costs.
      
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      November 28, 2024 11:59am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      That makes no sense. Roads are locational cross subsidised. However ALL highways are paid for by road users. On top of that road users pay most of the costs of public transport.
      
      Your argument is faulty.
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:43pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      If fares contribute so little to the cost of running public transport then it may make sense to eliminate the fares and make it free.
      There will be benefits for all others with less traffic and congestion etc.
      
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      November 28, 2024 1:51pm
- judith8409121
  
  maybe you should be paying the cost of transport like everyone else. Stop expecting taxpayers to pick up your tab
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:15am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    I am unaware of an urban public transport system globally that covers all its costs from fares.
    
    Public transport does deliver public benefits. Reduced congestion. Allows old folk, young folk, disabled folk to be mobile.
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:45pm
- rjay
  
  The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is consulting on fares as we speak. Currently passengers pay around 8%. Goal is to get up to 25% over 3 years.
  A lot of the subsidy goes to free school buses.
  Have your say
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:21am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Free school buses are paid for by the ministry of education.
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:46pm
- Spam
  
  Nothing personal, but I think the point is that “we” can’t afford to keep on subsidising you and all the other people that we subsidise.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:52am
- PurplePen
  
  I’d be a little sceptical about the initial assessment that its going to increase fares by 70%.
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:05pm
peterwn

Unbelievable – The Herald has published a letter from Bill Birch (former Minister of Finance) Saying that Matthew Hooton’s criticism of Chris Luxon was unfair, unbalanced. Bill also stated ” Luxon has shown his adeptness in political negotiation by successfully forming a coalition agreement and establishing a Cabinet filled with highly talented New Zealanders.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/letters-christopher-luxon-critique-unfair-and-unbalanced-sir-bill-birch/7XMTOQAH6FBOFJZSPKNSKB72LY/
(Paywalled)
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November 28, 2024 8:15am
- AitchW
  
  Good grief! Not only is a retired politician offering moral support to the PM, but the Herald actually published his letter! Is this opposites day? Has the editor gone mad? Or is the Herald finally accepting that a Labour/Green/Maori coalition would be an unmitigated disaster for NZ? (It would be a wet dream for Aotearoa till the lights went out and the trough dried up.)
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:25am
  - Flossie
    
    It’s also possible the Herald might be starting to get the message that a one-sided attitude could be costing them readership.
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:29am
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      No Flossie, it’s just a sop. “Look!! we publish both sides of the political spectrum and it’s unfair to say we don’t! Subscribe please”. What they will fail to say is that 90+% of their articles lean or outright favour the left of politics. So, don’t give them the time of day.
      
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      November 28, 2024 9:37am
- NK
  
  What’s unbelievable about this? The National Party rank and file would all say that winning the election and forming the coalition shows Luxon’s extreme talent and ability to get NZ “back on track”.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:03am
  - Phronesis
    
    If that’s the standard to be applied then Jacinda was a political genius that formed a coalition government despite being only the second largest party after the 2017 election.
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:25am
    - NK
      
      You clearly missed my sarcasm.
      
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      November 28, 2024 3:27pm
artemisia

Bus and train fares may surge by up to 70% to meet NZTA targets Bus and train fares are set to increase across the country, with the transport agency asking councils to hit higher revenue targets.

OK, but lift the lid a wee bit and check out this from the article.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said public transport costs were rising, shifting more of the burden to ratepayers and taxpayers who subsidised public transport services. In 2017, public transport users contributed 40 percent of the operating costs, but by 2023 this had dropped to 10 percent.

40% to 10%. Gosh, I wonder if there might have been a smidgeon of ideology happening there. Not to mention a whole lot of OPM.

Thanks ratepayers and taxpayers.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/534941/bus-and-train-fares-may-surge-by-up-to-70-percent-to-meet-nzta-targets
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November 28, 2024 8:20am
- Handyman
  
  Wellington electric trains running costs have increased due to the increased number of windmills driving up the cost of electricity.
  
  Still, the free riders on trains moan about paying 10% of cost of the running costs. That is not counting any of the capital costs of the trains, tracks overheads etc
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:35am
- RRM
  
  Meanwhile, they’re happy to build Mt Vic tunnel 2 and Basin reserve, although users petrol tax will only cover about 0.9% of the costs of that.
  
  If Pubic transport users are paying even 10% of the costs of the service they use, that’s almost heroic compared to someone driving on any Road of National Significance.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:37am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    I don’t follow.
    
    9 2
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    November 28, 2024 8:50am
    - RRM
      
      Public transport users being subsidized by taxpayer funds is raised as an issue.
      
      I suggest that road of National Significance users are subsidized at least 10x higher rate. If we really care about taxpayer funds subsidizing people’s lifestyle, why are we going after Public transport instead of RoNS?
      
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      November 28, 2024 9:15am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        New Zealand roads are paid for by road users.
        
        10 1
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        November 28, 2024 11:54am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Good thing my partner and I both have an AT Goldcard.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:42am
  - peterwn
    
    But the 3pm to 6.30pm Gold Card lark in Auckland surely cannot last. There will be a point when Auckland has to fall in line with the other cities on this.
    
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    November 28, 2024 8:59am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Off peak is 9am to 3pm, and 6.30pm to 6am.
      Handy if we have to go into the city.
      
      3 1
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      November 28, 2024 12:10pm
      - peterwn
        
        You have been missing a trick – on AT services, the gold card is available 9am to 6am weekdays and all weekend. I visit Auckland once a year and could use my SuperGold Hop card after 3pm at no cost – Waiheke Island included!
        
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        November 28, 2024 1:53pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Peter, I was just going by the info on the AT website. Not to be trusted? Well my daughter has run ins with them about over charging and double charging.
        God they are thick!
        
        3 2
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        November 28, 2024 2:12pm
- cmm
  
  ” In 2017, public transport users contributed 40 percent of the operating costs, but by 2023 this had dropped to 10 percent. ”
  
  Written like that it doesn’t sound so bad, but the more honest way to write it would be:
  ” In 2017, taxpayers paid 60 percent of the operating costs, but by 2023 this had blown out to 90 percent. ”
  
  Note that this is the AVERAGE across the country. There will be areas where the taxpayer/rate payer are actually paying over 95 and on some trips it will be 98 or 99%.
  
  Here in Christchurch I often see buses with two or less passengers. Those passengers are paying maybe $1 each for a 15km trip that is costing $100+. Guess who is paying?
  
  Of course it is easy to pretend something works when all the costs are hidden.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:48am
  - RoboRob
    
    Especially bad with the trains. If I recall correctly the AK trains (whcih I recently used) cost the council (ratepayer) $27 per trip. The train from Ham to Ak worked out at about $80 per person.
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:01am
    - Don Beckett
      
      Recently here in Tauranga, the contribution from rates to the BoP Regional Council went up – as a pensioner who never uses public transport, yet I am forced to pay over $5. per week to subsidise other people using the bus.
      Trouble is, hardly any other people use the bus – most times the busses are empty, or have 1 or 2 passengers. Morning & evening its a few more with workers going ito town.
      It’s a bloody rort. I though everything was “User Pays”. So much for that.
      
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      November 28, 2024 10:57am
  - kowtow
    
    ‘Here in Christchurch I often see buses with two or less passengers’
    
    On those routes/times it would be cheaper to get them an uber or taxi.
    
    Doable.
    
    But in the jihad to save the planet ( war on cars actually) no expense or irrational activity is too great
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:19am
    - cmm
      
      Certainly.
      
      But it is only taxpayer/ratepayer money – of which there is an infinite supply – so where is the incentive to do anything sensible?
      
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      November 28, 2024 1:38pm
  - MCōs
    
    Raising the ticket prices by a substantial amount is unlikely to increase revenue because fewer people will catch the bus/train.
    We sometimes catch the train into town from Onehunga. Previously the carpark at station would have been choka. Now there is ample parking.
    Until recently the train went to Britomart. Now it terminates at Newmarket requiring transferring to another train for the last leg. Maybe that deters some people particularly as some dodgy characters hang around Newmarket.
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:35am
    - RoboRob
      
      Its a chicken and egg scenario. The more people that use a service the cheaper the per person cost, so to get the usage up the service runs at a loss making price until it breaks even.
      
      The questions that need to be asked are
      1. At expected usage levels will the service ever break even. If not, is the benefit to tax payers worth a perpetual subsidy?
      2. Are the expected usage levels reasonable? The train between AK and Ham would indicate they are not.
      3. By throwing tax payers money at a service, what are the opportunity costs. Could the money be used for other, better, projects? Would the money be better used if left with rate payers?
      4. Does the state funding of public transport prevent private entities entering the market. Could those private entities run different, out of the box, services that are better?
      
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      November 28, 2024 10:06am
    - cmm
      
      “Raising the ticket prices by a substantial amount is unlikely to increase revenue because fewer people will catch the bus/train”
      
      Yes, certainly it would show the truth – there isn’t real demand. There is only fake demand created by obscene subsidies.
      
      If people had to pay the full price I bet there would soon be shuttle buses etc competing to provide low cost services that would – likely- end up much, much cheaper.
      
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      November 28, 2024 1:40pm
- Happy1
  
  Down here in Canterbury the local sport is counting the number of passengers on the bus. The usual result is between 0 and 4. While passengers might have paid 40% of operating cost in 2017, Ecan have put on a lot more empty buses circulating Christchurch with no increase in passengers/income. It won’t matter to anyone if they increase fares by 71%. Costs will stay the same and income/passenger numbers will drop
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:01am
  - Sparrow
    
    I do the same when travelling from Northland to Auckland through the Dome Valley. There is a bus service between Wellsford and Warkworth. It’s difficult to see without having a mishap but appears to be mostly empty. Even operates on weekends. Thankfully it’s all in the Auckland City area so it’s not my rates paying for it. According to locals it was a vocal lobby group that demanded it. The squeaky door seems to always work , logic and commonsense go out the door.
    
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    November 28, 2024 11:09am
G152

Here was I believing the birch was banned
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November 28, 2024 8:22am
- MCōs
  
  Bill Birch is 90yo the old bugger.
  Jim Bolger preferred him as Minister of Finance, but he was stuck with Ruth Richardson, but she proved almost more than the country could stomach so B² was brought in to calm things down in 1993
  R² left parliament and aligned with Act.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:50am
Matt Long

Apparently a surge in US army recruitment as Trump looks to turn it back into a fighting force instead of a department of DEI, where Trans folk go to get free surgery on the back of the taxpayer.
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November 28, 2024 8:24am
- MCōs
  
  How many “Trans folk go to get free surgery on the back of the taxpayer “?
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:32am
  - Matt Long
    
    The surgery is supported and free in the US army if that’s your thing, but better get in quick as the rules may change.
    https://search.app?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.military.com%2Fdaily-news%2F2021%2F06%2F28%2Farmy-provide-gender-transition-care-surgeries-transgender-soldiers.html%3Famp%3D&utm_campaign=aga&utm_source=agsadl1%2Csh%2Fx%2Fgs%2Fm2%2F4
    
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    November 28, 2024 8:41am
    - Matt Long
      
      In terms of numbers, Mr Google tells me there are over 14,000 trans in the US military.
      Another interesting statistic is that more illegals of military age entered the US under Biden than are in the US military.
      
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      November 28, 2024 8:45am
      - RoboRob
        
        I suspect 95+% of the trans in the US military are only there to get their free surgery.
        
        6 1
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        November 28, 2024 9:02am
      - MCōs
        
        More information in this article although nothing about how many have had surgery.
        https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/trans-military-service-us/
        
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        November 28, 2024 10:00am
      - kowtow
        
        Those numbers are astounding.
        
        Proof the military under the Democrats wasn’t for defending the country , but for promoting a warped perverse social policy.
        
        It is no winder that evil dictators and mullahs used this period to attack Ukraine and Israel.
        
        6 3
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        November 28, 2024 10:16am
      - 7kiwi11
        
        14,000! Wow that’s a similar size to our whole defense force.
        
        5 0
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        November 28, 2024 1:58pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      None of them have any intention of active duty overseas.
      
      12 2
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      November 28, 2024 8:46am
      - MCōs
        
        No choice if required
        Many people who had joined up on the promise of a free education were shocked to find they were suddenly on a plane to Iraq or Afghanistan
        
        8 2
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        November 28, 2024 10:05am
      - cmm
        
        “No choice if required”
        
        There is a scam that female “soldiers” have been pulling for a long time to get out of active service – get pregnant.
        
        They won’t send a pregnant person (see I’m learning – I didn’t say woman) overseas.
        
        I would expect you could also claim emotional distress etc and they wouldn’t send you.
        
        15 2
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        November 28, 2024 10:21am
      - Matt Long
        
        Trans service personnel cannot serve in a combat zone because they need daily access to trans vitamins according to scuttlebutt. No idea if it’s true.
        The NZ taxpayer is on the hook for this I would presume.
        https://search.app?link=https%3A%2F%2Fhealthify.nz%2Fmedicines-a-z%2Fg%2Fgender-affirming-hormone-therapy%2F&utm_campaign=aga&utm_source=agsadl1%2Csh%2Fx%2Fgs%2Fm2%2F4
        
        4 1
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        November 28, 2024 11:31am
      - Keith White
        
        They can’t be assigned overseas as their hormones can’t be guaranteed to be supplied when at war.
        
        6 1
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        November 28, 2024 12:13pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        cmm, yes, get pregnant then get an abortion. Just day to day life for the left.
        
        4 2
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        November 28, 2024 2:14pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Keith @ 12.13,
        You know how to make a hormone?
        Don’t pay the bill!! LOL!
        
        5 2
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        November 28, 2024 2:16pm
- carlsbad apple
  
  I tried to find some information on that but came up with nothing. Can you cite a source?
  
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  November 28, 2024 11:44am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    DEI is explained on the google machine.
    Kids know what it is……..
    
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    November 28, 2024 2:18pm
    - carlsbad apple
      
      So there’s no source for Matt’s claim.
      
      1 4
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      November 28, 2024 4:06pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Did you try clicking on Matts link?
        https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/06/28/army-provide-gender-transition-care-surgeries-transgender-soldiers.html?amp
        ‘the Pentagon has spent $15 million in the past five years to treat 1,892 transgender troops, including $11.5 million for psychotherapy and $3.1 million for surgeries -‘
        ‘The Army’s policy follows the Department of Veterans Affairs’ announcement that they too would provide gender confirmation surgery to transgender veterans.
        
        “We’re making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do, but because they can save lives,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said earlier this month. “When President Biden nominated me to lead the VA, he told me to fight like hell for our Vets. And when he said that, he meant all veterans.”
        
        Heres a link from within that link
        ‘Of the 243 gender reassignment surgeries performed on military personnel since 2016, 50 took place between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2017, and 193 occurred from Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019 — the two years after President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he would bar transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military.
        
        According to the Defense Health Agency, the surgeries were performed in military health facilities and included removal of breasts or testicles, hysterectomies and labiaplasty — creation of or reshaping the flesh around a vagina.’
        https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/06/18/heres-how-much-pentagon-has-spent-so-far-treat-transgender-troops.html
        Wow, cant even use a link
        Not very bright huh
        What.a.surprise
        Maybe you should stick to your Facebook Group “Trump makes me crazy”?
        
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        November 28, 2024 4:42pm
kowtow

Two excellent items on Bassett Brash and Hide re the constitution by Gary Judd KC and Dr Bryce Edwards.
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November 28, 2024 8:25am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Candace Owens not coming to NZ – based on the decision made by Australia.
Pathetic. Immigration NZ don’t want to provide a valid reason
BTW, are Tucker Carlson, JD Vance, or Elon Musk not allowed in NZ? They have all made similar comments tp Candace. Tucker goes to Australia.
Double standards in hypocritical NZ.
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November 28, 2024 8:26am
- imalwaysright
  
  Alison McDonald runs Immigration.
  No one would tackle a high profile person without the boss giving approval.
  She is responsible.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:31am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Reading different news items I see that Young Labour have been involved.
    What the fuck has it got to do with those radicals?
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:20am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Alison McDonald.
    Big chunk of rock around her neck. What is that all about? Some sort of signal?
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:40am
    - Burtland
      
      becoming unburdened by what has been
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:28pm
  - Paulus
    
    At least we have another Lady who is the very best person for the job !
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:14am
    - Keith White
      
      Didn’t know you were also a biologist, Paulus!
      
      (Praise not criticism 🙂 )
      
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      November 28, 2024 12:14pm
- pdm
  
  My email to the responsible Minister Chris Penk re this decision.
  https://nominister.wordpress.com/2024/11/28/my-email-to-associate-immigration-minister-chris-penk-re-the-candace-owen-decision/
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:40am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    A plain and simple “please explain”
    Good stuff.
    
    10 2
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    November 28, 2024 9:01am
    - Don Beckett
      
      Yes. What a disgraceful decision to ban her entry.
      
      7 1
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      November 28, 2024 11:03am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Yes, but Australia did it first!
        So going by that thinking, when Australia goes Nuclear Electricity Generation NZ will follow?
        See Nuclear for Australia – Will Shackel.
        
        5 1
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        November 28, 2024 2:25pm
  - Tom Barker
    
    I suspect Chris Penk may difficulty understanding some of the terms in your letter, such as “provacitive.” Or he may just dismiss it as semi-literate nonsense.
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:17am
  - RoboRob
    
    Excellent email. We shall see whether Penk / National want to support a free speech agenda or not.
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:13am
- sirknz
  
  Has anyone kept a tally of how many wacky lefty speakers have been kept out of NZ in the last 8 years for the same or similar reasons?
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:04am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Candace is not wacky or lefty. Media here calls her right wing activist.
    She baits people. Antisemitic? Not sure what she was up to.
    Flag moving on the moon when there is no air?
    First man on the moon was actually the person who took the photograph, not Neil Armstrong!!!!
    Baiting!
    
    3 2
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    November 28, 2024 2:41pm
- RoboRob
  
  Do we also block flat earthers for their abhorrent views? What about satanists? Why is it certain views, generally held by the hard right, are worth blocking someone from entering the country yet other equally ‘bad’ views are ok? Do we just rely on the bias of immigration officials to determine which speakers can and cant come to NZ?
  
  Does blocking Candace really protect the NZ people as they can simply go online and watch her for free. Does blocking het give more coverage then simply letting her in? What’s the agenda here?
  
  When was the last time a hard leftist was blocked from entering the country? There are lots of antisemitic people in the UN for example, do we block them? What about the woman disempowering Muslims are they blocked?
  So many questions 😊
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:09am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Facebook RoboRob. I follow her and she is nothing like what the corrupt media say.
    The media in the US are fucked off that Candace got so many Black Americans to leave the Democrat plantation and vote for Trump!!
    NZ media just repeat US left media.
    
    4 2
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    November 28, 2024 2:52pm
    - RichardX
      
      I suggest you listen to her podcasts if you want to hear her nuttery. Particularly the ones where she takes about Jews.
      
      Of course, not everything she says is batshit crazy but as I have asked before, how many batshit crazy beliefs do you need to hold to be considered batshit crazy?
      
      Is it 1? Is 2 enough? Surely it you have 3 bat shit crazy beliefs you can be considered batshit crazy.
      
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      November 28, 2024 6:57pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        What is your level Ricky?
        
        2 2
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        November 28, 2024 7:48pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  From the Free Speech Union:
  
  https://www.fsu.nz/decision_to_bar_candace_owens_from_entry_into_new_zealand_arguably_unlawful_action_pending
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:11am
  - PurplePen
    
    I very much like the FSU. They do excellent work in an area where I’d say no-one else does.
    
    I note they use the phrase “we call on the Minister…”. Just about they few MSM headlines is someone “calls on …”. What happened to the less sensational “ask”. Why the need to phrase everything so dramatically. Its a pet peeve of mine.
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:16pm
Benedict Yu

This is a terrible decision.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/360502473/controversial-us-speaker-candace-owens-banned-new-zealand

I agree that Candace Owens has some wacky ideas. But is she a danger to New Zealand society?
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November 28, 2024 8:27am
- NK
  
  You completely miss the issue, Benedict.
  
  She has wacky ideas, ergo she is dangerous. End of. That’s how the State operates now.
  
  Meanwhile, in other news, with the “No Shit Sherlock” news of the day, part one of the Covid inquiry found that the mandates eroded trust and undeniably harmed a “substantial minority”of New Zealanders. The Act Party minister of DIA, the party that promotes freedom and liberty, is saying she won’t release the report until next year!
  
  Of course, the banning of Candace Owens, and also this Covid finding and ministerial behaviour, are inextricably linked.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:36am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    How is she dangerous?
    Has she been convicted of any “crime?”
    Free speech is fine but some have more free speech than others. In other words someone does not like what she says so she can STFU!
    
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    November 28, 2024 9:08am
- Blog-aholic
  
  How would New Zealanders know when she is banished and labelled. Debate is a two way idea….in NZ we only have room for one narrative and that is NEVER to be critiqued…..
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:38am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    In a connected world, physically banning speakers makes no sense.
    
    Candace Owens uploads to YouTube daily. If her views are so damaging, why not block her YouTube channel? How does her physical presence in New Zealand suddenly make those views dangerous, when yesterday nobody cared?
    
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    November 28, 2024 8:57am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Benedict, Candace Owens’ book “Blackout” is a good read. I have it.
      
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      November 28, 2024 9:10am
      - NK
        
        They’ll be coming for you Steve and seizing your copy shortly.
        
        13 1
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        November 28, 2024 9:11am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        NK, they have to get past my front door first.
        Anyway, I ordered the book from the US. It was not banned in NZ then.
        
        6 4
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        November 28, 2024 9:17am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    People could follow her on Facebook. I do.
    Zuckerberg has not banned her.
    
    8 2
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    November 28, 2024 9:22am
    - Graeme Hall
      
      Candace Owens used to be an articulate counter to racists on the Left, like Joy Reid on MSNBC, then she got onto Jewish issues and started saying some really odd stuff. I tune her out now but those are her views and that shouldn’t stop her speaking here.
      
      9 1
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      November 28, 2024 9:54am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        I have not heard any of her antisemitic stuff, just the accusations from the left.
        
        4 2
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        November 28, 2024 12:15pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “I have not heard any of her antisemitic stuff..”
        
        It is all a bit murky. She has beaten up on Israel for gaza. That led to a falling out with Ben Shapiro who then sacked her. She is a deeply devout catholic who preaches “Christ is King”.
        
        As an atheist, I found her weaving of religion into her podcasts tiresome. Coupled with her wacky views, I stopped tuning in. However, I did not see any blatant anti Jewish views.
        
        I think that she and Shapiro ended up being a toxic mix, with Ben Shapiro being a blind defender of Judaism and Israel.
        
        5 0
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        November 28, 2024 12:55pm
      - NothingLeft
        
        Used to find her interesting, but she popped up saying bat-shit stuff like Mrs Macron was a man and lots of religious nuttery and I stopped listening.
        
        Jordan Peterson’s descent into endless religious rantings and Tucker Carlson claiming he was personally attacked by a demon along with other nonsense has lost me as a listener too, Just can’t trust judgement of people who believe in supernatural, however harmless it may be.
        
        3 2
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        November 28, 2024 1:34pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Benedict @ 12.55,
        I think there is more to that. Both Candace and Ben are level headed people. I don’t know what went wrong. I think Candace just resigned because she had a lot on her plate with other things to do. Besides, she has 3 children, and George Farmer.
        
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        November 28, 2024 5:07pm
- I remember when
  
  Who knew that talking crap occasionally was a reason to be banned from entering New Zealand.
  Carried to its extreme there would be a lot of worried politicians when they re-entered from overseas.
  
  9 0
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  November 28, 2024 9:11am
  - Burtland
    
    maybe its the way to keep Cindy out – everyone petition DIA
    
    2 0
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    November 28, 2024 12:36pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Except the politicians are citizens.
    
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    November 28, 2024 12:55pm
- My-Gumboot
  
  No more wacky than anything from the Green MPs.
  No more wacky and far less divisive than TPM MPs.
  No more wacky than most of the Labour MPs.
  
  And we pay them.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:20am
- PurplePen
  
  No.
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:17pm
Grunter

The response from NZ Rugby to my complaint about the haka and the AB’s supporting the Maori Separatist flag… What a woke joke the NZR have become!
_________________________________
Kia ora

I am writing to relay the response I have received from NZR in relation to your complaint. The Service received a number of complaints about the actions of TJ Perenara and teammates (the haka and the display of the tino rangatiratanga flag) during last weekend’s test match against Italy. Your complaint was one of those received and conveyed (without names) to NZR.

“New Zealand Rugby acknowledges receipt of your complaint through the Independent Complaint Management Service which is designed for complaints, for example, relating to harassment (sexual or otherwise), bullying, misconduct, unlawful discrimination, and offensive / insulting language or behaviour and does not apply to any on-field conduct during a match.

NZR’s expectation is that players behave in a respectful way and ensure their actions look to unite people, which was the intention here and was referenced in post-match media regarding the haka.”

Thank you again for contacting the Service and making your views known.

Ngā mihi
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November 28, 2024 8:29am
- RoboRob
  
  What the absolute fuck! Thats a lot of words to say, we received your complaint. It says they are relayuing the response but I dont actually see any response there.
  
  Thank god you at least got a Kia ora and a Ngā mihi 🙂
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:13am
- pdm
  
  You are the lucky one Grunter.
  
  I have not received even an acknowledgement from The NZRU to date.
  
  10 1
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  November 28, 2024 9:16am
- I remember when
  
  It was pre-match, not during the match, as the game starts with the referee’s whistle.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:16am
- cmm
  
  PS: We will continue to accept your donations as a taxpayer.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:21am
- nz_aj
  
  “uniting people” and creating division or separating based on race are hardly the same thing.
  What about remaining politically neutral?
  Sounds like no action being taken.
  Makes we wonder about the motivations of Silver Lake.
  Government needs to take more action to fix the direction the country is heading in
  
  6 1
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  November 28, 2024 9:21am
- Paulus
  
  What a load of Bollocks in their reply !
  Why did they allow it to happen in the first place.
  
  6 1
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  November 28, 2024 10:17am
- Burtland
  
  making divisive comments in one language then calling for unity in another is OK!
  – the only Patsy here is the one in charge
  
  https://www.nzrugby.co.nz/about-nzr/governance/our-board
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:49pm
grumpy

Is this happening in New Zealand….?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/11/harris-campaign-advisor-david-plouffe-accidently-exposes-how/

Fake polls to push a political party in order to attract donations and give a target for hatchet media coverage.
One News polls and Sherman springs to mind.
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November 28, 2024 8:32am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  The polls are shit. I have to keep explaining that emails I get are not from reputable news sources like CNN and TV1 Network News.
  TV1 was all over Trump like flies on shit. Nearly every day just discrediting bullshit.
  I was the one who called Trump winning the Electoral College at 312.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:31am
slightlyrighty

Candace Owens has been denied entry, not because of what she thinks, but because of how some people might react.

If you take the time to properly think about the implications of that train of thought, you should be rightly concerned. The authorities have given power to the Thugs Veto.
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November 28, 2024 8:32am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  The Public Sector really does need a complete overhaul to get rid of the deadwood.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:46am
- MCōs
  
  Immigration New Zealand acting deputy chief operating officer Jock Gilray said Owens had applied for an Entertainers Work Visa.
  That application was denied.
  “Under section 15(1)(f) of the Immigration Act, an individual may not be granted a visa to come to New Zealand if they have been excluded from another country,” he said.
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/535035/conservative-us-commentator-candace-owens-denied-nz-visa
  Sounds like an easy way out
  While it’s all very well standing up for her rights to say what she likes it seems she nothing but trouble as far as the Jewish community is concerned and right now the last thing they need is some noisy American coming out here and spreading anti semitism
  https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/candace-owens
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:07pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Have you ever heard of media assassination?
    One starts, then they all follow – without any background knowledge. Sheep media.
    
    2 2
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    November 28, 2024 5:14pm
Matt Long

Solar Zero funded by the NZ taxpayer, now in liquidation, was bought by a Blackrock company about the time St Jacinda visited their HQ, 2022.
There’s something a bit off here, even if it’s a Brierly style asset stripping takeover, given Solar Zero received at least $80 million in taxpayer funding.
https://search.app?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rnz.co.nz%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2F534899%2Fsolarzero-in-liquidation-feels-like-a-liability-on-the-roof-now&utm_campaign=aga&utm_source=agsadl1%2Csh%2Fx%2Fgs%2Fm2%2F4
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November 28, 2024 8:38am
- Blog-aholic
  
  She never did explain that ‘meeting’……smoke and fire come to mind.
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:39am
  - AitchW
    
    Finders fee? 5% of 80 million would buy a nice new boat and a few rods and some bait…
    
    6 2
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    November 28, 2024 9:09am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Yet another reason to run away on an empty tank.
    
    8 3
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    November 28, 2024 9:50am
    - Paulus
      
      I se that [use correct names please] has now commented on the sad passing of Nikki Kaye in our so called media.
      Why does she not Foxtrot Oscar and stay away.
      Presumably our so called media called her so they could put her comments in their papers.
      Sooner they go bust the better –
      I see we are still paying the PIJF media via NZon Air.
      I thoght this was to be stopped in last July.
      Why not ?
      
      8 2
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      November 28, 2024 10:22am
- JimBobJoe
  
  Quid pro quo? Cui bono?!!
  
  Speaking fees are pretty good in the USA I understand – large Corporates pay big money to listen to ex-Politicians with no practical world experience or business knowledge. I wonder why??
  
  Money is made to go round baby…..
  
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  November 28, 2024 8:42am
- bythesea
  
  From NZ and UK companies register you can see a few details
  
  GRP III Regional Holdings LTD (UK)
  formerly GRP III SOUTH KOREA UK LTD 17 Jan 2020 – 27 May 2021
  Blackrock has > 75% control
  
  wholly owns
  GRP III NZ BIDCO LIMITED (NZ) – in liquidation
  formerly BLACKROCK NZ BIDCO LIMITED (from 31 Aug 2022 to 07 Sep 2022)
  wholly owns
  SOLARZERO LIMITED (2147325) In Liquidation
  From 2008
  
  bought out 19 December 2022 according to shareholder updates
  
  There was an odd thing (maybe someone more knowledgeable can explain) where just before, but on the *same* day, the transaction to (effectively) blackrock, a group of the shareholder massively increased their allocations. So they buy in and sell up all on the same day
  Stephen Tindall through K ONE W ONE (NO 4) was one of these shareholders.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:16am
- peterwn
  
  Solar Zero’s business model was only sustainable if the solar installations were subsidised in one way or another. This would either be by Government handouts or by requiring other electricity users to subsidise solar users. A typical indirect subsidy in this game is to require electricity retailers to buy back surplus power from those with solar panels at excessive rates. Solar Zero’s longer term game was was to ‘organise’ the batteries at each installation so power from these batteries could be sold into the system when spot prices were high. Seems these batteries were not installed or if installed were not going to be uprated as originally promised. In other words the business case was too rosy.
  Presumably BlackRock got into the game as it would need to have a quantity of ‘green’ investments for its funds etc. Interestingly there was a big bubble in Meridian and Contact share prices some years ago as ‘ green’ funds scrambled to meet ‘green’ quotas for their funds and were purchasing ‘green’ assets at whatever price.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:19am
  - cmm
    
    “Solar Zero’s business model was only sustainable if the solar installations were subsidised”
    
    ie. not sustainable at all.
    
    No more sustainable than subsidized buses, flying first class to climate change conferences, etc etc
    
    19 0
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    November 28, 2024 9:23am
    - Burtland
      
      so blackrock got sold an actual solar ZERO – local elites abandoned the BS ship with the cash
      
      4 0
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      November 28, 2024 1:21pm
- rockape
  
  I am quite glad my wife’s KiwiSaver withASB is invested entirely with Blackrock. It’s doing rather well. 33% increase in value this year.
  
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  November 28, 2024 10:09am
  - marcw
    
    Well, if true, you are breaking the cardinal rule for long term investments. (Eggs/baskets)
    
    8 1
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    November 28, 2024 10:33am
    - peterwn
      
      It is not just investing with Black Rock. Black Rock, Vanguard etc operate a multiplicity of funds with different characteristics and risk profiles. If Black Rock as such fell over the funds would still be there passively controlled by independent trustees. One way to spread that residual risk would be to invest in both Black Rock and Vanguard, then spread further by investing in Sharesies, etc.
      
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      November 28, 2024 2:23pm
- trout
  
  It would appear that both Bluefloat Energy (Taranaki wind farm) and Blackrock have scarpered because the massive (Green) subsidies promised by the Ardern regime are not now in prospect.
  The venture capitalists will now be looking to clip the ticket on the massive financial transfer of funds from rich to poor countries in the name of Climate Change.
  
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  November 28, 2024 1:56pm
Chuck Bird

This guy was in a relationship with a District Court judge and will still be on release.

Eye surgeon Ian Dallison tells Parole Board hearing why he tried to kill landlord Alberto Ceccarelli

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/eye-surgeon-ian-dallison-parole-board-hearing-reveals-why-he-tried-to-kill-landlord-alberto-ceccarelli/KJR2KE2PLJCPHP2TQ6VP2MU4KI/
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November 28, 2024 8:53am
- cmm
  
  WTF is it with eye surgeons? First Philip Polkinghorn now this guy.
  
  For a while it was file system engineers: Hans Reiser and some guy in NZ who’s name I forget.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:27am
- Jethrod
  
  What is it with eye surgeons?
  
  9 0
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  November 28, 2024 9:55am
  - Keith White
    
    Sherlock Holmes is evergreen on this topic: “when a doctor goes wrong he is the first of criminals, he has nerve and has knowledge.”
    
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    November 28, 2024 1:03pm
Cassandra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEJcDJq1Mgw&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D
A must watch. It’s a 30 minute lesson in technology and geopolitics. Helps,one,to understand why we cannot let China dominate Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. Mind boggling.
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November 28, 2024 8:53am
- Grunter
  
  An interesting watch, thx for the link
  
  I agree with the proposition that China’s economy is on the ropes. All centrally planned economies fail at some point. They have built a huge regional network of ponzi debt schemes and aggressive loans to poor countries. All these loans/debt default at some point with no bailouts.
  
  But the West (USA, EU, Japan,…..) are all in the same bankrupt position. Who falls first is the only question.
  
  I think that at some point there will be a war over Taiwan. All the war game scenarios I’ve read/watched show a chaotic ‘mutual destruction’ scenario as the only outcome. It’s not a war that anyone can win. Modern weapons simply destroy both sides militaries.
  
  Not much little old NZ can do about that.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:34am
- cmm
  
  ” … why we cannot let China dominate…”
  
  Who is this “we” you are talking about? NZ just converted a fifth of its fleet into a submarine.
  
  In the real world of technology, China is eating everyone’s lunch. American research has stagnated and Chinese research is booming.
  
  I spend quite a lot of my time in chip design etc. China is where the new interesting stuff is coming from.
  
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  November 28, 2024 9:52am
  - ISeeRed
    
    China is ~~eating~~ stealing everyone’s lunch
    
    There, fixed it for you.
    
    6 2
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    November 28, 2024 1:16pm
    - Jack5
      
      Patents registered suggest CMM is right, ISeeRed.
      
      About twice as many patents are being registered in China as in the United States:
      
      https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/patents-by-country
      
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      November 28, 2024 2:51pm
      - Jack5
        
        But ….
        
        Chinese firms are recruiting hard in technology hubs including America’s Silicon Valley, Taiwan, and parts of Europe, the Wall Street Journal reports today.
        
        “Headhunters” from China’s Huawei Technologies have been trying to poach staff from German firm Zeiss ZMT, which, the newspaper says, makes indispensable parts for semiconductors.
        
        Huawei has been offering staff with sensitive Zeiss know-how up to three times their current salaries.
        
        In South Korea, a former executive of Samsung Electronics has been charged with illegally taking blueprints to enable a “copycat” chip plan in China.
        
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        November 28, 2024 4:13pm
    - cmm
      
      The idea that China is just stealing everyone else’s ideas is the biggest line of bullshit ever.
      
      Sure, they have copied a lot of stuff in the past, but so have everyone else.
      
      Where did America – winners of the “space race” get all their rocket technology from? They stole it from the Germans!
      
      In the design of real high tech – computer chips etc – where I spend a lot of my time – the Chinese dominate. 10 years ago it was America, but America peaked about 5 years ago and are now on the slide.
      
      The best modern controllers for low end electronic are coming from China based on Chinese designs. I have a bunch of computer chips costing less than 10 cents in single unit quantities (5 cents in production quantities). Similar American chips probably cost $3.
      
      At the top end, China are building amazingly powerful chips for AI, servers etc. Low cost, extremely innovative.
      
      Unfortunately I can’t use most of these chips in the products I work on because the Americans forbid selling these chips in USA. They blame cybersecurity threats etc, but for the most part that is bullshit – it is protectionism.
      
      4 2
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      November 28, 2024 4:31pm
      - mogg
        
        You might like to read todays Reuters article on Chinese AI chip design and production, such “poor quality they are not viable”
        
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        November 28, 2024 5:30pm
      - ISeeRed
        
        The idea that China is just stealing everyone else’s ideas is the biggest line of bullshit ever.
        
        Do you even Google, bro? Here are some suggested keywords for your first search:
        
        China IP theft
        
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        November 28, 2024 9:31pm
  - mogg
    
    Is that why China is buying up American made non defence products, to strip out AI chips and circuit boards which are then used by Chinese weapons manufacturers in an attempt to catch up.
    
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    November 28, 2024 3:20pm
    - cmm
      
      They make plenty of their own AI chips and other control chips. I don’t see why they would need to disassemble other boards.
      
      Here’s just one of countless offerings.
      https://www.hisilicon.com/en/products/Kirin/Kirin-flagship-chips/Kirin-970
      
      One of the more prolific companies is WCH.
      https://www.wch-ic.com/
      
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      November 28, 2024 4:41pm
      - mogg
        
        According to DT technology writer, since the American ban on selling AI chips to China they have had to get them where they can. Their big difficulty is in tools and ability to mass produce quality product, which Taiwan does so well. Taiwan is building chip production facilities in Texas.
        
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        November 28, 2024 4:53pm
kowtow

Hezbollah member raises two fingered V for victory salute , oh wait.
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November 28, 2024 9:02am
cmm

A Maori school is closing their Year 13 class 2 weeks early because no pupils are showing up.

Is this another example of Evil White People sabotaging Maori futures?

“There is no purpose for them to continue to be at kura after the 29th of November. Your tamaiti isn’t contributing in any manner or way to our kura, therefore we have decided that they may now finish kura and be released early,”.

I find it quite alarming that a Te Aho Matua school can only expect its pupils to communicate in such terrible pidgin. After 13 years of schooling can’t they use Maori for basic communications?

How does a school in Auckland manage to have only 10 pupils in its Year 13 class? Clearly a dismal failure on all fronts.

These pupils (no, not students) would be far better served going to a proper school that teaches English with optional Maori as a second language. All this school seems to be doing is normalising failure.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360502531/auckland-school-ends-year-early-year-13s-blames-lack-attendance
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November 28, 2024 10:13am
- RoboRob
  
  Cant read the link, I refuse to give Stuff clicks, but somethings amiss here. To my knowledge ALL normal year 13s finished on Frid 22 of Nov, which was the last day of exams.
  
  Why would year 13s, who are in there final year of school, be attending school after there final exams?
  
  I can only guess that this ‘school’ decided to start late or have extra holidays such that they needed to keep ‘teaching’ after exams to meet their now checked minimum number of teacher days. If thats true this ‘school’ is really dodgey, even for a Maori one.
  
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  November 28, 2024 11:39am
- artemisia
  
  Suspect complaints are due to those Year 13s not being able to attend a big sports tourney, almost all expenses paid.
  
  Sounds like none met the requirements for that trip in any case.
  
  Didn’t read the Stuff article, there is the NewstalkZB link below.
  
  https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/m%C4%81ngere-school-stands-by-decision-to-end-student-year-early-blaming-non-engagement/
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:21pm
- PurplePen
  
  Agree. Either write in English or write in Maori, but stop the Manglish. It does neither any good.
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:26pm
sirknz

What the hell do Maori have to do with the Erebus plane crash?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/stone-gifted-from-mt-erebus-for-memorial-of-disaster-45-years-on/LR465LNRJRCPDBYV3KI26CXXSQ/

Aside from some debunked BS history some grifter tried to pass, they never got there, and there should be zero reasons for this other than as a virtue signal and an attempt at hijacking an event.
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November 28, 2024 10:19am
Scooter

Here’s the interview with the COVID inquiry head with Mike Hosking, the quote is…

The outgoing head of the Covid inquiry has found vaccine mandates caused huge pain to a “substantial minority” during the pandemic.

I was trying to figure out what this “substantial minority” meant. Sounds like an oxymoron. In any case I doubt there was any one not affected by the mandates and lock downs. And even more disappointing is it may not be released till next year.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/tony-blakely-outgoing-head-of-the-covid-inquiry-on-the-findings-of-phase-1/
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November 28, 2024 10:24am
- Local Miller
  
  49% would be a substantial minority!
  
  Actually even 10% would be a substantial minority when it comes to medical harm.
  
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  November 28, 2024 11:16am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    There has been negligible medical harm from COVID vaccines.
    
    1,696 vaccine injuries.
    
    https://www.acc.co.nz/home/search?Search=COVID-19+Vaccination+Claims+Update+-
    
    3 deaths.
    
    13.478 million doses.
    
    Medical harm rate of 0.01258 percent.
    
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    November 28, 2024 1:46pm
    - NK
      
      But about 800% greater than any other “vaccine” (cough cough) that ACC has paid out on. And that’s just the accepted claims.
      
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      November 28, 2024 3:33pm
Jack5

Australian Senate dust-up: more entertaining that a haka …

A shout of “vindictive, mean, nasty, a disgrace to the human race …” rang through the chamber.

Tempers flew and Australia’s Senate has suspended part-Aboriginal Lidia Thorpe for one day after an uproar between three female senators.

Thorpe tore up a motion by Pauline Hanson that questioned Fatima Payman’s eligibility as a senator, and threw it at Hanson. Then gave a “middle finger” as she left the chamber.

Thorpe joined in a joust between Hanson and Senator Payman, a 29-year-old ethnic Afghan. Payman is a senator for West Australia, was formerly Labour, then Labour, and last month set up her own party, Australia’s Voice.

Hanson claims Payman has dual citizenship and is thus ineligible to be in the Senate.

Last week, Hanson in a tweet told another Greens senator,
Mehreen Faruqi, to “piss off back to Pakistan”.

.

Payman v. Hanson – audio, Senator Payman v Senator Hanson:

https://youtu.be/MtG4T0jzf2Q?si=7OLhmAhnyo2UvSml

The result:

https://youtu.be/mJv0W95bcjs?si=dqSzXD-3h7842URO
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November 28, 2024 11:09am
- Jack5
  
  Aussie female politicians on fire again …
  
  Senator Lidia Thorpe, on a one-day ban from the floor of the Australian Senate, today has been yelling at senators from a doorway, and through a door way.
  
  Australia’s women politicians are feisty.
  
  Another Australian senator, Jacqui Lambie, is laying into the Senate today because of the number of bills being packed in.
  
  Lambie, a Tasmanian who identifies as part-Aboriginal, has her own party, the Jacqui Lambie Network.
  
  Lidia Thorpe today yelling through doors and through the press gallery – for example, “Palestine will be Free”:
  
  https://youtu.be/F6eaAIV7tFA?si=2mvekvHqldvW5Y1v
  
  Lambie in full cry:
  
  https://youtu.be/DzrIYVUl3kE?si=-VwXmga9Gb4HERVR
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:33pm
Jack5

Immigration New Zealand has barred controversial American Candace Owens from entering the country. It’s refused her a work visa.

Jonathan Ayling, chief executive of the Free Speech Union, says the union’s legal team is looking at challenging Immigration NZ’s decision.

In a letter to members, Ayling says since Owens announced her tour of Australia and New Zealand, would-be-censors had been campaigning, like they did with Posie Parker, to have immigration officials block her entry.

Owens, a Right wing/Conservative American internet commentator, recently split from the web site Daily Wire. She co-founded this with Ben Shapiro. They parted ways over her stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Shapiro, who is Jewish, supports Israel, Owens has increasingly taken an anti-Jewish line.

The magazine Forbes says Owens has in the past defended rapper Kanye West—whose career was derailed in 2022 after he made antisemitic comments—and has defended actions of Adolf Hitler in the name of nationalism.

From the Forbes article on Owens:

‘She was criticised for tweeting that “Russian Lives Matter” following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, has been openly critical of feminism and called the Walt Disney Company “child groomers and pedophiles” after it opposed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Owens has been an outspoken critic of the Black Lives Matter movement, famously posing with Kanye West in a “White Lives Matter” shirt during Paris Fashion Week in 2022.’

Last month Australia refused her entry. This followed the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s co-chief executive, Peter Wertheim, to Immigration Minister Tony Burke. He asked Burke to cancel Owens’ visa, arguing she failed the character test under the Migration Act.

NZ Herald on Candace Owens:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/far-right-commentator-candace-owens-under-scrutiny-over-planned-new-zealand-visit/GSBV4PKCEFHQXPAKQYZZJPLSRY/
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November 28, 2024 11:46am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Candice Owens did not “co-found” the Daily Wire. She was an emoloyee.
  
  Ben Shapiro co-founded the Daily Wire with Jeremy Boreing.
  
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  November 28, 2024 1:51pm
  - Jack5
    
    You’re right, Bendedict Yu.
    
    I read that Owens hosted a long-running weekly show on the Daily Wire. I guess that means she was an employee. Or would that be a contractor in the case of an outfit that apparently has rights to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
    
    Rand, raised Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum in Tsarist then Leninist Russia, was Jewish.
    
    Mmm. Complications.
    
    Regardless, “Jeremy Boreing” – a great name for an internet publisher.
    
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    November 28, 2024 2:29pm
- cmm
  
  I haven’t watched that much of Candice Owen’s stuff, but I have yet to see her taking any “anti-Jewish” stance.
  
  It does seem though that she is often accused of such.
  
  She has been accused of being a Holocaust Denier, but she does not deny the Holocaust happened.
  
  She does however say that there have been other genocides and draws special attention to the Armenian genocide.
  
  On a percentage of population basis the Armenian genocide was worse than it was for Jews in Germany.
  
  That was also true for the genocide inflicted by the Germans on the Herero people in South West Africa (now Namibia).
  
  It’s a weird conversation playing “my genocide is bigger than yours”, but it seems that Shapiro and the Rabbi that really has taken a dislike to her seem to take exception to non-Jews talking of other genocides.
  
  Now I have not watched all her stuff, she could really be anti-semetic, but I have not seen any evidence of that myself.
  
  To Shapiro, anyone who is not unwaveringly pro-Israel is antisemitic.
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:09pm
NothingLeft

An interesting idea on how to deal with AGI taking jobs (instead of destructive UBI) – create a tradeable right to provide an individual’s share of the labor pool:

https://youtu.be/3fbcOF2tUCk?t=4341
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November 28, 2024 11:46am
Ra Henare

It has long been known that NZ has a problem with productivity.

And then we have Christmas, where the country goes to sleep for 4 weeks.

Lunacy is doing the same thing every year and then complaining when the same outcomes are achieved(or in productivity terms are not achieved).

Bias. I owned a large Christmas goodies business more than a decade ago. I learned to hate the crass commercialisation of it all, PLUS the pathetic excuses as to why things couldn’t be done…Too close to Christmas.

Hats off tho to the transport drivers who busted their hump to get the goodies delivered.

These days I live in a Christmas free environment, mental health is great.
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November 28, 2024 12:16pm
- cmm
  
  The bit I don’t understand are the people who go into debt over Christmas then take until November to pay it back, then back into it again.
  Most of the crap they blow their money on doesn’t even last until the New Year.
  I prefer a simple picnic-level meal, no presents etc.
  
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  November 28, 2024 12:58pm
- trout
  
  ah but Adrian Orr assures us the the Reserve Bank staff are working their butts off through Christmas keeping us all safe from currency risks.//
  
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  November 28, 2024 2:02pm
  - Quail
    
    Trout .
    More likely he is just happy in his life’s work creating yet more inflation.
    This will result from Orrs OCR cuts and those forecast yesterday
    The NZD (Currency ) is at risk ,see the balance of payments ,Productivity etc etc.
    
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    November 28, 2024 3:32pm
- Jack5
  
  Bah, Humbug, Ra Henare. 🎅
  
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  November 28, 2024 2:41pm
- sirknz
  
  Do Chinese New Year next. If you’re working in a business that buys stuff from China. if it ain’t on the boat at the end of January, you’re not getting it till the beginning of April.
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:53pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Dear Dear Dear Sir KNZ
    If you are buying stuff from China you will be well aware of the seasonal problems. Plus shipping loads.
    
    We ordered our Xmas products in April for delivery in NZ, August/September. Yep some retailers wanted product in store in September!!!
    
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    November 29, 2024 3:10am
bennerg

Another example of “go woke, go broke” here in New Zealand.

The NZ Herald reports that Nanogirl Labs has gone into liquidation. Dr Michelle Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, and partner Joe Davis founded the global education design company in 2016. It promoted science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects to children. (Great aims btw)

However it seems that Nanogirl got infected with the “mind virus” promoting among other things, the climate change hoax:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nano-girl-michelle-dickinson-global-warming-means-the-sea-view-you-dream-of-may-not-be-as-desirable-in-the-future/AKMMH3YLUDX2OSOU4QDF3ZLMIA/

Rather than demonstrate how to apply independent and critical thinking, Nanogirl simply repeated the claims made by such parties as The Royal Society of New Zealand, the Morgan Foundation …:

“..based on peer-reviewed scientific evidence about the things that New Zealanders should be concerned about in the coming years .. they found that although New Zealand’s temperatures are predicted to rise less than the global average thanks to ocean buffering, our sea level rise is predicted to be 10 per cent more than the global change.”
…
“New Zealand has been by far the largest purchaser of Ukrainian and Russian credits through our Emissions Trading Scheme, so we can claim to be greener than we are by meeting our international climate obligations.”

Nowhere was there a presentation of, or the encouragement to seek out alternative views, to provide the checks and balances of thinking required for a truly robust scientific process and analysis.

Rather Nanogirl simply repeated the conclusions we now know to be based solely on inaccurate computer models developed by a group driven by ideological and political zealots.

I sense a sea change (excuse the pun here), where people pushing such ideological claptrap are not being received now the same way they were slavishly a few years ago. The Covid debacle, where the propensity to roll out the resident group of paid for “experts” lead to a massive loss of trust in both government and scientists as a whole.

Those working as scientists and in scientific endeavours now have a challenge to re-earn the trust of the average person. The gloss in their auras has now gone. We do not trust them by default, especially when they are paid by the Government. We do not trust the government paid media. Enough people now seek their information from elsewhere and make their own minds up. With that “enough people” challenging the official narrative, change is occurring. I just want it to be as fast as possible.
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November 28, 2024 2:23pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  All this time, I thought Nanogirl was a keen spokesperson for getting children hooked on science and was employed as a working scientist somewhere.
  
  … I hadn’t realised she was running a money-making business peddling tack.
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:35pm
  - jonno1
    
    My doubts regarding her sincerity began to surface when Nanogirl started pontificating on a range of subjects clearly outside her areas of expertise. Heck, I could do that (but wouldn’t, as being an engineer I’m (rightly) constrained by ethical considerations, eg don’t pretend to have knowledge outside one’s area(s) of expertise). Then came Covid, where initially she (and Dr B) assured us all that paper masks were useless as protection against viruses. Fair enough. Nek minnit – masks are essential/ critical/ life-saving… What? Having said that, I have every sympathy for anyone whose businesses have failed, whatever the reason.
    
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    November 28, 2024 6:00pm
Chuck Bird

Worth 80 minutes of your time.

Leighton Smith Podcast #267 – November 27th 2024 – David Seymour

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-the-leighton-smith-podcas-30246213/episode/leighton-smith-podcast-267-november-242462652/
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November 28, 2024 2:33pm
surfing

This is a great way for Health New Zealand to completely screw with peoples lives.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/half-of-nursing-graduates-miss-out-on-job-offer-from-te-whatu-ora/3IYN2N33CBCP7G2MY4KIWOVRXY/

So while Health New Zealand have been busy employing foreign nurses, they must have known about the yearly influx of graduate nurses!!

Sure, grad nurses need some time to gain experience on the job, but still!!
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November 28, 2024 2:49pm
- cmm
  
  Nurses are not just interchangeable blocks of meat. There is a very wide range of skills and experience.
  
  The last time I was admitted to “real” hospital was in 2022 in the cardiology ward. Cardiology needs a bunch of extra skills and knowledge only picked up through years of experience. For example, they have about 4 different machines measuring pulse. Not all nurses know which machine is best for different conditions. I have Atrial fibrillation and only some of the machines work well with that. The experienced cardio nurses know this stuff.
  
  Up to then the average nurse in cardiology has over 10 years experience. In 2022 they were losing staff – especially the experience staff – hand over fist.
  
  Sure you can make up the numbers by bringing in newly trained staff, but none of them know that the Philips X-15 is the only reliable monitor to use on Afib patients.
  
  The only way to retain capability is to train up new people with the experienced people and try to keep them around. You can’t just do this playing the numbers game with spreadsheets.
  
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  November 28, 2024 3:52pm
  - bennerg
    
    cmm, somewhat similar experience, documented here: https://benner.nz/332-2/
    
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    November 28, 2024 8:09pm
  - MCōs
    
    I was in hospital for a month in the middle of last year.
    I had an operation to sort out my leg, but most of my time was spent in a general ward and there were a lot of nurses at various levels of experience and expertise.
    The doctor in charge of that particular bunch of wards told me they were seriously down on numbers and they appreciated all the help they were getting from family, who from my observation were Māori and Pacifika rather than pakeha.
    
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    November 28, 2024 10:14pm
- artemisia
  
  There are hundreds of other nursing jobs advertised as we speak. Health NZ is by no means the only employer. The roles may not be suited to new grads, but those available could check.
  
  Health NZ may of course have selected applicants who met the requirements.
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:57pm
- rockape
  
  Graduate nurses have to be supervised during their first year. Hospitals only have the resources to do that for so many nurses. Foreign nurses have the experience lacking in new qualified nurses. Hence are more attractive. My wife was one, arrived in NZ with 10 years ED experience. Now what is better for the patients experience, or home grown newbies.
  Ps she is now a nurse paraticioner, operating on the same level as a doctor and earning $188,000 per year.
  
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  November 28, 2024 7:22pm
cmm

According to the Covid-19 inquiry, the government’s claim that they were the single source of truth was “unhelpful”.

Bullshit. It was a steaming turd of a lie.

If the best this inquiry can come up with is calling one of the worst features of the Covid response “unhelpful” then it’s a bloody whitewash.

So much for the chair claiming he is not Cindy’s puppet. He’s certainly putting question marks around that.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360502626/live-nzs-covid-19-response-be-scrutinised-report-released-today
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November 28, 2024 3:42pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  The report is a long read…
  
  https://www.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/reports-lessons-learned/main-report/
  
  I’m not too impressed by the report’s analysis of misinformation and disinformation
  (Who were the real culprits here?)
  
  or their analysis of the final stages of the Parliamentary Protest…. were the “protesters” at the Violent end really the same groups of people who had brought their concerns to Parliament at the start of the protest ?
  
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  November 28, 2024 3:47pm
  - Conservatarian
    
    The “Looking Back” section at page 11 of the report (summarising the events that transpired) says:
    
    “The initial success of the elimination strategy allowed the country to spend less time under strict lockdown conditions than many other parts of the world, meaning daily life and economic activity were broadly able to return to ‘normal’ much earlier. This was coupled with a swift and generous economic and social response which cushioned many people and businesses from the pandemic’s worst impacts – and saw Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy perform well compared to other countries in the initial phases of the pandemic.”
    
    Basically, we are a small, isolated, sparsely populated island nation, and a respiratory virus hit us near the start of a warm, fine autumn when all young and middle aged and healthy people had maximal natural defences against said virus. So we were gifted a series of favourable circumstances, but the government quickly crushed our freedoms of movement and association and simultaneously crushed both consumption and production of “non-essential” goods and services. It began the process of printing and borrowing to crush our economy.
    
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    November 28, 2024 4:23pm
  - Keith White
    
    It’s sourly amusing that the same bien-pensants that claim men can get pregnant, want to clamp down on misinformation…
    
    …and no matter what the politicians in Government at the time of the protest on Parliament grounds do or claim they have done since then, history will record that this was their most cowardly hour; they refused to meet their electorate or address their grievances.
    
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    November 28, 2024 4:23pm
Conservatarian

I got home and turned on the cricket and noted that our national cricket team is performing reasonably well as at the tea break on Day 1.

However, as we could all guess, the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ is not performing so well. The TVNZ app states that the game is being played at “Hagley Oval, Otautahi”. I understand that “Otautahi” is the special word for Christchurch.

Why, however, has the venue itself not been given a special name? After all, it was approved for development as an international cricket ground in 2013, well within the modern era characterised in this country by giving everything a special name. Further, there is no corporate naming rights deal e.g. Spark Hagley Oval or Oranga Tamariki Hagley Oval.

Perhaps TVNZ will rename it “Hakari Paka” by the end of the game.

Per Wikipedia, Hagley Park (inside which the cricket ground is situated) was named after Hagley Park, the country estate of Lord Lyttelton, in 1855.
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November 28, 2024 4:02pm
- hookerphil
  
  If you were lucky enough to be listening at the right time you could have learnt that it was a waka being paddled down the River Avon.
  Why are all Sports Commentators so damn woke.
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:41pm
- Jack5
  
  Yep, State TV and State radio have resumed course, full speed, to change the national language into Poly Pidgin.
  
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  November 28, 2024 4:57pm

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