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February 4, 2025 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 04 February 2025

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General Debate

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Grunter

An excellent article from Brash and Reddell regards the way forward for the NZ economy.

After Luxon’s train smash interview this morning with Hosking let’s hope he read this article. Luxon has no answers! Still “looking into a bunch of things”
https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/don-brash-and-michael-reddell-by-2025-we-were-supposed-to-have-closed-the-gap
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February 4, 2025 8:03am
- Swifty
  
  The news media should ask Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer what their prescription is for lifting NZ’s economic growth and enabling dramatic increases in productivity…..
  
  Snigger.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:04am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    There is nothing to bloody snigger about, Waititi today saying he want s a treaty commissioner and it will be a bottom line going into government, this is what lies ahead now everyone wants rid of Nats
    
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    February 4, 2025 5:53pm
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    Do you seriously think either of them knows, or cares, what economics is? Chloe knows more about economics than they do!
    
    Rawiri believes the ‘Maori economy’ can be conveniently extracted from all of its linkages and spillovers with the Pakeha economy and then successfully operate on its own.
    
    There would be a sizeable chunk of Green Party of Aotearoa/New Zealand (and possibly even Te Pati Maori supporters) that have absolutely no concept of just how ‘rich’ they will be deemed to be when the new progressive tax regime is introduced…
    
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    February 4, 2025 8:13pm
- NoFax
  
  I am affraid the big plan from National seems to be let in a lot more immigrants which will push up house prices making everyone feel rich again. This of course has been the playbook for the last 40 years.
  If a party is not undertaking major reform in Health, Education, Welfare, and Tax then they are not serious. I don’t see any party attempting that.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:27am
- lastmanstanding
  
  You gotta hand it to The Donald. Mexicos President is sending 10,000 troops to the Mexican US border to stop the illegals and The Donald has called off the tariffs for a month.
  Trump is the ultimate deal maker something most dont understand. He uses leverage to get the results he wants always has done always will do.
  Dumb Pollies around the world are just starting to wake up and understand how he works. As regards NZ as our trade is about equal I dont think he will impose any tariffs on us. He also doesnt have any beefs with NZ. He is going after the countries that dump like China or using tariffs as a bargaining tool as with Mexico.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:18am
  - Don Beckett
    
    The Panamanian president has also put a halt to the Chinese taking control of the entry/exit ports of the canal under pressure from Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of state.
    Well done, Little Marco.
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:53am
  - Northshoredoc
    
    Lol …the ultimate deal maker.
    
    I believe Trump is neither as bad as the media depict him nor the genius that many of his ardent followers portray him as.
    
    https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/donald-trumps-business-failures-were-very-real
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:22am
    - PurplePen
      
      “neither as bad as the media depict him nor the genius”. Agree. His difference is he just doesn’t behave like all, and I mean all, other politicians such as doesn’t dance on the head of a pin, says it even if it’s yugely unpopular, takes action without analysing an issue to death, does a u-turn when it suits without worrying about saving face, makes big changes and doesn’t just nibble like mice around the edges .. which is what our lot continue to do and have done since David Lange. An exception to the above would be Milei.
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:47am
    - All_on_Red
      
      From your link
      ‘Trump’s core businesses racked up losses of more than a billion dollars in a ten-year period.’
      His ‘losses’ were due to the massive Depreciation he could claim on the new Buildings he built.
      Every other Developer does this
      And your comments yesterday didnt age well either…
      You guys are just hilarious
      
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      February 4, 2025 12:09pm
      - Vory v zakone
        
        Yep. All those amateur armchair economists seem to have disappeared. 😏
        
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        February 4, 2025 12:36pm
      - Northshoredoc
        
        Which comment yesterday are you referring to ?
        
        and in relation to your effort to minimise Trump’s losses … from he same article.
        
        ‘But what of Trump’s argument that they weren’t real losses of the sort that deplete your bank account and leave you struggling to make ends meet? Were they simply “tax losses”—“non-monetary” deficits that exploited loopholes in the tax code to minimize Trump’s tax burden?
        
        The tax code is certainly friendly to real-estate developers like Trump. The I.R.S. allows developers and landlords to deduct from their profits and income every year a certain portion of the value of their buildings for “depreciation.” But there are limits to this practice. Owners of residential real estate have to depreciate a building over the course of twenty-seven and a half years, which means that each year they can deduct about 3.6 per cent of its value. For owners of commercial real estate, the depreciation period is thirty-nine years, which means that they can deduct about 2.5 per cent of a building’s worth annually. Say that a property is worth two hundred million dollars. If it’s a residential building, its owner can reduce his or her taxable income by about $7.2 million dollars a year. If it’s a commercial building, the deduction is worth about five million dollars.
        
        These are significant sums, certainly. But, as the Times article points out, depreciation charges aren’t nearly large enough to create the massive losses that Trump’s businesses incurred. “Some fraction of Donald Trump’s losses can be attributed to depreciation,” Susanne Craig, one of the authors of the Times piece, wrote in a tweet, responding to Trump. “We found most of it was just bad business.”’
        
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        February 4, 2025 2:01pm
      - Jack5
        
        This part of the Brash/Reddell article caught my eye:
        
        New Zealand – plagued by decades of low levels of business investment – has one of the highest company tax rates in the OECD, and takes a higher percentage of GDP in corporate income tax than almost any OECD country.
        
        Yet a small but rising minority of businesses pay no company tax. They do this through registration as charities.
        
        We have a large food manufacturer, Sanatarium, continuing its decades-long exemption because it’s able to be registered as a charity because its owner is a church.
        
        We have Ngai Tahu, the South Island tribe, with up to 40 entities in its group registration as a charity.
        
        These folk are doing well.
        
        Brash and Reddell don’t touch on capital gains tax, which is minimal in NZ.
        
        Perhaps a reduction in company tax could be balanced by a slightly more rigorous capital gains tax, thus reducing an apparent advantage of property-based investing over other investing.
        
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        February 4, 2025 4:21pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Trump’s supporters take him seriously, but not literally.
      
      Trump’s detractors take him literally, but not seriously.
      
      Good quote, can’t remember where I heard it.
      
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      February 4, 2025 12:26pm
      - Quail
        
        Jack5.
        Capital gains taxes just tax inflation, development and growth.
        Growth that is sorely needed!
        NZ is enough economic trouble now without adding CGT to it.
        
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        February 4, 2025 5:40pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Capital gains taxes just tax inflation, development and growth
        ——————————————————
        Just like PAYE and GST ….
        
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        February 4, 2025 6:14pm
      - Tom Hunter
        
        Journalist Selana Zito.
        
        Also one of the few journalists who went into the heartlands of America and predicted Trump would win in 2016.
        
        I was born in western Pennsylvania—in the coal country of Appalachia—and, like most of my ancestors, I never left. Unlike the majority of journalists who write about Trump, I never graduated from college. I’ve been a hairdresser, a waitress, and a shop assistant, and I got into journalism the old-fashioned way.
        
        And not a suckup…
        
        As Biden settled into the Oval Office, Trump sank in the polls. His 2022 midterm picks lost their races. I started covering other candidates who I thought could lead the Republican Party forward, including Ron DeSantis. I guess the profile I wrote of the Florida governor kind of irked Trump, because two days after it published, he let me have it with both barrels on Truth Social:
        
        In writer Salena Zito’s Fake News “puff piece” about DeSantis. . . why doesn’t she mention that he wants to cut Social Security & Medicare, loves losers like Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, and Karl Rove, and it [sic] getting CLOBBERED in the polls by me.
        
        I didn’t respond. I actually found it pretty funny. As a reporter, I don’t care if politicians like me; I care about accurately representing the people whose votes politicians have to earn. And I thought Trump had lost sight of that in that moment.
        
        Read the whole thing.
        
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        February 4, 2025 10:22pm
    - AitchW
      
      I supported Trump over Harris purely because she was less dreadful than he.
      He’s acting like a schoolyard bully to get his way.
      Having said that some of what he’s doing needs to be done.
      Let us hope that he doesn’t become drunk with power.
      
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      February 4, 2025 6:38pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        “Let us hope that he doesn’t become drunk with power.”
        
        The dems would be a hard act to follow on that one!
        
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        February 5, 2025 10:35pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  That is a very clear and worrying article. The PM is floundering around spouting corporate waffle.
  
  A boat that has not way on it, cannot be steered.
  
  National had 6 years to develop a plan, and should have hit the ground running. Not being Labour is not enough.
  
  While over the Pacific, The Donald is in week 2. Shock and Awe. That is how it is done.
  
  How much money has NZAID, Climate Change policy Ministries and quangos and Health spent on “civil society” and health promotion NGOs that then lobby to restrict our rights and activities?
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:17am
  - pdm
    
    ACT hit the ground running by having legislation ready to go.
    
    National and NZFirst not so much – of anything.
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:41pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    That is utter bollocks, for a start Trmp had not gutted that outfit, they are going to stop the crazy spending.
    
    And if you think any NZ government can just rage over ministry as it would be here, the government would have to go through the proper process for they for a start
    
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    February 4, 2025 5:57pm
    - Tom Hunter
      
      Four Legs Good. Two Legs Bad.
      
      Or maybe it’s the opposite?
      
      🤔🤔🤔🤔
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:27pm
  - AitchW
    
    You’d have to wonder if the enormity of the task isn’t overwhelming the PM?
    Until the coalition was elected and finally got to see the real numbers showing just how badly Ardern, Robertson and Hipkins had damaged NZ economically and socially nobody knew the scale of the problem.
    Who takes over? God knows.
    
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    February 4, 2025 6:42pm
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  I’ve just listened to this morning’s interview, and was unimpressed with Hosking’s continual interruptions and his leading questions. Hardly a train smash for Luxon, but a poor performance from Hosking.
  
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  February 4, 2025 1:11pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Oh do lies as I expected that Luxon had a train smash, I seen some parts of what Luxon had to offer, and one thing stated was they are looking at dropping business tax to get businesses moving, hardly sounds leftie to me, I bet Peters is the one that scuttles that
    
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    February 4, 2025 5:59pm
Simon

Ardern into Luxon. This represents terminal decline. There isn’t a recovery from this. There will not be a collapse but a steady decline in living standards. NZ will become like any random Latam country.
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February 4, 2025 8:06am
- pdm
  
  Yes the more Hosking puts pressure on Luxon the more Luxon morphs into Ardern. Word salad answers, long pauses and giggles – especially giggles or should that be titters?
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:47am
  - thirteenstars
    
    “Centurion, why do they titter so?”
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:08am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      “Welease Wobert!”
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:18am
  - Scooter
    
    Luxon has yet to go on The Platform and yet every week he is slowly being ripped to shreds by Hosking. Ironic as he would probably have an easier interview with Sean.
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:10am
    - Grunter
      
      I just wish Hosking had asked “So regards these new climate targets – where does the $24 billion in 2030 and now another $24+ billion in 2035 come from?”
      
      We currently have a $17 billion deficit and a $200 billion debt mountain. Luxon glibly just added another $50 billion to it……and the MSM response….?? (crickets chirping!)
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:50am
    - pdm
      
      Scooter – Sean Plunket was going to Luxons press conference if there was one yesterday re Simon Watts walking away from an arranged Climate Target interview.
      
      Did the conference happen?
      
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      February 4, 2025 12:44pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      I think what Plunket and backers have done in getting The Platform off the ground has been impressive!
      
      However, I do get very very sick of Plunket not letting people finish their point. 😡 Other interviewers manage to extract the goods without that extremely annoying level of interrupting interviewees! Plunket (and to a much lesser degree Laws) also need to wind back their habit of belittling and insulting callers. Just let them have their say and say “thanks”. We can work out who the “cookers” are ourselves. Funnily enough Plunket is a climate “cooker” (as am I, according to alarmists).
      
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      February 5, 2025 10:47pm
  - PurplePen
    
    Yes. I don’t get the giggles. There’s nothing funny nor to laugh at with the questions being asked. You’re the Prime Minister of a country being asked questions by your constituents, via a radio journalist! You’re not Giggles The Clown! “What I’d say to you’ is why after 18 months are you still ‘looking into it’! Get on with rapid and significant change.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:52am
    - imalwaysright
      
      He behaves like a junior office worker at a mid year review.
      
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      February 4, 2025 4:12pm
- Tom Hunter
  
  Luxon’s Big Positivity is simply not going to accept that economic growth – especially what we would need just to catch up with Australia – is mutually exclsuive with Net Zero Insanity
  
  I’d already estimated $NZ 33 billion (Paying The Danegeld) to pay for carbon credits soon after 2030, and that was assuming a reduction in GHG emissions of 5% per year. We would have to cut our emissions by about 50% to hit our decade cap (to 2030) of 571 megatonnes, but that cut would have to be effective immediately and even the officials allow that it’s not going to happen, hence their estimates for carbon credit purchases.
  
  The impossibility of hitting this old target is likely the driver of the new one; push it out by five years but claim you’ll still get a 50%+ reduction. No mention of the penalties we’ll have to pay before then and of course both Luxon and Watts will be long gone by 2035, which is also classic politics; just kick the can down the road.
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:20pm
Cassandra

I wrote to US Senator Ted Cruz telling him to get his facts right before accusing the NZ Government of antisemitism. I got a nice long letter from Ted this morning telling me the history of Gaza and the recent war but not addressing what I actually wrote to him about. No doubt I’m dealing with Betsy, a recent graduate of the University of San Antonio with a degree in American history and political science. Possibly a cheer leader. I think I’ll let Winston Handle this.
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February 4, 2025 8:07am
- Matt Long
  
  At least you got a reply, the National Party in New Zealand tends to be less forthcoming.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:24am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    I would say National are just ignorant.
    Either that or they have blacklisted me.
    
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    February 4, 2025 8:39am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      The foreign minister was straight on to it, what else are they supposed to do
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:04am
    - pdm
      
      `Either that or they have blacklisted me.’
      
      ?
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:04am
      - Steve Otto N Shore
        
        Banned any emails from me, pdm.
        Just like I blacklist people who share email adds and spam me.
        
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        February 4, 2025 5:22pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    The government has a foreign minister that has been all over this, ministry has talked to the US counterpart, and they have approached Cruz as well, why is it that you want Luxon to jump up and spout off when it’s under control ffs
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:03am
    - Cassandra
      
      G: who is this addressed to?
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:42am
  - Jethrod
    
    No wonder….. your question to the National party was probably “what the effing hell do you think you are doing?”. So they ignore you.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:16pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Yeah, well having Minto threatening to hunt down Israeli tourists – and do what precisely? Then discovering that we really do ask tourists if they have been active service deployed?
  
  Is that the tourism reputation that we want? The US already thinks we are a bunch of socialist wierdos for the Covid lockdowns.
  
  I would counsel that is not wise to be seeking US attention for the wrong reasons at the moment.
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:22am
  - rangitoto
    
    Israelis can come here for three months without a visa.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:27pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  I’ve listened to Ted Cruz on his podcast quite a bit. I find him to be very informed and sharp.
  
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  February 5, 2025 10:52pm
Tomtoddy

Having a “Sir” in front of your name is, apparently, a way of ensuring added credibility and importance to your statements. Ian Taylor did kids programmes on TV before becoming a tech inventor in computer graphics and animation. His mother has Māori blood.

He stooped to some tawdry attack on David Seymour in that leftie rag, Stuff, using sarcasm (the lowest form of wit?) to damn him on various counts.

1. He harps on about Seymour only having 8% of the vote yet having far too much influence. Yet Taylor would be the first person to say MMP is the only ‘fair’ way to elect a government. You can’t have it both ways. With MMP small parties get a lot of say.
2. He accuses Seymour of creating division over the Treaty Principles Bill. Other persons and parties can talk principles and partnership but don’t get the same accusation. The courts were not vilified by Taylor for exceeding their role and making claims about the Treaty. The division is well and truly in place before ACT’s Bill came along. Its more a case of worrying about a massive gravy train getting derailed.
3. Taylor claims the Bill is costing $6 million of precious taxpayers’ money. Fancy a socialist worrying about spending taxpayers’ hard-earned cash – remarkable!! Taylor is at best disingenuous at worst deceptive. The $6 million will be spent anyway – it’s the cost of running the Parliament.
4. Then he climbs into Seymour over school lunches. Why the heck the state has to feed kids at all is not questioned. We just let thousands of lazy, irresponsible parents off the hook. Taylor insinuates the new lunches are less than nutritious, but he does not know that. No proof. They are made by a foreign owned business he moans. His arguments are weak and nasty.
5. His next bit of vitriol is aimed at progress on charter schools. Taylor knows full well that Seymour is up against the most formidable, bigoted and powerful union in the country and he is only a few months into a radically different policy. Of course, it could have been better but give the guy a break – he has a pretty big agenda and he is trying to turn an oil tanker around in a big hurry.
6. The last barb fired at Seymour was about his state of the nation speech where he spoke of mediocrity. Taylor is pushing water up hill with a rake defending New Zealand’s record on productivity, and our performance in many sectors. Mediocrity was far too generous. Slack and hopeless would have been better descriptors. Taylor’s defence of the nation’s performance shows he is more interested in punching Seymour below the belt than engaging in a factual useful debate.

Taylor facetiously dubbed Seymour ‘Person of the Year’. Taylor, by inference, is ‘Wanker of the Year’.
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February 4, 2025 8:08am
- Swifty
  
  Very well put Tomtoddy.
  
  Taylor has holes in his arguments you could drive a truck through.
  
  A poor piece from him.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:15am
  - gravedodger
    
    Taylor has fallen for the same trap as the Holywood elites who believe because they can read a script and repeat lines written by otheres their opinion matters.
    Mr Luxon is similar as if being a figurehead of a commercial enterprise that depends upon its many employees to function, he has an inherent ability to steer a ship of state albeit a small one.
    That is what was once called “Statesmanship ” and involves at times taking a very unpopular decision to
    solve a problem and the last Statesman at the helm of the good ship New Zealand has long been consigned to antiquity.
    Now it is all about polls and re-election doing the right thing is never a pathway to deal with Polls.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:50pm
- Quail
  
  TT.
  FYI
  Taylor was the 2013 Maori businessman of the year.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:45am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  One of the joys of “Stuff”… If you don’t log-in, you can’t get to read most of its crap.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:48am
  - bennerg
    
    At least I don’t have to log in … out of principle I never visit the site after they stated they would not publish anything critical of pro global warming / climate change.
    
    Plenty of other sources of news to get a balanced view.
    
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    February 4, 2025 8:57am
  - muzled
    
    A bigger joy of $tuffed – if you don’t click on any of their articles, ever, they go bankrupt.
    
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    February 4, 2025 8:58am
  - David Garrett
    
    Maggy: but I got 11/15 on the quiz this am…some difficult ones in there today.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:16am
    - pdm
      
      I beat you DG 13.
      
      I claimed Evander Holyfield even though they gave me an incorrect because I put two ll’s in his surname.
      
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      February 4, 2025 9:24am
      - David Garrett
        
        Pdm: Yes…those algorithms aren’t forgiving of minor errors
        
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        February 4, 2025 9:33am
- Blog-aholic
  
  Ian Taylor is one of ‘those’ born agains……they are the worst kind of hypocrite.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:58am
- thirteenstars
  
  Taylor flatters to deceive. He’s used his early persona of children’s show host to good effect over the years, remembered fondly from Spot On and Play School he’s the perfect useful idiot for the pronouncements of the Left.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:13am
NeverMindTheBollocks

I heard Marama Davidson and her return to politics on RNZ this am. No word of her cure through Ronga Maori or Green herbs, leading me to speculate that her treatment was with colonialists’ medicine. No word of thanks to the public health system or having to wait – either the much maligned health system worked well, or perhaps she went private.

The only thing she celebrated was the Treaty Principles hikoi, which was a Maori Party initiative. A bit of an own goal there, Marama. And, not a word of thanks for Chloe doing the heavy lifting while she was off work for eight months.

It all speaks to the character of the woman.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/540765/watch-marama-davidson-speaks-at-waitangi-on-return-to-politics
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February 4, 2025 8:09am
- pdm
  
  Chloe and the phrase `heavy lifting’ do not fit together.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:50am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  No word of thanks to the public health system
  
  Blame your media site, not Marama in this case.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVKV-1nkYQ
  (From 6:12 to about 7:54).
  She’s prolific in her admiration and thanks to all the health professionals and carers who looked after her…as well as trying to politicise the issue.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:58am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  It’s rather strange she was treated being Māori, remember we have been told health treatment is not for Maori, geez, it should be pointed out in the house of yet s as mother greenies hypocrisy
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:09am
  - kowtow
    
    Good point.
    
    It would be very education al if te meedia paahti could list , in no particular order , all the obstructions placed in her way , by systemic , institutional racism , that prevented her from getting timely , life saving treatment .
    
    Something an awful lot of ordinary NZers do not get from the “health system” , ireespective of their melanin levels.
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:51am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Yes, remember Kiri Alan saying she had a 15% chance of surviving because she was 95% white. (Sorry- maori)
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:27am
Cassandra

More on the Trump trade war: Larry Summers: “I don’t think these other countries are likely to accept meaningful changes in policy. Think about what giving in to a bully does. It invites more bullying. And any other country that was thinking of moving in our direction is now surely not going to do that when they think we’ll just pocket the concession and make more threats, and other countries might even move in the wrong direction … The winner here is Xi Jinping. We’ve given him an excuse for his own economic failures. We’ve moved to drive some of our closest allies into his arms. We’ve weakened our own economy.” Summers is a Democrat but no lefty. But will the tariffs actually be imposed? Mexico probably, although a war on fentanyl and deploying the Mexican army to the border would help. (What does the Mexican army actually do anyway?). But perhaps not on Canada – we might see meaningful negotiations. And note that every major publication in the West is calling it a trade war. Stop Press: 10,000 Mexican troops are off to the border, tariffs suspended for a month.
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February 4, 2025 8:09am
- artemisia
  
  Not just Mexico’s northern border. Seems like the southern border is porous, and given the large numbers how many illegals heading north are stopped and turned back?
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:17am
  - bennerg
    
    Mexico does not want them also!
    
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    February 4, 2025 8:59am
    - Paulus
      
      Like France encouraged Refugees to get to UK.
      The French Authorities deliberately did not stop them, but helped them to cross the Channel.
      
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      February 4, 2025 4:01pm
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Turns out stopping the funding to US charities will also effectively turn off the spigot!
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:28am
- Scott
  
  Cassandra – well picked up. All those commentators who said “trade war” are unable or unwilling to see that Trump is playing 4 D chess.
  
  Mexico has caved because they know that an American tariff on Mexican goods would hurt them bigly.
  
  Instead all of a sudden 10,000 Mexican troops are being deployed on the border! Who would have thunk it?
  
  https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/some-trade-war.php
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:45am
  - Don Beckett
    
    It’s not a “Trade War”. That’s just the lefty media & commenters attempting to sensationalise how badly Trump is.
    It’s an influencing/negotiating tactic to a few countries, and it’s working.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:02am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Bear in mind that the Mexican State does not control the Cartels. Its Army will do what they can, but that’ll be limited. If they could stop the Cartels then that would have happened long ago.
    
    Interesting to note that Donald Trump has undertaken to look into restricting exports of high powered weapons to Mexican buyers.
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:44pm
    - JimBobJoe
      
      “If they could stop the Cartels then that would have happened long ago.”
      
      This gave me a huge belly laugh. Politicians and Cartel leaders are arm in arm in Mexico. The political class don’t want to stop them – the money is too good.
      
      And so ultimately US Special Forces will start removing cartel members in large numbers….
      
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      February 4, 2025 2:39pm
  - Northshoredoc
    
    Four dimensional chess…lol.
    
    So many similarities to Mr Spock.
    
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    February 4, 2025 4:19pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      But you were wrong…
      Enjoy this;
      https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/a-pretty-good-two-weeks.php
      FOUR MORE YEARS
      lol
      
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      February 4, 2025 8:24pm
- sungsamning
  
  Imposed on Mexico. Nekminnit, President Sheinbaum is sending 10,000 troops to patrol the border. So, President Trump has postponed them for a month.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:33am
- cmm
  
  Remember that remittances from the USA form a very large % of Mexico’s income. Multiple billions of dollars .
  
  This makes Mexico really want its people to move into USA to send money back. They clearly do not want people sent back to Mexico and threats of compliance can work very effectively.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:58am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Yep and taxing that would have been Trumps next move- well asking Congress to do it and then sign it.
    The Mexican President would have been very aware of that.
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:13pm
artemisia

ACT considering running in 2026 on flagging the Paris Accord. An early kite flying, be interesting to see any voting pattern changes as information on cost impact here is more available to taxpayers and households.

ACT’s David Seymour raises doubts over NZ’s future in the Paris Agreement

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/the-country/audio/david-seymour-act-party-leader-casts-doubt-over-new-zealands-future-in-the-paris-agreement/
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February 4, 2025 8:10am
- Flossie
  
  It may very well influence my vote next time if ACT seriously touts that as an issue.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:17am
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, same here. It’ll be ACT-NZF.
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:35am
  - OlderChas
    
    That’s two of us, Flossie!
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:51am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Well at least it will prompt debate rather than the approach of Luxon.
  
  Shortly after admitting that we can’t meet the 2030 targets, the Climate Change Minister announced more stringent 2035 targets. 🤡
  
  Mr Luxon will announce “there is nothing about withdrawing from the Paris Accord that I like. It is divisive.” I’m serious.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:17am
  - sirknz
    
    “We’ll spike it at the second reading.” said with a big cheesy grin.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:27am
  - cmm
    
    It is classic virtue signalling – by announcing future targets he can feel smug about “doing something”.
    
    Of course by 2035 he won’t be in the driver’s seat so he’s created a problem he doesn’t have to solve.
    
    A bit like more debt….
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:01am
    - PurplePen
      
      A bit like whomever signed us up to it in the first place without doing a benefit-cost case.
      
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      February 4, 2025 12:00pm
  - Toko
    
    Then in the next breath Luxon says that banks have to continue to finance fuel related businesses and mining. The banks are actually implementing the Paris accord via the Net Zero banking alliance, by signalling they will withdraw banking from fossil fuel related businesses. Luxon is a hypocrite. Either we accept the Paris accord (and a rapidly declining economy) or we get out and go for economic growth. Getting out would also save the tens of billions of dollars of punitive penalties for missing wildly unrealistic carbon targets.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:15pm
- john1234
  
  If Seymour keeps this up and no change from Luxon we could see a government percentage allocation something like: Nat 25% ACT 17% NZF 10% which would see Nat’s Labour-Lite nonsense pushed out by by the anti-woke ACT-NZF bloc.
  Bring it on.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:19am
  - Ghost
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    No. You won’t. Climate change has always polled high in NZ
    
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    February 4, 2025 8:42am
    - kowtow
      
      Until the lights go out or the bills get too high.
      
      See the UK and Reform ( and yes there are other issues there too , but we’re not that far behind them)
      
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      February 4, 2025 8:45am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      It might poll high but more and more people do not agree with climate change hysteria.
      
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      February 4, 2025 8:54am
      - Ra Henare
        
        It was a bit predictable. If one understands human phycology and the understanding that humans make decisions which are basically selfish.
        Ie whats in it for me(my family).
        
        The climate change thing was all about the future ie Net zero by a couple of decades away.
        So lala land and no effect on peoples pockets.
        
        Now the rubber is starting to meet the road.
        
        Pockets are starting to be hit.
        No Greta’s face everywhere shouting hysteria.
        
        Watch the polls rapidly move to the
        “”leave the Paris Accords, give us a real life””, as the pockets get hit harder.
        
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        February 4, 2025 2:48pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      It polls high because people don’t know what it takes. Look at the screams the last time petrol prices spiked.
      
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      February 4, 2025 9:14am
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Yep. Past time to rub people’s noses in it. Next time there’s a fuel price increase, remind buyers that this is the price of our Paris Accord commitment.
        
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        February 4, 2025 12:46pm
    - Waipuk
      
      Of course it polls high as it gives people warm fuzzies to “do the right thing”.
      
      But it’s affordability. Ie pay for climate change or build 12 new hospitals. Which do you want?
      
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      February 4, 2025 9:18am
    - coge
      
      Globally the wind has changed, fairly abruptly, on climate change. NZ, while usually a little behind the rest, aren’t exempt from this trend.
      
      There is little political capital in it now, like there was in 2007. No one will ever say “This election is all about climate change” again.
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:23am
      - pdm
        
        Agreed coge.
        
        It will probably take Dutton to take the Aussies out of the Paris Accord for the penny to drop with NZ National party parliamentarians.
        
        Even then they will need ACT to kick them along.
        
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        February 4, 2025 12:52pm
    - thirteenstars
      
      A significant portion of the electorate is easily lead. Witness the enormous swing to Ardern and then the enormous swing back. Quite fickle, mostly women in that case and probably more to do with innate female bitchy-ness than principle, but shallow nevertheless.
      
      So, start marketing the costs of staying in Paris in units people can understand. Instead of saying $30 billion, say 15 Dunedin hospitals. Or 200 Cook Strait ferries. The comparisons are endless. No party (National/Labour) that wants to send between 20 and 50 billion dollars to other countries for what are essentially reparations for sinning against the planet is going to be viewed sympathetically when Kiwis are dying of treatable diseases for want of a few hundred million in new drugs or a few extra billion in new infrastructure.
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:32am
      - imalwaysright
        
        “Instead of saying $30 billion, say…”
        
        Say there will be a man knocking on our door asking for $5000 from each and every human being in the house!
        Cash.
        
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        February 4, 2025 11:36am
      - Paulus
        
        Look at back through to Historical Classics whereby Women were the more Dangerous, and not necessarily to Men, but Woman against Women.
        They are not called the deadliest of the species for nothing, only we see it more up to date versions in New Zealand too.
        
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        February 4, 2025 4:06pm
    - cmm
      
      ” Climate change has always polled high in NZ”
      
      Only in the I want a pink pony for free sort of way.
      
      If the poll included the obligations too, it would poll very differently.
      
      eg.
      
      Would you like to reduce CO2, but also:
      * give up eating meat
      * only be allowed to take one overseas holiday in your life
      * treble the cost of groceries, electricity, etc.
      * have to use public transport.
      
      Ask the full question and I bet you will get a very different answer.
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:05am
  - pdm
    
    john I am not sure you can rely on NZFirst on the Labour Lite issues.
    
    Jones maybe but, as long as Winston is there it will always be what suits Winston’s agenda.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:26am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Then Peter’s will have no choice but to go with Labour, great idea
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:14am
    - Keith White
      
      He does have the choice to act with principle.
      
      Oh wait – it’s Peters. Scrub that.
      
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      February 4, 2025 1:55pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      Winston’s days are numbered. Check his age!!!!
      and the ages of his ardent supporters.
      
      Jones is being groomed to take over NZF.
      With a new group of NZF voters.
      
      Big picture stuff please folks.
      
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      February 4, 2025 2:51pm
- Matt Long
  
  Meanwhile Simon Watts continues to be one of the most ratioed posts on X.
  https://x.com/simonwatts_mp/status/1885066373308834215
  Suella Braverman seeks to make the Conservatives conservative again, can National also be redeemed, or do the socialists have too strong a hold?
  https://x.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1885743379624996994
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:21am
  - Gravelroad
    
    “This target is both ambitious and achievable, ensuring we do our fair share while driving economic growth.”
    So says Mr Watts on X.
    What are you doing to drive economic growth?
    The proceeds of any economic growth will be swallowed up by climate based handouts to people in other countries.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:23am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Give them a chance in economic growth that is their plan this year.
      
      Luxon this morning suggesting they are looking at tax cuts on businesses. Let’s not forget Nats cut business tax under Key to 25 cents that labour immediately removed, as I remember cutting that tax help business rapidly improve after the GFC, how about we give them the chance to try and lift growth
      
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      February 4, 2025 10:19am
      - Cassandra
        
        All talk. Looking at is not the same as doing. How difficult is it? He’s been the PM since 2023!
        
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        February 4, 2025 10:47am
      - Gravelroad
        
        My point is: what is the purpose of National’s alleged intention to “drive economic growth”?
        Is it to improve outcomes for people and businesses in New Zealand?
        Or is it to fund climate change vanity commitments which will see businesses and people in China and India benefit from windfall handouts generated here?
        
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        February 4, 2025 10:48am
      - Grunter
        
        “…..suggesting they are looking at”
        
        Yep, that’s exactly what he is TALKING about.
        
        But what is he DOING…..?
        
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        February 4, 2025 10:54am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        Cassandra
        
        They have stated this year as the year for growth, they have got inflation down, interest rates down, and growth is expected to be up this year, yes weak growth, but if they do things to help they will be better than weak growth23-24 has got nothing to do with their plan this year.
        
        One thing that was all talk was Seymour being minister of regulation. Absolutely no delivering on anything, and no mention of what he may propose, or planning, a big disappointment, that is one area that should have been tided up quickly. And don’t give me this crap the office has only opened, he has been the minister since 23
        
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        February 4, 2025 11:32am
      - imalwaysright
        
        “He’s been the PM since 2023”
        Correct. Plus he, being the CEO that he is, would have been well aware of the dire state of the country prior to the election and therefore should have at least had a set of plans to stop the decay ready to go immediately.
        
        This will be a year of implementing an ideology that is starting to bear more than a passing resemblance of the previous régime.
        
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        February 4, 2025 11:48am
  - mogg
    
    Braverman is a bit late in speaking out, it’s only because their hand has been forced. The Tories are now consistently being relegated to third place in polling. Reform go top of the Yougov poll for the first time this AM, picking up 3 points to overtake Labour.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:02am
  - Allan
    
    National are socialist.
    
    National have always been socialist.
    
    A vote for National is the same as a vote for Labour.
    
    The future is for Aotearoa to become co-governed.
    
    There is a reason why New Zealand is a net exporter of citizens. (and it is the useful, taxpayer citizens that are going).
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:45pm
    - Pope Punctilious II
      
      I don’t think it’s accurate to call National “socialists”. Most of the Nats could more accurately be described as “progressive neoliberals”.
      
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      February 4, 2025 2:10pm
- Chuck Bird
  
  I hope he promises that it will be a number one issue, unlike last time where it was down the list.
  
  I wonder what NZF’s position will be.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:30am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Won’t matter, because Peter’s will head back left if labour head Nats
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:20am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      That is not logical. Would Peters want to be part of Labour, Greens and the Maori Party?
      
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      February 4, 2025 2:58pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  So Trump pulls out like last time, and Seymour wants to jump on the bandwagon, talk about jumping or barking at every passing car
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:12am
- sungsamning
  
  Trumps policy on this matter has provided the necessary political cover. I wonder if the Liberals in Oz will do the same?
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:34am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Trump does not care about what impact it has on US goods, mainly because they are so big.
    
    Our small country relies on farming, not selling farms to rich greenies who want to fly private jets.
    
    Farming will/could be damaged with this. I hate greenie bullshittery as much as anyone, but I am so sick to death of people blaming Luxon for signing us up to PCA that is total lies and mostly by Act supporters, Key signed us up to this agreement, and I note they keep kicking it down the road as Luxon has now kicked it down the road by 10 years, yes two lots of 5 to get our emissions down.
    
    GM do the farmers can grow low emission grass is one way, they always said science 50% of our emissions is through agri, so cutting grazing emissions by 30% is huge, so sick of greenies suggesting this is modification of our good, that is bullshit, animal free meat will do those deluded greenies more harm than anything
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:40am
- PurplePen
  
  He has to sell it well, the idea, to the public. I admire his remaining rational and the way he argues, facts rather than emotional outbursts, but somehow this doesn’t get heard by the noisy protesters. Rational debate on pulling out of Paris (contraceptual almost) will again fall on deaf ears. I don’t know what the comms solution is tho. Maybe it’s to sell it to the back pocket of NZers.
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:04pm
Benedict Yu

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Here is another astonishing RFK episode. In 2021 he petitioned the FDA to rescind authorisation for the COVID vaccines.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/health/rfk-jr-covid-vaccines.html

Before anyone complains that it is the New York Times, they do provide the source document.

So we have the prospect of someone becoming Health Secretary who tried to withdraw vaccines at the height of the pandemic. If successful, it would have been a catastrophe.

How much evidence will it take for this guy to be consigned to the political scrap heap to join Kamala?
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February 4, 2025 8:14am
- Ross Bayer
  
  BY What vaccines?
  Do you mean the gene therapy products with with an ARR of less than 1% and an SAE ratio of 1 in 800 (this is from the trial) where the total mortality in the trial group exceeded the placebo?
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:53am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Gene therapy?
    
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    February 4, 2025 2:53pm
    - Individual Responsibility
      
      Have you noticed recently the increasing number of individuals taking a strong position on a publicly disputable matter, to then overlook the old truism of”…when the evidence changes, adjust your position” instead resorting to “double down”.
      
      Such individuals are then tripped up by potential embarrassment of admitting that their initial position now appears to have been at worst wrong, or at best misguided/misinformed.
      
      Human nature being what it is, those that don’t amend their position as facts change have to deal with a reality ranging from minor embarrassment to public opprobrium; not easy at the best of times, but impossible for some. Hence ending up appearing foolish at best.
      
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      February 4, 2025 4:42pm
- bennerg
  
  Benedict,
  
  WOW, are you suddenly an expert on pandemics?
  
  Don’t you remember the very eminent immunologist who stated the basic tenet – you do NOT immunise during a pandemic. Immunisation works if you do it before.
  
  Anyway with hindsight we know that the gene therapy cast as a vaccine did not work anyway. Did not stop transmission. Serious side effects hidden or overlooked.
  
  How many young athletes are dead due to being innoculated. How much our society has been stuffed up by idiots at the wheel.
  
  BTW NZ had developed a sophiscated pandemic response document well before Covid became a thing, and the Ardern government totally ignored it, and went with the WHO, UN, WEF instructions. And seemingly still does ??????
  
  The USA has just started the massive exercise to clear out the rorts and money laundering. If you don’t hear about it on our MSM just read X. Once RFK gets confirmed watch out for the turn around. There will be many red faces around the world, and the spin doctors will be spinning.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:07am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    No I am an expert in analysing large data sets. That is all I need to know.
    
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    February 4, 2025 2:54pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    BTW the COVID vaccines prevented an estimated 19 million deaths. Many more deaths could have been prevented if it was not for the influence of anti vaxxers.
    
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    February 4, 2025 2:59pm
    - Chuck Bird
      
      There would have been no Covid deaths if it was not for Fauci and China. Trump just removed security for Fauci.
      
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      February 4, 2025 3:39pm
- kevn
  
  BY… You must have missed this.
  https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1886205810184724536
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:22am
- wsk12345
  
  If you want source documents Please go and read the actual source documents ie the papers released by Pfizer. They are very clear, including stating that it hasn’t been tested so cannot be considered safe for pregnant women.
  
  I think we are all sick of you sharing 3rd rate propaganda.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:38am
  - imalwaysright
    
    You would think that our health department would be, at least, risk averse when it comes to recommending drugs to pregnant women.
    They are with the MMR vaccine, but they encourage the covid jabs.
    
    However, they must sense some risk because, if you are pregnant and younger than 16, they don’t recommend boosters!
    
    Why?
    
    https://info.health.nz/immunisations/when-to-immunise/pregnancy-and-immunisations
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:01am
    - Keith White
      
      It’s years ago now of course, but when the NZ Medical Association and NZ Medical Council first issued their threat letters to NZ doctors not to speak out against or debate the mRNA vaccine, I pleaded with them politely by phone and papyrus to please allow debate, please encourage debate, because with so little known about such a treatment — it was not a vaccine as we had always defined vaccines until then — this could be our generation of New Zealand’s medical professionals’ thalidomide moment.
      
      Boy was I wrong. This is in fact my NZ ex-profession’s Mengele moment.
      
      When the Pfizer long form research paperwork first came out courtesy of a brave US judge, I read the whole damn thing twice, slowly, looking for what should never have been there; but it was. There is so much evidence that the injection was not and could never have been studied properly or for long enough to have been deemed safe to mandate (i.e. proven benefit from it, significantly greater than measured risk from being made to take it). Nor was it effective in preventing transmission; Pfizer never studied that. Nor was it proven effective in preventing the risks of Covid disease compared to its own risk profile. And to repeat it was also not researched to be safe for the especially vulnerable (as usual, mothers and children).
      
      No wonder Pfizer wanted almost all of us all dead before we could read it.
      
      Think that’s an exaggeration?
      
      https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/wait-what-fda-wants-55-years-process-foia-request-over-vaccine-data-2021-11-18/
      https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/why-a-judge-ordered-fda-to-release-covid-19-vaccine-data-pronto
      
      I’ve been involved in postgraduate training for a long time, and even before electronic teaching, one of my habits was to distributed my printed pre-course manual of for example rotary wing retrieval of serious trauma patients, or interhospital transfer of ladies in labour, and at random intervals I would insert into the text a movie title. For example, Star Wars. So you know how long ago I started of this. On the first day of classroom teaching I’d hold up the manual and say “did everybody read this?” Just about everybody would nod. And I’d say “okay anybody who can tell me right now the three movie titles in the manual gets a free lunch with a partner of your choice at the best restaurant in the city, you choose”. Never had to pay up. I have done that with the Pfizer pdf. I’ve inserted completely irrelevant extraneous recording artists’ and movie stars’ names after editing the PDF for the people who say ‘oh sure, I’ll read it, I bet you it doesn’t say what you say it says”. And again, no one’s come back to say “what are those names doing there?”
      
      Bottom line from this rather lengthy exposition: if you have read the original Pfizer research study you know what it showed and what it didn’t show and why it simply can’t be trusted. If you haven’t read the original Pfizer research study you can’t be trusted to comment honestly on it. It’s also a darn good idea to read the original Pfizer contracted indemnity from prosecution. Which our elites signed on our behalf. No matter what the fatalities and morbidities turn out to total, they can’t be touched legally.
      
      Thanks a lot, Ardern, Bloomfield, Hipkins, Verrall, MedSafe & Co.
      
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      February 4, 2025 2:26pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    All regulators in the OECD advise that the covid vaccine is safe for pregnant women.
    
    Guess what is not safe? Covid.
    
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    February 4, 2025 2:56pm
- Ra Henare
  
  So what that he petitioned the FDA. 4 years ago during the height of the Covid thing, on his personal belief re the safety of the Covid vaccines.
  (Many of his concerns have been since validated)
  
  What about looking forward to bettering the health of the US Population(and hopefully the spinoff to the rest off the world.) That is what confirmation of RFK will lead to.
  
  Or doesnt better community health count?
  
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  February 4, 2025 3:00pm
Matt Long

Trump has wins in Columbia agreeing to fly illegals home, Panama leaving China’s Belt and Road sphere, Venezuela releasing hostages, Mexico agreeing to police the border.
So far Canada, which bizzarely places tariffs on itself, is a holdout.
https://x.com/MattLon13470215/status/1886448709820616731
The SecGen of NATO, Mark Rutte supports US control of Greenland
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/trump-is-right-nato-chief-reacts-to-us-claims-1738504201.html
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February 4, 2025 8:17am
- john1234
  
  Trump is winning bigly.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:20am
- Lance
  
  Soooooooooooooooooooooooo
  Trump is a genius pissing off Canada, a close ally, and driving them to close ranks.
  Canada buys far more manufactured goods from the US than they export. The (supposed) imbalance is in energy and commodities.
  So US manufacturers are about to lose markets.
  Add to this the “fuck the rest of world” rhetoric from Trump, then this does not bode well.
  Still, Trump is the messiah and will magic up trade and wealth from… somewhere.
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:45am
  - mogg
    
    Sooooooooooo you’re a bit late with that, Trudeau grovels and Trump delays Canada tariffs for 1 month., dependent on border conditions being met.
    So far Mexico, Canada and now China wants talks about concessions, I would say this situation bodes very well for Trump.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:15am
    - Lance
      
      That’s funny, wasn’t it the o.o2% of Fentanol flooding across the border from Canada into the US?
      Trump messed up and grown ups have told him to pull his head in or the US economy is fucked.
      Not seeing a lot of grovelling from Canada on this.
      Oh, and by the way. Even if these tarriffs are cancelled, Canadians are pissd and boycotting US goods.
      That looks like a fuck up to me, but hey, Trumps fanbois marvel at the genius of it all.
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:54am
      - All_on_Red
        
        Aaaand Canada has folded
        So funny
        https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/other/canada-folds-to-trump-s-demands-and-strikes-3-billion-border-deal/ar-AA1ym0iB?ocid=BingNewsSerp
        
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        February 4, 2025 1:17pm
      - mogg
        
        Well despite his big talk yesterday about how they would respond with targeted tariffs, motorcycles and bourbon etc Trudeau, was quickly on the phone to make promises about border control providing helicopters amongst other things, which has satisfied Trump for now. I call that backtracking or grovelling.
        
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        February 4, 2025 1:22pm
  - Don Beckett
    
    Trump is pissing off only Trudeau. What does Polliviere have to say ?
    Trudeau is a gone burger.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:18am
    - MCōs
      
      Trudeau has resigned as PM, but there’s nothing like an attack from a foreign country to boost support for the government
      If this Polliviere chap appears to cooperating in an attack on his own country he’s walking a thin line
      
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      February 4, 2025 12:14pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Oh dear, calling it an ‘attack’ is just silly hyperbole
        Trudeau is despised
        Do try to keep up
        
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        February 4, 2025 1:19pm
      - Matt Long
        
        Trudeau is the Ardern of Canada and is now getting abuse from passers by, like Adern does. I guess it’s toxic misogyny again and wouldn’t be happening if Trudeau was a man.
        
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        February 4, 2025 5:06pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    I suspect that this post, like a whole lot of posts yesterday, wont age well.
    And close allies pull their weight on defence spending and dont bludge off their neighbours
    But lets see.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:48am
  - Ra Henare
    
    Lance
    
    So where will Canada buy alternatives to the products from the US?
    Think shipping. Just in time deliveries. Product support etc etc
    
    Wouldn’t count on USA manufacturers loosing significant markets.
    
    Besides. Trump uses the threat of tariffs as leverage to work on deals. So take it as a given that tariffs will not be other than a temporary thing.
    
    Check Trump 1.0 and tariffs on Canada. 2018 Yep. Gone in a year. Also check effect of Canada’s counter tariffs on US goods.
    
    History is a great teacher.
    
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    February 4, 2025 3:09pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  He has managed to get the Panamanians to not go belt and road, the one problem he has is China have port infrastructure on the canal, and have a landing area that could be used militarily, not sure s as nothing less than a war could fix that
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:42am
Littletramp

Trump dismantling USAID could become a pivotal moment in world affairs. It appears this little group have been the source of funding for CIA foreign interference and warmongering, to the benefit of the Haliburton Group who provides services and equipment to US military – more wars = more revenue. If US foreign policy switches from war creation to trade creation the planet will be a safer place.
Already it looks as though Iran is looking at a more stable relationship with the US, so that will be Ukraine/Russia solved with no NATO in Ukraine and Russia taking back the parts that speak Russian, the Middle East being reorganised and Africa scrutinised more closely for a settled outcome.
Looking forward to seeing what he will do in his 3rd week in power!
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February 4, 2025 8:20am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  This is Musks work, they put the things up what they have been doing with the 38 billion last year, one was paying for bloody sec changes in Tanzania, climate change in Africa, and another equally stupid thing.
  
  Not sure the whole Aid will be gutted, Musk is getting rid of some staff, and will gut the pathetic wasteful spending
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:24am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Oh its being gutted
    The whole organisation is in the process of being cancelled.
    The things they have discovered…
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:49am
  - artemisia
    
    Sounds like some initiatives will be kept even thought the current organisation has now folded. It costs $US50bill a year. The promised report plus America First will presumably be the basis for decisions to keep or can.
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:22pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      They will fold it into the State Dept
      Better scrutiny and away from the activists
      
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      February 4, 2025 8:19pm
- thirteenstars
  
  Here’s the Channel 4 (UK) report:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH2ZtQmeCic
  
  It begins with images of impoverished children and ends with the encouraging news that food aid to Gaza will continue, but at no point does it mention, “half-a-million dollars to expand atheism in Nepal, $50,000 to do, let’s see, a transgender opera in Colombia, $47,000 to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru, $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador.”
  
  https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/icymi-chairman-mast-discusses-foreign-aid-review-dei-on-face-the-nation/
  
  I expect that will be the narrative on TVNZ and Stuff. Cruel Musk. Cruel Trump. No mention of a renegade agency spending vast sums on things that are not in the US interest.
  
  A bit like $50 billion for Paris Accord reparation payments to other countries with zero benefit to NZ, ain’t it?
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:53pm
Bridgenag

Repeated False Accusations of Fascism
Are the policies of the left so flawed that they must resort to ad hominem attacks?

“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.”
―Benito Mussolini

https://open.substack.com/pub/rwmalonemd/p/repeated-false-accusations-of-fascism?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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February 4, 2025 8:23am
- sirknz
  
  I’ve always thought of fascism being the next stage of communists when they finally realise that communism doesn’t work, but they still think that they should still be able to tell everyone else how to live even though they haven’t quite left their parent’s homes and/or finished university yet.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:32am
Bridgenag

Chatting with AlexAI re Energy Issues
A new Energy AI put together by conservative energy guru Alex Epstein

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources are quickly becoming all the rage. Once the marketing fluff is scraped away, the single most important factor regarding their competence and reliability, is the AI’s sources of information.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/criticallythinking/p/chatting-with-alexai-re-energy-issues?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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February 4, 2025 8:27am
Steve Otto N Shore

Wife Helpfully Explains To Husband What He Meant By What He Said.

https://babylonbee.com/news/wife-helpfully-explains-to-husband-what-he-meant-by-what-he-said?
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February 4, 2025 8:30am
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360568968/sam-kerr-could-face-time-jail-heres-what-you-need-know-ahead-her-criminal-trial

This article only makes sense when you realise that Sam Kerr is in fact of Indian descent .
However, this critical fact is never mentioned in the article.
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February 4, 2025 8:32am
- mandk
  
  Why do I need to know anything about a female Australian footballer’s trial in the UK?
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:45am
  - David Garrett
    
    Mandk: Exactly … our MSM have by and large become the Womens Weekly….with some “stories” from outside the country
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:44am
  - pdm
    
    m&k and DG
    
    Media are right into the Spanish Womens Soccer kissing incident.
    
    They like salacious.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:00pm
- alwyn.a
  
  It is in the article.
  However it is not until the third sentence from the end that you are told that
  ‘Mr Emlyn Jones said that Kerr identifies as being white Anglo-Indian, which was relevant to the charge.”.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:08am
- Gravelroad
  
  Isn’t she just another entitled celebrity sports star trading on the experiences of other “victims” to deflect from what she and her partner are alleged to have done?
  We have seen one or two others here do same.
  Do something stupid while drunk?
  Play the race card and all will be well.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:09am
  - Swifty
    
    Full of anger and spite.
    
    A dreadful late-night drunken performance.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:17am
  - nova
    
    Sam Kerr behaved badly. But the criminal charges highlight the slippery slope that can occur with hate speech laws. The UK is a mess with people getting jail terms for very minor offences. In this case, Sam was upset and said “you guys are f***ing stupid and white”. She was sitting down and not physically threatening the officer. How does she end up in court facing a jail term due to a racially aggravating public order offence? The UK does seem to be turning into a totalitarian state.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:59am
Steve Otto N Shore

‘This Is DEI’s Fault!’ Cries Trump.

https://babylonbee.com/news/this-is-deis-fault-cries-trump-after-not-getting-pickles-on-his-big-mac?
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February 4, 2025 8:36am
- sungsamning
  
  Well done Babylon Bee.
  
  5 3
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  February 4, 2025 10:42am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Media tried to frame it that way, what Trump actually said it is possible it was DEI , why are lefties never fact checked, like his speech on Jan 6 where he clearly stated you will go to the capital and peacefully protest, remembering of course they protest the capital every time the government changes
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:45am
Yvette

From the recent history of “3 Waters” –
“It isn’t about assets, it’s not about democracy, it’s not about Māori, it’s not about who owns or who pays, those are considerations, but the primary objective of the reforms is to ensure that as a nation and as a group of communities we protect the health and wellbeing of our people. And that is fundamentally tied to water,” he said. {Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive, Helmut Modlik, said}
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/03/09/claims-maori-will-own-nzs-water-infrastructure-dismissed/ [1]

“And that is fundamentally tied to water” – for what living entity in New Zealand is that not the case – for those of Islamic beliefs, the people at Gloriavale, what are left of office workers in Wellington, to sheepmusterers in the Alpine stations of the South Island, as well as Maori?

“it’s not about who owns or who pays” – Helmut Modik should confer with –
Tukoroirangi Morgan, a member of the working group and Waikato Tainui descendant, said it was time they set the record-straight.
“There is a view being promoted by some of the councillors around the country that this is a Māori grab for power, that we are interested in owning these water assets,” he said.
“It’s absolute nonsense. We have always said, that we’re not interested in owning the water assets. What we’re interested in is the proprietor rights over water, and that is a discussion to be had with the Crown, not with councils.” [1]

“a discussion to be had with the Crown” – not a Ardernist national “conversation”, but a discussion with our exclusive Treaty partner, “i muri i nga tatau kati”
Which may be why it is Waitangi Day, and not as someone like Norman Kirk around 1974 tried: New Zealand Day.
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February 4, 2025 8:36am
Grunter

Luxon is grinding my gears more than ever. Word salad woke answers to any questions.

To me, he is getting closer to how Ardern triggered me every week. Almost at the point of switching off as soon as he speaks.

His empty chants of “Growth” with zero follow up is what’s taken me to another level of annoyance. But now I notice all his smarmy traits (that giggle when he gets a tough question…..!)
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February 4, 2025 8:46am
- imalwaysright
  
  Agree.
  Same playbook being used.
  Ignore the public. Concentrate on the ideology. Never go into detail. Deflect. Smile.
  I wonder if he has the same handlers?
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:06am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    And you never heard him say they are discussing business tax cuts either, a real leftie thing that gave the economy a huge boost in the Key governor had made the country the envy of the world as we gain huge growth after Labour left us in the Doldrums during the GFC. Something Labour crushed immediately
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:51am
    - imalwaysright
      
      They had 6 years to discuss tax cuts, and other solutions, and write legislation if necessary.
      Its not rocket science.
      All solutions could have been in place pre Christmas 2023.
      
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      February 4, 2025 3:30pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Empty chants of growth? Do you did not hear him say they are discussing tax cuts for businesses? That’s the sort of thing that grinds leftie gears
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:47am
- thirteenstars
  
  Simon Watts posted on his X regarding how you can simultaneously send $25-50 billion to other countries for the sin of being a wealthy Western country *and* grow your economy:
  
  By strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme, supporting agricultural innovation, and accelerating clean energy adoption, we’ll attract investment, boost productivity, and position New Zealand as a leader in low-emission technologies.
  
  https://x.com/simonwatts_mp/status/1885066432385605819
  
  So, for the next ten years until 2035, NZ is going to have to find on average an extra $5 billion *every* year in addition to generating surpluses and paying for all the expensive things this country needs.
  
  This is Ardern-level Team of Five Million stupidity. This is National. This is the Teal faction of National. It’s insanity.
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:14pm
- thirteenstars
  
  Want some more triggering?
  
  Ardern on her latest scam, the doco produced by her husband:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42hFQEZi0ho
  
  Have a bucket handy.
  
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  February 4, 2025 2:17pm
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    So what did she say in that word soup waffle?
    Something about leadership….
    More like an escape from bullying the NZ people!!
    
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    February 4, 2025 5:44pm
kowtow

It’s all in the presentation.

The media continue to keep trying to smear Act and Seymour over this Jago business .

No headlines mention Surf Lifesaving.

And they wonder why there’s no trust .
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February 4, 2025 8:52am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  What do you mean life saving was not mentioned? It was mentioned for 5 minutes on the news last night, I remember Jago SLS when I competed in National championships and national trials, he was only a competitor then, but was well known in SLS way back then in 1980
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:29am
  - kowtow
    
    No headlines mention
    
    ps I don’t generally watch terrestrial tv and what’s presented there is certainly not “news”.
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:55am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Well you can not watch TV and suggest media are keeping his crimes hush hush
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:52am
      - kowtow
        
        Goodness , I never said that .
        
        Pay attention please .
        
        The headlines in the papers are all about Act and Seymour.
        
        Not the facts.
        
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        February 4, 2025 12:51pm
lifesgood

I thought Hosking was full mongrel on Luxon this morning on the issue of Chinese visas. Luxon couldn’t say but to anyone with half a brain it is obvious. As far as I’m concerned there wouldn’t be any/many NZers who would deliberately overstay in China but I am pretty sure there’d be plenty of Chinese who would happily overstay here. I thought Hosking would be more intelligent than he appeared to be on this issue.
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February 4, 2025 8:53am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Hosking was intelligent. He wanted Luxon to SAY it.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:42am
Yvette

Waitangi sets the scene for political fireworks, Shane Jones calls for calm
Shane Jones says Waitangi Day needs to focus on unity or risk middle NZ ‘abandoning’ the TreatyOn the other side, supporters of David Seymour’s bill didn’t believe in the Treaty, “unless it can be reframed as a distillation of banner values”, {NZ First minister Shane Jones} said. https://newsroom.co.nz

ACT / National’s “distillation of banner values” : “Government rule”, “property protection” and “equality”

Existing “distillation of banner values” : 3Ps –

AI Overview, Learn more –
Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi, Principles and …
The three “P’s” of the Treaty of Waitangi are partnership, participation, and protection. These principles are the foundation of the relationship between the Crown and Māori in New Zealand.
Explanation
Partnership: A good-faith relationship between the Crown and Māori
Participation: The Crown should create opportunities for Māori to participate in decision-making at all levels of government
Protection: The Crown should prioritize the protection of Māori interests, rights, and sovereignty

So Seymour would exchange National Coalition’s “distillation of banner values” for the existing “3Ps distillation of banner values” –
got it!

“political fireworks” – but why really is Seymour’s effort going to be a bigger bang than the 3Ps squib that went before it?
Like, the media don’t even mention the squib {QED} – the change to the Treaty that precedes anything ACT is attempting.
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February 4, 2025 9:01am
- Yvette
  
  OK this comment is going down the toilet – if it is not already blocked up with David Seymour and his Bill after Harawira’s Waitangi response last year – but I was Endeavouring (sorry, James C) to point out that Maori and adhocerrents are complaining about ACT’s Principles replacing their own 3P Principles, but I’m not going to man’splain that am I?
  
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  February 4, 2025 1:06pm
Sparrow

I realise this blog has many ACT supporters so I will be entering the lions den. So be it. I watched TVNZ1 news last night for the first time for many a day. Watched Simon Mercep discuss his conversation with David Seymour regarding ACTs handling of the Jago incident. From my perspective Seymour fobbed off Mercep without answering his genuine questions. I experienced a similar fate when asking Seymour a simple question which simply required a yes or no answer. This blog castigates Luxon continually whilst in the main giving Seymour a free ride. I am no supporter of Luxon but let’s be fair. Don’t forget prior to the last election ACT and Seymour were riding high until he opened his mouth. His latest utterances on privatisation just further antagonise most kiwis, its a pathway to making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Seymour is a divider and a smug b….to boot. Yes I will get the boot and enjoy it.
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February 4, 2025 9:21am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Now after Trump pulling out of Paris accord, and waddaya know, Seymour is d sad l for pulling out of PCA
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:32am
  - DimChappie
    
    Please translate: “Seymour is d sad l for pulling out of PCA”
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:46pm
- peterwn
  
  My take on the Mr Jago issue is that ACT’s obligation was merely to verify the claim the best it could (and it engaged a KC for that purpose) and if reasonably proven seek his resignation. There was no obligation on ACT to go to the Police or do anything else apart from that.
  There was a potential MAD (mutually assured destruction) situation here. There would have been a strong possibility of a skeleton in the cupboard on the left wing side here and in that case someone may have known where the skeleton was.
  Mr Jago successfully sought name suppression which kept it out of the media at the time (I personally thought it was a National Party figure). If his name was reported an electoral bloodbath would most probably have ensued and the political parties would not have wanted that especially as the various leaders would have had no idea if there were any skeletons in the closet or not.
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:01pm
- PurplePen
  
  It’s a case similar to the Greens Darlene Tana one. It’s for the authorities, and as far as the party is concerned hire someone independent to investigate and report internally. Slight difference here tho is its not an elected MP.
  
  Seymour fails when he tries to dance on the head of a pin, as does any public figure. I never understand why they do this. The public can see the dancing for what it is. No MP seems to learn not to do this. And the dancing only prolongs the story in the media.
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:14pm
NoFax

I am in the sunny Bay of Plenty this week and Tauranga is a beautiful part of the country. However, it does encapsulate the issues with our economy. I had a quick scan on Seek for jobs in the area. The over whelming were related to building and construction – mostly of suburban houses sprawling further into the hinterland. Bascially, Tuaranga’s economy is based on building and selling houses to each other. Not much of a future really.
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February 4, 2025 9:30am
- lifesgood
  
  Traffic there is horrendous and the town centre is an utter diaster. I wouldn’t dream of moving there.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:37am
  - Don Beckett
    
    Agree, having lived here for 36 years since my return from Oz. It was great until a few years ago when we got left wing councils, and the Jacinda govt. commissioners were the final nail.
    Must say, it’s slowly improving since the election, but the roading in town is a disaster, & I rarely go there now. Cameron Rd is a shambles also.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:32am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Cameron rd as I remember was the main st, not sure if that is correct, but surely it is not as bad as outer George st they you can not drive on for blocks
      
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      February 4, 2025 11:55am
      - Don Beckett
        
        Which outer George St. are you referring to? The one in Sydney?
        
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        February 4, 2025 1:20pm
- Cassandra
  
  Not correct. Kiwi fruit, avos, etc. Farming. The port. Forestry. Retirement villages! Tourism. Pubs and restaurants. Golf. Surf.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:54am
  - NoFax
    
    Have a look at Seek for jobs in Tauranga – it’s mostly jobs around or connected to construction. I’m not lying. About 66% are connected to building.
    
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    February 4, 2025 11:09am
- Prince
  
  TVNZ have an item tonight featuring Seek screenshots showing there are no jobs in Taurnaga.
  
  And some voice-pops from Labour activists bemoaning their plight.
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:37am
Morgan H

Why are Libertarians stereotyped as pedos? This stereotype makes people reluctant to say they’re libertarian.

People are taking advantage of the Tim Jago situation. Just like they did when David Seymour was caught messaging underage girls on SnapChat. I want to be clear, I do not think David Seymour is a pedo. It’s just bad optics.
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February 4, 2025 9:56am
NothingLeft

Silicon Valley Tech Mogul Marc Andreessen on Lex Friedman with some very astute observations about socio-political herd behavior and how we form social groups that discuss heresies and slowly shift the Overton window using the tool of humor.

https://youtu.be/OHWnPOKh_S0?t=1852
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February 4, 2025 10:01am
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7UqpDqdlKU
Deep State is Toppling.
USAID is a tad corrupt. Its not an apple with a worm. Its a bowl of worms. Its beyond repair. Formed with an EO; and soon to be fed into the wood chipper with another EO.
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February 4, 2025 10:16am
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py9N9KDfYIk
Trump 1 Sheinbaum 0.
Well, that didn’t take long. President Sheinbaum will send 10,000 troops to patrol the border. It looks like Corona beer will still be on tap.
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February 4, 2025 10:16am
- kowtow
  
  I wonder how that’ll go down with the tens of thousands of cartel foot soldiers there already .
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:54am
  - sungsamning
    
    It depends on how many border guards they have bought.
    
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    February 4, 2025 6:13pm
- peterwn
  
  Meanwhile:
  Mexico 1 Trump 0
  Canada 1 Trump 0
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:18pm
  - Allan
    
    Based on that scoring system the All Blacks have won every world cup ever.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:01pm
  - peterwn
    
    I anticipate a permanent Trump backdown in due course. Assuming Mexico is doing things that warrant sanctions, Canada is not doing or permitting anything that would warrant sanctions. Trump is like Tub Thump – the zoo’s gorilla in childrens books.
    
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    February 4, 2025 1:56pm
    - Albie
      
      If you think Trump is going to back down, you are delusional I’m afraid.
      
      5 1
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      February 4, 2025 5:16pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        TDS is real
        And its glorious to watch
        
        4 1
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        February 4, 2025 8:17pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Well thats a very unrealistic view of what actually has happened
      YUGE back down from Mexico, Canada and Panama
      Heres a clip for you Peter (and others)
      Trumps achievements over the past two weeks
      https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/a-pretty-good-two-weeks.php
      And you’ve got FOUR MORE YEARS of this
      So funny
      How will you cope?
      Lol
      
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      February 4, 2025 8:16pm
  - Albie
    
    peterwn: What, you seriously think Canada won’t capitulate? It’s only a matter of time.
    
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    February 4, 2025 5:09pm
  - sungsamning
    
    That was at breakfast time. The score was reversed by lunch time. Things are moving fast. By coffee break, Panama had surrendered too.
    
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    February 4, 2025 6:14pm
- Quail
  
  Corona beer in NZ is brewed in China according to a bottle I have here.
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:25pm
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    Asahi used to be, now in Sydney.
    
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    February 4, 2025 2:31pm
Ross Bayer

Here is something worth a read and tells us all we need to know about the last 4 years of American politics and has lessons for us here in nz
This is a short section of the longer article as a teaser talking about Biden Harris REGIME

“Its aim has basically been to induce you to doubt your sanity.
You were asked to swallow one fabulous absurdity after another — lockdowns, vaccines that don’t prevent illness, mostly-peaceful arson, US soldiers in puppy masks, pronoun police, shoplifting-is-reparations, the wide-open border — an epic acting-out of manifold mental illness in living color. The climax was drag-queens in the primary schools, obese men in fright-wigs presenting nightmare varieties of Mom-as-monster, often with some exposure of their male junk as part of the act. Suburban mothers watched approvingly, insisting on video that this was all wholesome, edifying fun for the kiddies (while some of the more insane moms went even further at home, coaxing their little kids toward medical “transitioning”).”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/last-rites
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February 4, 2025 10:32am
Ghost

The latest Talbot Mills corporate poll has Labour’s support at 34%, with National at 33%. National’s support was steady from the last poll, and Labour’s was up by 3 percentage points. Labour last led in that poll in June 2023, The Post reports.

The Greens were steady on 12%, ACT down 1 percentage point on 9%, New Zealand First down 0.6 percentage points at 5.2% and Te Pāti Māori down 0.5 percentage points to 4.6%. Talbot Mills also does internal polling for the Labour Party.

Article
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February 4, 2025 11:23am
- Don Beckett
  
  Are you watching, Luxon? Luxon ? – Hello – crickets.
  
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  February 4, 2025 11:58am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Yep we are watching alright, and as I said all Act does is lose the centre with his mouth, good luck with Labours hikes to tax, and you living TPM in cabinet with things like Maori issues and things like I don’t know, economic development maybe
    
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    February 4, 2025 12:02pm
    - Gravelroad
      
      How long can you go on deflecting blame on to Seymour and general “What-aboutism” without facing the reality that the National Party is losing support, relevance and the confidence of their voters out here?
      Time for the leadership to front up.
      Otherwise your ship is just another one laying on its side in shallow waters.
      (disclaimer: I have never been a member of any political party ).
      
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      February 4, 2025 12:24pm
      - Ghost
        
        Nationals support steady from the last poll, act and nz first down. Although the last labour Talbot mills poll had national on 31.
        
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election
        
        3 2
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        February 4, 2025 1:11pm
      - pdm
        
        `How long can you go on deflecting blame on to Seymour and general “What-aboutism” without facing the reality that the National Party is losing support, relevance and the confidence of their voters out here?’
        
        Especially when Hipkins now leads Luxon in the Preferred Prime Minister Poll.
        
        It is starting to look like a slippery slope for Luxon and I raised this question over the weekend – meant to be tongue in cheek but,………………………….
        https://nominister.wordpress.com/2025/02/02/speculation-if-luxon-was-to-throw-in-the-towel-who-would-national-replace-him-with/
        
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        February 4, 2025 1:13pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  So how is deserting Nats for Act going?
  
  I actually call this poll as is always by a leak or internally leak factual, as usual they are usually shown to be utter bullshit a few days later, is it strange that the worst imaginable result in a n election of Lab, Greens snd TPM is conveniently just over 50% it doesn’t seem to leave any room for other parties
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:00pm
- mogg
  
  Yes that’s the poll which had National/ Labour “ neck and neck” two days out from the last election.
  
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  February 4, 2025 2:43pm
  - Morgan H
    
    Wasn’t the last Talbot Mills poll for the 2023 Election done in September? It had Labour at 27 and National at 38. Which is quite close to the actual result.
    
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    February 4, 2025 3:21pm
    - Ghost
      
      Yeah. They did not have them neck and neck
      
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2023_New_Zealand_general_election
      
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      February 4, 2025 3:32pm
- Hugh Jarse
  
  The Greens and TPM described as the centre left according to the MSM, yeah right.
  
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  February 4, 2025 10:26pm
Swifty

I’m happy to be corrected but my recollection is that only a few decades ago murder trials were all done and dusted 6-9 months after the (alledged) offence was committed.

Now I regularly see trials set down for more than two years hence.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360569405/coromandel-pig-man-gets-2027-date-murder-attempted-murder-trial

Justice delayed is justice denied.

We should be doing much better than this, for all concerned – victims, their families, the guilty and the innocent, and their families, alike.
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February 4, 2025 12:03pm
- Steve Todd
  
  Sooner than that in the Fifties, Swifty, particularly during the tenure of “The Hanging Minister of Justice”, ‘Gentleman Jack’ Marshall.
  
  Eight convicted murderers were hanged after National came to power in 1949 and reintroduced capital punishment — the last five during Marshall’s tenure as Minister of Justice (27 November 1954–12 December 1957) — four in 1955 alone.
  
  Marshall’s attitude was that execution must surely be preferable, for the murderer, than life in prison. “It seems inhumane to me that a man be locked up in Mount Eden prison for the rest of his natural life. That seems like torture.” [This Mortal Boy (2018), Fiona Kidman, p. 264.]
  
  During the death penalty-hardliner Marshall’s three-year tenure as Minister of Justice, “justice” was swift. For example, Frederick Foster (26) was hanged on 7 July 1955, for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Sharon Skiffington (19), on Monday 28 March, the day New Zealand was cleaned out for just 26. He was sentenced on 20 May. Foster’s mother (who came out from the UK) met Marshall to plea for clemency for her son. Marshall was unmoved. “When [he] was led up the gallows he went berserk. The hangman poked his fingers in his eyes to keep him still.” [This Mortal Boy (2018), Fiona Kidman, p. 102.]
  
  Edward (Eddie) Te Whiu (20) was hanged on 18 August 1955, for murdering Florence Smith (75) near Kamo, on 28 April. He was sentenced on 28 July after a trial lasting just three days, and with the jury returning after just 35 minutes.
  
  Harvey Eric Allwood (34; b. 10 November 1920) was hanged on 13 October 1955, for the murder of John J Hughes, who went missing at Te Anau in March of that year. He was sentenced on 26 August. “Allwood made it too easy for us. He died brave.” [Horace Haywood, superintendent of Mount Eden prison (who was badly affected by Allwood’s hanging); quoted in This Mortal Boy (2018), Fiona Kidman, p. 102.]
  
  Albert ‘Paddy’ Black (20) was hanged on 5 December 1955, for murdering Alan Jacques (known as Johnny McBride) on 26 July. He was sentenced on 21 October. On the gallows, when Haywood asked him if he had anything to say, Black replied, “I wish you all a merry Christmas, gentlemen, and a prosperous New Year.” He died game, the justice of the peace in attendance said. [This Mortal Boy (2018), Fiona Kidman, p. 285.]
  
  On Tuesday afternoon, 22 June 1954, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme murdered Parker’s mother, Honorah Parker, at Victoria Park in Christchurch. They were 16 and 15, respectively. They were convicted of murder on 28 August 1954.
  
  Had they been 18 years of age, they would have been sentenced to death. Had that been the case, and their execution date had been set to take place on or before Friday, 26 November — the general election that year was held on 13 November — the Minister of Justice at the time, Clifton Webb (who retired from politics at that election, and was appointed New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in early 1955), might well have commuted their sentences. (In that regard, he was more in the mould of Ralph Hanan. Only three executions took place, following the reintroduction of the death penalty in December 1950, while he was Minister of Justice (1949–1954).)
  
  But, if the pair were due to be hanged anytime from 27 November, onwards, it is probable that Marshall (the new Minister of Justice) would have allowed their executions to take place.
  
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  February 4, 2025 2:00pm
  - Swifty
    
    Very interesting, thanks Steve.
    
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    February 4, 2025 3:26pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  So what does he do until the trial in 2027? Is he a free man until then, or does he have to wait in jail? And if he is in jail, and is subsequently found not guilty, what happens then?
  
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  February 4, 2025 2:59pm
  - Swifty
    
    Good questions Bobba.
    
    It’s my understanding that those accused of murder are routinely remanded in custody, being remanded at large (on bail) only in rare exceptions.
    
    Tough if you are subsequently found not guilty isn’t it?
    
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    February 4, 2025 3:29pm
  - fernglas
    
    Read the article. He has a bail application on Tuesday. If he is not bailed he waits in custody. If he is acquitted, he can’t do anything about the time he spent in custody.
    
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    February 4, 2025 9:31pm
Ghost

Well that didn’t take long

‘I just had a good call with President Trump,’ he posted on X.

‘Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan—reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl.

‘Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border.’

Article
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February 4, 2025 12:10pm
- Albie
  
  Poor peterwn. Clearly suffering from TDS from his earlier posts today. I suggested to him it was only a matter of time before Canada capitulated.
  
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  February 4, 2025 5:23pm
Swifty

100 kgs of meth, or more:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/air-nz-baggage-handler-matangikolo-piukana-sentenced-to-8-years-jail-for-conspiracy-to-import-meth/O6PUCSNWEVC3DOVM2Z2MWBIQWA/

What a pathetic sentence. Out in what, three or four years?

Pathetic. We’re not serious about this stuff at all. We say we are but we’re not.
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February 4, 2025 12:17pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Here’s an interesting concept…

In case your school kiddies’ lunch arrives late, or is small, YOU could pack them a snack or a sandwich in their school bag.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/parents-told-to-pack-extra-food-after-lunches-dont-arrive-at-north-island-schools/ZUI4PDLV4JBZFGWMGL6OYTVQN4/

Revolutionary stuff, eh?
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February 4, 2025 12:45pm
- Ghost
  
  Alternative headline “parents and school prove school lunches are not needed”
  
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  February 4, 2025 12:59pm
Inandout

I don’t wish to poke a stick at any commenter on here but it may be wise to at least keep an open mind.

https://goodoil.news/the-truth-about-measles-in-samoa/
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February 4, 2025 12:48pm
- Keith White
  
  I+O: How dare you deploy facts, reason and insight! This is a jab-debate!
  
  /sarc, if the tag was needed.
  
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  February 4, 2025 2:34pm
All_on_Red

US Navy test fires onboard Helios Laser System
Thats a game changer in Naval warfare
https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1886259012632535520
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February 4, 2025 12:52pm
Yvette

Back in December iwi leaders wrote an open letter to King Charles about the treaty principles bill. They have not received a formal response.
“It’s probably a good time to follow up and see if he got the letter and what he thinks,” Barber said.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/540849/iwi-leaders-talk-goals-political-situations-unity-at-iwi-chairs-forum

Wed 11 Dec 2024 00.37 GMT
Māori tribes make rare plea to King Charles for intervention in New Zealand politics
This article is more than 1 month old
Exclusive: Open letter seen by the Guardian asks King to ‘ensure the government does not diminish the crown’s honour’ amid tensions over policy direction for Māori
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/11/new-zealand-maori-tribes-letter-king-charles-treaty-of-waitangi

I am indeed disappointed that King Charles III has not at least acknowledged he has seen the letter – I mean I have and I am not on his staff, but hundreds if not maybe thousands are – a short COURTeous reply to say, “Hi, Thanks, I am going to need to think about this for a day or two, so I will get back to you later – Charles, King (he/him)”
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February 4, 2025 12:57pm
- kowtow
  
  It will have been forwarded to Two Tier Keir .
  
  He’s too busy at the moment locking up “rioters” , smashing free speech ,preparing to open the flood gates , even more if that were possible, to immigration , reneging on the Brexit referendum , destroying the UK economy , giving away the last strategic overseas territories , destroying farming and the military to be even remotely concerned about a letter from some Natives in a far flung archipelago .
  
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  February 4, 2025 1:23pm
  - mogg
    
    Well it will be interesting because Starmerhas always been very pro EU, Trump has strongly implied that UK can avoid EU tariffs but they must take US food products. EU food standards would not allow this so Starmer has a decision to make: upset his EU friends or be included in US tariffs on EU exports.
    Starmer and his whole cabinet in the past have been very insulting to Trump, but now they will have to crawl. I predict another victory for Trump’s brinksmanship, which is getting things done very quickly. Take note BY.
    
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    February 4, 2025 3:43pm
- Cassandra
  
  You forgot the //. Monarchs do not reply to letters and no doubt on the advice of the Government (NZ) the staff will not reply to this one either. It’d be a slippery slope to do so.
  
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  February 4, 2025 2:27pm
- PurplePen
  
  You forgot nah mihi.
  
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  February 4, 2025 4:41pm
kowtow

Turdeau blinks .

Trump wins , again.
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February 4, 2025 1:00pm
Littletramp

The other positive aspect of Trump/Musk breaking open the USAID records, is that Trump now no doubt has enough “dirt” on the Senators who are knee deep in the grift of the past (Lindsay Graham etc) , to get his cabinet choices through Senate approvals – i.e leverage.
They have thought this smashing of the corrupt deep state through very well during the four year on the sidelines.
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February 4, 2025 2:50pm
- Bridgenag
  
  Yes This is interesting…
  
  DOGE and the budget audit of doom
  the commanding heights of the unravelling to come
  
  “from ukraine to climate science to NIH to 100 different agencies like USAID, money is being funneled everywhere and stolen in wholesale quantities.”
  
  https://open.substack.com/pub/boriquagato/p/doge-and-the-budget-audit-of-doom?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  
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  February 4, 2025 3:38pm
- Handyman
  
  Democrats are not arguing over the various funding decisions.
  Their argument is that the US government should not be involved in “their” distribution of the billions of taxpayer dollars via USAID. They argue USAID is an independent entity. Nuts!
  
  Of course I don’t know what’s to be exposed but here is my prediction…
  Billions of dollars are gifted to US-based, low profile, left-wing, not-for-profit organisations. Those entities will in turn recycle some of the funds to Democrat election efforts. The CEO of those entities will be paid above market large salaries from which they also donate to the Democrat Party.
  There will be a fig leaf of donations to woke causes around the world (depending on where the staff want to have a paid vacation).
  
  This financial and political corruption method rings a bell, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
  
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  February 4, 2025 4:47pm
Benedict Yu

I missed this.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fluoride-in-water-health/

Kennedy wants to take Fluoride out of drinking water. I should not be surprised.
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February 4, 2025 2:57pm
- Inandout
  
  I wasn’t aware of the amount of fluoride found in everyday foods but I spent my childhood in a limestone area where natural fluoride was in the water.
  https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/high-fluoride-foods-and-drinks.php
  
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  February 4, 2025 3:30pm
- Ra Henare
  
  Yep defnately an unbiased report /sarc
  
  HealthWatch
  What to know about fluoride in water following RFK Jr.’s health claims, controversial studies
  healthwatch
  By Sara Moniuszko
  
  Edited By Paula Cohen, Allison Elyse Gualtieri
  
  Updated on: January 6, 2025 / 12:20 PM EST / CBS News
  
  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent comments on fluoride and controversial studies are prompting questions about its safety and why it’s used in drinking water.
  
  Kennedy, a former presidential candidate turned Trump supporter who has long shared anti-vaccine views, (to be more factual anti covid Vaccine safety!!!!)
  
  You do realise Bene that your (Christchurch) water does not have fluoride? RDS again?
  
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  February 4, 2025 3:37pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    I have not lived in Christchurch for a long time but yes I am aware.
    
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    February 4, 2025 4:08pm
- Ghost
  
  Good.
  
  If you want fluoride buy it in your toothpaste. Stop expecting the government to mass medicate populations.
  
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  February 4, 2025 3:39pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    Just like vaccines. Irrationally opening up arguments that should have been settled 40 years ago. Of course water should be fluoridated. Opposing it is just mythology. Like believing in the sky father. Give it up.
    
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    February 4, 2025 4:10pm
    - Northshoredoc
      
      [Mod – debate topics]
      
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      February 4, 2025 4:22pm
    - Northshoredoc
      
      Another of your positions I agree with BY.
      
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      February 4, 2025 5:18pm
  - peterwn
    
    It is not medicine. It is an essential substance for the human body, like a myriad of substances, chemicals, etc needed for the human body to function properly in the way it was designed to through evolution.
    
    1 3
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    February 4, 2025 7:37pm
    - Ghost
      
      Unless you have histamine intolerance and fluoride makes it worse.
      
      4 1
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      February 4, 2025 8:26pm
- Ra Henare
  
  Perspective of the political process attacking the man not the ball.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaZDf7bQCfE
  
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  February 4, 2025 5:15pm
Ghost

Forgot about this case,

The Auckland real estate agent who refused to do a 90-minute Māori training course has failed in a court challenge which could see her now banned from practising as an agent for five years.

Article
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February 4, 2025 3:39pm
- Blog-aholic
  
  Appeal incoming. It is indoctrinational and frankly absurd stupidity.
  
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  February 4, 2025 3:45pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    She has no chance of winning.
    
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    February 4, 2025 4:12pm
- Ian Boag
  
  Her choice. Admirably principled decision to be banned from doing what you are qualified (!) to do.
  
  From what I hear, the course/test is not real hard.
  
  It is of course totally bananas, but why put your living on the line …..
  
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  February 4, 2025 6:31pm
  - greybeard
    
    Because she has principles, Ian Boag. She has principles and she has the guts to stand up for them. She may also have a family for whom she is sending a message. What would YOU do, Ian Boag ? Roll over and give up ?
    
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    February 4, 2025 6:35pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      What would YOU do, Ian Boag ?
      
      I love it when a handle jockey addresses me by my real name 🙂
      
      If it was a trivial course/test and my living was at stake I would do it. I would likely grumble a bit but get over it until I sold another house.
      
      You would follow your principles and go looking for a minimum wage hospo job …. well done … admirable 🙂
      
      Tell you what – you could set up a givealittle page for her to compensate for her loss. I personally think she is dumb and wouldn’t contribute anything, but because you are supportive of her and admire her principled approach I expect you would throw a grand or so at it 🙂
      
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      February 4, 2025 7:08pm
      - Gravelroad
        
        Are there special rules around how real estate is sold to Maori?
        If not, what is the point of having to do a course specific to Maori interests?
        If I want to go and purchase a bike for my grandson’s birthday next month, will the salesperson have had to do a course on how to sell bikes to non-Maori?
        Where does it end?
        
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        February 4, 2025 8:05pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        what is the point of having to do a course specific to Maori interests
        
        It’s nuts, but them’s the rules. It’s a 90 minute course. A joke any way you look at it.
        Would I put my career on the line to fight it? Not on your nelly …
        
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        February 4, 2025 8:10pm
  - surfing
    
    They’ll be coming for you next, then.
    
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    February 4, 2025 10:17pm
Jack5

A Maori-Scots name’s been chosen for a dark sky sanctuary in the Deep South as New Zealand localities climb on the travel bandwagon of “noctotourism”.

The latest Otago-Southland goal is based on Glenorchy, the village at the top of Lake Wakatipu. It’s to be the core of a 200,000 hectare “dark sky” sanctuary. The official name will be Tahuna Glenorchy.

Tahuna is the Maori name for Queenstown, and means sandbank or beach. The English-language name Glenorchy was given by reknown pioneer surveyor, explorer and artist John Turnbull Thomson after the glen (deep valley) of the Orchy River in Argyll Scotland.

A small group from Glenorchy began planning four years ago for a dark sanctuary. Group members, reports the “Southland Times,” include an electrician, farmers, a raft guide and an “expert in compost toilets”. They learned about astronomy as they went along.

Glenorchy will be the only internationally recognised dark sky sanctuary “in the path” of the total solar eclipse in 2028, a group spokesman said.

About five other NZ areas have dark-sky reserve or sanctuary status, and organisers in others are talking of joining them. Stewart Island is a dark-sky sanctuary, and Gibbston Kawarau near Queenstown has dark-sky “park” statuts.

The BBC reports a survey suggests two in three potential tourists have considered “dark sky destinations” for trips. Attractions range from “starbathing” (lying down flat and looking at the night skies) and witnessing once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events to more conventional experiences like the night markets of Taiwan.

“Tahuna Glenorchy”:

https://www.thepress.co.nz/travel/360560430/tahuna-glenorchy-named-nzs-newest-dark-sky-sanctuary

International “noctotourism”:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250131-noctourism-a-top-travel-trend-for-2025

Difference between dark sky sanctuary and a dark-sky reserve:

https://nzpocketguide.com/what-is-a-dark-sky-reserve/

[Mod – fixed]
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February 4, 2025 3:42pm
- Jack5
  
  Thanks, Mod!
  
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  February 4, 2025 4:57pm
Swifty

I’ve tried for many years now to maintain my position that lefties are simply misguided or just wrong rather than evil and notwithstanding lefties regularly labelling me and others like me the devils spawn to the right of Hitler and Genghis Khan.

But today I’ve found that quite difficult having seen Tamatha Paul’s response to Sandra Goudie’s Treaty Principles Bill submission:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B9753eM–lM&pp=ygUNd2hhbmdhcmVpIHRpbQ%3D%3D

After hearing Goudie’s submission all Paul can come up with is an insinuation that she cannot or must not comment on matters Maori because she is not one herself – “What qualifies you…?” she asked.

I have three things to say:

1. What an utterly moronic claim, that one must tick a number of boxes before one can air a view on a subject – and indeed one of national importance and which directly affects you.

I wonder whether she dreamed this question up herself or whether it was handed to her by a party apparatchik?

Either way, is she seriously suggesting that we now run the country along those lines? That you must be something, or have experienced something, to be allowed to comment on something?

How would that play out in our national debates? More interestingly, how would that play out for Paul? Being young, she must never be allowed to speak on matters concerning the elderly. Never being in a war, she must never be allowed to speak on matters concerning international conflicts or matters military. Being a woman she must never be allowed to comment on matters relating to men. I have no knowledge of her partner choices, but assuming she’s straight she must never be allowed to comment on gay or trans matters?

Where the hell would this end?

2. Putting aside the moronic aspect, what a disgraceful debating tactic and especially towards a citizen who is simply exercising her rights to speak on matters important to her and at a parliamentary select committee process no less – where everyone has the right to be heard.

“We don’t like what you said but rather than dealing to the matters you raised we’ll attack your right to say it, and insinuate you have no right to speak on these matters. You are not qualified to speak.”

What disgraceful behaviour from one of our elected representatives towards a New Zealand citizen.

3. I see too that Waititi similarly disgraces himself by also attacking Goudie, with his outburst stating Goudie’s opinions come from a place of ‘privilege’.

What the hell? I understand the Parliamentary debating chamber to be a place of robust back and forth between political opponents, but a select committee hearing? Is that where we are at now – MPs personally denigrating citizens who muster the courage and fortitude to front up and give their views?

Getting back to my original point, this is not just misguided or wrong on Paul and Waititi’s part. It’s nasty. It’s rotten. It is personalising and dehumanising people for simply airing their views and by the very people elected and well paid to represent us.

They should be ashamed.
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February 4, 2025 5:44pm
Swifty

Hahahahahahahaha!

Sucks to be Labour, or Chris Hipkins, when you have to rely on these loonies to get back into power:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360570421/te-pati-maori-issues-coalition-ultimatum-naming-treaty-commissioner-bottom-line

And for the record, I would strongly object to the creation of a Treaty Commissioner effectively sitting over our Parliament for one primary reason – as Seymour has conclusively proved over his Treaty Principles Bill, the country is massively divided over what the treaty means and what are the treaty principles, if any, and what they mean or don’t mean – so how would the Commissioner possibly rule on them?

The Commissioner position would be massively political from the outset, with the Left, when in government, putting in a fellow traveller, likely some Maori radical, to rule along radical lines – and with the Right doing similarly, but the opposite, but largely ineffectually when they are in power.

This is nothing but a blatant move by TPM to overcome the supremacy of our democratically-elected parliament to get what they want politically and should be dismissed out of hand as an attempt to thwart our democracy.

Yet again, this proves the rule that you’re right to automatically oppose anything coming from the Maori Party – you’re almost certain to be correct, all their ideas and policies being so bad and ill-thought through.
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February 4, 2025 7:23pm
- Ghost
  
  Sounds like a good idea.
  
  Excuse me for a minute
  
  “Hey Nelson, it’s time, disconnect those cables from the North Island, it’s time we let them float away. All hands to the oars, let’s row a bit closer to Australia so we get away quicker”
  
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  February 4, 2025 8:34pm
- fernglas
  
  A Commissioner who could overrule Government legislation based on whether or not that person considered the legislation to conflict with the Treaty would effectively have the powers of a dictator. It would effectively give an unelected person the power of veto over legislation passed by Parliament, and would be the end of parliamentary democracy as we know it. Willie Jackson probably thinks it is a good idea, but then he has a fairly rudimentary understanding of democratic principles. But I can’t see any mainstream party countenancing it.
  
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  February 4, 2025 9:35pm
Scooter

The reporter doesn’t say if it’s a man or woman but my bet is it’s another dead baby. It seems reporters actively suppress certain uncomfortable details.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-investigating-unexplained-sudden-death-in-papatoetoe-auckland/XYWDFTFKG5BYLMRW6I6XRWV7OI/
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February 4, 2025 9:37pm

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