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February 7, 2025 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 07 February 2025

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General Debate

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Tomtoddy

There is a not-so-subtle campaign being run in the MSM. It involves asking seemingly genuine questions like, “are there real unanswered questions on climate change issues”, or “is the media lying over the catastrophes facing us on climate change” and many similar.

They are created by a lobby group called Climate Cosmos in Germany which is very left wing and into the most extreme positions on climate. The articles go on to turn the question around into a full scale diatribe on why we are doomed if we don’t act quickly and how the sky is falling. They are pretty easy to see through but many would be wooed by their soft, deceptive approach.
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February 7, 2025 8:03am
- Chuck Bird
  
  Do you have a link, please?
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:05am
- Matt Long
  
  Many of these left wing mouthpieces are going to find themselves short of funds.
  https://x.com/DefiyantlyFree/status/1887379975910633827
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:08am
- kowtow
  
  It’s all well and good for some Swivel Eyed far left loons in perpetually self loathing Germany to push their agenda , but the real danger and question must be what’s the excuse for cough cough mainstream centre right , we’re ‘managing the economy and anxious for growth’ politicians doing it.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:17am
- Benedict Yu
  
  What will doom New Zealand is not climate change but rather the policies being contemplated.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:29am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Indeed, adapting to a bit of warm and some variability is something humans are actually quite good at – we have evolved to occupy a lot of niches on this planet.
    
    Taxing ourselves and destroying our economies to “save the planet” is objectively insane, unless we really don’t want decent incomes, healthcare, infrastructure and lifestyle. Particularly as NZ is 0.014 percent of the problem, and China and India don’t care. They are trying to improve the standard of living for their people, and in the case of China, not get overthrown in a bloody coup.
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:07am
  - I remember when
    
    BY:
    Like the EU using their buying power to ‘bully’ us into complying with their rules.
    
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    February 7, 2025 1:18pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  Those who suggested the Maori Chiefs misundertsood the ToW are arrogant and contempuous of the Chiefs. These were some smart people. They had been trading for many years with the English and others. They knew what they were signing and why.
  The French were on the door step and the Chiefs knew the French would wipe them out to take control of the country. The Chiefs wanted an end to their tribal fighting and saw the British as a means to achieve that. They realised that unless they ceded to the British they would never have peace amongst the tribes. And the cherry on the cake was British citizenship which the Chiefs knew was a highly valuable prize.
  The Treaty like all treaties was of it time to deal with a set of circumstances. That time has long passed and NZ is now a multicultural society. It not Maori and the rest.
  Alas the political Elites and the other Elites refuse to recognise the reality.
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:23am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Now we have people who are 95% white complaining that people who are 100% white are exploiting them.
    
    Genuinely oppressed indigenous peoples must shake their heads when they look at these maori activists.
    
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    February 7, 2025 9:34am
    - pdm
      
      Actually (ima) we have people who are 100% white complaining that other people who are 100% white are exploiting Maori and therefore them as well.
      
      I know half a dozen of these people.
      
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      February 7, 2025 10:34am
      - I remember when
        
        Naturally they understand that if Maori (17%? who knows) get 50% of the asset, the remaining 83+% get the remaining 50%.
        Rather than Maori getting 17?% and the remainder of the population getting 83+%, without the misguided/misunderstood equity.
        
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        February 7, 2025 1:26pm
    - JerJer
      
      We are exploiting them, it’s just not in the way that they are asserting. These are generally people who either didn’t listen or didn’t go to school, who are working on the minimum wage or close to and are generally lazy and useless (except at complaining). They are complaining about their own failure and blaming it on others, racism, colonialism…anything really. So to them ‘There own failure’ = ‘Exploitation” much like as peace to Hamas = the extermination of the Jews. Dumb people have stupid ideas and that will never change. Best would be not to give them air time.
      
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      February 7, 2025 12:44pm
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Precisely. Those Chiefs absolutely had agency. They were sophisticated political leaders, and they observed the chaos of the musket wars and the effect on their people of guns, booze, metal implements and temperate climate crops and animals.
    
    They needed to accommodate change, and to stop the warfare and exploitation.
    
    They chose to become subjects of the most powerful empire on earth, because it was the best deal they could achieve – and the Poms offered a stonking deal, far better than the French or Americans would have. Maori actually got to be British Citizens, with all of the rights and responsibilities that that entailed – no little thing back then.
    
    Yes the settler governments that came after were arseholes, but I suspect that many of the Chiefs expected that too – some of them were too (ahem Ngapuhi, Ngati Toa) and they weren’t averse to a bit of expropriation and selling off the neighbours land.
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:13am
    - Debsta
      
      Yet apparently saying Maori chiefs of the past had intelligence, mana and agency is somehow “racist” these days. Clown world.
      
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      February 7, 2025 12:47pm
  - Paulus
    
    Not only British Citizenship but they could have and still today British Passports in the Names, originally of New Zealand, but got transformed in to Aotearoa as well.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:35am
  - PurplePen
    
    Don Brash was recounting long discussions he had when he was National Party Leader with Tariana Turia. On The Platform earlier this week. The Maori seats were discussed and he said Tariana was OK with them being abolished, but not until all settlements were finalised. I thought that was very interesting.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:19pm
    - Matt Long
      
      So basically Tariana was saying, ok let’s abolish the Maori seats, when the flying pigs drop out of the sky due to hell freezing over.
      
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      February 7, 2025 3:54pm
- lastmanstanding
  
  If you want to know whats gone wrong with our economy over the past 50 years let me tell you a story.
  In 1974 newly married my wife and I paid around $4 every 6 weeks ( that was the billing cycle) to the Auckland Electric Power Board. Now we pay around $272 every 6 weeks to our provider 68 times the 1974 amount. Stats NZ tells me wages and salaries have increased 11 times over that period. Yet there are many more people living in the Auckland area so the cost of providing electricity should be more economical logic suggests that. I say this is just one example of why our economy is screwed.
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:35am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    But “experts”, with BAs in interpretative dance and Pol Sci assure us that wind and solar are so much cheaper and better than hydro, coal and gas to produce energy.
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:15am
    - I remember when
      
      Yep!
      Wind and solar producing 7.8% of Transpower total at present and at 27.3% of their combined capacity.
      We would need to increase wind/solar by X11.83 at current production levels.
      
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      February 7, 2025 1:51pm
  - rjay
    
    We can do that again if you would like marginal income tax to be 66%
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:26am
  - cmm
    
    I don’t think it is quite correct to compare your $4 bill to your $272 bill for a few reasons:
    1) I don’t know, but I will guess that your electricity usage is far higher than it was back then. I doubt though that it is 6 times higher.
    2) The 1970s was at the tail end of the hydro building boom (peak hydro as a % of electricity production was about 1984). This massively drove down the spot price of electricity and that would have driven down electricity prices significantly until demand picked up.
    
    That said, other factors have been large contributors to price rises – especially compliance costs and the cost of virtue signalling.
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:32am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      True – that dreadful Muldoon had this crazy idea that investing in abundant cheap energy would fuel the economy for decades to come, and provide opportunities for families and businesses to prosper….
      
      oh, how we laughed at his stupidity!
      
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      February 7, 2025 10:59am
      - cmm
        
        Well there was some stupidity there in that for a while there was some oversupply which resulted in a glut of energy – at the expense of more than necessary spending on building generation etc.
        
        There was some justification in that the 1970s saw some of the height of the Peak Oil scam and an energy crunch. People were concerned about energy supply so building extra electrical capability seemed prudent.
        
        But way, way worse is what we saw in more recent years with Cindy and her mob destroying the energy sector (and still see because Cindy’s bald BFF hasn’t reverted the policies).
        
        The best would be an energy supply policy that provides adequate, reasonably priced electricity. Gluts are not the worst but are still undesirable because they cause unstable boom/bust economies.
        
        Those boom/bust policies gave us the mixed blessing of Tiwai Point smelters. Sure, that created some jobs but now means we have a bit of an albatross hanging around our necks.
        
        While you and your business are now paying 30c+ per kWh remember that Rio Tinto is only paying 5 cents or less. Those are thripple-whammy subsidies we’re paying there since we’re paying subsidies to Rio Tinto to compete with them – driving up the cost of a scarce resource which they have locked in at an incredibly low price.
        
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        February 7, 2025 4:32pm
      - Ghost
        
        Cindy’s bald BFF
        
        What you are? A five year old child giggling in the corner because you would rather attack the physical looks of a person. Moronic how the right bitch about the left but are just as bad as them
        
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        February 7, 2025 4:47pm
  - Graeme Hall
    
    If you believe power companies are overcharging then look at buying shares in the listed ones. They have been good investments.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:31am
    - Allan
      
      Indeed they have been.
      
      So glad I got in on day 1.
      
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      February 7, 2025 5:49pm
    - [email protected]
      
      An even better investment for me has been solar panels on our roof. Paid for themselves in less than 7 years.
      
      Can’t get that return on investment at the bank.
      
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      February 7, 2025 9:13pm
  - wsk12345
    
    To be fair, power was massively subsidised by the taxpayer at that time. The big hydro projects were built at massive cost and the power sold to consumers for a couple of cents per kWh. This despite the fact that the average lifetime cost over 100 years to fund them was 15-20c per kWh. Wholesale prices have still not reached that level on a sustained basis.
    
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    February 7, 2025 9:20pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Given that the german (and European) economy is in freefall, this is not going to end well.
  
  Doubling down on reverting to a hunter-gatherer existence is probably not a wellbeing enhancing solution, but given these people also advocate depopulation, maybe this is the plan.
  
  The US tearing up the Paris agreement, cancelling Woke, destroying the deep state funding go-round and deciding it wants to be a major industrial power again should make this fun! The Italians, Hungarians and a few others have already blinked, I imagine the Poles will too. The French will play both sides and cheat, and that just leads the hapless Germans and Poms…. who are screwed.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:05am
  - Grunter
    
    Yep – good summary.
    
    Don’t forget the Japs. Their sovereign debt is even worse and they have no runway left. Who drops first is hard to pick.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:39am
  - cmm
    
    The biggest problem EU faces is that after many hundreds of years of refinement and development they have forgotten about quality and now import quantity.
    
    This is based on the notion that all people are equally intelligent and equally industrious and bringing in masses of foreigners would keep the European economy running – to help pay for all the retirees.
    
    Unfortunately reality isn’t as nice and tidy as that.
    
    Now Europe sits with a triple problem:
    1) The intelligent and industrious workforce are retiring. They are leaving the workforce and want benefits.
    2) The flood of incapable immigrants can’t do the job and want welfare.
    3) The manufacturing base is shrinking – as is the market, so the powerhouse that pays everything is going to crater.
    
    Perhaps Germany will dust off its books from 100 years ago to see what their forefathers did.
    
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    February 7, 2025 4:40pm
- David George
  
  All of “our” legacy media are partners of global climate propaganda outfit Covering Climate Now. They provide resources and programs to instill climate related fear – hence you will find the same copy and photos across multiple “news” outlets and in multiple countries.
  How they are funded and directed is pretty murky but I suspect many lefty NGO’s Soros, Gates and the Clinton Foundation are in there somewhere.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:41am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Which presumably means USAID and the US taxpayer has funded it all. Hopefully that spigot is now permanently closed, but all the Europeans have “aid agencies” as do we, that spend far too much time on funding “civil society” groups to oppose the governments of the countries they “work” in.
    
    In NZ most NGO lobby groups (from the Jubilee Foundation through to ASH) s are government funded.
    
    The government department pays the NGO to lobby for policies the department would like to enact, but doesn’t have a mandate for. It is the way the game works.
    
    We need a bit of DOGE action here too.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:03am
- sungsamning
  
  I wonder if they got USAID money?
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:02am
- lastmanstanding
  
  We have 85/15 governance in New Zealand. 85% of Government is concentrated on 15% of the population Maori.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:37am
- David George
  
  WEF: “Malthusian, fear mongering cabal of authoritarian elitists drunk on the fumes of their own self righteous delusions” Jordan Peterson
  https://x.com/i/status/1887587840047059166
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:53am
- NK
  
  I wouldn’t be surprised if Climate Cosmos was funded by USAID.
  
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  February 7, 2025 12:55pm
Chuck Bird

I watched Peta Crendlin interview Peter Dutton for an hour with no commercials. It was a great interview.
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February 7, 2025 8:04am
Matt Long

“USAID Afghanistan stuff was truly incredible. My favorites include:
1. Solar power street lights (stolen & replaced n*)
2. Pay Opium farmers 2x opium price to grown corn, then sending Afghan to inspect. (Collected corn $, grew opium, bribed inspector, sold opium to Haqqani”
https://x.com/RealSamRogers/status/1886841403046789514
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February 7, 2025 8:06am
Frank the tank

Do we need a Labour-Greens-Maori Government to spur the right in New Zealand into meaningful actions? I’m beginning to think the Ardern-Hipkins government wasn’t the darkness before dawn required for this country to get serious.

Also is anyone in the media going to investigate the claims that USAID gave Auckland University hundreds of millions of dollars? I’d like to think this is BS however with the truth bombs starting to come out of the US government perhaps there is truth to this and if so – who in NZ knew?
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February 7, 2025 8:07am
- Mod88
  
  “Also is anyone in the media going to investigate”
  
  Hahahahaha – You Jest Surely, the recipients of the PIJF who are just awaiting the next handout from Minister Goldsmith.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:57am
  - Paulus
    
    Why do I believe we heard at the election that PIJF was to be terminated in June, last years and why was it not ?
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:38am
- Blog-aholic
  
  I’d suggest that NZ media also got some USAID money and still (well not now) do….
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:35am
- Positan
  
  Hipkin’s performance in Health, Police and Education was MONUMENTALLY INEPT and he showed even less aptitude when he pushed Ardern aside for the PM’s job. (According to one of her latest revelations, even Ardern didn’t view Hipkins as a contender she had to fear.)
  
  His only “success” was as a student debater which led to him becoming VUW’s student union president. Post university, he got a job with Labour in parliament, which would have minimised his life-skills and appreciation of reality even further.
  
  So, with no PRACTICAL experience, let alone business experience, the media portrays his usual fundamentally-unfounded bleatings as if they were founded on substance.
  
  It amazes me that he’s even remotely regarded as any sort of leader – especially with his long record of non-achievement.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:24am
  - Paulus
    
    And for Education Minister was OK because his mother was an important and very Senior person in Education – and still is, I believe !
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:40am
    - Pope Punctilious II
      
      Yes Rosemary Hopkins is very senior in education, and very woke.
      
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      February 7, 2025 12:24pm
  - Grunter
    
    Perfect credentials to lead Labour.
    
    Perfect credentials to be PM of a socialist apartheid country.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:43am
  - PurplePen
    
    I get the impression that he knows himself that he’s not up to the job. There’s a permanent air of nervousness about him. He continues though thinking or believing that no-one sees it, a bit like the emporer’s new clothes. He’s definitely got a dictionary of cliches memorised.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:26pm
  - I remember when
    
    “founded on substance”
    Is that the same as ‘drugged by power?’
    
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    February 7, 2025 2:06pm
artemisia

US deportations to Pacific countries. Sounds like those with a criminal history are first on the lists. Numbers are tiny compared to South America, for example, but impact on small Pacific nations will not be tiny if they are not prepared. Or even if they are.

Trump deportations roil Pacific waters

Some numbers from the article, not all and unlikely to be the end – 151 Tongans, 72 Micronesians, and 166 New Zealanders facing final orders of removal from the US, reported the Samoa Observer.

New Zealand journalist Michael Field wrote last week – “an unsettling number of them will have gang and criminal connections”

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/541092/trump-deportations-roil-pacific-waters
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February 7, 2025 8:07am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  We should give thanks to the Aussies. The 501 experience will stand us in good stead.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:14am
- kowtow
  
  Time to get real about crime .
  Build proper prisons and make serious crims do serious time.
  
  Stop pearl clutching about “impact” on society .
  Society needs to make an impact on crime.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:21am
  - PurplePen
    
    I also like the idea of short prison sentences of 2 to 7 nights. For those where money is no object. They pay the cost of the brief stay as well as the fine. The rationale is that for them time is what they value or do not have to fritter away and this would be a great incentive such as for petty crime and some traffic violations. Brierly for example used to just park his vehicle anywhere and just paid the fine.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:31pm
    - pdm
      
      Used to be PP.
      
      Drunks got tossed into the `pokey’ to sober up.
      
      Can’t do that now I guess.
      
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      February 7, 2025 1:12pm
- Hugh Jarse
  
  This has been going on for years, I recall at least 20 years ago, concerns around Tongan gang members from LA being deported back to Tonga. A lot worked in LAX handling baggage and cargo. And while some in NZ bleated about Australia deporting 501’s back to NZ, we were full steam ahead deporting similar criminals back to the Pacific.
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:46am
- Handyman
  
  The reporters view seems to be :
  “How dare they!
  The islands should be able to deport violent nasty criminals to the USA but should not be returned. “
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:12am
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Been going on for a while, some of those deportees are serious gangsters, who create havoc back in the Islands.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:16am
Yvette

Deplatform David Seymour? Why not Rawiri Waititi?

Te Pāti Māori demands a new Te Tiriti o Waitangi commissioner with veto power over parliamentary decisions, making it a key condition for post-2026 coalition talks.
Co-leader Rawiri Waititi argues the role could have blocked ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill, which has sparked intense debate with 300,000 submissions.
Critics, including legal experts, say the proposal is undemocratic and incompatible with New Zealand’s parliamentary system.
ACT’s David Seymour calls it a threat to democracy, while Labour and the Greens remain open to discussions. With shifting poll numbers, Te Pāti Māori’s demand could complicate future coalition negotiations.

As an extension to the Treaty and a wild interpretation of its intent, why is not mass vilification heaped on Rawiri Waititi and Te Pāti Māori and the silent fence-sitting Luxon (referred to, on Kiwiblog in the last few days, as a bald Jacinda Ardern – please excuse such imagery in the possible proximity to your breakfast) as has been dumped on David Seymour, with the attempts to deplatform him at Waitangi.

Te Pāti Māori demands are away beyond any true sense of the Treaty, which was to define the extent of any engagement with UNDRIP [1]
Rather than consideration of Rawiri Waititi’s outline, why is there no mass hysteria at how out of line it is?
________________
[1] • reaffirms the legal and constitutional frameworks that underpin New Zealand’s legal system, noting that those existing frameworks [the Treaty] define the bounds of New Zealand’s engagement with the declaration [UNDRIP]
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/national-govt-support-un-rights-declaration
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February 7, 2025 8:10am
- pdm
  
  Yvette I just had to share that `Bald Jacinda’ nickname for PM Luxon.
  
  So apt.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:41am
  - Yvette
    
    Matt Long
    National has gone full on Bald Jacinda, and it’s not working.
    
    All_on_Red
    ‘Bald Jacinda’- hadn’t heard that one before.
    https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2025/02/general_debate_05_february_2025.html#comment-3676640
    
    start of a meme
    
    [OK let’s leave it as meme material please. The rules we mods have to follow are in the comments policy set by DF:
    
    “Abusive nicknames for MPs such as “Ardern the liar”, “Golly G”, “Simple Simon” will be unacceptable. You can critique something they have said or done, but not just repeat an abusive nickname.”
    
    Thank you for your cooperation. mod.]
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:05pm
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  It is undoubtedly a threat to democracy.
  
  But there seems to be an increasing number of people who don’t actually see that as a problem. It’s long been the case that many people think dictatorship is an okay form of Government – as long as the dictator is themselves, or at least one of their guys. We’re seeing that playing out in the States at the moment, to enthusiastic applause in some quarters, including here on Kiwiblog.
  
  So if you want to oppose this proposal, you need to do more than say “it’s anti-democratic”. You need to explain why exactly that’s a bad thing.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:16am
- I remember when
  
  In a 50/50 election result for the major parties Te Pati Maori will always control the result.
  Will be even worse if there are increases in the number of Maori seats.
  
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  February 7, 2025 2:13pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

That Donald Trump is a card! He’s going back to his property developer roots in suggesting Gaza be redeveloped as the new Beirut. Move the residents out to neighbouring countries, bring in the dozers & off we go.

We can show him how it’s done. The same thing is happening on Waiheke, apparently. Resettle the locals in Auckland, in come the wealthy digital nomads & job done.

http://www.bbc.com/news/live/cvg4zwwez9et

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/541146/waiheke-housing-new-rules-for-digital-nomads-could-push-us-out-residents
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February 7, 2025 8:12am
- Tom Hunter
  
  Not when Gaza is filled with women like this.
  https://x.com/Osint613/status/1884923271373545680
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:44am
  - kowtow
    
    “Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us”
    
    Golda Meir
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:16am
- artemisia
  
  It is Waiheke renters who will be (maybe) affected. Renting is inherently unstable housing, and if renters leave town that may have a flow on effect on businesses. Those businesses will have to make decisions. T’was ever thus.
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:57am
- Handyman
  
  His strategy is:
  1. Highlight that no Arab country wants a single Gazan resident, breaking the narrative that these Gazan are innocent peaceful refugees. It shows no one trusts Hamas.
  2. Well if no Arab country is taking Gazans, why should the US pay for reconstruction?
  3. Wealthy countries (Qatar, Saudi, Iran) paid billions to Hamas while UN (USA) paid billions indirectly via UNWRA. These countries minus USA can pay the same for reconstruction.
  4. Hamas shoed it is clear and present danger to Israel. Israel has every right to continue to strike Hamas when possible. Israel has accepted it cannot eradicate Hamas and has reverted to the former policy of “mowing the lawn”.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:27am
- RoboRob
  
  Trump is a very clever man (smarter then I thought!). Watch the local Arab Nations rush to counter his proposal with their own rebuild plan.
  
  Trump and Israel will end up with other Arab nations funding the rebuild of Gaza and potentially ensuring the transfer to a non terrorist government for the region.
  
  Win / win for Gaza and the US.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:20am
- I remember when
  
  What!!! People who didn’t want to let the riff-raff in being pushed out themselves.
  
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  February 7, 2025 2:15pm
Cassandra

Dismissing the ACT Principles Bill as a neo-liberal thought experiment (the Ngai Taihu tribe’s opinion) or repeating endlessly that the Bill will not become law (Luxon as nauseum) doesn’t make the issues go away. New Zealanders of European and other descent are not visitors and people with Maori genes have no greater role or claim to power. National needs to address this or it will become irrelevant. There’s plenty to do. Note that the new Maori candidate for Mayor of Auckland has the usual waffle of left-wing mantras such as not selling anything the Council owns but only one specific policy – a fund for Maori youth. As usual with these racists the only focus is Maori. F*** the rest of you! Ngai Ku Klux Klan. This will continue until some form of a Principles Bill becomes law and the norm. National can’t seem to hoist this in. There is no centre – we are either divided or together, which is it to be?
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February 7, 2025 8:13am
- Damocles11
  
  When will the establishment realise that the defence of the racist maorification and co-governance is inevitably going to lead to the destruction of this country? When there is blood running in the streets? What will it take for them to wake up? Yes, their instincts are to make a knee-jerk defence of the status quo. But the Captain and officers of the Titanic must have reached a point where they knew the ship was sinking. Surely Luxon and his corporate handlers must at some stage front up to reality as well(?)
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:29am
  - Yvette
    
    Not all pandemics are caused by viruses
    
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    February 7, 2025 9:44am
- Yvette
  
  Cassandra, I commiserate with you.
  Indeed the so-called Nation’s Founding Document is a (mainly real-estate) deal between the Crown and The First Immigrants, Maori – so leaving out about eighty percent of the population: Ngai Ku Klux Klan.
  
  The backwards logic of Article 3, bestowing the same rights and responsibilities on Maori as have Queen Victoria’s subjects in Enland, and Ngai KKK are also British Subjects, so equal then to Maori (M = B, KKK = B, so KKK = M ) is not direct enough to be of constitutional worth.
  
  “This will continue until some form of a Principles Bill becomes law and the norm” to address the vast majority of the nation which are not in the Nation’s Founding Document.
  
  “Not my Treaty”
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:18am
- PurplePen
  
  ODT today had some of Luxon’s speech from Akaroa, presumably the main points. All of it was about settlement, apology, Crown and Maori. None of it was about New Zealand, New Zealanders. This tells me that Waitangi Day isn’t at all about us, about us NZers. It tells me the rest of us needn’t bother with Waitangi Day except to have a day off, which is all is ever been anyway.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:01am
  - Ghost
    
    You can read the full speech here
    
    https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2502/S00034/waitangi-day-speech-to-ngai-tahu-onuku-marae.htm
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:16am
    - Grunter
      
      I’ve just read the whole speech – thx for the link Ghost.
      
      Bloody hell – Luxon has swung even further left than even I thought and that’s saying something.
      
      Lots more taxpayers funds to be shelled out to iwi elites as part of “…..our partnership with Maori…..” So the Gravy Train to continue as part of our “Go for Growth” plans.
      
      Also recognises that the 1998 Nga Tahu ‘settlement’ was not full and final because we have to continue to support Maori.
      
      Lots of special “partnership” talk. Lots of tax money to go specifically to Maori.
      
      So it is now VERY clear – National are building a socialist ethno-state. No argument even necessary anymore.
      
      2026 elections will be New Zealand’s last chance. I know it’s very unlikely that this can be turned around by voting. I think the path forward is almost ‘baked in’. So will the counter reaction be mass exodus, or mass civil unrest (fight or flight)?
      
      History shows it will be both.
      
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      February 7, 2025 12:23pm
      - Taieri
        
        “…..our partnership with Maori…..”
        ———–
        
        Whose partnership? The Government’s?
        If so, does it mean that the Maori are separate from the rest of New Zealand and the Government is not acting for and on behalf of the Maori?
        And who precisely are the Maori “partners” then? Is every single Maori a “partner”? Or just a few selected ones? If so, who’s selected them?
        Does my elected representative act as a “partner” on my behalf?
        I don’t recall being asked by my local MP for my consent to grant such an authority.
        
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        February 7, 2025 1:23pm
      - thirteenstars
        
        The suspicion I’ve long had is that Luxon very much dislikes ACT and for all the old reasons that fuel that particular hatred within National stalwarts, that being that every vote for ACT is a vote stolen from National.
        
        The TPB is just a convenient target for that hate and Luxon’s natural tendency to believe the treaty partnership bullshit allows him to vent at the thorn in National’s side which has always been ACT.
        
        When the Deputy PM role switches it’ll be very interesting to see Seymour seated beside Luxon with ten other ACT members at their backs.
        
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        February 7, 2025 2:38pm
      - Pope Punctilious II
        
        Once again, the problem isn’t Luxon, it’s the dominance of the “liberal” wing of the Nats. Willis, Bishop or Stanford would have said much the same things.
        
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        February 7, 2025 5:46pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  The principal bill would not stop the mayor of Auckland offering what ever she Iikes, it is abut legal actions, not sure what some of you think the bill represents, but Seymour over and over again has said the bill is about legal actions
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:04am
  - PurplePen
    
    Is she their Tory Whanau perhaps.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:46pm
- I remember when
  
  ‘National needs to address this or it will become irrelevant.’
  
  We also need to media to highlight all of the more extreme rhetoric and the outrageous demands.
  
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  February 7, 2025 2:20pm
Matt Long

I’m reading The Brethren by John Grisham about a blackmail scam run from prison intersecting with a CIA plot to install a puppet President, then I go on X and realise the story of the Pelosi/Biden crime families, DOGE, USAID, DEI, the WEF, Soros, WHO, the UN rorts, the Islamification of Europe, has a much better plot, is far better written, and is many times more gripping.
Unfortunately in New Zealand the weak compromised politicians still hold sway, and a happy ending isn’t looking close at hand.
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February 7, 2025 8:17am
Tauhei Notts

That USAid outfit seems a bit wonky. I saw the quote;
“USAid is and always has been the primary source of funding for ‘their’ influence peddling schemes and for ‘their’ indirect sources of income.”
“Their in that context means the Democratic Party.
I thought that if one substituted Labour for ‘their’ and N.Z. On Air for USAid, you would have New Zealand’s situation summed up to a tee.
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February 7, 2025 8:20am
Observant Octagenarian

Today the local school is closed. Teachers only day, I expect.
I wonder what would happen if the Retail Workers Union had the same powers as the Teachers Union and got Harvey and Noel to have ‘Staff Only Days’, where their shops were closed to customers.
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February 7, 2025 8:21am
- David Garrett
  
  Observant: And of course it’s a total coincidence that yesterday was a holiday, so taking today off creates a nice four day weekend
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:57am
  - RoboRob
    
    Whilst taking one of their (supposedly) two per year teachers only days today makes perfect sense from a ‘long weekend holiday’ perspective. It makes none from a ‘teachers only days are for staff planning / training’ purpose when most high schools only started back this week.
    
    This sort of action by the schools (it’s not the unions chosing the day it is the individual schools), does nothing to counter the belief that these days are just extra holidays.
    
    FYI my kids high school is OPEN today and also the first day of school this years from my son, (senior in his final year). Younger kids started earlier this week.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:15am
  - James Stephenson
    
    I’d be interested to see the attendance figures for the schools that are open. If I was a business owner, I’d be asking for medical certificates for anyone calling in sick today.
    
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    February 7, 2025 1:18pm
  - Paulus
    
    Whadda you expect from our Teachers ?
    On that matter we hear that the young people are being held as the highest numbers of unemployment.
    We also hear from employers that the ability in respect of even to do a simple task is seriously lacking, particularly boys, and it is believed it will get worse for quite some time.
    Could our Teachers, even from primary level, be found wanting.
    After all another day off school today because …..
    
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    February 7, 2025 2:58pm
  - lifesgood
    
    I worked in a Secondary school for many years and was there for many teacher only days. They usually consisted of a staff meeting at 9am and then staff were free to go to their departments for departmental meetings. Dep mtgs usually consisted of going to the pub for lunch and then home. Teacher only days were a complete joke.
    
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    February 7, 2025 4:32pm
- imalwaysright
  
  NZ : Land of the Long Weekend
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:01am
- fredonas
  
  We take it for granted now but shops used to be closed on the weekends up until the late 1980s when retailers fought long and hard for weekend trading which many politicians and members of the public were firmly against.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:01pm
Matt Long

“Over $4 billion to Haiti but Haiti only got 2% of it. The rest went to firms in DC and “other”
https://x.com/catturd2/status/1887197737076277632
And why would the Democrats “soft power” agency be reported to have given a half billion dollars the Auckland University? To grow their engineering department?
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February 7, 2025 8:22am
- Ehlana
  
  Good question. I could accept it if, for example, they were paying for research into locally affordable and sustainable hurricane-resistant housing on Pacific Islands, as that sort of thing could well be run from Auckland.
  But in that case, I’d also expect it to be listed on both entities websites. Along with the (hopefully successful) results of the work undertaken.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:53am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  And why would the Democrats “soft power” agency be reported to have given a half billion dollars the Auckland University?
  
  Someone may have jumped the gun on this issue:
  
  https://fyi.org.nz/request/29979-what-were-the-terms-of-the-296-974-111-usd-funding-that-the-university-of-auckland-received-from-usaid-and-how-was-it-spent
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:56am
Swifty

Nice for some:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/maori-landowner-wins-rates-battle-110000-debt-wiped-by-council/6GIASELTEVEOFE7W3CZAEFJ2DM/
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February 7, 2025 8:24am
- pdm
  
  Live on the Land, benefit from what it produces (even if it is blackberries) then pay your rates including arrears penalties.
  
  We all have to.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:47am
- I remember when
  
  Just another case of the 83+% getting nothing while the other 17?% get 100%.
  
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  February 7, 2025 2:30pm
- Jinky
  
  Link not working or story taken down?
  
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  February 8, 2025 8:25am
Damocles11

We need to take the power away from the activists, leftists, MSM and cease having Waitangi Day as our national day. It’s over. They blew it. They’ve had decades to start behaving with decency and respect and they’ve squandered the chance. It’s time to take power back and start a popular movement for a new New Zealand Day. In any case, it’s profoundly selfish for one group of Maori in Northland to be the entire focus on what is supposed to be our national day: 5.5 million New Zealand citizens are excluded on a day that has become a fetishisation of Maori grievance, anger, and disrespect. Enough is enough! If we continue to tolerate this farce, we are letting not only ourselves down but every person who calls New Zealand home.
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February 7, 2025 8:25am
- sungsamning
  
  The USAID scandal, and its consequences will aid this process.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:14am
  - Allan
    
    A shell company of USAID, in cahoots with the CIA, was responsible for pushing the Ukraine investigation that lead to the second Trump impeachment.
    
    It’s not just a whiff of corruption, it’s a whole, stinking, maggot infested, rotting carcass.
    
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    February 7, 2025 5:58pm
Martin

I’ve not attended the Treaty Grounds on Waitangi Day, but may I ask of those who have: Being our so-called “national day” is our National Anthem sung? And is the anthem of the other signing party sung (God Save The King)? Just wondering, and never seen it….
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February 7, 2025 8:26am
- Ehlana
  
  One of the signing parties was the Crown, whose role in NZ has subsequently devolved to our elected Parliament, so they would be represented by “God Defend NZ”. Not sure the particular group of chiefs who signed at Waitangi had an anthem to play.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:00am
peterwn

The guy accused of two shootings in the Coromandal late last year has now been released on bail. If he is deemed to be suitable for bail now, then why not at the time he was arrested (or very soon after).
I was going to comment further but considered this unwise as a jury trial is pending – at some dim distant date.
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February 7, 2025 8:29am
- artemisia
  
  Hope he gets his pigs back. They are a big part of his life.
  
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  February 7, 2025 8:31am
  - G152
    
    The two legged or the four legged??????
    
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    February 7, 2025 8:39am
- David Garrett
  
  Peter: i suspect part of the reason is the massive delay before his trial…not until 2027 FFS
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:00am
  - MCōs
    
    Arthur Thomas was convicted four months after he was charged
    The brevity of the process led to mistakes being made
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:59am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      So he should have been railroaded more slowly?
      
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      February 7, 2025 11:08am
      - MCōs
        
        The defense, as opposed to the prosecution, did not have the resources to do the business in that time frame
        
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        February 7, 2025 11:40am
    - rangitoto
      
      Justice delayed is justice denied. I was on a jury for a trial for crime that had occurred over two years before it came to trial. Sure investigation and expert forensic analysis takes time but two years was for sure far too long in the case I was on the jury for. I suspect that this is too common.
      
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      February 7, 2025 11:56am
  - peterwn
    
    But this still begs the question – if it is considered safe to release him on bail now, then it must have been safe to release him on bail near the time of arrest. Or perhaps the victims’ families and elements of the public would have been outraged.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:05am
Matt Long

“Don’t Just Yell at Luxon, Demand Better Civil Servants
All prime ministers are political eunuchs. Please try to keep that in mind.”
https://goodoil.news/dont-just-yell-at-luxon-demand-better-civil-servants-2/
If we have a problem with civil servants preventing reform in government, keeping in mind probably all of the have had to sign up to the Treaty is a partnership and white guilt to be hired, one way to weed out problem people would be to require the entire public service to sign a pledge to treat all people equally regardless of race, religion, sex, occupation or polital affiliation.
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February 7, 2025 8:36am
- Quail
  
  ML
  
  “Demand better civil servants”
  Pretty hard when governments including local employ much the same personnel .The civil service for National is similar to those who were employed by Labour.
  Local government is the same.The CEO is employed by Council and he/she employs the staff,
  Being a Civil servant is pretty much a job for life.
  Incoming governments would have to be strong to change this, mostly they are not.
  Bureaucrats rule!
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:45am
  - pdm
    
    `The civil service for National is similar to those who were employed by Labour.’
    
    There was a time when almost all Civil Servants were `A Politcal’ – not now.
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:50am
    - fredonas
      
      Hard to be apolitical when you’re a “hard of thinking” self-styled “social justice activist” underachiever who’s been marinating in marxist claptrap for most of your life 🙂
      
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      February 7, 2025 11:17am
      - Bridgenag
        
        good one to quote
        
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        February 7, 2025 12:32pm
      - fredonas
        
        “Hard of thinking” is a line from Broadchurch series 2 so I can’t take any credit 🙂
        
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        February 7, 2025 1:04pm
  - Paulus
    
    Why change anything, the Public Service pay is now some 24% above the private sector we are told.
    Thanks Clark and the Damn Dame.
    
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    February 7, 2025 3:02pm
- GazzaW
  
  It hasn’t taken Simeon Brown long. The CEO of Health NZ has just resigned with immediate effect.
  She was obviously a mate of Ayesha Verrall.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:00am
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    I think we may have young Simeon as Leader of the Nats in the next few years.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:34am
  - Taieri
    
    The CEO of Health NZ has just resigned with immediate effect.
    ———–
    
    The next most welcome resignation would be that of the Governor of the Reserve Bank. Surely, he could (and should) be encouraged to make a similar decision.
    
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    February 7, 2025 1:29pm
    - Paulus
      
      Nah !
      His five year contract was renewed just prior to the election by Robertson.
      
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      February 7, 2025 3:03pm
- PurplePen
  
  Fire at will for CEOs and all direct reports X months post any election.
  
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  February 7, 2025 12:50pm
Handyman

This research paper proves there is no reason to include agricultural emissions in New Zealand’s Paris promises.
Using established physics formulas (not any computer models) it shows methane is immaterial to temperature rise. The authors are extremely respected and serious physicists.

Their logical argument…
1. One molecule of methane has about 30 times more warming effect than CO2.
2. However there is only 1 ppm of methane in the atmosphere compared to 400 for CO2 so the net impact is 30/400 that of CO2 — that is 0.05 degree even accepting all IPCC forecasts.
3. So if both CO2 and methane were to double the contribution of methane will be 0.05 degree celsius.
4. At the current rate of increase it will take 270 years to double methane from 1ppm to 2 ppm.

Therefore methane will cause a 0.05 degree increase in 270 year’s time!

Why hasn’t New Zealand’s removed the agricultural emissions tax?

https://co2coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Methane-and-Climate-Happer-van-Wijngaarden-2025-January-compressed.pdf
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February 7, 2025 8:39am
- cmm
  
  ” 1. One molecule of methane has about 30 times more warming effect than CO2.”
  
  Is that true? We see all sorts of numbers being thrown around and the science behind them seems rather dodgy. Currently NASA and UNEP are throwing around a number of 80x but the wording is identical on their websites, suggesting they are cutting and pasting from a common source.
  
  One of the challenges here is that it is easy to confuse the per-molecule effect with a per-mass effect. Since a CO2 molecule has approx 3x the mass of a methane molecule, that is an extreme difference.
  
  The other factor is the amount of time methane survives in the atmosphere before being broken down into CO2 and water. Some sources claim 20 years, some far shorter times.
  
  I would think it would be a challenge to double the methane in the atmosphere. Much of the methane is broken down by methane-chomping bacteria. If the methane levels increased then the levels of these methane eating bacteria would also increase – largely keeping the methane in check.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:46am
  - Chris Nisbet
    
    Maybe those sorts of claims are true in an “all other things being equal” type of scenario. The thing is, the global climate is a highly complex/chaotic thing, and there really is no way to predict with any certainty what the effect of a little bit more methane is going to be.
    Cripes, after decades of work they’re still not that certain about how much warming we’ll get from a doubling of CO2.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:10am
  - Handyman
    
    @cmm. I agree with you that methane is unlikely to ever double. In New Zealand methane levels are actually decreasing. However the study extrapolates from recent years, including a decade where it didn’t increase at all. The paper doesn’t haggle over the doubling time as it doesn’t negate the conclusion.
    
    This is how I explain the greenhouse gas effect to people. It is not scientifically accurate but explains why it is nothing like a greenhouse.
    Imagine it is mid winter on a calm sunny Christchurch day. You know the air itself is not warm but you feel warmth in the sunshine; cold in the shade.
    
    Now imagine it is mid summer walking across the road. The heat radiating from the road is heating the air near the road, moreso than directly from the sun.
    
    The two types of heat sources feel different because they are different wavelengths. CO2 is like the road surface. It takes the direct sunrays and re-emits at a different wavelength which heats the air. CO2 is good and necessary.
    
    The holy religious wars are all about the impact of doubling the CO2 concentration. In other words, what is the effect of doubling the thickness of the road asphalt?
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:13pm
  - PurplePen
    
    Two things. The tens or hundreds of models they use for climate all exclude clouds as cloud modelling is too difficult. Clouds reflect some heat radiation back out into space and also reflect radiation from earth back down.
    
    The other point is as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere increases its ability to retain radiative forcing from the earth reduces. I can’t remember if the graph is linear of exponential. But at the current concentration of about 400ppm is just about reached saturation and any more makes negligible or zero difference. Another way to describe it is if you’ve just painted your shed red with two or three coats of paint, adding one more coat isn’t going to make it more red.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:57pm
    - Handyman
      
      Correct.
      We are at the stage of the middle ages where the monks of the day came up with more and more complicated sprirographic calculations to “prove” the Earth was the centre of the universe.
      Eventually people outside the mainstream accepted that the Earth revolved around the sun. No one changed their minds, but over time the old guard literally died off.
      
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      February 7, 2025 3:47pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        Actually it was Copernicus who solved the issue, but was for a time excommunicated.. Okay, he wasn’t a monk, but he was a Catholic priest. 🙂
        
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        February 7, 2025 5:34pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Cook Islands’ deal with China takes NZ Government by surprise.
NZ sends one hell of a lot of money to the Cooks, we should be informed. What happened?

https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/02/05/cook-islands-deal-with-china-takes-nz-government-by-surprise/?
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February 7, 2025 8:44am
- Chuck Bird
  
  The citizens of the Cook Islands should have been informed as well.
  
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  February 7, 2025 9:42am
  - Hugh Jarse
    
    Yes they should have been, the realisation that they will no longer be New Zealand citizens subject to the benefits they get for that but would instead be Chinese citizens would come as a rude awakening of what their politicians were up to.
    
    But as always in the Pacific the politicians “eat the people”as it was described to me by a Cook Islander and will profit from it.
    
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    February 7, 2025 9:52am
    - cmm
      
      I would think they are expecting to keep their cake and eat it – by playing both the Chinese and NZ.
      
      I seriously doubt NZ would cut off the hand outs to Cook.
      
      Last I looked we send enough money to Cook to pay everyone’s mortgage. On top of that we provide them all sorts of infrastructure, administration and health.
      
      I doubt Cook Islanders will be flying to Beijing to get heart bypass surgery.
      
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      February 7, 2025 10:51am
    - rouppe
      
      Yesterday I was in the One NZ store. Guy was getting a prepay sim, and he wanted to know if it included calls to Samoa.
      
      Because he was “here for the hospital” and wanted to remain in contact with his family.
      
      Samoa is a sovereign country. Who is paying for this hospital care?
      
      So those so called benefits of being a nz dependancy seem to be spread pretty wide.
      
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      February 7, 2025 11:43am
      - pdm
        
        rouppe – Western Samoa used to be a dependency like the Cooks.
        
        I thought that had changed though we did send Doctors during the measles epidemic there a year or three ago.
        
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        February 7, 2025 12:08pm
      - Ghost
        
        https://www.health.gov.ws/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/OVT-Revised-Policy-2023-ENDORSED-COPY-BY-NPCC-28-08-2023.pdf
        
        https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-providers/publicly-funded-health-and-disability-services/services-for-people-from-pacific-island-countries
        
        Patients can be referred here
        
        6 0
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        February 7, 2025 12:10pm
      - cmm
        
        “Who is paying for this hospital care?”
        
        Didn’t your wallet give a little tweek as you asked that question?
        
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        February 7, 2025 4:45pm
- GazzaW
  
  Nanaia Mahuta happened Steve. That’s what.
  
  She was too busy here setting up the Maorification of our country to deal with mundane issues such as Foreign Affairs. The ball was very badly dropped in the Pacific during that era.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:09am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    Everything Labour touches turns to..
    
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    February 7, 2025 4:22pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  the Cooks do not have an independent foreign policy do they? Isn’t NZ responsible for their defence and foreign policy.
  
  What the hell are they playing at?
  
  Oh yes, the normal Pacific thing, brown envelopes of cash and very short attention spans. A bag of cash, a cellphone and a 4wd, and the PM will sign away their birthright…”I’m alright jack” and screw everyone else.
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:24am
- Frank the tank
  
  Requires a game of Trump Ball:
  
  -Remove the flow of aid (welfare)
  -Remove their citizenship
  -Place large arrival fees on tourists coming back from the Cooks
  
  Then see the Cooks come a crawling. Alas for some reason this government lacks the stomach for hard diplomacy. Indeed watch for more “NZAID” type welfare payments to the Cooks.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:25am
- Handyman
  
  The key signal to watch for is the Chinese offering to build a harbour or airport.
  In Sri Lanka, they promised a new large port built by Chinese and paid for by a Chinese loan. The resulting port was way more than necessary but ideal for the Chinese Navy. Sri Lanka are stuck with the bill.
  A Cook Islands base will bring Chinese IRBM missiles in range of New Zealand.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:31pm
  - cmm
    
    “A Cook Islands base will bring Chinese IRBM missiles in range of New Zealand.”
    
    OK, I’ll bite….
    NZ is of very little strategic interest to anyone, besides being a poor back door to Australia. Nobody really wants to waste perfectly good missiles on us.
    
    I would think they would be far more interested in a few other far more important targets.
    Cook Islands are within IRBM range of Sydney and, even more importantly, Hawaii.
    
    From China they can get as far South as Darwin – at a stretch Cairns) with IRBMs (max range ~5500km)
    
    From a base in Cooks and another on mainland China, they can have the a substantial part of the Pacific under IRBM cover. Toss in longer range missiles and they can cover even more.
    
    This could give them a massive strategic position in a Taiwanese conflict or similar.
    
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    February 7, 2025 5:07pm
- Paulus
  
  What about the number of people with New Zealand Passports living and paying into the Cooks.
  New Cooks passport, cancel New Zealand ones, and all other New Zealand social things.
  
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  February 7, 2025 3:06pm
  - cmm
    
    Business as usual for most of us: give whitey, give.
    
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    February 7, 2025 5:08pm
pdm

BREAKING NEWS

Margie Apa is stepping down from her Health NZ role.

Better late than never I suppose.
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February 7, 2025 9:05am
- Steve Otto N Shore
  
  Where is she going?
  
  6 1
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  February 7, 2025 9:53am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Away.
    
    Taken far too long to read the writing on the wall, still got an extra 3 months pay!
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:24am
    - Nobby2
      
      Away. The further away she goes the better.
      
      10 0
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      February 7, 2025 11:31am
  - RalphT
    
    Do you care?
    
    4 0
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    February 7, 2025 10:49am
  - cmm
    
    I was going to say “who cares?”, but no doubt she has another trough waiting…
    
    10 0
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    February 7, 2025 10:52am
    - Matt Long
      
      The government created a new department for Coster, what will Apa get?
      
      6 0
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      February 7, 2025 12:21pm
  - pdm
    
    Do you really care SO?
    
    I don’t – she should have been gone a year ago.
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:52am
    - Steve Otto N Shore
      
      I like to know what the troughers are up to.
      
      5 1
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      February 7, 2025 10:59am
  - Frank the tank
    
    Number 15 on Labour’s List or Number 9 on the Greens List?
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:26am
- David Garrett
  
  Whose is this Margie Apa??
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:10am
  - Don Beckett
    
    The CEO of Health New Zealand, otherwise known as Te Whatu Ora.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:34am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Do you think she resigned or booted by Brown
  
  8 0
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  February 7, 2025 11:10am
  - Don Beckett
    
    I would guess she was asked for her resignation.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:35am
- imalwaysright
  
  Simeon’s first health casualty.
  Reti wanted to save everyone, unfortunately that wasn’t his job.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:43am
  - kevn
    
    iama… Word is that Reti was just too nice.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:40pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Presactly!
      
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      February 7, 2025 1:04pm
- Northshoredoc
  
  Margie is a very nice lady but completely unsuited to the roles that Labour put her in.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:58pm
  - MCōs
    
    Why do you say that?
    Personally I’m not enamored with the aging Mr Lester the part time commissioner appointed when the board was sacked who is also working two days a week in Auckland
    
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    February 7, 2025 2:51pm
    - Paulus
      
      Have you like me over very many years had commercial contact with Dr Levy ?
      A very clever quiet operator.
      – don’t be foolish to underestimate him, and new Minister Brown.
      
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      February 7, 2025 3:11pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Two leftie idiots digging a hole.
How stupid can they be?

https://rumble.com/v6hn65y-watch-two-liberal-brains-break-before-your-very-eyes.html?
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February 7, 2025 9:16am
- Swifty
  
  Hahahhahahahhahhaha!
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:32am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Did you see that idiot Arena Williams now saying government is running down services is no not to privatise everything , but wait for it, it’s to force us to for us to pay for all our tax payer funded services, the woman is deluded
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:13am
  - pdm
    
    What did you expect G?
    
    After all she was Jacinda’s personal selection to oust Luisa Wall from the electorate and eventually the party.
    
    Having said that I think Arena Williams is an up and comer in the Labour Caucus – there is not much else.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:05pm
- PurplePen
  
  Brilliant. Talk about arrogant and matronising.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:03pm
Sparrow

I realise that reminiscing is a waste of time and fruitless but could not help it this morning. Doing some work put on my old trusty green shorts. We’re they NZ made yes. Rodd&Gunn bought back in the 70s or 80s still going strong.
Hanging alongside my shorts is a swanni bought about the same time. Both showing their age, like me, but still up for it. Proudly manufactured in NZ. Now only leather luggage for Rodd&Gunn and socks for Swanndri made in NZ. Will todays stuff made in places like China last as long? Did the changes wrought in the 80s and 90s benefit all New Zealanders? These companies and the likes of that toy manufacturer claim to be proud kiwi companies? The killer for me will be if R.M. Williams boots cease to be made in OZ have mine for over 40 years. Yes its a waste of time reminiscing the world has moved on. For the better?
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February 7, 2025 9:25am
- Ian Boag
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icebreaker_(clothing)
  
  Icebreaker stuff has been made in China since 2004
  .
  1) The Chinese mills had much newer and better plant with higher production capacity.
  2) There were no quality issues
  3) The price was below the cost of making the clothing in NZ
  
  What would you have done?
  
  To confuse tourself some more try a Google or ChatGPT on something like “why did Icebreaker move its manufacturing to China?”
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:24am
  - Dougal10
    
    Whoosh
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:27am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Many of our staff at work wear icebreaker ( remember we deal with the raw product that goes to icebreaker). The standard of icebreaker is well done now it’s processed in China, many jerseys wearing holes when you start working , it is untrue that standard is the same
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:17am
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Indeed, I still have my Macpac pack. I remember when the tagline was:
  
  “made in Christchurch or not at all”
  
  That didn’t age well, did it. I have a Fairydown one too, what happened to them? Both were Iconic NZ brands (still have a couple of Swannies – still heavy and prickly, but will see me out)
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:30am
- cmm
  
  Like many other products, clothing no longer has the function it used to have in the 1900s and so we should expect it to change to meet the new requirements.
  
  Now people do not tend to buy clothing for long service. It is close to disposable.
  
  The same could be said for utes. A modern ute is covered in expensive plastic crap that won’t survive 10 minutes on a farm. But that’s not what modern utes are for. Most modern utes are used for driving around cities and going clubbing. Being “farm tough” is no longer a requirement.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:00am
  - RoboRob
    
    Yes, most people want reasonably priced clothes that will last a season (or less). Fashion changes rapidly and young woman (in particular) aren’t generally wanting to wear last seasons cloths. This is what Shein etc are so popular, ultra cheap cutting-edge cloths.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:04am
    - pdm
      
      RR – there was a time when said young women would sew their own dresses.
      
      mrspdm (dare I say now not a young woman) did until only 20 or so years ago when it was cheaper to buy off the rack. Reduced the muttering and swearing too.
      
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      February 7, 2025 12:02pm
- RoboRob
  
  RM Williams, review
  
  https://youtu.be/N5QX2_5jvtY?si=8LFW54hbgB-wXBVA
  
  Sorry to disappoint you, the short of it is they are no longer high quality shoes.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:01am
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    I had two pairs of RMW boots and found if I wore them for more than a few hours ended up with painful shins.
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:29pm
- Taieri
  
  Will todays stuff made in places like China last as long?
  ——–
  
  A few years ago I sailed on a 30 years old ship built in China. She was in a pretty good nick. As far as I know she’s still going strong.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:35pm
- greybeard
  
  Only a couple of months ago I sent my favourite long-sleeved casual shirt to the tip: it was made in Fiji, was supremely comfortable to wear from the start, had a timeless design and was 27 years old ! I bought it new to wear at my company’s 1998 Christmas Social.
  
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  February 7, 2025 2:47pm
PurplePen

Not to rain on their parade as I like the ODT paper, but they had a photo of the crowd in The Octogon attending a festival from yesterday. The photo description ran “A diverse crowd attends the Waitangi….”.

Foremost in the picture were what looked like 4 tourists from China or Asia. This must have been the diversity. Why mention whether the crowd was diverse at all.
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February 7, 2025 9:56am
- rouppe
  
  “Diverse” is a key word, that (they believe) enhances the gravitas of publications these days.
  
  As soon as I see words like that I discount the veracity of what they’re saying by about 20%.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:34am
- Grunter
  
  What they really meant was, “……some Chinese looking people attended…..”
  That’s kinda racist, but that’s what they do now.
  
  RIP The ODT – it died years ago.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:27pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Hitler phones Elon Musk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6-f-xI-X9k
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February 7, 2025 10:27am
Ghost

Farmers bit on the side?

Farmers should stop using the phrase “farmer’s wife” as it reinforces gender stereotypes, the National Farmers Union (NFU) in Scotland has said.

A new “diversity and inclusion” strategy highlighted examples of language that had been heard at NFU meetings that it deemed “inappropriate”, including identifying a farmer as “he”.

Article
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February 7, 2025 10:28am
- Blog-aholic
  
  What about all those that are females and married to a farmer? Are they now the farmers birthing person with a bonus hole?
  
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  February 7, 2025 10:45am
- Ehlana
  
  Did they ask any actual farmer’s wives about this?
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:03am
  - Matt Long
    
    When I was in my early twenties I quickly learned that asking farmer’s wives operational questions were always replied to by, “you’d better ask my husband.”
    It’s nice to pretend that everyone one is the same, but no, women don’t generally seek dirty dangerous jobs.
    
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    February 7, 2025 2:26pm
    - lifesgood
      
      I like the sound of “farmer’s wife” it conjours up cosyness and scones for morning tea. Why would it be at all disparaging?
      
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      February 7, 2025 4:41pm
fredonas

“My Dearest Penelope, It is day 4 of my courier package delivery and I fear that it has been waylaid by bandits or ruffians. I’m afraid that I shall never see it during this lifetime, alas. The Kmart order enquiry website is broken and Team Global Express Couriers are a warehouse storage facility on wheels at this point. The competency crisis has sapped my remaining spirits and my morale is lower than a rattlesnake’s arsehole. The fate of my courier package is in the hands of the Lord now. Please pray for me in these testing times. I remain your faithful servant. Sincerely, Reginald.”
[sigh] 🙁🙄
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February 7, 2025 10:39am
- fredonas
  
  Update: My prayers have been answered. Package delivered 2:30pm after being in “out for delivery” status since 4th Feb 8:45am 🙂
  
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  February 7, 2025 3:09pm
Bridgenag

1776 2.0: dismantling the aristocracy
burning the webs that bind and washing the spiders out

To many good things to quote from this excellent post [IMO]

“how is it that the center of so many “elite” social circles seems to be something so obviously despicable and how is it that even when such things are revealed, no one is ever punished or held to account? the black books never go public, names are never named, no one is even questioned much less charged?”

https://open.substack.com/pub/boriquagato/p/1776-20-dismantling-the-aristocracy?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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February 7, 2025 10:52am
- RdM
  
  Bridgenag – You cut & paste links from substack, fine, and those who do not already read them might get some benefit, but despite it having been mentioned here before, (you may not have noticed) – in these cases, in which you’re posting a link from your email subscription, you do not need to include everything after and including the “?” in the link.
  
  https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/1776-20-dismantling-the-aristocracy
  
  works just fine.
  
  In fact I wonder if re-posting all that tracking info actually gives a distorted view to the website owner, i.e. the statistics showing that all these new views are coming from email campaigns, and so forth…
  
  No offense intended.
  I just thought you should know.
  Cheers! ;=})
  
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  February 7, 2025 7:07pm
Biscuit

You all know me, modest to a FAULT, but it really does behove me this fine Friday to let you know that Liverpool FC beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 at Anfield earlier this a.m. to move into next month’s Football League Cup Final.

Pool are, of course, also the top qualifier in the UEFA Champions League, are in the FA Cup Fourth Round and are the runaway leaders in the English Premier League.

It’s NOT a prediction, ha, but the Quadruple IS still on…

Let joy be unconfined!

Now, how many times can I blast ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ out on the house speakers before I get told (by the partner, by the cat, by the neighbours…) to pull my head in?
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February 7, 2025 11:00am
- Libertarians are right
  
  I’m sorry but don’t you know? Celebrations have now been banned because one guy flapped his wings like a seagull and another meditated.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:13am
- MCōs
  
  They say those big name English football teams have more fans in Asia than their actual base zones. Guys in our Bangkok office had the screen savers, the cushions, the soft toys and belonged to the fan clubs
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:33am
  - pdm
    
    I know on 1 Liverpool Fan in Upper Hutt (Biscuit) and one in Hawkes Bay (Pete The Pom who does not frequent GD).
    
    I assume that is all in New Zealand.
    
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    February 7, 2025 11:43am
    - CrazyIvan
      
      Well, make that three – I remember other glory days with Dalglish, Souness and Alan Hansen. And some not so great days for the last thirty years)
      
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      February 7, 2025 12:58pm
      - pdm
        
        Rush?
        
        2 0
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        February 7, 2025 5:09pm
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk00QHhjEcM
The World Health Organization Is Imploding.
Yet another example, of how strong US leadership, can affect things! Giving balls to smaller countries to withdraw and crush these worthless orgs. [Time to defund the UN next.]
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February 7, 2025 11:01am
- PurplePen
  
  I read in Herald today someone at WHO has started a give-a-little page and they’ve raised about 1 million so far.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:07pm
sungsamning

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/02/06/trumps-special-envoy-puts-the-kibosh-on-zelenskyys-demands-1521006/
Trump’s Special Envoy Puts the Kibosh on Zelenskyy’s Demands.
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News/Commentary
Trump’s special envoy puts the kibosh on Zelenskyy’s demands
February 6, 2025 | Chris Donaldson | Print Article
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With efforts ongoing to bring an end to the bloody war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that his country should be given nuclear weapons if it wasn’t guaranteed NATO membership, but that’s not going to happen.
In a strong reaction to what would be a catastrophic development, retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg who was tapped by President Donald J. Trump as his special envoy to Ukraine and Russia said that there are only two chances that the U.S. would agree to allow the Ukrainian regime to have nukes.
“The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none,” Kellogg told Fox News Digital. “Let’s be honest about it, we both know that’s not going to happen.”
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February 7, 2025 11:01am
- Grunter
  
  But, but……Zelensky is the good guy….!!?//
  
  This Hollywood movie isn’t turning out how I thought it would…..//
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:33pm
Swifty

“An economist who wants to be Mayor…”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/auckland-councillor-kerrin-leoni-wants-to-be-the-first-maori-mayor-of-auckland-promises-fresh-leadership/Q4IWL6F3GNBCFAD54PPET6MI5A/

A small point I know, but I see she’s described as an economist – so one would presume she is now or has recently plied her trade as such.

But from the brief biographical information supplied in the article there is no mention whatsoever of her doing so – at any time in her career.

I’ve known a few people in my life who have a law degree but have never practiced. Do we call them lawyers? Do they call themselves lawyers? They most certainly do not, they have too much integrity to do that.

There was one exception I encountered 15-20 years ago – a woman who I worked with at Auckland Council, working in animal management or environmental health, I forget which. She kept continually referring to herself as a lawyer when in fact she had acquired a law degree a good 20 years previously, was not practicing, had never practiced, never had a practicing certificate nor a member of the Law Society – nothing.

She was considered poorly around the office as a result.
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February 7, 2025 11:22am
- David Garrett
  
  Swifty: Quite so….”a lawyer” is a person who has, or at some time had held a practising certificate for a considerable time.
  
  The others are “people with law degrees”.
  
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  February 7, 2025 12:21pm
  - fredonas
    
    Agreed.
    “Economists were invented to make weather forecasters look good” – Anon. 🙂
    
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    February 7, 2025 12:35pm
- Taieri
  
  “Leoni spent 10 years of her life living in London, where she ran a contracting business and was a member of the cultural group Ngāti Rānana”
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrin_Leoni
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:40pm
  - Swifty
    
    Oh! That’ll be it then. She spent 10 years running an economist contracting crew.
    
    I wonder on the detail though. Did all the economists roam around the countryside together in a fleet of utes, gaining work like a shearing gang?
    
    Like this:
    
    https://nz.pinterest.com/pin/accounting-street-gangs–125537908332771814/
    
    Or were they contracted out individually, like hired hitmen? One job here, one job there etc.
    
    //
    
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    February 7, 2025 2:58pm
  - pdm
    
    Ngāti Rānana”
    
    As you say a Maori Cultural Group.
    
    When living in London 2009 to 2011 (just under 2 years) I had contact with them to see if they would perform at an induction day my employer was running.
    
    Employer decided not to pay the `koha’ asked for.
    
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    February 7, 2025 5:14pm
    - rjay
      
      Because it was supposed to be a donation or some other reason I.e. Who showed the bad faith in this story?
      
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      February 7, 2025 5:40pm
  - kevn
    
    Tai… Her wiki is not sure what year she was born… 1979 or 1980. pffft, just numbers.
    
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    February 7, 2025 6:51pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  When Kerrin stood for parliament in 2020 she had a meet the candidate meeting in my town. Three people turned up; Kerrin, her minder and me.
  She told those assembled there, namely me, that she had a degree in economics from London. I asked if she had studied Samuelson, but she had never ever heard of that economist.
  I wondered if she had possibly been a cleaner at the London School of Economics.
  
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  February 7, 2025 4:12pm
- cmm
  
  My opinion of people with economics degrees was massively tarnished by knowing some economics students at university.
  
  Sometimes they would be chatting about economics concepts which seemed amazing to them, but seemed bloody obvious to to me. It seems economics degrees are just degrees in common sense – dumbed down and theorised to make it into a degree.
  
  One that still stands out from over 40 years ago was them being amazed by the concept of supply and demand – prices go up when the demand increases and is not matched by supply!
  
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  February 7, 2025 5:19pm
Sparrow

Congratulations Biscuit, But why did it have to be my childhood club Spurs. Have not followed English or any football for many years. Was on the terraces when Spurs got the double back in the early 60s. Blimey looking up the team today not many English in it. I remember when Danny Blanchflower came from N.I and later John White from Scotland. Who were all these b…foreigners the local lads were saying. Yes more reminiscing by me today!!!
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February 7, 2025 11:28am
pdm

I have just watched just over half an hour of submissions to Select Committee on The Treaty Principles Bill.

Three full submissions with the fourth just starting and all four against the Bill.

Where is the balance Chairman Duncan Webb?
Why did you cut Joseph Mooney off on his questioning when the only other questioners I saw in 30/35 minutes were all Green or Maori Party?

Are those in favour of the bill getting a fair hearing? Not from Duncan Webb anyway it seems.
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February 7, 2025 11:40am
- pdm
  
  Now 6 against 0 for.
  
  Still only Maori Party and Green questioners.
  
  Maybe James Meager is Chairing the Select Committee covering those 4 – I cannot find a stream for that.
  
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  February 7, 2025 11:57am
  - Ghost
    
    There was not meant to be hearings today. According to this release there would be no hearings this week
    
    https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/select-committee-news-archive/frequently-asked-questions-principles-of-the-treaty-of-waitangi-bill/#when
    
    So the question would be why has Duncan decided to hold them
    
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    February 7, 2025 3:23pm
    - pdm
      
      My understanding was that there were two sessions today – roughly 9am to 3pm. I could not find streaming for the second one which presumably was chaired by James Meager.
      
      From the little I saw Webb was awful as Committee Chair – he was very abrupt with Mooney but not so much with the lefties.
      
      I thought Jamie Arbuckle as Justice Committee Deputy Chair would Chair the second grouping.
      
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      February 7, 2025 5:18pm
- PurplePen
  
  Duncan Webb is chair for 1 of 2 select committee groups and he’s Labour. Presumably his group might hear all the ones that Labour greens and tpm have selected and maybe the other group chair hears submissions selected by Nat, nz first and act. Don’t know. You’d think they’d distribute them randomly and maybe they have.
  
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  February 7, 2025 1:12pm
  - kowtow
    
    Webb is very much in the “Palestine protest” camp.
    
    That’s all anyone needs to know .
    
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    February 7, 2025 3:46pm
- Paulus
  
  Does he decide who appears or do the Department ?
  So that answers your query as most are totally against the bill.
  
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  February 7, 2025 3:16pm
Bridgenag

Deep State Deconstruction: USAID
What is USAID and is it used to bypass HHS for international health “interventions”?

https://open.substack.com/pub/rwmalonemd/p/deep-state-deconstruction-usaid?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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February 7, 2025 12:24pm
- fredonas
  
  It’s basically a money laundering front for the deep state to fund their nefarious, anti-Western globalist shenanigans.
  By de-funding it, Trump has cut the head off the marxist snake.
  Good job and great to watch all the corrupt leftists squealing 👍
  
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  February 7, 2025 12:39pm
  - Grunter
    
    Yep exactly right.
    
    The defunding of USAID is a small start in the ‘defaulting’ of privileges paid by the taxpayer and Govt debt. And look at the reaction from the pigs at the trough!
    
    So just image what happens over the next 5 years as the true impact of the global sovereign debt collapse hits and there is widespread global defaults on all the privileges and promises. EU retirees still believe they have a secure Pension scheme that owns a shitload of Govt Bonds (default loans).
    
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    February 7, 2025 1:43pm
Ghost

I wonder what sort of conditions existed with this funding.

President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including over $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounces this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and journalists doing vital work into chaotic uncertainty. RSF calls on international public and private support to commit to the sustainability of independent media.

USAID programs support independent media in more than 30 countries, but it is difficult to assess the full extent of the harm done to the global media. Many organizations are hesitant to draw attention for fear of risking long-term funding or coming under political attacks. According to a USAID fact sheet which has since been taken offline, in 2023, the agency funded training and support for 6,200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets, and supported 279 media-sector civil society organizations dedicated to strengthening independent media. The 2025 foreign aid budget included $268,376,000 allocated by Congress to support “independent media and the free flow of information.”

Article
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February 7, 2025 1:22pm
- cmm
  
  Since USAID is essentially an influence peddling operation one wonders what sort of “journalism” the “independent” news outlets they were delivering.
  
  I’ll wager they were as “independent” as the press releases flowing out of the NZ PMO.
  
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  February 7, 2025 5:24pm
  - fredonas
    
    I love that once the USAID spigot was turned off, politico couldn’t make payroll.
    Tells me all I need to know about the US taxpayer propping up the failing lamestream media both legacy and online 🙄
    Good job, President Trump 2.0 👍
    
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    February 7, 2025 10:16pm
Ghost

Ummm, ok

I wonder how you know when the lab animals have transitioned to trans…..

Last year, $10 million in taxpayer money was spent creating transgender animals, a study by the White Coat Waste Project revealed.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., laid out the misuse of taxpayer money funding “gender-affirming care” for animals during opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing Thursday. The hearing, “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty,” featured a witness from the White Coat Waste Project.

Article
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February 7, 2025 3:07pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Trump the tyrant!
“We’re there now. Bondi just announced that the political prosecutions are about to begin. At first they will be going after the police agencies themselves, as a way of bringing them to heel: Terrify the terrifiers.”

Author is a democratic socialist, well we know what that is code for.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/the-only-thing-standing-between-democracy-and-dictatorship-in-america/ar-AA1yy4F4?
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February 7, 2025 3:51pm
kevn

‘Some’ of the USAID spending… been cancelled.
https://xcancel.com/RepChipRoy/status/1886451484012781813
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February 7, 2025 4:34pm
MCōs

How to protect yourself if your mother is annoyed with you
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDxmDGczzd8/?igsh=MXhnNGlqeDBwbDZkdQ==
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February 7, 2025 4:34pm
- Jethrod
  
  It’s a pity that doesn’t happen in Gaza more often.
  
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  February 7, 2025 4:56pm
Steve Otto N Shore

If Climate Change Is an Emergency, Why Aren’t the Rich Changing Their Lifestyles?
Wonder what the Green Party and Greenpeace have to say? Crickets.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/if-climate-change-is-an-emergency-why-aren-t-the-rich-changing-their-lifestyles/ss-AA1ywRFA?
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February 7, 2025 5:09pm
- MCōs
  
  My brother in law who was a non smoker died of lung cancer
  He was a fitter and turner, which involved a lot of welding – well known for causing lung cancer.
  I don’t know why he didn’t change his lifestyle
  It’s easy enough to tell someone else how to run their affairs
  
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  February 7, 2025 6:25pm
Ra Henare

I have been contemplating the emotions around the proposed Health Secretary in the USA.

Then I checked his predecessor.

So people were happy with a trans person (with crazy health views)chasing bad health outcomes for children and ideology based funding.

Verse a health nut (with some odd views) who is focused on making the population healthier(less Obese, less Diabetic) and reducing big pharmas strangle hold on the US medical system.
Oh and promoting healthy foods.

The science surely would support the latter?!
(for those who “”follow the science””.)
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February 7, 2025 6:02pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Oh boy, I forgot to ask:
How many teachers went to school today on the “teacher only” day?
From the google machine:
“Teacher-only days (TODs) in New Zealand are days when teachers are on site at their school but students are not. TODs are used to prepare for curriculum and assessment changes, and for professional development.”

Get that bit about “on site”?
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February 7, 2025 7:30pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  That is why the school car park was empty today. So many of the teachers want to save their carbon footprint and walk to school on teacher only days.
  
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  February 7, 2025 7:38pm
- sht1971
  
  We were open for teaching today and were 100 children down. That is going to look terrible on the attendance report so I can understand why schools would close…that way they don’t have to report attendance that day!
  
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  February 7, 2025 7:40pm
- cmm
  
  I really fail to understand why they can’t get all these meetings and preparations etc done in the week before school starts.
  
  That’s what teachers did in South Africa: typically the week after school finished for finishing things off and the week before school start for getting ready.
  
  And for male teachers under 35, the rest of their holidays “holidays” were 4 to 6 weeks on the Angolan border in the infantry.
  
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  February 7, 2025 7:54pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    An overseas trip, eh
    
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    February 7, 2025 9:53pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Total ‘chaos’ at FBI and DOJ.
They knew this would happen, yet they call Trump a Tyrant!! They knew is was going to hit hard!

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/trump-s-swift-far-reaching-expulsions-creating-total-chaos-at-fbi-and-doj/ar-AA1yx2l9?
Lovley, now can we have it in NZ please? Justice in NZ is a leftie mess.
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February 7, 2025 7:37pm

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