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August 17, 2025 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 17 August 2025

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General Debate

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David Garrett

Good morning from the Kingdom…a very pleasant 23C
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August 17, 2025 8:05am
- Cassandra
  
  Wet here in BoP, still paradise!
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:17am
  - pdm
    
    Hastings wet and 9% at Test Rugby kick off time.
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:10am
    - Colville
      
      Great result from Ellis Park!
      
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      August 17, 2025 11:02am
  - Paulus
    
    Sun coming through !
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:13am
- Ra Henare
  
  From THIS Kingdom a balmy sunny 26c
  and the tourists are still coming! Albeit smaller numbers and draught beer is 82 kiwi cents up
  
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  August 17, 2025 1:59pm
Chuck Bird

Is Israel blameless in its actions in Gaza? No.

Does making Gaza an independent state make sense? No.
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August 17, 2025 8:09am
- Cassandra
  
  I think the plan is for Gaza still to be combined with the West Bank, not for your three-state solution, Chuck. Of corse Chloe’s is a one state solution. Into which she’d fit admirably, much to the relief of all, so there’d be some upside.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:21am
  - G152
    
    Can we send her please pretty please
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:01am
    - pdm
      
      Yes and with luck she might take more than a few mates with her – Benji, Julie-Ann and The Mex would be a good start.
      
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      August 17, 2025 10:15am
  - David Garrett
    
    Cass: We know what the Islamists would do to male “Qeers for Palestine” if they got half a chance…but what about the women? Does Islam condemn lesbianism as well?
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:38am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      I think you’ll find it “converts” them David!
      
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      August 17, 2025 9:42am
    - fightingtemeraire
      
      Marry them off to a 60 year old cousin and they have to wear a burka and submit to their husband’s sexual demands!!!
      
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      August 17, 2025 10:01am
      - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
        
        Indeed, when women are possessions, their preferences and their “sexuality” are essentially meaningless – what are they going to do about it, complain to the manager?
        
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        August 17, 2025 7:43pm
    - Wandering Star
      
      “We know what the Islamists would do to male “Qeers[sic] for Palestine” if they got half a chance…”
      
      Is your argument that homosexuals are compelled to support the mass killing of people whose religion denounces homosexuality? Is this supposed “own” of the apparently conflicted gay lefties meant to justify Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians?
      
      [Mod – just debate without your constant personal jabs]
      
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      August 17, 2025 10:40am
      - Wandering Star
        
        [Mod – I’m not debating with people their behaviour and what they think mods should do. Take a weeks holiday. Don’t open up another account and don’t try to use any of your other accounts]
        
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        August 17, 2025 10:55am
      - David Garrett
        
        WS: I would have thought my question – notwithstanding the typo (pointing them out is childish, and quite different from what I do) is very clear, but apparently not to you.
        
        So I will try again: What is Islam’s attitude to lesbians? I genuinely don’t know.
        
        Ah…it seems WS won’t be answering my question, but others please feel free. I am wondering if Mohammed was something like Queen Victoria, who couldn’t imagine women having sex with each other, hence lesbian practices were never illegal.
        
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        August 17, 2025 11:31am
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Mods – I was unaware that WS has more than one identity here. Is that common? Perhaps it’s in the wider interests of KB that contributors with multiple identities are identified in some way so that the rest of us know that they are linked.
        
        Personal declaration: just the one login from me.
        
        [Mod – it’s not common]
        
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        August 17, 2025 11:36am
    - Ghost
      
      homosexuality is illegal in Gaza, it’s not in the West Bank.
      
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      August 17, 2025 12:30pm
- Philview
  
  That March yesterday and sea of Palestinian flags makes me uneasy. I have no doubt the NZ Government will buckle on this one. I was in Paper Plus on Friday and noticed Douglas Murray’s book about being embedded with the IDF and what he saw compared to media misinformation. I was heartened that this book is on sale so will buy a copy while still possible
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:38am
  - Albie
    
    Phil, I’m about half way through the book. What has stood out for me the most so far is how Hamas make no attempt to fight under the Geneva Conventions and use the Palestinian men women and children as cannon fodder. When the IDF search houses for terrorists and weaponry they go straight to the children’s bedrooms, often finding RPG’s and such like under baby’s cots!
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:12am
    - Ra Henare
      
      HAMS and IDF both suffer that problem.
      
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      August 17, 2025 2:05pm
  - Paulus
    
    Where can I but shares in Pro Palestine scarves.
    China I resume.
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:15am
    - Ghost
      
      Just buy a box load from Temu and go sell them at the next greens meeting. Temu, bringing you nz gang merchandise , Māori stick on tattoos, Māori anything,
      
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      August 17, 2025 11:23am
  - Ra Henare
    
    haha Douglas Murray(well know Israel supporter) misinformation(ie he was only allowed to see what IDF allowed him to see) is obviously different to media misinformation.
    
    Interesting perspective.
    
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    August 17, 2025 2:04pm
- Scott
  
  I don’t know that Israel has done too much wrong in the war against Hamas?
  
  What we do know is that civilian casualties are less than might be expected, especially in urban environments where the enemy has purposely embedded themselves within civilian populations.
  We know the information from Gaza is distorted to vastly exaggerate civilian casualties.
  
  We also know that the starving children pictures include a number of children suffering from other conditions. We note the incidents of healthy mothers holding supposedly starving children. Or little babies supposedly starving next to a healthy older brother. One of those children has been allowed to go to Italy for specialist treatment.
  
  Also while the war is going on the Israelis are under no obligation to feed the enemy. Hamas has to surrender and release the hostages. Then the war will end and then the Israelis need to look after the people of Gaza.
  
  The reality is that the opposition to Israel is based on false reporting, a lack of understanding of the reality of war and Israel being held to a different standard that no-one would apply to any other country.
  
  Anti semitism is a very important factor in the coverage as are anti western attitudes. The right hate the Jews while the left hate the West.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:43am
  - Wandering Star
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    “We know the information from Gaza is distorted to vastly exaggerate civilian casualties.”
    
    Scott, what evidence do you have to support this claim? Do “we know” this, or does it just suit your narrative to claim this is what we know?
    
    Your retort, naturally, will be “because Hamas told us, so why should we believe them, given their obvious self-interest?”
    
    My response to that, naturally, is “why should we believe the Israelis, given their obvious self-interest?”
    
    Moreover, we keep being told this is a “war” in Gaza. Is it really a war (where there are two sides with rough equivalence and capabilities battling it out in a tit-for-tat series of exchanges) or it is just a prolonged bombing campaign on Gaza followed by an invasion, systematic division of the territory into zones to corraling of the inhabitants , and occupation by the invading force?
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:59am
    - Notsofast
      
      The conundrum is who benefits from the notion of starving children?
      Hamas to promote reputational damage to Israel, or Israel to promote reputational damage to Israel?
      
      Hamas strategy is working to a T.
      They have the useful idiots of France, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand set to appease their ignorant voter bases by giving them a state.
      
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      August 17, 2025 10:34am
      - Paulus
        
        Guided by Al Jazeera and their partners and friends who fund them.
        
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        August 17, 2025 11:18am
  - Notsofast
    
    On Hamas figures 97.5% to 98% of Gazans have survived, so they endorse Israeli claims of a low civilian death toll.
    Listening to the likes of Phil Goff and Helen Clark parrot genocide claims is a measure of the quality of political discourse here.
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:12am
    - Wandering Star
      
      “On Hamas figures 97.5% to 98% of Gazans have survived, so they endorse Israeli claims of a low civilian death toll.”
      
      Is this a “low civilian death toll” though?
      
      Let’s take this claim at face value (because you haven’t bothered to provide a link), that Hamas and Israel agree on the civilian death toll: if it is agreed that between 2% and 2.5% of Gazans have been killed by the IDF, and Gaza’s population was 2 million, this means that the IDF have killed 40,000 to 50,000 Gazan civilians.
      
      This is, by any measure, still a horrific death toll, and is 5000% higher than the number of Jews the Israelis allege Hamas killed on October 7 2023.
      
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      August 17, 2025 10:48am
      - rouppe
        
        But it is not genocide.
        
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        August 17, 2025 12:00pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        Remembering of course that the “Hamas attack””
        included a number of other organisations and individuals who sought to take advantage of the opportunity. Remember that Hamas had been planning this attack in full view of Israeli intelligence and therefore well known by those in Gaza.
        
        So a point of order maybe, is to more correctly say.
        
        “”Jews the Israelis allege the Hamas lead terrorists killed on October 7 2023″”
        
        [Mod – debate the topics without the personal jabs]
        
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        August 17, 2025 4:22pm
  - Fender
    
    And the bbc report all the men turn up for food, then after they are satisfied the women and children are allowed whats left
    How come that is not reported and shown as a fact because that sort of thing would probably awaken a few of chloes mob to the truth
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:45am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Did you ever consider, a culture different to yours.
      
      Plus it has obviously been(aid distribution) a deathly area and men going first actually tests whether its safe for women and children to follow.
      
      As I keep saying. This media scrum could be easily solved if the US and Israel allowed independent reporters/analysts access to the HD satellite pictures. They of course will say no, as it might show things they want to censor.
      
      If an independent analyst can use satellite pictures to show land mines being planted etc etc on the Thai Cambodia border.
      
      Am sure they can see who is shooting who and what is happening to the food supplies once they enter Gaza.
      
      Am also sure that Trump will get daily reports based on such detailed intelligence, hence him opposing Netanyahu claims of no starvation.
      
      to the 27 who will attack this comment, provide evidence, not emotional clap trap.
      
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      August 17, 2025 4:35pm
  - Fender
    
    Without going into disagreement I am still a little concerned about how the supposed kings of espionage and very capable mossad had no idea of the attack plans , conveniently even off site at the time of attack.
    How do you move all that dirt out of tunnels without getting caught. Satellite images are just an everyday thing and they weren’t built in a day
    How do you not have insiders, moles and leaks of this information when its pretty much standard procedure and they are some of the best hackers alive.
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:52am
    - ISeeRed
      
      Yes. You would think AI would be in use connecting lots of dots missed by humans.
      
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      August 17, 2025 3:51pm
Cassandra

“So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas and feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved?” US Ambassador to Israel Huckabee wrote on social media. “Did the UK surrender to the Nazis and drop food to them? If Starmer had been PM during WW2 then the UK would now be speaking German!”.

Secretary Rubio stated that France, UK, Ireland etc are basing their policies (of recognising a Palestinian state) on their internal politics ie on the Moslem vote.

Also: Friday night ie just after the start of the Sabbath, rioters in Melbourne set fire to a synagogue with 20 worshippers inside and ransacked a Jewish restaurant while shouting “death to the IDF” as the notorious chant used at Glastonbury appeared to spread to Australia.

I imagine that Dizengoff in Ponsonby might be hoping Chloe will stay away.
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August 17, 2025 8:16am
- David Garrett
  
  Cass: Re the rioters burning down a Synagogue, no surprise there: Australia has now passed the first “tipping point” of 2 % Muslim population (their population is 2.5% Muslim). Things will only get worse.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:25am
  - David George
    
    The UK, having allowed millions of Muslims into the country, are set to introduce laws banning criticism of Islam – at the behest of the Islamists themselves.
    Suicidal empathy as Gad Saad would describe it.
    
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    August 17, 2025 8:50am
    - Wandering Star
      
      “The UK, having allowed millions of Muslims into the country, are set to introduce laws banning criticism of Islam – at the behest of the Islamists themselves.”
      
      Aside from the proliferation of anti-BDS laws on the books across the United States which serve to chill criticism of Israel, the US has other laws banning criticism of Israel, in the context of denying or revoking student visas – any comment on that?
      
      https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/us/politics/us-visa-revocations-israel.html
      
      “A senior State Department official testified Friday that his office, which the Trump administration has tasked with vetting foreign students’ social media posts and revoking student visas, has operated this year without a working definition of “antisemitism” and routinely considers criticism of Israel as part of its work.”
      
      “Pushed for examples of things he might consider in weighing whether to deny or revoke a student’s visa, Mr. Armstrong testified that calls for limiting military aid to Israel or “denouncing Zionism” could all factor in his agency’s decisions.”
      
      “….Judge Young concluded they were not, and almost certainly constitute protected speech under the First Amendment.
      
      “Criticism of the state of Israel, use of the words that I mentioned, does not — it’s political speech — it does not constitute pro-Hamas support,” he said. “Pro-Hamas support has to be something more than that.””
      
      Looks like there’s so-called “Islamo-Fascism” in the UK, while across the Atlantic, there’s Judeo-Fascism in the US.
      
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      August 17, 2025 9:53am
      - Notsofast
        
        Choose your foxhole, Taliban or nobel prize winners.
        
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        August 17, 2025 10:47am
      - Fender
        
        Follow the money I guess. Banking and Holywood being 2 examples
        But if you have to pick a side and you pretty much do have to
        Well it ain’t gonna be a side that treats women children like they do for me
        
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        August 17, 2025 10:58am
  - cmm
    
    In the 2023 census the NZ population of Muslims was at 1.5%. Their breeding rate is far higher and they represent a reasonably large fraction of the immigrants, so we can surely expect the 2% here pretty soon.
    
    It was telling that many of the men who died in the Chch Mosque shooting were “loving father of 6”.
    
    Whether 2% really is a tipping point, I am not sure. I think there are other factors at play. Maybe in some situations it is more like 5% or 10%.
    
    Cape Town has had a very large Muslim population since forever with zero rioting that I can recall. Still, there is no guarantee that that is anything like typical since it is a local population – not an immigrant population.
    
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    August 17, 2025 8:53am
    - David Garrett
      
      cmm: You have hit the nail on the head: SA’s Muslims are not immigrants from some Middle Eastern shithole.
      
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      August 17, 2025 8:57am
      - Wandering Star
        
        Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
        So you’re wrong to always claim that “Islam” is the problem, and it turns our that Islam as a doctrine is not the problem, it’s actually an ethnic thing?
        
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        August 17, 2025 9:40am
      - Cassandra
        
        From Malaya? Also India.
        
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        August 17, 2025 9:49am
      - Pineapple Lumps
        
        @Wandering Star
        
        “You’re wrong to always claim that Islam is the problem.”
        
        Firstly, many people who follow the Islam religion are moderate and good people. Unfortunately, this doesn’t equate to Islam is not the problem.
        
        The problem is the fundamentalist beliefs that are encapsulated in the Islamist teachings that promote violence, holy war, the taking of sexual slaves, slavery, the killing of someone deciding they no longer believe in Islam etc
        
        Sooner or later someone takes that position on the faith and then essentially all other muslims who don’t support this are unable to stand against them because the ‘word of God’ supports the extremist.
        
        I have just read a book by former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi, called “No God but One, Allah or Jesus?”. One striking story he tells is of being at an Interfaith meeting to promote peace in the US. One of his childhood Muslim friends told him if they lived in a Muslim country he would kill him for leaving the Muslim religion. The only reason this didn’t apply was because they lived under the law of the US.
        
        That was the rational stance of a moderate Muslim who was participating in a meeting to promote peace between different religions. To me that sums up why Islam is the problem.
        
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        August 17, 2025 10:44am
      - cmm
        
        DG: Yup, the Cape Town Muslims were brought in as slaves centuries ago. They have a stable culture and are part of the fabric of Cape Town.
        
        When I lived in CT we’d wake up to the sound of the calls to prayer etc. It was just part of Cape Town.
        
        More recent migrants are different, especially with the second generation problem: Mum and dad come to a new country for Western opportunities but junior doesn’t feel like he fits in – except with his like-minded mates. He soon becomes malleable to the ideas of radicals.
        
        Is that only a Muslim thing? Perhaps not. Perhaps the same is true of other cultures (eg. Hindu etc).
        
        However Muslims have this Jihad thing going where they are at war with the West. I think it is easier for second-generation hot heads to get reeled in to that. Didn’t see much of that happening in Cape Town.
        
        What we did see in Cape Town were Muslim vigilante groups cleaning up gangs. Most Christians thought they were doing a good job.
        
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        August 17, 2025 2:29pm
    - artemisia
      
      Anecdotal only, but hear that some men are increasing their offspring with multiple ‘wives’. As they become solo parents, the taxpayer provides income and often housing. Child support may be required, and even paid, but can soon become a teeny tiny amount per child.
      
      Seem to recall a request to Kainga Ora to build higher walls so the females in the house could go outside uncovered.
      
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      August 17, 2025 9:04am
      - David Garrett
        
        Art: Requesting high walls is entirely unsurprising. Demands for Muslim only hours at public swimming pool have been made for years. I am not sure what the current situation is in that regard.
        
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        August 17, 2025 9:19am
      - Paulus
        
        Are you aware of the Mental Health problems which large Muslim families bring, for as soon as a female can she is 0nly there to interbreed often within her own close family.
        Over many generations throughout the World where inter marriage takes place mental problems occur from large families requiring mental support which is no longer available.
        Never elected Labour Party Minister known as Angry, for his sweet temperament, to be Wellington Mayor, spent $1.9 billion here and there is nothing to show for it, not one new Mental Health bed.
        Ahmed Zaoui, in prison in North Africa, it is said came with a family of 18.
        Simply put would you not check the pedigree of a dog you wish to buy ?
        Farmers do with Cattle and Sheep all the time.
        
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        August 17, 2025 9:21am
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        From friends in the NeoNate Ward, the biggest users of their services are crackhead babies and inbred Muslims.
        
        Not that it’s politic to say so.
        
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        August 17, 2025 4:16pm
    - 2ic
      
      @cmm: “In the 2023 census the NZ population of Muslims was at 1.5%. Their breeding rate is far higher and they represent a reasonably large fraction of the immigrants, so we can surely expect the 2% here pretty soon.”
      
      Add to this our plummeting birth rates (current birth rate of 1.56 is well below the required replacement rate of 2.1) :
      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/509571/new-zealand-s-birth-rate-falls-to-lowest-since-world-war-ii
      
      And record numbers of New Zealanders leaving:
      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/539741/record-numbers-still-leaving-new-zealand-stats-nz
      
      Sad to see the New Zealand I grew up in is rapidly dying.
      
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      August 17, 2025 12:12pm
      - cmm
        
        Quite. We’re well down the road to being a Maori/PI majority country with a growing Muslim population.
        
        While only 27% of the population are Maori and PI, 34% of the primary school children are. They are massively out breeding others. Another 3 generations at that rate (60 years) and Maori + PI will be over 50%.
        
        Similarly currently of the entire population, 3% are Hindu and 1.5% Muslim, but when you look just at primary age children (ie. the future), then Muslims are almost as prevalent as Hindus. Again, we can expect a huge swing in demographics over this century (for those of us around to see it happen).
        
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        August 17, 2025 2:38pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    David, things will get worse due to Australian PPPP.
    Not the % of Muslims in the country
    
    PPPP = Piss poor politicians pandering.
    
    Singapore doesn’t have this problem PPPP
    and a Muslim population of over 15%
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:40pm
- kowtow
  
  I would have thought that a synagogue and restuarant attack like that in Melbourne would have been a very big news item here .
  
  As it is I only learn that from kb !
  
  Shocking. And very worrying.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:00am
In Vino Veritas

Vale Bobby Simpson. Great cricketer and captain of Australia. Helped dig Australia out of a hole making them the machine they became for many years.
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August 17, 2025 8:18am
- gravedodger
  
  Second that VV hard to imagine “Simmo” and sandpaper but he was a very very competitive.
  He returned to captain his country when world cricket was in turmoil at age 41.
  The one single person who took Australia to the heights of domination of the world game, in that he outshone Bradman.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:35am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Comparisons of this kind are invidious. If Bob Simpson had not taken Australian cricket in hand, you’d have to think that someone else would have. Nothing is inevitable, but there is a depth to Australian cricket akin to that in NZ rugby.
    
    It’s worth noting that in addition to his captaincy, Simpson averaged 46 with the bat, took a fair few wickets and was an outstanding slip. A decade after retirement, in his 40s and amid the Kerry Packer carnage returned to face the wrath of the Windies (if you’ve seen ‘Fire in Babylon’ – one of the great sporting movies – you’d know how the Windies felt about the Aussies) – he was a brave man as well as a fine player.
    
    But, Bradman is Bradman. He stands alone, with a Test average 50% better than anyone who has ever played the game. Offhand, I can’t think of a comparable stat in other sports.
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:28am
    - Nikola Donatello
      
      A while back some statistician calculated that the gap between Bradman and other batsmen was unprecedented in sport. He concluded that it might take several centuries for someone comparable to come along.
      
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      August 17, 2025 7:56pm
Nikola Donatello

Readers may recall that early this year there was a scandal involving the misuse of census data. It involved a marae and multiple government agencies.

Much attention was drawn to the decision by the CE of Stats New Zealand to “fall on his sword”.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/manurewa-marae-stats-head-wont-seek-reappointment-as-inquiry-finds-failures-in-agencies-safeguarding-data/GZXKK7YJWZHMXAQIBDTQCV2YSE/

As it happens, the former Government statistician has now been appointed as a Deputy Secretary at the Treasury, a very senior and highly paid position.

https://www.treasury.govt.nz/contacts/mark-sowden

I stress that there is nothing unlawful about this. After not seeking reappointment as Government Statistician, this person is perfectly entitled to seek appointment to another role.

However, given the scale of the problem with the census and people on a marae apparently misusing that data, I would have thought that some more time in the ‘sin bin’ was warranted. The census cost more than $300 million and was essentially wrecked.

Just my opinion. Again, I stress that I am not suggesting any unlawful behaviour here.
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August 17, 2025 8:19am
- greybeard
  
  I think that this sort of appointment is known as “The Grant Robertson Syndrome”.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:28am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Or the Raelene Castle syndrome?
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:14am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Its that great Leftist tradition of ‘Failing Up’
    You fail and then get promoted
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:48am
    - kowtow
      
      It’s called the Dance of the Deep State Dunces.
      
      They shuffle around from dept to dept .Drawing huge salaries from taxpayers and slowly but surely driving the nation to penury.
      
      They should all be DOGEd.
      
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      August 17, 2025 11:06am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  From the Treasury website:
  
  “Mark previously worked at Stats NZ where he was Government Statistician and Chief Executive for the last five years. During this time Mark led both the successful delivery of the 2023 Census, as well as the development of an entirely new model for the collection of future censuses. Mark was also Government Chief Data Steward, responsible for leading a step change in the use of data across government”
  
  Successful delivery of the 2023 Census?
  
  Must be some new definition of the word “successful”.
  
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  August 17, 2025 10:06am
  - OlderChas
    
    Octopuses – Octopii. Censuses – Censusii? lol English she is a strange language. (I think academics have been arguing the ses-sii question for years. I certainly don’t know the answer. This post is NOT designed to prompt serious discussion!)
    
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    August 17, 2025 12:58pm
    - Dudley Quaffquaff
      
      The plural of octopus is, strictly, octopodes. Definitely not octopi, since the word is Greek, not Latin. The approved plural in English is, however, octopuses.
      
      The plural of census in Latin is also census, but in English it’s censuses
      
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      August 17, 2025 4:19pm
- Ra Henare
  
  Niko, thanks for the Info. Wonder what the pay difference is?
  
  Was it a promotion $$ wise or a demotion $$$
  
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  August 17, 2025 4:42pm
  - Nikola Donatello
    
    I’m just guessing.. At Stats NZ he might have been on 400k The new job 300k
    
    So a bit less money. But enough for a decent life.
    
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    August 17, 2025 7:51pm
All_on_Red

In Alaska President Putin has said he agrees with Trump that the war in Ukraine would not have started if Trump had been president instead of Biden.
Video link here;
https://x.com/KassyAkiva/status/1956493766367293622?
After the meeting Trump said “we didn’t get there but we have a chance.”
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2025/08/15/heres-what-happened-at-the-trump-putin-summit-today-n3805866
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August 17, 2025 8:24am
- David Garrett
  
  All on: Putin is simply kissing Trump’s arse…and the Great Narcissist cannot see it.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:27am
  - David Garrett
    
    …. and neither can the seven – thus far – who have downticked my comment
    
    16 27
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    August 17, 2025 8:59am
  - G152
    
    Putin is playing Trump for the fool he is
    
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    August 17, 2025 9:04am
  - OlderChas
    
    I think you spelled shafting wrong DG!
    
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    August 17, 2025 1:01pm
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  Played like a fiddle.
  
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  August 17, 2025 8:51am
- All_on_Red
  
  Lets see if he gets it done
  And if he does then the commentariat are going to look stupid
  So far he has been doing well
  Rwanda, Azerbaijan, Iran…
  
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  August 17, 2025 9:40am
  - RichardX
    
    And if he does then the commentariat are going to look stupid
    
    And if he doesn’t get it done, does that make you look stupid?
    
    I’m trying to understand the standard you are applying here.
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:26am
    - All_on_Red
      
      I’m just reporting the news and observing what others say
      But I’m sure this is not the only thing you struggle to understand
      
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      August 17, 2025 12:39pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Actually I’ll fess up
        I posted it because I knew it would trigger some people and sure enough they took the bait
        So funny!
        
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        August 17, 2025 12:56pm
      - RichardX
        
        A simple yes would have been suffiicent.
        
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        August 17, 2025 2:38pm
  - Vory v zakone
    
    Yeah but in the meantime AOR, expect to be deluged by the psychology and foreign policy “experts” like Cap’n Jackal. All from their armchairs, thousands of kms away. 🙄
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:44am
NeverMindTheBollocks

War is useless, said one WW11 veteran on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

I’m not so sure I agree, certainly in the case of WW11. Seeing off Hitler and the Japs was a good thing, not least for the Germans and the Japs.

As to whether we have squandered the victory – I think there’s a case to answer.
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August 17, 2025 8:33am
- David Garrett
  
  Nevermind: IMO WW II was the last just war. The world would be a very different place now had it not been fought 80 years ago.
  
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  August 17, 2025 9:43am
  - AitchW
    
    Falklands war?
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:04am
- Damocles11
  
  The Communists won WWII. They took over Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:18am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    When Ho Chi Min was asked what the long term consequences of the French Revolution were, he replied that it was still too early to say.
    
    I’m inclined to think that the same is true for WW11.
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:20pm
  - MCōs
    
    The Soviet Union took over Eastern Europe, France retook Northern Vietnam, Mao took over mainland china and Chiang Kai-shek Taiwan. Kim Il Sung, who fought against the Japanese occupation of Korea took over the north and very nearly reunified the country
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:48pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

There’s an underlying theme to much public discourse, to wit that we are living at the end of times. The glee with which Covid and lockdown was greeted by many people, the apocalyptic nature of climate change claims, how long it will be until our jobs and then ourselves are replaced by AI – it’s millennial madness. It’s not new either – remember peak oil and nuclear winter?

It seems that there’s a negative streak deep inside our imagination. Perhaps it’s a counter to relentless optimism, and together this dynamic tension is what drives us forward.

Regardless, humanity has never been as prosperous and long lived as it is now, and there’s no good reason why these trends won’t continue. It’s worth pointing this out to the young ‘uns.
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August 17, 2025 9:02am
- Flossie
  
  I’m hearing (even from my contemporaries) that the poor young people of today have so much to contend with. Sure they do but there have always been huge worries in the world. My parents married at the conclusion of WW2 and despite the worry of family members still not having returned from countries where they’d been held as POWs, and there having been nuclear bombs dropped, went on to have me and my siblings. There was still rationing, and a dire shortage of housing. Our family lived in a shed…all in one room, an outside toilet of course, but also an outside tin bath, while waiting for sufficient materials and tradesmen to build a house.
  But we all survived and were happy. This despite the threats of yellow peril and cold war animosity.
  
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  August 17, 2025 9:40am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  I should add that there is a tendency to see current times as super important, as if people of 60 or 160 years ago were different species, and that those 60 or 160 years hence are equally unknowable. It’s as if we live in a fictional narrative, where a satisfactory resolution within a short period is a must.
  
  Well children, time is a river that will continue to flow long after we’re pushing up the daisies; our three score and ten is but the blink of an eye.
  
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  August 17, 2025 4:26pm
- Ra Henare
  
  What I am looking forward to is the next big global scare that all the “”leaders”” will use to take away more citizens freedom.
  
  ergo Climate change scare is on a road to failure and being debunked by more and more.
  
  The Covid sacre which was used to remove a shitload of freedom and now research sowing that the leaders knowingly lied and continued pushing(and still do in NZ) a vaccine that kills.
  
  And banning Doctors for doing their job of advising patients based on their medical knowledge and research.
  
  I am pro vaccines in General but was always anti the Covid Fkup
  
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  August 17, 2025 4:52pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Will most Ports in NZ revert to Iwi ownership?

https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/08/15/supreme-court-upholds-iwi-and-hapu-rights-to-navigable-riverbeds-in-landmark-ruling/
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August 17, 2025 9:12am
- pdm
  
  Maggy – logic says this will be rectified by an amendment in the upcoming Foreshore and seabed bill.
  
  Then again when it comes to matters Maori Luxon, National and logic do not work together.
  
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  August 17, 2025 10:34am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  From the article.
  
  “Last week, iwi leaders warned they would “fight” the reforms, accusing the Crown of ignoring the Supreme Court’s authority.”
  
  It is alarming that they think like this.
  
  In the United States, the Supreme Court has the function of binding the government by interpreting the constitution. In Australia the High Court has the same function.
  
  The New Zealand Supreme Court has no such function. It does not have “authority” over parliament.
  
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  August 17, 2025 10:37am
  - Eastlander
    
    Many people in this country and other parts of the world follow American news in preference to local news because it’s more exciting. From this they develop an American worldview and interpret events through an American lense. They might well be genuinely surprised to learn that the New Zealand Supreme Court doesn’t have the powers that the American Supreme Court has (or at least claims for itself).
    
    Most New Zealanders would benefit from drastically reducing their American media diet. It’s a consumer product that’s been carefully crafted to manipulate the viewer into a tizzy and keep his eyes glued to the screen so he sees all the sponsored advertising. The only thing worse for you is watching Maori TV which I briefly did yesterday because the Great Gatsby was on.
    
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    August 17, 2025 10:57am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Agreed. Same as claiming their “”rights”” based on what they see in MerryCar.
      
      Which are not rights in NZ.
      
      Would be a great blog to read if it did the
      differences in merrycar living and NZ living.
      
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      August 17, 2025 4:55pm
  - kowtow
    
    I’m sure the southern Maori tribe , Ngai Tahu, won’t be part of this latest grab , seeing how National signed off their fifth “Full and Final ” deal in the late 1990s. //
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:12am
  - Paulus
    
    But they think that due to their Superior appointments that they supersede Parliament, and the Maori tell them so.
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:24am
artemisia

Protesters confront Resources Minister Shane Jones in Whangārei over fast-track projects

Significant marina project is in the fast-track process. Very sad photo of a young child protesting with a sign saying Gentrification @ Waipiro Bay pushing out our people. Suspect someone else wrote that sign. Maybe someone concerned that an influx of employment opportunities in the area might impact on a taxpayer funded lifestyle.

Minister Jones pushes back, not surprisingly, on criticism of the consultation process: “All of the local councils, which are a proxy for the community voice, and all of the tangata whenua have wide-scale opportunities. Indeed, there will be people appointed to the expert panel, not only by tangata whenua, but by the local council. Now, whether that’s a good idea or a bad idea, that’s in the law, so I think it’s an exaggeration. They may be fearful their particular priorities aren’t accurately reflected, but I guess that’s just a contest of ideas.”

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/570193/protesters-confront-resources-minister-shane-jones-in-whangarei-over-fast-track-projects
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August 17, 2025 9:19am
- Gravelroad
  
  Yep, use your kids any way you can for your own advancement.
  Slightly ironic that the child pictured, whilst having a lengthy Maori first name, goes by the surname of Wakefield-Bigelow.
  Surely descended from white colonists then?
  Muppets.
  
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  August 17, 2025 10:49am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Surely not descended from the Wakefields of NZ Company fame?
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:18am
Swifty

Back in the mid-late 90s, my newly minted bride and I did a week-long drive around the East Cape to visit my folk in Gizzie and to visit her mob and some historic places in her family’s history in that region.

With my Ngati One One cuzzie we visited the Whangara Marae one day to say gudday to a few folk and have a look around. Our host that day was Hone Taumaunu (father of Waimarama and Judge Heemi Taumaunu) who showed us around and took my cuzzie and I to see their huge waka currently under construction.

Yes, I, a pakeha male, was free to look at the waka whereas my wife, a Ngati Porou woman (albeit 6 foot 1, blonde and blue-eyed) was not.

It’s interesting, is it not, that lefties, the DEI crowd and feminist academics etc never call out this blatant sexual discrimination. No, not a peep.

Not the end of the world of course, but remarkable that Maoridom just do not get held to the same standards as whitey culture.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/culture/lifting-the-tapu-maori-women-who-carve

Hone Taumaunu

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FHOPGJ6Lpxc&pp=0gcJCf8Ao7VqN5tD

Note I’ve tried to look up a page on the waka or even just some pics but have found nothing. Odd. It was a bloody massive waka, I’m surprised there’s no information to be found on it.
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August 17, 2025 9:28am
- Swifty
  
  The waka:
  
  https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DwQt6Tspr/?mibextid=wwXIfr
  
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  August 17, 2025 10:36am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  It’s had a bit of a history…and basically a falling-out between the Carver and the tribal bosses.
  
  It was put out to pasture (literally) for about 20 years
  
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/giant-waka-put-out-to-grass-after-brief-splash-of-glory/YA7LGPEKTSGUF6JK3GGY2CGMRY/
  
  before being shifted to its permanent resting place on the lower slopes of Mt Hikurangi (at the Ngati Porou-owned Pakihiroa farm )…where it seems to be weathering away.
  
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  August 17, 2025 1:00pm
  - Swifty
    
    Thanks very much Maggy.
    
    Yes, I’ve caught up with it all this morning after a deeper dive on Google.
    
    What a pity.
    
    So much for guardianship of taonga eh?
    
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    August 17, 2025 1:22pm
  - Swifty
    
    Matahi Brightwell can’t be living far from you Maggy.
    
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/matahi-brightwell-loses-sculptures-and-artworks-when-waimata-river-overflows-into-his-property/M25CJU7M35FQ5OEF3YZRF7DNCY/
    
    He’s a Kaiti resident.
    
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    August 17, 2025 1:35pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      He’s on the other side of the valley.
      
      Very well respected…especially amongst the waka ama crews.
      
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      August 17, 2025 3:18pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Handy for when the apocalyptic sea rise turns up – hopefully they’ll have a caulking gun handy.
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:28pm
Aquarius

If you ever wondered why RNZ is in terminal decline….
This morning someone named Stacey Morrison standing in for Jim Mora
Listen to her intro at 8 am
All Maori wonderfulness and Manglish; even the announced reporter from London on international events a Maori
I only lasted 3 minutes.
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August 17, 2025 9:41am
- kowtow
  
  3 minutes !
  
  You might be better suited to waterboarding .
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:15am
- cas
  
  Instead of doing a survey RNZ would have been better off asking people like me why they’ve turned off it. The only decent programmes are Jim Mora ( and not Stacey filling in for him) and Vicki McKay in the dead of night when you can’t sleep.
  
  Their bias, lack of balance, lack of professionalism and inept interviewing put me off.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:32am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Many years back when Jim Mora had the afternoon slot on RNZ, I thought he was boring and their weakest presenter. I usually turned the radio off after the midday news and didn’t turn it back on until 6pm.
    
    Now, I’d agree that his Sunday morning slot is one of the few worthwhile shows on RNZ.
    
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    August 17, 2025 1:07pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Apropos Radio NZ & its hosts:

Mark Rogers, Nashville Babylon, focussing on Americana, alt-country and the blues.

Such a good show, I had presumed that it was bought in from overseas. Actually, Mark lives in Carterton.

Double thumbs up from me.
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August 17, 2025 9:43am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Yep,
  Never boring or predictable.
  
  And never anything but the music…. no snide comments on the political events of the day, or banal chatter with guests.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:39am
vand

Does Islam condemn lesbianism as well?

Well 4 witnesses are needed to put lesbians to death so most will be safe as
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August 17, 2025 9:44am
Cassandra

General Breedlove, ex NATO C-in-C: The Trump-Putin talks were a nothing burger.

I’d go further: the meeting suited Putin right down to the ground – he has played Trump like a trout.

“If Putin walks away having conceded nothing and instead convinces the U.S. to put pressure on Ukraine to make concessions or face consequences, Putin will have achieved a major success and will be emboldened to continue his aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere,” Rob Dannenberg, former chief of the CIA Central Eurasia Division stated.

“China and Iran will be similarly encouraged with unfortunate future kinetic consequences in East Asia and the Middle East. This would be a train wreck for the free world.”

It’s not just Ukraine – this will encourage tyrants all over the world. TACO? Europe must now step up.
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August 17, 2025 9:52am
- Wandering Star
  
  The US is powerless to defeat Russia, short of nuking Moscow, which would of course be suicidal. The US Empire is a walking corpse and is basically finished, Cassandra. Your quite bizarre consistent calls for increasing military spending as a percentage of GDP by “the free world” to discourage “the tyrants” are a sign of your denial of this basic reality. We should be busily aligning ourselves as to the post-US- hegemony multipolar world, not relitigating the Cold War.
  
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  August 17, 2025 10:10am
  - Cassandra
    
    My “bizarre” calls are endorsed by every professional in this field. I was a military planner and an foreign affairs director. And your credentials are?
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:03am
- Paulus
  
  Europe cannot step up as there are so many of them with different languages and anticipations that the German lady President cannot get them to agree on most anything.
  And who is gonna pay ?
  EC alone has a borrowed future life
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:28am
  - alwyn.a
    
    “German lady President”
    I suggest you google the gentleman who holds the Office. He is as much a German Lady as were the Russian lady athletes on the 1960s, Tamara and Irina Press.
    
    The current officeholder is Frank-Walter Steinmeier who was elected on 12 February 2017 and re-elected on 13 February 2022. He is currently serving his second five-year-term, which began on 19 March 2022.
    
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    August 17, 2025 2:44pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Chancellor vs President.
      
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      August 17, 2025 4:30pm
      - alwyn.a
        
        Hmm.
        Friedrich Merz. Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (born 11 November 1955) is a German politician serving as Chancellor of Germany since 6 May 2025.
        He is also male, although he hasn’t been in the job for as long as Herr Steinmeier has been in his.
        Angela has been gone for a long time.
        
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        August 17, 2025 5:19pm
  - NothingLeft
    
    With the rate that Russian refineries are being taken out of action by gradually ramping long-range Ukrainian drone production Russian economy and their ability to move goods and people around will be lucky to survive another year.
    
    Getting more such drones to Ukraine (up from current 1-200 to say 1000 a day) would end the war quickest and cheapest (a few billions in drones) with lowest loss of life on both sides.
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:36pm
- Philview
  
  I have read commentary before that the US is wanting to pull Russia away from China’s influence and also strike business deals for minerals. If that context is correct Ukraine is expendable compared to US’s wider geopolitical interests.
  
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  August 17, 2025 12:11pm
- rouppe
  
  Europe must now step up
  
  I fail to understand why Europe, or parts thereof, explicitly non-Nato even if they are nato members, do not ascend and after sufficient warning, just obliterate any presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
  
  They all talk about how Russia is a significant threat, how if he wins here he’ll come back later for more, but all they do is dribble support into Ukraine, just enough to not fail, but never enough to win.
  
  Romania, Hungary, Poland, France, Germany and Italy would be enough.
  
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  August 17, 2025 12:30pm
  - NothingLeft
    
    They have been nervous of exciting a nuclear response – the whole way through this war.
    
    I think Putin and oligarchs are more rational than that, though perhaps would be final gambit if Putin fears he is about to lose power.
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:37pm
Bridgenag

American Academy of Pediatrics received $35 million from taxpayers in 2023, plus $$ funds from Pharma–no wonder it demands vaccine mandates in schools and is suing Sec. Kennedy
Just one more lobbying organization, but one that uses kids for its own purposes

https://open.substack.com/pub/merylnass/p/american-academy-of-pediatrics-received?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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August 17, 2025 10:16am
- peterwn
  
  Pediatrics is an unfashionable branch of medicine compared with urologists and the like who deal with older wealthy people. Doctors take up pediatrics to be of service to the community and because of the love of children. A disheartening aspect of their practice is having to deal with seriously ill children whose parents did not arrange for them to have the usual childhood vaccinations. I just do not see pediatricians being bought off by drug companies and the like.
  
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  August 17, 2025 12:03pm
Bridgenag

BlackRock’s Larry Fink Now World Economic Forum Co-Chair
BlackRock CEO, already controlling trillions in assets, now sits atop the Davos machine pushing the “Great Reset

“The Forum’s programs are advancing the worldwide climate change narrative, as well as the idea that China’s communist leadership model should be emulated in every country.

It’s also the driving force behind international Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and so-called population management.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/jonfleetwood/p/blackrocks-larry-fink-now-world-economic?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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August 17, 2025 10:26am
- peterwn
  
  The end of the chain investors are in control, not the likes of Larry Fink. If the investors do not like the investments they brought into (usually shares in exchange traded funds which investors can buy and sell very easily at any time), investors would pull their money out.
  
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  August 17, 2025 12:07pm
MCōs

Another glorious win to the mighty Wallabies
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August 17, 2025 11:12am
- balanced
  
  Incredible how ordinary the south africans look without the english referees.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:22am
  - Colville
    
    The Saffers seemed to forget that defence requires effort.
    
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    August 17, 2025 11:57am
  - greybeard
    
    Pity that ref yapped all game, very loudly. Bloody annoying.
    
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    August 17, 2025 12:13pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  AND, it was Ellis Park up there on the Witswatersrand. Japies lead 22-5 at half time and betting on South Africa would have been suspended. Visitors cannot overcome a deficit like that when on the Hoeveld. Durban possibly or even Loftus Versveld, but not up there!
  This was one of Aussie’s greatest test wins.
  The Bledisloe Cup could be a cracker.
  
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  August 17, 2025 2:06pm
  - MCōs
    
    Rugby is an evolving game and the rest of the world has had a chance to figure out how the Springboks have been playing the game
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:03pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Ex RNZ this am – apparently, “Asians” in Christchurch suffering mental health problems have troubling obtaining culturally appropriate counselling in their own language. We’re told that this is a problem, and implied that it’s our fault.

As a non professional in this field, I’d suggest that said Asians are poorly adapted to NZ and that the quickest and most appropriate solution to their health problems is that they immerse themselves in their own culture and language. The best place to find this is self evidently not Christchurch.

More broadly, it’s apparent that many Third World people come here for the money – it’s greed, pure and simple. It’s hardly surprising that those for whom the promises of the immigration agents prove to be false suffer mental health problems.

If we really cared about these people, we’d be much tougher about vetting the people we admit, and much tougher on immigration agents here in NZ and, via govt-to-govt discussions, in the source countries. But that’s much harder than liberal hand-wringing.
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August 17, 2025 11:16am
- Jack5
  
  Asians in Christchurch … obtaining culturally appropriate counselling in their own language…
  
  What do the Woke expect NZ to do for these folk? Which languages would they like NZ to provide help in: Mandarin Chinese? Cantonese? Hindi? Bengali? Punjabi? Sinhala? Tagalog? Korean? Indonesian? Malay?
  
  New Zealand Immigration requirement on English language, except for those from Samoa:
  
  “You need to be able to hold a basic conversation in English to get New Zealand citizenship.”
  
  https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/nz-citizenship/requirements-for-nz-citizenship/language-requirements/
  
  Meanwhile, Christchurch’s psychiatric hospital is in staffing and resources crisis. Yet, according to our poster, Red Radio is suggesting some sort of UN-scale translation service be added. Oh that’s right, it’s cultural and not just about language.
  
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  August 17, 2025 1:06pm
  - MCōs
    
    Basic conversational English is well short of what would be required for medical professionals and patients to understand each other going by my wife’s experience
    
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    August 17, 2025 2:48pm
    - ISeeRed
      
      Can farang expect and demand publicly funded psychiatric services in English in Thailand?
      
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      August 17, 2025 4:09pm
Pineapple Lumps

Why is Prime Minister Luxon not able to show balance in his comments about Israel-Palestine?

For instance, he has taken a position to call out Benjamin Netanyahu on several occasions but hasn’t tempered this with balance around how evil Hamas are to their own people, the holding of captives from Israel and other nations etc etc

He has a large inclination for woke – ie TOW = partnership with Māori, man made climate change is real and undebatable.

For his age and stage he appears more aligned to the left of politics than you would expect from a National leader.
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August 17, 2025 11:20am
- Don Beckett
  
  Unfortunately, from my perspective he is a major disappointment politically. Nice personable guy, but a business leader – not a political leader.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:37am
  - peterwn
    
    So you would rather have Chlöe Swarbrick calling the shots.
    
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    August 17, 2025 12:10pm
    - Cassandra
      
      Don’t see how you go from improving Luxon to getting Chloe. I assume you’re implying that if Luxon is replaced Labour will win. Im not sure about that, despite the statistics.
      
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      August 17, 2025 12:55pm
      - artemisia
        
        Ms Swarbrick is already a political leader. It’s what she does and she is quite effectively leading her constituency. ‘Managing’ a coalition not so much, though those escaping New Zealand might find it entertaining in a dismal sort of way.
        
        About Prime Minister Luxon, I get not universally popular but he does a lot of delegating and is successfully keeping the caucus feet almost always pointing in the same direction. Sounds like leadership to me, just not noisy.
        
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        August 17, 2025 3:59pm
- Paulus
  
  To do anything Hamas will have to release All the Hostages now so that a cease fire can begin.
  Hamas will not as the Koran will tell them that it is a failure.
  So be careful Luxon as the left wing here have taken over the media and what you say should be pursued carefully recognising that next years election, which we are told by the media you will not be here will be tainted.
  Yes, recognise Palestine, whatever that, is BUT release all the Hostages first.
  Hamas will not do that, as the worlds PR is entirely whatever, in their favour even in little New Zealand.
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:38am
- Ghost
  
  He added there was “no role for Hamas in any future Palestinian state”.
  
  “We are seeing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We are seeing Hamas hold hostages that should be released. We are seeing no evidence of a ceasefire emerging, at this point of time… What we really need to see is a stop to the suffering that is happening,” Luxon said.
  
  Article
  
  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have announced today the designation of Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist entity.
  
  Press release
  
  He’s made many comments against Hamas
  
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  August 17, 2025 11:38am
vand

“For his age and stage he appears more aligned to the left of politics than you would expect from a National leader.”

Well whatever his true party Luxon appears now to be leading National like the ill fated captain of the charge of the light brigade- but to a bloodless loss and a one term government
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August 17, 2025 11:41am
NeverMindTheBollocks

RNZ says things have to change. The target audience is now 50-69 (it’s unclear what the 70+ have done to offend the top brass).

Nek minut, Stacey Morrison is subbing in for Jim Mora and the Sunday Morning show is riddled with the Maori language and guests – completely disproportionate and hardly aligned with the target audience. If this was your only exposure to NZ, you’d come away with a very odd picture of the country.

Sounds to me like the Programming Director is giving two fingers to CEO Paul Thompson.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/570207/mediawatch-rnz-flags-changes-to-claw-back-listeners
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August 17, 2025 11:53am
- Swifty
  
  I’ve been thinking about RNZ a lot recently.
  
  I think Kim Hill’s recent’ish departure from Saturday Mornings serves as a great example as to where their sympathies and bias lies.
  
  So a strongly left, very high profile presenter (Kim) leaves and by doing so presents RNZ to do some balancing of the left/right bias in choosing her replacement.
  
  Who do they replace her with?
  
  Susie bloody Ferguson, another strong lefty who wears her leftyness on her sleeve and is well known for it.
  
  But what do the RNZ wallahs do then? Well they announce Saturday Mornings will now have co-presenters and that they are going to provide a co-presenter to Susie.
  
  And who did they choose?
  
  The screaming socialist and Maori radical and separatist Mihi Forbes!
  
  So one tribal socialist has now been replaced by two tribal socialists, who parade their views, soft ball their mates and lambast their political opponents, every chance they get.
  
  Really, RNZ aren’t even trying anymore. They couldn’t give a rats arse about balance and objectivity.
  
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  August 17, 2025 1:09pm
  - NothingLeft
    
    They’ve already shed at least 70% of the electorate with their partisan political extremism (like the rest of Legacy media). Why would they do anything to piss off the residue of their by now all left to far left listeners?
    
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    August 17, 2025 4:47pm
- fightingtemeraire
  
  The whole Journalist Class in TVNZ and RNZ cannot see that they are a lost cause and wonder why the audience is deserting them left right and centre.
  
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  August 17, 2025 2:53pm
- BeaB
  
  Māori, menopause and moaning.
  
  6 1
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  August 17, 2025 4:18pm
OlderChas

I saw a report stating that the price of milk is causing most of the food price increases lately. (Cheese, butter etc were mentioned.)
I wonder if that milk price increase is related to the product becoming scarcer due to culling of cows and conversion of dairy farms to pine forests? (Climate change doncha know.)
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August 17, 2025 1:17pm
- mandk
  
  The price of dairy products is determined global dairy trade. NZ’s dairy industry is bigger than most, but nowhere near large enough to have an impact on the global market.
  
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  August 17, 2025 1:50pm
- MCōs
  
  Probably not considered the domestic price is related to the export price, which is set by auction, I understand
  Here’s the number of dairy cows over the last twenty years
  https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/fewer-sheep-and-dairy-cattle-in-2022/
  Here’s some info on forestry
  https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/44971-Provisional-estimates-of-tree-stocks-sales-and-forest-planting-in-2023-report/
  
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  August 17, 2025 3:00pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  I doubt anyone would convert dairy land to pine forestry.
  
  It would never be economical.
  
  Pine is going onto sheep-beef country.
  
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  August 17, 2025 3:16pm
- PeterTrentham
  
  People are going back to dairy products as they are healthier than other speeds like margarine. Also, more of a middle class in the world can afford it
  
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  August 17, 2025 4:25pm
Ghost

There seems to be a shift in the way the USA government talks about ufos. Mark Rubio appearing in the documentary The Age of Disclosure with other officials

Luna also alleged that lawmakers have been shown evidence of “interdimensional beings.”

“Without getting into classified conversations, there have been incidences where I believe very credible people have reported that there have been movements outside of time and space,” Luna said. “Based on the photos that I’ve seen, I’m very confident there’s things out there that have not been created by mankind.”

Article

Vice President JD Vance revealed that he is “obsessed” with mysterious UFO videos during an appearance on the “Ruthless” podcast on Friday.

“I’m obsessed with the whole UFO thing. What’s actually going on? What were those videos all about? What’s actually happening?” he questioned. “I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet, but we’re only six months in.”

Article

Investigative journalist and podcast host Ross Coulthart says the United States government is “suddenly waking up” to the “reality” of UFOs.
4 1
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August 17, 2025 3:05pm
- NothingLeft
  
  But even with all the senior political leadership now happy to reveal all we still see nothing concrete in the way of evidence coming out.
  
  Strongly suggests it doesn’t exist within any part of the govt even after 80 years of reports and incidents.
  
  I think chance of aliens being around is <1%, with last remaining slim hope as to why we don't have good evidence being because they are getting more furtive as our tech improves.
  
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  August 17, 2025 4:53pm
BeaB

[ Mod – KBlog really doesn’t do posts that are 100% abuse ]
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August 17, 2025 4:19pm
Ghost

This is good news. This is one of those illnesses that some struggle to get a diagnoses for

Article

New research has found myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is partly caused by genetics, related to the immune and nervous system.

The study – the world’s largest into the condition – identifies DNA differences that raise the risk of developing ME/CFS and tells us about possible biological causes of the illness.
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August 17, 2025 8:42pm

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