About
Contact
Advertise

Facebook
Twitter

February 13, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 13 February 2026

Like this:

Like Loading…

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Comment177

Uncategorized
General Debate

Comments (177)

Login to comment or vote

CJames

The latest breathless scandal the Opposition has jumped on-board is the school lunch programme has dropped its Maori name. Oh-shock horror!!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/cabinet-removes-te-reo-maori-name-of-school-lunches-scheme/S3AF5WWF6RCY5NIWVBJ4SPXLGU/
As could be predicted, the Greens called it racist. Labour could only manage “petty”. In a lack of self-awareness, Willow Jean Prime actually became active enough to say the name change was “what they are choosing to spend their time and energy on “
I am so glad the our servants occupy the minds with such pressing matters of national importance. How many of those MPs are way beyond their competence level?
44 3
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:01am
- Martonman
  
  Most of them.
  
  14 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:06am
  - R
    
    Martin… competence would be a rare attribute within most of our opposition parties!
    
    5 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 10:41am
    - Ra Henare
      
      most parties in Parliament!! Not just opposition.
      
      0 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 3:17pm
- Simon
  
  Greens & Labour are third world political parties. In a democracy it’s possible to vote for a country to become third world. This is what is being rolled out. National are not to the same extent third world, but the absolute decline to LatAm style third worldism is NZs future
  
  14 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:07am
- Yvette
  
  From the above link –
  Green MP Teanau Tuiono called the move “racist” as well as “pathetic” and “anti-Māori”.
  “Te reo Māori is a beautiful language, it’s an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. …”
  
  [Labour’s education spokeswoman, Willow-Jean Prime] labelled the lunches scheme a “flop” that had “botch-up after botch-up” and questioned why removing the te reo name was “what they are choosing to spend their time and energy on”.
  
  So both Greens and Labour MPs want a Maori name, “a beautiful language”, associated in an issue that is “racist, pathetic and anti-Maori” and “a “flop” that had “botch-up after botch-up”. If I was Maori I don’t know I would be so keen.
  
  16 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:24am
  - R
    
    Confused ambitions within. Most of Labour, and all Maori and Green MPs are only seeking an income, that they are incapable of earning in the REAL WORLD of employment.
    
    8 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 10:44am
  - PurplePen
    
    Does that mean other languages aren’t beautiful? And who’s been saying Maori is an ugly language? And why is the aesthetics of a language relevant to it’s legitimacy of use? So many questions.
    
    5 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 11:51am
- cmm
  
  That said, the Maori name is the least of the issues that will fix the school lunch programme.
  
  Just tip the whole thing in the dunny.
  
  Yes, there are cultures where school lunches fit right in (eg. France, Japan, Sweden). Everyone gets school lunches regardless of social status. Lunches are built in to the educational fabric (eg. in Sweden kids help with the food ordering and preparation etc).
  
  NZ is not one of them.
  
  Lunches in NZ are not solving any real problem.
  
  41 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:27am
  - Gravelroad
    
    It is virtue signalling by the left.
    And reinforcing the idea that free stuff is a right and that to keep the free stuff rolling in, people must keep voting for left wing parties.
    And, in other news, everyone (except iwi) is going to be paying a water use levy.
    Give with one hand, take away with the other.
    It’s all a bit of a shambles now.
    
    29 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 8:48am
  - R
    
    Willow jeans comment was a long statement for her.school lunches in NZ, are perpetuating a problem. One of parental inability to prioritise budgeting needs!
    
    17 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 8:58am
  - RichardF
    
    I was talking about this last night with my wife. When I was in primary school (1985-1990), parents would make lunch in the school canteen every morning. It was a hive of activity. The school essentially ran its own canteen (or tuck shop as we used to call it), some of the food was sold, some was given away free.
    
    What changed? Im guessing ‘health and safety’ played a big role. Back then mum was a stay home mum too and had time to help.
    
    15 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:09am
    - cmm
      
      A big thing that has changed is the ever growing state.
      
      What used to be actions performed by community members (eg. church outreach and mothers) has been replaced by state functions (including NGOs).
      
      Some would say this is a deliberate action to reduce the resilience of communities and make people more dependent on the state. I would tend to agree.
      
      Both Labour and National are heavily statist. They only differ a bit on execution.
      
      15 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 10:29am
      - R
        
        Cmm, the first three paragraphs of your comment are TRUE.
        The last paragraph shows a lack of understanding of National policies. Go seek counseling from your local National party Electorate office.
        
        4 6
        Report
        February 13, 2026 10:49am
      - alphabeatrium
        
        Don’t put all the blame on statism (though it deserves its fair share). I think people are also more distracted, selfish, and lazy. Tried getting people to volunteer for the committees and bits of admin that go behind all these initiatives? I feel like it gets harder every year.
        
        7 1
        Report
        February 13, 2026 12:37pm
  - lastmanstanding
    
    Winston has announced he wants a referendum on abolishing the Maori seats. This will get him more support and could take NZF to 15%. Of course it wont happen because apart from ACT the other Parties are scared witless of the result. Maori are over represented in Parliament the very reason the seats were created and the Royal Commission recommended they be abolished if MMP was adopted. The supporters of the seats dont believe in democracy. They want an enthonational state where citizens are are divided according to whether they claim to be Maori and Others. The Maori seats divide the country and until they are abolished will continue to divide the country just what the Elites want. I say citizens who believe in democracy should make their voices heard and demand a binding referendum requiring a super majority of at least 75%. What are the supporters afraid of?
    
    21 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:22am
    - Cassandra
      
      Why 75%? That is impossible. But 51% is enough.
      
      15 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:26am
    - Ghost
      
      why will it get him any support? did he remove the Māori seats last time he campaigned on it? did he even bring it up in the negotiations with labour, no. If you believe anything Winston tells you, then you don’t pay attention to him
      
      22 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:40am
      - RoboRob
        
        Yup if you are after parties that follow through with their promises Act, Labour and National all rate far higher than NZF. That said, Act and NZF have a much tougher job doing so then National and Labour.
        
        0 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 4:57pm
    - JerJer
      
      This should really be timed for the last term of the coalition, be that third or fourth, doesn’t matter. Binding referendum for the next Labour government to implement would be priceless.
      
      6 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:48am
    - PurplePen
      
      The seats were created to allow Maori to participate in the newly formed government. It was nothing to do with them being under-represented. At the time the NZ parliament was formed in late 19th century only men that owned property could vote. At that time there was no register of property ownership for Maori. The seats were a temporary work-around until they could get Maori property registered. Universal suffrage was enacted not long after anyway which meant any man could vote after which the seats were no longer required.
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 11:58am
    - sungsamning
      
      If the petition is downloadable, it’ll fly off the shelves. If there’s enough support, it could become a bottom line.
      
      2 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 12:20pm
      - Ghost
        
        oh you are so funny. Do you honestly believe a thing Winston First says, are you that gullible?
        
        from 2017
        
        Peters said both issues were “explosive” but in particular the Maori seats because “Maori progress economically and socially has been massively sidetracked, detoured and road blocked by the Waitangi industry”.
        
        “How could that possibly happen when we’ve got all these new members of Parliament coming from the Maori world?”
        
        Peters said he wouldn’t use “silly phrases” like “bottom lines” but he made it clear the referendum wasn’t negotiable.
        
        “My strategy is to tell everybody out there that you won’t be talking to NZ First unless you want a referendum on both those issues at the mid-term mark of this election.”
        
        Article
        
        so what were the results of those two referendum that weren’t negotiable?……..
        
        The reasons Winston always gets in is because he can always find the people stupid enough to believe his bullshit and ignore his career of lying at each election to them.
        
        8 2
        Report
        February 13, 2026 12:33pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      Just a small correction.
      
      “”Maori are over represented in Parliament the very reason the seats were created””
      
      People with Maori ancestry in General or list seats DO NOT represent Maori.
      They represent their electorate(all races, and sexual orientation etc) or their political party. (List seats)
      
      Only MPS in the Maori Electorates represent those identifying as Maori in THEIR ELECTORATE.
      
      Or The Maori Party, if a list seat.
      
      This BS about representing Maori, because you have some ancestry, is naive at best or effing stupid at worst.
      
      On that ignorant asumption A ginger headed MP would represent all Gingas!!!.
      
      0 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 3:27pm
    - rouppe
      
      “Of course it wont happen because apart from ACT the other Parties are scared witless of the result.”
      
      The word “binding” had not been used, so the result will be irrelevant.
      
      0 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 4:57pm
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Why can’t the kids be involved in school lunch preparation in NZ?
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 5:43pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  What I don’t understand is the lack of outrage about the school lunch programme ceasing over the holidays. Surely, if you think that parents cannot afford to feed their kids in term time then the same must hold true for the hols.
  
  I don’t hold that view myself, but at least Ms Prime would appear to be consistent. The fact that she cannot follow a simple thread underlines her unfitness for office.
  
  20 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:31am
  - zulumonster
    
    “Surely, if you think that parents cannot afford to feed their kids in term time then the same must hold true for the hols.”
    Clearly the parents are saving the money not spent on lunches during term time so as to be able to afford lunches during the holidays …
    
    3 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 12:02pm
- CJames
  
  In what may be a reflection of the priority of stories on a slow news day, the school lunch renaming has been superceded from lead on Herald’s webpage by an announcement of more rain this weekend. Being bumped by drips seems quite apposite. I don’t think any of the Opposition MPs will be clipping the story for their brag folder, though for Mr Tuiono, if we are lucky, it could be the highlight of his year.
  
  15 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:49am
  - pdm
    
    CJ are you saying the anglicisation of the school lunches name trumps making whales walking, talking people?
    
    Your good friend (and I say that with tongue lodged firmly in cheek) Mr Tuiono is on a roll this month.
    
    9 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:11am
- imalwaysright
  
  Luxon’s appointment of Seymour as Lunch Monitor is clearly a political move to keep Seymour associated with a negative issue.
  
  It must also be galling for Seymour to be a participant in the favourite Marxist tactic of inserting Government between parents and their children.
  
  11 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:04am
  - Ghost
    
    seymour wanted to fix the school lunches, he got the job because he wanted it.
    
    12 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:51am
    - imalwaysright
      
      I was under the impression he was an unwilling volunteer.
      Correction appreciated.
      
      2 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 11:05am
- JerJer
  
  Maybe if they excluded Maori from the program that would be racist. Changing the name so it’s simple to understand and in a language that 99% of people speak rather than in a language that 1% of people speak is common sense.
  
  That said, the program should be shut down. It just encourages a lack of responsibility, creates an entitlement culture and supports bad parenting.
  
  23 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:25am
- pb
  
  Vote winner. Only collects the moth like attraction of a pink haired screaming MSM. Vast majority support it.
  
  It was a coalition agreement, which they largely squibbed on:
  
  “Require the public service departments and Crown Entities to communicate primarily in English – except those entities specifically related to Maori.”
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 2:39pm
Homas

I was just reflecting upon how confusing adolescence must be in the UK these days – to go to bed on the eve of your sixteenth birthday incapable of dealing with social media, but to wake up fully capable of voting in a general election.
20 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:07am
- R
  
  In bed, 16th birthday eve, incapable of voting? We in NZ, have 50 years old and older people who are incapable of voting……..Rationally.!
  
  6 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:53am
ds

Couple of headlines.

“Parliament’s Speaker Gerry Brownlee has been incorrectly declaring his property ownership for two decades”

“No ‘adequate explanation’ for Michael Wood failing to disclose, dispose of shares – National”

Spells Resignation.
6 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:14am
sungsamning

The Australian Liberal Party is facing its worst internal crisis since its founding in 1944.
Shadow ministers are resigning. One Nation is catching up to Labor. Australians see them as the real opposition. Labor, and the Liberals are a uni-party. Members are resigning, or demanding a leadership spill. [Its past its use by date, and should go in the green bin.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMAMrhPqHEU
Australia’s Fake Right Is Crumbling — And Voters Are Walking Straight to One Nation.
7 2
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:15am
- pb
  
  This tsunami will only get worse. The betrayal of people by our Corrupt Elite is only gathering momentum, as they double down on support for the globalist Uniparty. They don’t know what to do.
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 2:43pm
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, and the Epstein saga is doing them no favors either. Even if 90% of them were in it for the networking, its still toxic.
    
    0 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 4:24pm
sungsamning

It has been said many times but is a vitally undeniable fact – the Royal Commission into the electoral system in 1986 stated that with the implementation of MMP it would create a more representative Parliament and the original justification for separate Māori seats would no longer exist. [Lets ope he means it. They should have gone when MMP was introduced. John Key broke his promise. He jumped into coalition with the Maori Party instead. He should start a petition. It’d be downloaded and filled in record numbers.]
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/winston-peters-nz-first-leader-on-the-party-campaigning-for-a-referendum-on-m%C4%81ori-seats/
Peters Wants Maori Seats Gone.
8 2
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:16am
peterwn

So the terrorist’s lawyers are running the argument that all prisoners should be confined in equal conditions. Not sure how this fits the narrative concerning overturning the ‘guilty’ plea. Presumably it is to try and bolster the argument that ‘inhumane’ prison conditions induced the guilty plea (the whole logic does not stack up).
Of course the terrorist can take this aspect up as a separate course of legal action. However he might not like the outcome if successful. If he were allowed to interact with other prisoners, he would most probably be at the bottom of the pecking order and begging to be isolated.
20 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:25am
- cmm
  
  If he’s bottom of the pecking order he’s doing very well. He’d be lucky to still have a pulse after a week.
  
  18 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:28am
  - David Garrett
    
    cmm: he’s in solitary and exercises alone. If some of his charming neighbors such as Graeme Burton could get to him he wouldn’t last five minutes. Burton would kill him for the fun of it and the notoriety it would bring him. Burton knows he’s never getting out.
    
    21 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 8:39am
    - cmm
      
      Yup, and I am sure it doesn’t even need a Burton. I’m sure they’d be queuing up to enhance their notoriety.
      
      Of course for the likes of Burton there would be absolutely no down sides and only upsides. The NZ prison system has absolutely zero tools to control Burton.
      
      10 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:02am
      - alwyn.a
        
        Would Burton actually be capable of such and attack? I would not have expected him to have recovered sufficiently from what Siuaki Lisiate did to him in 2028.
        Now there was someone who would terrify me if he got into the same room as I was.
        
        0 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 2:11pm
  - Souvlaki
    
    ….OR a ‘bottom’….
    
    3 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:51am
- Chuck Bird
  
  I hear the terrorist has 4 lawyers. Are we paying for them?
  
  16 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:29am
  - Gnome
    
    Do the bears shit in the woods?
    
    Is the pope a catholic?
    
    Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?
    
    Do labour lie?
    
    Pick one.
    
    20 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 8:33am
    - sungsamning
      
      Cool. I hadn’t heard the Dolly Parton one before?
      
      2 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 12:23pm
  - R
    
    Guaranted,.. that we the taxpayer, are paying 4 Lawyers.!
    
    8 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:02am
  - cmm
    
    Your wallet gave a twitch…
    
    13 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:02am
- Tarquin North
  
  His name is Tarrant. This isn’t Harry Potter or Jacinda speak.
  
  14 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:31am
  - Razork
    
    100%. Refusing to say his name is as silly as a three year old putting their hands over their own eyes and thinking this makes them invisible.
    
    11 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 11:30am
    - imalwaysright
      
      It made Jacinda invisible…
      
      1 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 1:06pm
    - peterwn
      
      He wanted to be call a ‘terrorist’, so I have obliged. It was not a matter of putting fingers in ears and going nah! nah! nah!
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 6:45pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Perhaps it would be more accurate to describe him as a mass-murderer, since he has pled guilty to 51 counts of murder (and 40 counts of attempted murder), but only 1 count of engaging in a terrorist act.
        
        1 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 6:56pm
    - Ghost
      
      I agree with Ardern’s stance to not use his name. Just as I agree with Lance Younge, whose daughter was killed in the school shooting the other day when he said “You want to put someone’s picture up on the news? Put my daughter’s picture up. Let’s stop giving this psychopath the recognition… Let’s put these pictures up, remember them and not this murderer.”
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 7:03pm
- Yvette
  
  Tarrant was keen to plead guilty to terrorism (someone’s “freedom fighter”, if only his own) but not to ‘criminal’ or ‘murderer’ which were required to make him a terrorist. He says prison conditions were effecting his sanity, but pleaded guilty which was the surest way of those conditions continuing.
  
  However he was concerned that his mental condition may sabotage his ability to manage his own defence, which he was going to conduct, and any disability in that could make him look a fool.
  His self-defence was to continue what he saw as his purpose in life. The present court case continues that purpose, as utterly mentally unreal as it is, and without if he will be a dead man before he dies.
  
  6 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:52am
- Sacha
  
  Who is paying for this nonsense? I’d be surprised if the lawyers are doing it for free.
  
  5 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:41am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  No wonder the terrorist’s lawyers sought name suppression for THEMSELVES.
  If I was bludging off the mug taxpayer as they do I would most certainly want the same.
  
  4 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 2:13pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Shots fired!

Winnie wants the Maori seats gone. Cue grifter outrage.

Pass the popcorn

http://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360937443/new-zealand-first-campaigning-referendum-maori-seats
10 4
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:27am
- Ghost
  
  yawn. let us know how well the nz first campaign went in 2017 when Winston First campaigned on holding a binding referendum to abolish the Māori seats if elected
  
  there are always gullible people who believe Winston, lie after lie
  
  19 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:02am
  - sungsamning
    
    There was no way Labour would have worn it. And that’s who he formed a coalition with.
    
    0 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 4:26pm
    - Ghost
      
      Winston said it wasn’t negotiable, the truth is it never even came up in the negotiations with labour. Winston just knows how to pull the wool over the gullible peoples eyes and not do what he says, some people just haven’t caught on yet and still believe his lies
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 4:57pm
- sungsamning
  
  Wow, there was a poll on $tuff. A referendum got 66%. If he gets bulk support this time; NZ First would have to run with it as a keystone policy. Dropping it twice would finish them. I’d put leaflets in mail boxes for a campaign like that. Who else would. We have nothing to lose but the griftdigenous industry.
  
  4 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 12:29pm
  - Ghost
    
    and a poll on stuff is meant to mean what? its a poll on stuff, its nothing.
    
    this will be the fourth election in a row Winston First has pushed this. twice now when in government he did nothing.
    
    how many times does Winston have to lie to you before you stop being so gullible?
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:17pm
Cassandra

Nasser al-Qudwa is Arafat’s nephew and the front runner to be the leader of the Palestinian Authority one day: “Either you accept the existence and national rights of the other side, or you don’t and you engage in this religious hallucination that it’s all ours. This is a recipe for continued bloodshed. We have two choices – we can either have continued bloodshed or we can have a negotiated political solution.”

One can only hope that he succeeds.
19 2
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:33am
- mike
  
  Succeeds how? The Israeli government has just introduced new measures to seize even more land in the West Bank and proudly announced that “we will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state.”
  
  8 7
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:44am
  - Cassandra
    
    In becoming the PA leader and then is instrumental in a two state solution. Not obvious, mike? Should I use shorter words?
    
    8 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 10:14am
- Handyman
  
  The Gaza demands are to return to the situation before they invaded Israel:
  1. There was no occupation. Jews re forcibly removed by Israel as part of the complete withdrawal in 2008.
  2. There was no blockade. Gaza had free access via Egypt and 30,000 Gazans commuted to work in Israel every day.
  3. Gazans had one of the highest GDP per capita in the world. Too bad they spent it on tunnels, weapons and making billionaires out of Hamas leaders.
  4. They had buildings, schools and hospitals paid for by the UN (mainly US and EU).
  
  In short, Hamas are demanding a return to the situation on Oct 6 2023 with the explicit promise to do it all again.
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 2:39pm
Tomtoddy

The shooter in BC Canada was a mentally disturbed transgender 18 yr old bloke wandering around in a dress with a gun.

If we treated transgenderism as a mental problem or dismissed those who are only grandstanding or copycatting there would be a reduction in crime. Elevating to a level of normality is nuts.
41 4
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:35am
- kowtow
  
  The media and officialdom are equally mentally disturbed , referring to him as a her and using newspeak terms such as “transgender woman”.
  
  A report says his guns were taken off him but then returned.Once again the state has failed its own citizens.
  
  Canada has ordered flags at half mast . That’ll fix it.
  
  16 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:15am
- Bullion
  
  Couple of things.
  
  Gender dysphoria is a mental condition. Transitioning is, going by many studies, an effective way of treating it.
  
  Not sure of trans crime overall, but certainly the crime your are commenting on trans commit these types of crimes proportionally less. But they are 4 to 5 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime.
  
  7 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:20am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    And exponentially more likely to kill themselves, transitioned or not.
    
    2 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 12:05pm
    - Bullion
      
      Though, less likely to if (as I posted elsewhere)
      
      Those that do care about suicide rates of those with gender dysphoria, things like family acceptance and support, peer acceptance, social affirmation (names and pronouns), access to gender affirming care and affirming spaces all have measurable reduction in suicide ideation. For instance social affirmation is linked with halving of suicide attempts.
      
      2 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 1:19pm
  - Notsofast
    
    “But they are 4 to 5 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime.”
    
    If this is true it suggests don’t transition, just encourage to live as same sex attracted which is true of 90%.
    Now we are down to just 10% mentally ill, and they should be treated for this.
    Transitioning should never be available.
    
    3 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 12:18pm
    - Bullion
      
      That’s like saying, women married to men are more likely to suffer physical abuse than women married to other women – so women should just marry other women. See its the women’s fault for marrying men for discrepancy in physical abuse.
      
      4 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 1:26pm
      - Notsofast
        
        Bullion, your contribution is interesting, I come from a position as member of Womens Rights Party, and so on.
        Transing is a distraction in human anthropology, and so ridiculous it should be eliminated as a choice.
        Only language offers this nonsense to innocenti
        
        0 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 11:37pm
- Inandout
  
  Tom, the words of a noted surgeon still ring in my ears. Of trans people he said ‘they are almost all quite mad’.
  
  11 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:41am
- Scooter
  
  What is also nuts is most media are pandering to him by refering to him as a she or her, like his feelings matter. How he wanted to be identified shouldn’t be acknowledged, he just murdered 9 people including his mother and step brother. It’s almost like the narrative has been turned around and he is the victim and the actual victims are just background news.
  
  14 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:42am
- NothingLeft
  
  generally gun laws exclude those suffering from mental illness from ownership or possession.
  
  Medicalized gender-dysmorphia seems like a pretty strong indicator of mental instability, clearly signalled by their high rates of suicide etc (any group that kills themselves at far above normal rates should not have guns – as a certain number of particularly young suicides will take out others as a final fuck you to the world). We should be generally tolerant and supportive of others mental health issues, but only to the point that it starts to be a problem for others.
  
  7 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:48am
  - Bullion
    
    I am not an advocate for gun liberalisation in general, in the US about half or just over half of gun related fatalities are suicide. It’s an issue because of high completion rates of suicide attempts relative to other forms of self harm.
    
    Those that do care about suicide rates of those with gender dysphoria, things like family acceptance and support, peer acceptance, social affirmation (names and pronouns), access to gender affirming care and affirming spaces all have measurable reduction in suicide ideation. For instance social affirmation is linked with halving of suicide attempts.
    
    3 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 10:39am
Cassandra

Of course the usual suspects will comment that it’s all the Jews fault but I remind them that Israel has come to the party of the two state solution at least three times, starting in 948.
16 4
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:36am
- Cassandra
  
  And again in 1948. Oops.
  
  13 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:46am
- cmm
  
  The Jews may as well herd unicorns. An solution that includes the existence of Israel is not going to be accepted.
  
  That said, even if Israel was eliminated the Middle East would not become peaceful, it would just flip to being a Shia/Sunni shitfight.
  
  19 6
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:06am
Quail

HDPA last night asked Bishop about the new tax on on water, plus Maori immunity from it.
Bishop claimed it won’t happen and will be removed in the select committee stages.
Bishop did not say why this taking had been included in the first place.!
Trust National ,? How can anyone!
13 2
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:44am
- Tricati
  
  She should have also asked him why iwi get mandatory consultation before the public sees draft plans, why is there special development pathways based on ancestry, why permanent recognition of Treaty settlement co-governance arrangements and why are there still prescriptive Treaty clauses that risk ongoing legal expansion.
  I feel NZ has been gas-lighted over the RMA reforms, and National will loose support over this as they have reneged on their last election promises in respect to Māori having greater rights to other New Zealanders.
  
  9 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:29am
Chuck Bird

NZF is right in calling for a referendum on the racist Maori seats rather than just changing the law. If there is a referendum and a majority of over 70% to dump the Maori seats, it would make it a lot harder for a Labour-led government to reinstate them.
27 3
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 8:50am
- Cassandra
  
  I can’t see 70% Chuck. Green and Labour voters won’t support canning the Maori seats. But what’s wrong with 51%?
  
  13 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:59am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    I wonder if there has been any polling done. I would agree with you about the Greens, but not Labour.
    
    10 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:02am
    - sungsamning
      
      There was a 66% support in the $tuff poll for a referendum. I was surprised they ran it.
      
      3 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 12:33pm
  - pdm
    
    Cass a Stuff poll thingy that I did at about 7.15am had 65% favouring a referendum with 4% not sure so almost 70%.
    
    Given those figures it is not surprising said poll has vanished when I went to check for an update before typing this.
    
    Too comprehensive for the sensitivities of Stuff people.
    
    15 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:20am
    - KKNZ2025
      
      Its back up atm, still 66%+4%
      
      9 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:24am
      - mike
        
        When people can’t find things online it is always evil censorship.//
        
        4 4
        Report
        February 13, 2026 9:47am
  - David Garrett
    
    Cass: Abolishing the Maori seats – which sadly will never happen – would be a major constitutional change, and for such a change, a super-majority would be right and proper.
    
    Some parts of our constitutional statutes are “entrenched” meaning they require – I think – a 75% majority in parliament to change.
    
    12 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:54am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      Would a referendum not entrench change?
      
      I do not think David Seymour is stupid. Act has called for the change without a referendum.
      
      4 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 10:47am
    - david
      
      But David, would not a simple majority vote to remove entrenchment be sufficient to bring the subject back to normality?
      
      2 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 10:56am
    - PurplePen
      
      They’re not entrenched.
      
      0 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 12:02pm
  - Jethrod
    
    Where has the 70% figure come from?
    Was it Winston, or just afigure plucked out of the air?
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 10:34am
- cmm
  
  Of course it will be argued that only Maori should have a say on this.
  
  And since more than 50% of Maori are on the Maori roll, forget it.
  
  10 5
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:07am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    Peters is arguing for everyone to vote and not just Maori.
    
    There would be no way of telling who is Maori if they are on the general roll.
    
    8 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:18am
    - pdm
      
      `There would be no way of telling who is Maori if they are on the general roll.’
      
      Chuck I will bet you 10 shillings to a pinch of goat shit that there are more than a few suspect Maori on the Maori Roll too.
      
      9 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:23am
      - Chuck Bird
        
        Why can’t anyone identify a being Maori if a man can identify a being a woman
        
        10 4
        Report
        February 13, 2026 9:27am
      - Jethrod
        
        More chance of getting the pinch of goat shit me thinks, 10 shillings as rare as (warning mixed metaphor) Hens teeth.
        
        Also post of the day from Chuck Bird
        
        3 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 10:38am
      - OlderChas
        
        I agree pdm. Many years ago my sister (as non-maori as they come) applied to do a course under the old ACCESS scheme. The reply was that this was actually a MACCESS course (remember those? ACCESS courses for Maori only?)
        So she enrolled on the Maori Roll, applied again and used the evidence of her name being on the Maori Roll as to her being Maori. No other checks were made and she completed the course alongside all the Maori students, got her qualification and promptly re-enrolled on the General Roll as soon as possible. From an aging memory – this was during the 1970s.
        
        3 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 2:06pm
    - cmm
      
      “There would be no way of telling who is Maori if they are on the general roll.”
      
      They currently register as Maori regardless of which roll they are on. That is how we can tell how many Maori are on the Maori roll vs on the general roll.
      
      2 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:31am
      - greybeard
        
        Is someone who has no maori ancestry registers as a maori on the general roll how can you believe any of the numbers ?
        
        0 1
        Report
        February 13, 2026 12:38pm
  - Paulus
    
    You are assuming the there are some real Maori left since about 1960 when it is accepted was the last one.
    I believe that the Electoral General Role numbers 3,031,699
    and
    Maori Role 257,472.
    as at 1/12/25
    Looks like a mojority as far as Maori are concerned of 8.5% of both the whole Electoral Role of those registered to vote.
    
    2 5
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:25am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      That means half of all Maori are on each roll. However, it would not be possible to have a referendum that only allows Maori to vote.
      
      5 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:31am
    - cmm
      
      I am basing it on them being sufficiently Maori to declare themselves Maori when registering.
      
      As of 2 Feb 2026, 257473 Maori(46%) are on the General Roll and 303934 (54%) are on the Maori Roll.
      
      Assuming only Maori would get a say (despite Winston’s wishes), then there is little chance that those Maori would vote themselves out of special status.
      
      https://elections.nz/stats-and-research/enrolment-statistics/enrolment-by-general-electorate/maori-enrolment/
      
      5 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:38am
      - Chuck Bird
        
        “Assuming only Maori would get a say (despite Winston’s wishes), then there is little chance that those Maori would vote themselves out of special status.”
        
        What would a Maori on the general roll lose out on by the abolishment of the Maori seats?
        
        5 2
        Report
        February 13, 2026 10:02am
      - cmm
        
        Chuck, if 54% of Maori are on the Maori roll then – presumably – they would all vote for the continuation of the Maori roll.
        
        If 46% of the Maori are on the General roll and they all voted to abolish the Maori roll they would still be less than the 54%.
        
        There is little chance of Winstom getting his way. The only way we’re ever going to see Labour and Labour Lite propose a referendum on the Maori roll is if only Maori had a say.
        
        Because racisms!
        
        6 2
        Report
        February 13, 2026 10:11am
      - Chuck Bird
        
        You have immigrated to this country like me, and you do not like 17% of the population because of their race. This is almost as bad as the Muslims who hate Jews who were born here.
        
        Like many here, I do not like some Maori because of their political and racist views. However, I get on well with most Maori.
        
        Have I got your dislike of Maori wrong?
        
        5 3
        Report
        February 13, 2026 11:11am
      - cmm
        
        Chuck, I have no problem with Maori – or anyone else – as individuals.
        
        But if we look at groups then we have to recognise that Maori have issues well our of proportion to their numbers. Statistics work with groups – not individuals.
        
        Over 50% of Maori are on the Maori roll. Anyone who decides they must be on a special list, and get special treatment, because of race is clearly a racist.
        
        I have no problem with Maori who are on the general roll, but if we’re going to make a grouping of all Maori people then clearly the majority are racist and supremacists.
        
        7 4
        Report
        February 13, 2026 11:23am
    - David Garrett
      
      Paulus: ROLL dear boy…a role is something actors play, or for the young, what used to simply be called “a job”.
      
      11 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 9:56am
      - OlderChas
        
        Ha Ha DG. I’ve been biting my tongue on that one for a while now!
        
        1 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 2:09pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      The fact that there are no Maori left shows that they chose over the centuries to intermarry with non-Maori.
      
      Surely that could be considered a ‘natural referendum’, where Maori ‘voted’ freely to accept that their children would be irreversibly of mixed race, for better or worse.
      
      The current political activists, who say they represent Maori, are trying to get us to believe that their battle is to recreate the Maori Nirvana, that mythical Nirvana that ironically every Maori has chosen to leave.
      
      4 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 10:19am
      - cmm
        
        Of course you could argue the complete opposite.
        
        The intermarriage shows that many whites see the benefit of Maoriness and wanted their genepool to become Maori and become part of the Maori Nirvana.
        
        5 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 11:26am
      - imalwaysright
        
        “Of course you could argue the complete opposite.”
        
        You could, but you’d probably lose.
        The settlers were outnumbered 40/1, therefore if it was their purpose to assimilate into Maori it would have happened relatively quickly.
        What has actually happened, and its time span, seems to show the opposite.
        
        3 1
        Report
        February 13, 2026 1:55pm
      - OlderChas
        
        “Surely that could be considered a ‘natural referendum’, where Maori ‘voted’ freely to accept that their children would be irreversibly of mixed race, for better or worse.”
        A quote attributed to Dame Whina Cooper by what may well be an urban myth.
        Some years back elders of her whanau came to her with the problem that all the officials and business owners in the area were pakeha – and how could they overcome this. After a day or two of thought, Whina told them – “Marry the buggers.”
        
        2 0
        Report
        February 13, 2026 2:14pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        “A quote attributed to Dame Whina Cooper …”
        
        Not sure what you mean. I write my own posts, if I quote someone I include attribution.
        
        1 1
        Report
        February 13, 2026 3:34pm
    - artemisia
      
      Registering as eligible to be on the Maori roll is easy, but obv not everyone who does moves.
      
      ‘Real Maori’ is not legally allowed these days. But many voters eligible for the Maori roll these days will be 97% or 98.5% something else. Does seem ridiculous.
      
      6 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 10:34am
      - OlderChas
        
        To imalwaysright – sorry I was unclear. My “a quote attributed to Dame Whina Cooper” was referring to what followed – not to your words that I included in quotation marks in my openeing.
        
        1 0
        Report
        February 14, 2026 7:15am
      - imalwaysright
        
        👍🏻
        
        0 0
        Report
        February 14, 2026 6:46pm
  - kowtow
    
    A white man’s colonial settler imperialist parliament set them up , presumabably by simple majoridy , so why not a simple parliamentary majoridy to abolish .
    
    But yes to forestall the whinging wokists a simple majority by binding referendum should suffice .
    
    4 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 11:08am
- Ghost
  
  you are not going to get over 70%, you’d be dreaming to think you would
  
  current polling
  
  Labour 34.1
  Green 10.3
  Maori 2.9
  
  47.3 that will likely vote against it, you are at 52.7%, then there will be national supporters who will vote against it.
  
  6 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:54am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Yes, and factor in the complacency that seems more prevalent in the centre and right that leads to lower voter turnout, and we could see 60/40 to keep the seats.
    
    3 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 10:24am
- Steve Todd
  
  @Chuck Bird @ 8:50AM
  
  If there is a referendum and a majority of over 70% [vote] to dump the Maori seats, […].
  
  Chuck, you are making the mistake of thinking, on this issue, that a significant majority of people must surely think like you. Believe me, they don’t.
  
  I did a full breakdown of the voting on the Māori wards at the local elections last October. To give Kiwibloggers an idea of possible voter sentiment at a future referendum on the Māori seats, here is a summary of the results—
  
  K = Keep; R = Remove
  
  Of the seven city councils that held a poll (6K; 1R), 136,003 people (60.83%) voted to keep their Māori wards, and 87,577 (39.17%) voted to remove them.
  
  Of the 37 district councils that held a poll (10K; 20R), 187,577 people (48.35%) voted to keep their Māori wards, and 200,402 (51.65%) voted to remove them.
  
  The totals were, 323,580 votes (52.91%) to keep the wards, and 287,979 votes (47.09%) to remove them.
  
  In my view, in the extremely unlikely event of there being a hugely divisive binding referendum on the Māori seats at the 2029 general election — surely such a referendum must be held in conjunction with a general election, rather than between elections — it is by no means certain that a simple majority would vote to remove them.
  
  3 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 11:41am
  - Steve Todd
    
    Correction: “Of the 30 district councils that held a poll (10K; 20R), […].”
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 11:52am
- NZer In Exile
  
  The modern left coat themselves in teflon and do not give AF what the “ignorant” masses think.
  
  Case in point; The disgusting VIC Aus govt has recently created a “treaty” with aboriginal people even though the Aus people clearly indicated they do not want a bar of any of this courtesy of “The Voice” referendum, despite Albo’s woke AF govt desperately spending 100s of millions of taxpayer money trying to promote a “yes” vote.
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 8:35pm
slightlyrighty

Pam Bondi’s performance in congress yesterday was so bad that even Kyle Rittenhouse has come out and said she should resign…

Yes. THAT Kyle Rittenhouse.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-figures-call-for-pam-bondi-to-resign-after-wild-congress-meltdown-on-jeffrey-epstein/
9 5
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 9:22am
- pb
  
  What a defence. You should stop talking about Epstein because the stockmarket is so high. The existential trap for the materialist right. Overlook the most depraved, because stonks go up.
  
  The latest revelations from the files is starting to make blood libel claims look pedestrian. Grape juice, pizza and jerky. What the.
  
  3 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 11:57am
  - OlderChas
    
    From the news items I saw – her behaviour was shocking. Came across as sooooo entitled and how dare anyone even ask her questions on anything.
    
    2 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 2:17pm
Yvette

Did New Zealand First discuss its proposed policy with its present Coalition Partner before announcing it would make Maori Seats in Parliament an Election issue.

21. The Parties will be guided by the “no surprises” principle and inform each other, confidentially and promptly of matters of significance. – page 12, Coalition Agreement New Zealand National Party and New Zealand First
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nzfirst/pages/4462/attachments/original/1700784896/National___NZF_Coalition_Agreement_signed_-_24_Nov_2023.pdf
6 5
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 9:27am
Maggy Wassilieff

The Coroner’s report on the events associated with the murder of young Malachi Subecz is now available:

https://coronerscourt.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/2026-02-09-SUBECZ-Findings.pdf

Although there have been numerous “findings” about the swathe of failures that led to Malachi’s starvation, torture, beatings and murder, there are a number of issues that seem to keep being ignored:

1. Oranga Tamariki staff seem to be clueless about how to deal with accomplished liars like Michaela Barriball.

2. The Criminal Courts seems to have given much weight to the low intelligence of Judy Te Wheoro
(the woman who tricked Malachi’s mother into collecting a drug consignment)

3. The Criminal Court doesn’t seem to have considered that Malachi’s mother might also have “cognitive issues”:
Malachi’s mother was unaware that she was being used by the Barriball family; she couldn’t comprehend some of the family court issues; she misunderstood the concern her family relatives had for her child, (etc).

All up you are left with a ghastly feeling that if manipulative, exploitive adults are involved with children in NZ, then authorities are clueless about keeping the children safe.
13 2
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 9:41am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  A very condensed summary of events:
  
  https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/360946326/west-african-scam-promise-10m-led-chain-events-malachi-subecz-murder
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 9:58am
  - Gravelroad
    
    Paywalled.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 4:03pm
- cmm
  
  It would seem that Malachi’s mother is a few bites short of a sandwich and was easy to manipulate into being a mule.
  
  It is astounding that the mule gets 3 years behind bars while the “brains” of the operation gets less than a year of home D.
  
  No winners here – except Judy Te Wheoro.
  
  14 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:15am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    There’s no “cultural” factors in play if you are poor, uneducated and pakeha.
    
    10 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 11:34am
- newview
  
  Maggy, Oranga Tamariki staff might be over worked and clueless but get plenty of racial perks. Unlimited Cultural time off not an issue
  https://aniobrien.substack.com/p/rot-taxpayers-are-paying-for-special-paid-leave?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 1:19pm
  - OlderChas
    
    Karen Chour (Minister responsible) said in her interview with Duncan Garner that her inquiries to date revealed that such clauses existed in the employment contracts of many other Government Departments and had been quietly introduced during Labour’s most recent governance. She is asking further questions.
    
    7 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 2:23pm
    - R
      
      Incremental installation of RACIAL privilege into the Public Service. Subtlety hidden
      
      0 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      February 13, 2026 7:50pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/360936419/watch-race-car-driven-bruce-mclaren-could-now-be-yours-own
I saw this thing compete a couple of times back in the 1960s, at Northland hillclimbs.
Absolutely fantastic noise !
3 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 9:44am
- Jethrod
  
  Yes fantastic vehicle. Jim Boyd drove it in , I think , the Goldstar hill climbs.
  First most of the time, dust for the rest.
  Saw it race at the Gorge, Whakatane, in about 1965, first again, but second was a decrepit looking Mini, driven by a local, Owen Coppins.
  Can’t recall if it won a NZGP.
  
  3 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:51am
  - greybeard
    
    I remember a Rod Coppins from those days, but not an Owen Coppins. At one of those Goldstar hillclimbs we were treated for the first time to a mini taking off in reverse to counterract wheelspin in the gravel , then spinning around at speed to face the right way !
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 12:49pm
Swifty

Waiting to see whether Labour open their traps and reveal to the country their breathtaking hypocrisy:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/586720/nakedly-political-no-rivals-considered-for-judith-collins-new-job

We don’t forget Labour created a two-year role for Louisa Wall to induce her to leave Parliament. A taxpayer-funded role specifically created for her, not advertised, no others considered and then promptly shut down once she finished the two years.

Didn’t hear a peep of opposition from the Greens when they did that either.
11 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 9:57am
Swifty

South Africa, 15 years ago versus today:

https://x.com/endwokeness/status/2022027060139663674?s=46
5 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 10:02am
- cmm
  
  But at least they can vote!
  
  Well, if they wanted to… Only 41% voted.
  
  3 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:19am
Yvette

Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
The Environmental Protection Agency repealed the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being. It means the agency can no longer regulate them.

President Trump on Thursday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet.

The action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-epa-greenhouse-gases-climate-change.html?
– subscription
9 4
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 10:14am
- sungsamning
  
  Works for me. Another grifting opportunity, and speed bump removed.
  
  5 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 12:42pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    I wonder if Luxon will chastise him.
    That will be twice inside a week if he does….
    
    1 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 3:39pm
Swifty

Make dumplings great again!

https://x.com/edourdoo/status/2021948994348621935?s=46

😃
3 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 10:18am
artemisia

How’s that corruption perceptions index these days?

More than 20 people have been charged after a network of six charities and incorporated societies were alleged to have dishonestly obtained $3.2 million in gambling grant funds

More than 500 charges. Names suppression in place. For now.

https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/02/12/sham-organisations-allegedly-obtain-32m-in-gambling-grant-funds/
10 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 10:18am
- cmm
  
  Welcome to Southern Minnesota.
  
  No doubt this is just the tip of the iceberg.
  
  “Money laundering and receiving offences have a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment, while using a forged document has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.”
  
  Max, 7 or 10 years? Most likely a bit of home D.
  
  8 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 10:21am
  - kowtow
    
    Given we’ve now got slave cases ,again , more like South Carolina.
    
    6 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 11:14am
Swifty

Meat export values booming:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/record-nz-red-meat-exports-hit-117b-for-2025-as-global-prices-surge/GOZRUNEMO5FTFDRY6DHXKDHDVA/
5 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 10:47am
- imalwaysright
  
  Skirt steak $32/kg
  Stand by for cattle rustling stories in the news.
  
  3 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 12:12pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Cut up in a paddock with a chainsaw
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 9:17pm
Yvette

Maori seats
Lastmanstanding, above – “They want an enthonational state where citizens are are divided according to whether they claim to be Maori and Others”

Ethnonationalism is a political ideology defining the nation through shared ethnicity, culture, language, and ancestry rather than citizenship.
See? – even Google banks on four words to try to exactly define it, so when it comes down to the critical benefits of an ethnonationalist state will it be blood – ancestry – that counts.

Perhaps it could be called Indigenous Citizenship by Ethnonationalism – ICE for short
6 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 11:17am
Razork

If the Maori seats were to be abolished how would this affect each other party?

Assuming most of the people previously on the Maori roll vote left, I wonder if this move actually benefits Labour.

Someone smarter than me could do the numbers, but could this actually back fire on the CR parties?
5 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 11:36am
- MCōs
  
  The only effect the Maori seats have on the numbers in the parliament occurs when they cause an overhang by going to one minor party
  
  1 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 3:59pm
  - Swifty
    
    Yes.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 7:29pm
  - septic skeptic
    
    Not entirely true. With no Maori electorates voting for TPM on the list would be a wasted vote similar to voting for TOP or Colin Craig. With he race based seats they could bring in list MPs if they won just one race electorate. Opposite situation to the currently likely overhang, and very unlikely to happen any time soon. But who knows in future..
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 8:26pm
- mandk
  
  The overhang favours the Left because there’s no way TPM would support the Right.
  
  Abolishing the Māori seats, and consequently the possibility of an overhang, would benefit the Right.
  
  3 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 4:23pm
  - Swifty
    
    Yes.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 7:30pm
  - R
    
    ‘Would benefit the Right ‘…….such an abolishing, would benefit DEMOCRACY an awful lot more!
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    February 13, 2026 7:41pm
- Swifty
  
  No.
  
  Just as an example:
  
  Let’s say at a general election, which included the Maori seats, the combined left (Lab, Gre, TPM) got one million party votes and that entitled them to, say, 55 seats (combined) out of 120.
  
  At the next election, with the Maori seats abolished, and everything else remaining equal, and TPM still existing and contesting general seats, and everyone voting the same as the last election, the combined left still get a million party votes winning them 55 seats. No change.
  
  The other scenario is that if TPM disappear, along with the Maori seats, and a general election is held, and every TPM voter now votes for Labour, the combined left vote is still one million, but now spread across two parties not three. But still only 55 seats. No change.
  
  So with the Maori seats gone, the left doesn’t automatically gain any more votes or any more seats.
  
  That’s my read anyway, and I believe based on his tweet today that DPF would agree with me.
  
  Have I got that right DPF?
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 7:29pm
Yvette

Te Pati Maori has 6 of the 7 Maori seats
Kapa-Kingi remains reinstated under the earlier interim High Court order, which the court granted late last year before the substantive February hearing.
Justice Radich indicated he will give the matter priority because of the Election and other time pressures, so a decision could come soon.
Meanwhile the interim reinstatement means she is legally recognised as a Te Pāti Māori member of Parliament despite the party’s original expulsion. However, Parliamentary Service treats her as an independent MP because the party has not formally notified the Speaker of her reinstatement yet.

• Does that mean she can vote Independent of te Pati Maori, but if she does so will that mean they can again expel her?
• Is this one reason why the Maori Seats can go?
9 1
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 12:51pm
Chuck Bird

Trump gets some things right. No pay wall.

Trump axes Obama-era endangerment finding in sweeping climate policy shift

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/trump-axes-obama-era-endangerment-finding-in-sweeping-climate-policy-shift/D7JIDF2I5NBLTFSKAO4GHX2DEQ/
11 4
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 1:00pm
- pb
  
  He appears to be resisting Bibi’s demand to bomb Iran, despite the ramped pressure from the Jewish Mafia & neocons. This is good.
  
  And the border is still shut.
  
  2 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 13, 2026 2:52pm
Albie

HDPA made some salient points on her show tonight regarding the push to lift the retirement age. In as many words she said before we are asked to work longer before we become eligible to receive super, the government needs to get it’s own house in order by not handing out a billion here and there in provincial growth funds, interest free student loans, and countless other “programmes” of dubious quality purely designed to win votes.
6 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 5:33pm
Graeme Hall

As a past National Party supporter I got an email from Chris Bishop of “a brief update on five things National has done this week to fix the basics and build the future to help all New Zealander’s get ahead.”

Here is part of fix number two “.. $70 million Major Events and Tourism Package. .. These events boost NZ’s economy by filling local hotels, restaurants, and shops around the country. Every dollar spent on live performance generates around $3.20 to local communities”

So they take $70 million tax paid dollars from taxpayers and claim it generates revenue of $224 million for local communities. In retail an after tax profit margin of 3% is pretty good, so $70 million tax paid turns into a profit of $6.72 million tax paid.

Would it not be better to give $70million tax paid back to the taxpayers instead?

https://www.national.org.nz/news/20260210-full-steam-ahead-more-events-set-ignite-2026
3 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 6:04pm
surfing

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/media-insider/media-insider-taxpayer-funded-chloe-swarbrick-documentary-delayed-again-la-production-firm-distances-itself-from-alex-breingan-says-film-claims-unauthorised/premium/QV642GVJK5EKDLPX6B567Q2RTI/

Taxpayers funding this is an abomination.

Swarbrick is one of the stupidest people in this country.
5 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 6:08pm
Swifty

I’ll never understand this sort of crap.

https://x.com/realmaalouf/status/2021968240348626971?s=46

I’m lost for words.
3 0
Log in to Reply
Report
February 13, 2026 7:36pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  Shit people from a shit culture which hates their host country.
  
  0 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  February 14, 2026 7:42pm

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Login to comment or vote

« Winston campaigning for more illegal immigrants into NZ

Labour ready to do deal with Te Pati Maori »

Donations

You can now donate to Kiwiblog

Exclusive content from DPF on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Never miss a post

Email Address

Join 13K other subscribers

Highlights

Target achieved II
Good progress on attendance
Health Target 5 – elective treatments
Health Target 4 – Specialist appointments

Links

"The principal view of human laws is, or ought always to be, to explain, protect, and enforce such rights as are absolute, which in themselves are few and simple."
Not PC
Michael Laws Exposes A Flaw In The Proposed Council Law Changes.
No Minister
My Opening Statement for the UATX Caplan-Jones Immigration Rematch
Utopia
Woman of the day
Hompaddock
The irony of El Niño peaking over NZ as Government kills Ministry of Environment and does secret deals with Big Polluters
The Daily Blog
Open Mike 04/06/2026
The Standard
Playing with numbers.
Kiwipolitico
A lot of fuss about a simple Bill – its purpose (to make English an official language) is spelled out in 22 words
Point of Order
A crime
No Right Turn
Another non-tariff barrier
Offsetting Behaviour
Rugby Premiership Predictions for Round 18
Stats Chat
Budget 2026
NZCPR
UK Conversion Therapy Ban, Digital ID, Rallies, Elections
Bob McCoskrie's McBlog
A central banker’s fiction
Croaking Cassandra
THE WORKING FROM HOME RACKET BY PUBLIC SERVANTS
No Punches Pulled (Bob Jones)
Tory Whanau may have to sell Wellington mayoralty to make ends meet
The Civilian
The Accidental Engagement
Imperator Fish
Legal Beagle: Election '23: The Special Votes
Public Address
Get Vaccinated Tomorrow Or Shut Your Pie Hole
Cactus Kate
Making this movie might have been a mistake
Liam Hehir
Why I am retiring from political blogging
Kiwi FireWalker

[email protected]

PO Box 12270, Thorndon, Wellington 6144

Facebook
Twitter
FourSquare
Instagram
LinkedIn
Google+

Archives
Disclosure Statement
Editorial Policy
Privacy Policy
Complaints Policy
Comments Policy

Design by cre8d

%d

Share this:

Like this: