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February 18, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 18 February 2026

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General Debate

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Boy Geoff

Gosh! Woe betide you if you’re ever a pedestrian on a cycle lane – especially if there’s a feminazi rider about!
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February 18, 2026 8:09am
- MCōs
  
  If you’re walking along the middle of the road with cars going to and fro you’re a dick.
  Similar with a bike lane
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:01am
  - Boy Geoff
    
    Fair enough, but in some places near high pedestrian volumes even pushbike (electric or otherwise) riders occasionally need to show a bit of common courtesy…
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:10am
    - MCōs
      
      I used to ride a bike around Wellington in the days when there were no bike lanes. I rarely rode on the footpaths because pedestrians showed little courtesy and it was illegal anyway.
      These days I clump along with a stick, crutches or walker and I’m annoyed by people who park across the footpath.
      
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      February 18, 2026 9:45am
      - zulumonster
        
        What a bizarre comment – you say you rarely rode on footpaths because “pedestrians showed little courtesy” – you obviously know the reason why, because you give the answer in the same sentence, “and it was illegal anyway”.
        
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        February 18, 2026 11:45am
    - Jethrod
      
      You cannot be serious!!!?
      
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      February 18, 2026 9:59am
    - R
      
      Coming sense and consideration of others, is NOT a quality found within the Lycra brigade
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:26am
  - KiwiSapper
    
    Here in Wanganui, without an “h”. the pedestrian footpaths are apparently, legally used by pedestrians, cyclists, and battery powered 4 wheelers driven like the dodgem’s of carnival shows.
    
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    February 19, 2026 10:57am
- pdm
  
  I don’t frequent bike lanes but my understanding is that most of the `off road’ ones in particular are for both cyclists and walkers/runners/pedestrians.
  
  Courtesy both ways should therefore be a requisite of all users.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:06am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Saw a sign on a track that said walkers have right of way, then runners, then bicyclists…
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:21am
  - kowtow
    
    Agreed .And courtesy seems to be something that our “progressive/ rights ” enhanced society is slowly but definitely losing.
    
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    February 18, 2026 11:34am
    - imalwaysright
      
      They see courtesy and manners as signs of weakness.
      
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      February 18, 2026 1:41pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360939734/its-getting-worse-why-does-street-keep-flooding-and-what-can-be-done

“Beswick’s street is Eastern Terrace. It’s on the west bank of the Heathcote in Beckenham, where the waterway winds through a flat, low-lying floodplain in the city’s south.”

That word “floodplain” should explain the problem – if people build/buy houses on a floodplain they should not complain about floods.
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February 18, 2026 8:10am
- mike
  
  And if people buy on hillside, they should not complain about landslides. Seeing how the country is basically all hills and floodplains, people should not complain about the management of natural hazards.
  
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  February 18, 2026 8:27am
  - R
    
    People are complaining about the lack of natural hazards management, and the poor quality of what little there is. This problem has arisen since ACADEMICALLY qualified activists replaced PRACTICAL experienced managers. Look at local body councilors, particularly in the Urban areas.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:12am
    - NothingLeft
      
      But how does the storm water system make you feel? Is it respectful of Maoritanga and compliant with the Treaty and most importantly what colour should it be?
      
      The problem with our democracy is the large and growing group of voters who vote only with their feelz rather than with an eye towards responsible and prosperous management of the country (or council) and its economy. They no longer vote for politicians who will manage things in a responsible and efficient way. They expect others to foot the bill for their choices – like spoilt teens – now adults – that have always had mum and dad pick up the bill.
      
      This does not appear to be a solvable problem so long as we have a universal franchise for people who do not understand or care that collectively we have to earn money and pay for what we use.
      
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      February 18, 2026 11:12am
    - pdm
      
      Weak Mayors, ah la Schollum in Hastings and entrenched CEO’s like Bickle in Hastings (they are not the only ones either I will bet) are the major problem.
      
      Using Hastings as an example Councillor Gibson will keep both on their toes but he seems a loan voice in the council unfortunately.
      
      There is a Facebook thread where Hastings DC announced a 5,9% projected rate increase for this year and they were taking a flogging from ratepayers when I saw it at about 8am today.
      
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      February 18, 2026 11:29am
    - Paulus
      
      But who is going to pay for this natural Hazard Management – a new Department or twelve.
      
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      February 18, 2026 2:05pm
  - wsk12345
    
    Come on – not all risks are equal. There are streets in chch you wouldn’t touch when buying if you can afford to go elsewhere or afford not to be insured. Some in beckenham (expensive suburb, river prone to flooding) as in this case. Others on steep hillsides or on sand (Southshore). There are plenty of options in chch that are not likely to be damaged by flood, EQ, slip, or tsunami – including on moderate slope parts of the hills.
    
    Im not sure why people that buy in full knowledge of the risks think we should all subsidise their insurance or retreat costs.
    
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    February 18, 2026 11:25am
  - crackle
    
    What we shouldnt do is approve and build concrete slab houses on flood plains. Piles and 750mm (4-5 steps) ground clearance would prevent plenty of damage to property.
    
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    February 18, 2026 1:32pm
    - pdm
      
      Queenslander houses are a good example of that
      
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      February 18, 2026 2:36pm
- Im Right
  
  Exactly Greybeard!
  Never buy a house next to an airport if you want the quiet life
  Never buy a house next to a stream/river…at some point your house will be sitting in the middle of that same delightful babbling brook.
  Never buy a house on land that has been reclaimed from being a marshland.
  Never buy a house on a hillside, at some point that lovely view will be inside your house.
  And yet, despite the pointers, thousands do and surprisingly thousands complain.
  
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  February 18, 2026 8:27am
  - Jack5
    
    I’m Right’s …despite the pointers, thousands do [buy] and surprisingly thousands complain.
    
    If the gripe is noise from planes, or a gun range, or a factory, they then agitate and agitate until plane traffic or factory hours are limited or until the gun range is shut down … and then their property’s value jumps.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:25am
  - David Garrett
    
    Im right: If everyone obeyed your sage advice to “never build on a hillside”, most houses in Wellington would never have been built.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:52am
    - Im Right
      
      I agree DG, and it’s why I take my own advice and have never bought a hillside house, but as you say…thousands in Welly have and for the most part still standing (to be honest it would be the earthquakes I would be frightened of more than the rain on a Welly hill side)
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:18am
    - cmm
      
      Well in Wellington’s case there are many natural hazards: earthquakes, wind, landslides. Worst place in the world to build anything.
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:29am
      - R
        
        Are Politicians considered Natural hazards in Wellington?
        
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        February 18, 2026 11:36am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        But no volcanoes…..
        
        https://www.geonet.org.nz/about/volcano/aucklandvolcanicfield
        
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        February 18, 2026 11:50am
      - MCōs
        
        It’s not the worst place by a long stretch if good building practices are followed except for the odd slip.
        Timber framing and weather board homes with good foundations are very resilient.
        
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        February 18, 2026 1:25pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        “Timber framing and weather board homes with good foundations are very resilient.”
        
        That’s right Mcos, there are homes of the construction you describe that are more than a century old.
        I was involved in building design that considers 50 years longevity to be the pinnacle…
        
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        February 18, 2026 1:47pm
  - Chuck Bird
    
    My house backs onto a river. However, I checked it out before buying.
    
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    February 18, 2026 12:38pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      As long as the river is a legal person and you pronounce his name properly you should be okay 🤞🏻
      
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      February 18, 2026 1:14pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Do your Karakias every morning.
        
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        February 18, 2026 1:47pm
    - KH
      
      And pay the person river’s self appointed spoke persons.
      
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      February 18, 2026 4:33pm
  - MCōs
    
    The first house I ever owned c1975 was 560metres from Wellington airport, but it was a cheap foot in the door.
    It was also a very windy location
    Noisy and all that it may have been it wasn’t as bad as a house I looked at recently close to a motorway
    
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    February 18, 2026 5:54pm
- David Garrett
  
  Grey: Well yes…but councils should never issue building permits for flood prone land.
  Half of Rancho Garrett is prone to flooding – which is why I could never build on it.
  As for second or subsequent owners, councils’ LEM’s should show that the property is prone to flooding. How else are prospective buyers supposed to know what they risk??
  More info needed
  
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  February 18, 2026 8:31am
  - cmm
    
    “How else are prospective buyers supposed to know what they risk?”
    
    Basic schooling? All the information I was taught in primary school is enough to explain it.
    
    Before that pedantic Dave Garrett gets onto your case do you mean LIMs? Land Information Memorandum (LIM) report.
    
    In our case the report was fn useless. It said our house was on a floodplane and prone to flooding. Yes, technically they were correct – we were on a floodplane, but on the old flood plane which is stepped up from the current floodplane. Thus our house was about 6 metres higher than the current flood plane and about 9 metres above the Selwyn River level,
    
    When the river burst its banks in the 2001 floods, it spread out over the lower floodplane and we were still high and dry by over 5 metres.
    
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    February 18, 2026 10:37am
    - David Garrett
      
      cmm: Yes, of course I meant LIMs…LEM’s were used to land on the moon! (If they all weren’t filmed on a Hollywood sound stage).
      
      I shouldn’t comment until I have properly woken up.
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:40am
      - cmm
        
        No worries DG. I seldom catch you out and need to make the best of the opportunity when I can :-).
        
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        February 18, 2026 11:51am
    - grumpy
      
      I think we are on the same floodplain. When I built our house ECAN had an aerial photo from 1951 taken from an ex WW2 Spitfire bought out to NZ for the purpose. The Selwyn spread as far as the eye could see and we built on the only bit that was above water. Since then the stopbanks have been built and the worst case scenario avoided.
      
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      February 19, 2026 2:04pm
- alex Masterley
  
  My father grew up in Beckenham/Opawa in the ’30s. He told me the Heathcote river flooded regularly in those days. So it is not unusual.
  Add into that the effect of the Christchurch Earthquakes which raised the water table floods are inevitable.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:04am
  - David Garrett
    
    Alex: Do you if LEM’s issued by the Christchurch Council for properties in that area warn of the danger of flooding?
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:51am
    - alex Masterley
      
      David,
      
      I would expect so, as there will be maps attached to the LIM that show, amongst other things, zoning rules, water supply and drainage. Added to this non exclusive list is flood and flow path maps.
      
      Like Auckland the Christchurch CC has on its website a Flood and Flood level Viewer which shows modelling for flood risk.
      
      As an aside developers are really keen viewers of the flood and flow path maps. Anything where there is a risk of “wet feet” means a lack of interest by developers.
      
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      February 18, 2026 11:05am
      - artemisia
        
        There is also the Natural Hazards Portal –
        
        https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/s/
        
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        February 18, 2026 11:16am
- Paulus
  
  Council’s approve the building with the full kowledge of the situations.
  They want money only to spend.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:28am
imalwaysright

Put the Mayor’s office at Moa Point.
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February 18, 2026 8:15am
- peterwn
  
  Although I do not have much time for the current Mayor, he does seem to be a vast improvement on his predecessors. In fairness to him, he inherited a bad situation and he just cannot wave a magic wand and put things right in an instant. He is no doubt doing what he can to mitigate and resolve issues.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:14am
  - Jethrod
    
    So far he has said all the right things.
    
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    February 18, 2026 10:05am
    - Paulus
      
      And done Sweet FA !
      
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      February 18, 2026 2:07pm
  - PurplePen
    
    Consider the last mayor was the lowest Wellington could go with mayor’s it’s not going to be hard to be a mayor that’s an improvement.
    
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    February 18, 2026 1:22pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    Fair point, but my intention is that the Mayor of any town or city should be focused on the basics.
    
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    February 18, 2026 1:53pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  When do the prosecutions of Wellington water begin? 3 million litres of sewage in 1 day!
  Why are public services NEVER accountable but farmers get prosecuted for having animals in a creek.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:16am
  - Ghost
    
    like other councils who have spilled sewage into waterways they will likely get prosecuted.
    
    Here are some
    
    Matamata-Piako District Council Nov 2025 $105,000 fine Convicted for repeated discharges of poorly treated sewage into the Waiwhero Stream over 7 months due to a faulty UV filter.
    
    Queenstown Lakes District Council June 2025 Enforcement Order The Environment Court issued a “wide-ranging enforcement order” forcing the council to fix the Shotover plant after 10 infringement notices failed to stop illegal discharges.
    
    Hamilton City Counci lOct 2022 $76,500 fine Convicted after 1.2 million litres of sewage spilled into a local stream over six days due to a pipe blockage.
    
    Matamata-Piako District Council2024~ $70,000 fineA separate 2024 fine for a five-day sewage discharge into the Mangawhero Stream.
    
    Gore District Council 2020 $57,500 fine Convicted for discharging raw sewage into the Mataura River.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:22am
    - keepcalmcarryon
      
      And the individuals responsible? That’s just ratepayers paying the fine.
      
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      February 18, 2026 9:26am
    - peterwn
      
      Some regional councils have even prosecuted themselves! Generally the regulatory arm prosecuting the operational arm for pollution or other RMA issues. The CEO is potentially conflicted so would leave it to the senior regulator to take appropriate action. Unfortunately the poor ratepayer forks out for both the prosecution, the defence and the portion of penalties payable to the Crown. The only winners are the lawyers.
      There must be a better way, but not sure what it is.
      
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      February 18, 2026 9:55am
      - Ghost
        
        I’d expect any fines will be paid for by the French company responsible for managing this plant
        
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        February 18, 2026 10:35am
      - NothingLeft
        
        Personal liability and fines for councilors based on their voting record (would keep irresponsible left wing zealots from running for office). Firing of Council management if they have contributed to problem. Without identifying key culprits for bad choices and financially impactful censure of them there will be no improvement.
        
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        February 18, 2026 11:19am
    - Im Right
      
      Who pays for the fines ultimately Ghost?, the rate payers!
      Councils may look righteous in suing themselves, it’s a grand gesture when it’s other people’s money the fine will be paid with.
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:22am
    - AitchW
      
      You have to wonder the point of fining DCs for polluting like this. The councillors walk away scot free and rate payers are stuck with more debt.
      
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      February 18, 2026 11:35am
    - imalwaysright
      
      It seems surreal, and pointless, to sue an ‘Office’ or a ‘Department’.
      The actual people at fault seem to turn up next Monday regardless.
      
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      February 18, 2026 11:59am
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Ratepayers sentenced to doling out more of their hard earned money in rates.
      Council staff responsible, not so much.
      
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      February 18, 2026 1:51pm
  - greybeard
    
    A farmer has animals in a creek, is prosecuted, named, shamed, fined, recorded forever.
    
    A council is prosecuted for discharge of effluent, the actual people in council responsible for the breakdown remain anonymous, their personal involvement and oversights and mistakes are never mentioned, they remain on the payroll and “the council” takes the blame.
    
    Big difference in attitudes and outcomes.
    
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    February 18, 2026 10:05am
    - Zoso
      
      And the ratepayers foot the bill and pay the fines.
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:22am
      - pdm
        
        Zoso – Insurance (hopefully) pays the bulk od the fines but, ratepayers will still be up for the Excess and the increased premiums that almost always follow Insurance Claims.
        
        Not to mention a likely higher Excess on future claims.
        
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        February 18, 2026 3:19pm
      - leoj
        
        Ratepayers pay the premiums….
        
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        February 18, 2026 7:33pm
  - R
    
    The burecratic Them and Us, Rural Urban, commonsense No sense, Academic Practical, divide. Been with us for years.
    
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    February 18, 2026 10:31am
    - Quail
      
      PDM.
      FYI.
      This Coalition Government has just passed into law the concept that breaches of environmental law CAN NOT be insured against!
      May be that’s only for farmers!
      
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      February 18, 2026 5:41pm
  - sirknz
    
    That is a massive drop from the 70,000 cubic meters reported earlier in the week, which is a cube with sides measuring 41m by 41m by 41m according to DPF.
    
    The 3 million litres quoted is 3000 cubic meters for reference. It is a lot if it is in your backyard, it is a drop in the ocean and will clear up within weeks in the Strait.
    
    I am wary when journalists change how they are measuring something as their SOP is trying to baffle you with BS to suit their agenda.
    
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    February 18, 2026 1:16pm
- Paulus
  
  No no
  It is the fault of the Greenies and those who voted or did not vote in Wellington.
  “From the River to the Sea the faecal matter will be free” !
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:36am
  - MCōs
    
    Why is it the fault of the Greenies?
    What is actually the cause of the current problem — without resorting to amusing slogans?
    People refer to a council decision taken some years ago when Andy Foster was mayor and there were 3/15 Green councilors
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:58am
    - leoj
      
      There is f#*k all diffference between Labour and Greens.
      
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      February 18, 2026 7:34pm
- Burtland
  
  Previous mayors sanitized drainage by removing it completely from council business so all they have to deal with is a line of accounting – now they have their time free to discuss cycleways, new town halls and freeing Palestine.
  
  DEI has produced incompetent management and dysfunctional infrastructure.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:47am
Maggy Wassilieff

Does anyone in Otago know what is going on with the investigations into the Maori Health and Social Services Charity Te Kaika?

Te Kaika, a multi-million-dollar health and social-service provider, is currently being investigated by the Department of Internal Affairs, an Otago Daily Times investigation revealed this month.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/crime/youth-worker-punched-stomped-teen-significant-force

The story only seems to be reported by the ODT and is paywalled although Peter Williams provided some
background a couple of months ago.

https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/peter-williams-the-dysfunctional-maori-health-trusts
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February 18, 2026 8:26am
- mike
  
  Also on Stuff:
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360930592/emotional-physical-psychological-harm-taxpayer-funded-youth-home
  
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  February 18, 2026 8:31am
- Im Right
  
  Maggy, it’s a simple equation:
  Maori organisation+LOTS of money = Corruption/embezzlement/graft
  
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  February 18, 2026 8:32am
  - R
    
    The business case for all Racist ‘Maori only’ government funded organisations.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:28am
- Phronesis
  
  It’s pretty much as you would imagine. Management employed primarily on the basis of tribal ties. Top positions are a mother and son. It has done a lot of good at the community level. Perhaps the tikanga bullshit helps at that level, I don’t know. But clearly at the management level it has descended into corruption and incompetence. Loans to senior management, very questionable spending etc. I doubt there is anything unusual about the situation other than that the Oddity (Otago Daily Times) has decided to actually publish it. Julian and Nick Smith still own the Oddity outright.
  
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  February 18, 2026 1:33pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Killer dogs

Jones said the current law were “not fit for purpose” and “homicidal dogs” were scattered around Northland – with the problem worsening over years.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/587147/severe-jail-terms-needed-for-owners-of-homicidal-dogs-shane-jones-says-after-northland-mauling

I imagine if a wolf or a dingo was out loose on a street, folks wouldn’t hesitate to remove it from the scene.
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February 18, 2026 8:33am
- mike
  
  Shane Jones will fix it//
  
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  February 18, 2026 8:37am
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    Joney and your wet labour mates are responsible for making it harder to shoot problem animals with their anti gun laws.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:18am
    - Groggy
      
      I should hope so, I don’t want random idiots wandering around shooting “stray” dogs.
      
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      February 18, 2026 3:51pm
- peterwn
  
  Dog control legislation was tightened up some years ago in response to this exact issue. There have been various court cases where dog owners have fought tooth and nail to overturn destruction orders but fortunately judges have upheld them (current dog control legislation gives them little choice).
  The issue is not with the legislation, but that some dogs and owners (especially in poorer socio-economic areas) are outside the law with unregistered unchipped dogs.
  It seems much more enforcement is needed and the cost unfortunately needs to fall on taxpayers / ratepayers at large rather than on registered dog owners (although fines would help offset the cost). Hiking dog registration fees would merely encourage more people not to bother registering their dogs.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:31am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    I would just like to see some situation whereby unregistered unchipped roaming dogs are forfeited to the Crown.
    
    No excuses for anyone.
    
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    February 18, 2026 10:19am
    - R
      
      The ‘Luvvies’ wouldn’t like that.
      
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      February 18, 2026 10:34am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Doesn’t “forfeited to the Crown” now mean ‘return to the offender’?
      
      Just call the dog ‘Patch’…
      
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      February 18, 2026 1:18pm
    - Phronesis
      
      Any dog that doesn’t have an owner willing to accept full liability for its actions.
      
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      February 18, 2026 1:35pm
    - peterwn
      
      Most such dogs are probably put down by Council dog control teams anyway. It is unlikely the owners would reclaim them.
      
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      February 18, 2026 2:12pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        “Probably”
        The person murdered by the dogs was ‘certainly’ murdered.
        
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        February 18, 2026 2:24pm
      - Swifty
        
        Some will break into the pounds and grab their dogs back.
        
        This has happened a few times at Moa Point, for example.
        
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        February 18, 2026 2:32pm
    - Swifty
      
      Generally speaking, most Councils will only allow the return of caught, roaming unregistered dogs when all registration fees and penalties etc are fully paid up – but I’m aware that some Councils do allow returns without this.
      
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      February 18, 2026 2:31pm
- Scooter
  
  Homicidal humans aren’t held to account in NZ so why Shane Jones thinks these dog owners will be is just wishful thinking. What these dogs have done in mauling and killing this woman is down to the environment they are living in, if they were abused, starved, and left to roam and become part of a pack rather than see the owner as the “pack leader”. From one article the lady walked onto the property, so maybe seen as a threat. In any case it’s the owners ultimately to blame and should be prosecuted but won’t be because we are weak and hold no one to account.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:41am
- Colville
  
  Plenty of feral families that kill kids and escape prosecution where the culprits are well known but families wont ‘narc”.
  
  What hope for them dobbing in a bad dog owner?
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:50am
- cmm
  
  Suggesting that these dogs should be controlled in raaaaciiist.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:53am
- NZer In Exile
  
  Half the problem is pretentious and insecure drongos who think owning a dog with the bite pressure of a crocodile makes them Rambo tough guy or something (or a sophisticated and special know it all on dog rearing in the case of lefties who do it).
  
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  February 18, 2026 1:56pm
- artemisia
  
  Morocco is clearing out stray dogs before the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Animal rights groups are outraged. I’m sure they will be rallying the troops to rescue these dogs and re-home them. Or at least raise funds to euthanise them peacefully and dispose of the bodies in environmentally acceptable ways.
  
  Do they realise there are estimated to be about 3 million of them.
  
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  February 18, 2026 2:20pm
slightlyrighty

I’m curious to know what the Trump Supporters here think of the decision by the US FCC and the management of CBS to prevent the broadcast of an interview by Stephen Colbert of James Talarico, one of the Democratic Contenders for the Texas Senate election.

I am fully aware that many on here have no love for Colbert, especially after his fawning over Jacinda (which didn’t help her in the end) but using the mechanisms of the state to mute opposition is a step too far in my opinion.

The interview has ended up on Youtube, and is likely to get a far greater viewing as a result of the controversy.
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February 18, 2026 8:47am
- Libertarians are right
  
  It’s actually really funny.
  
  Basically, there is a rule regarding equal time for media interviews. It’s effectively a campaign finance rule because if one side is getting a disproportionate level of exposure they’re basically getting free advertising. This is the kind of thing Trump got his felonies for but way more blatant.
  
  This rule does not include news interviews.
  
  Colbert has tried to get around this issue by saying that his show is news and therefore not covered by the equal time rules.
  
  What makes it funny is that a few months ago Jimmy Kimmel heavily inferred that Charlie Kirk’s assassin was MAGA which was declared to be disinformation and against the public interest rules but Kimmel (and Colbert) said that the show was entertainment, not news and therefore not covered by the rules.
  
  So Colbert etc are trying to dodge the rules on both sides so they can continue to support the Democrats.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:45am
- NothingLeft
  
  As I understand it there is an equal-time requirement with regards to political campaigns for use of certain public spectrum in US. A many-decades old legislative requirement for balance (if not neutrality).
  
  CBS can give up their spectrum if they don’t want to be subject to that law.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:22am
- kowtow
  
  Any thoughts on Jimmy Lai’s sentencing.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:47am
- virtualmark
  
  What’s odd about it is that the FCC apparently leaned on CBS to ensure they provided both points-of-view. Which people leap to think meant if you have Talarico on then you have to have a Republican on too.
  
  But it’s still in the primaries. So the “fair balance” part would presumably mean that if you have Talarico on then you have to have Jasmine Crockett on?? And Crockett has been on Colbert in the past.
  
  I suspect this is more about CBS running scared of Trump than any meaningful problem with the fairness doctrine.
  
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  February 18, 2026 4:06pm
BananaLlama

U.S Representitive and Presidential hopeful Alexandria CORTEZ recently claiming that Cowboys did not originate from Spain.
How can someone named CORTEZ not know who introduced horses and cattle to the Americas.
This is also the same lady named CORTEZ who lectures White Europeans on the evils of colonialism.
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February 18, 2026 8:49am
- mike
  
  Is that the same Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York-born Puerto Rican who was told by Donald Trump to ‘go home’ because he doesn’t seem to know that Puerto Rico, or NY for that matter, is part of the US?
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:07am
  - cmm
    
    Puerto Rica is not really part of USA.
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_status_of_Puerto_Rico
    
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    February 18, 2026 11:29am
    - mike
      
      Bullshit.
      
      3 12
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      February 18, 2026 12:46pm
      - graham
        
        Oh please mike, do feel free to explain exactly why you disagree with the linked explanation.
        
        * Sits back and waits … *
        
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        February 18, 2026 12:59pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        Don’t hold your breath. Down-tick and move along.
        
        2 4
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        February 18, 2026 1:58pm
      - RichardX
        
        Graham, Mike is not disagreeing with the linked explanation.
        
        The linked explanation contradicts CMM when it states “Territories of the United States are subnational geographical and political areas governed as administrative divisions and dependent territories under the sovereignty of the United States.”
        
        What part of “under the sovereignty of the United States” is difficult to understand?
        
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        February 18, 2026 2:50pm
      - cmm
        
        RichardX, it is a mixed bag.
        
        Read the link. They are not taxed the same. They are not a state. They don’t get to vote the same. They are a terrirory.
        
        So they are actually on a rather different footing than the rest of USA.
        
        Yes, they have US citizenship.
        
        In some ways there are similarities to our relationship with Cook Islands though there are major differences too.
        
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        February 18, 2026 4:21pm
      - RichardX
        
        What part of “under the sovereignty of the United States” is difficult to understand?
        
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        February 18, 2026 5:11pm
      - leoj
        
        Sice when has Puerto Rico been a US state?
        
        I’ll help you: Never.
        
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        February 18, 2026 7:39pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    “‘go home’ because he doesn’t seem to know that Puerto Rico…”
    
    More likely a generic “Please just go away and jump in the lake” type message. She does say a lot of very very silly things.
    
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    February 18, 2026 2:02pm
    - mike
      
      Sure, it was a misunderstanding to tell 4 non-white politicians to ‘go home’. And likening the Obamas to apes was someone else’s fault. Trump first came to public attention for refusing to rent Daddy’s apartments to blacks.
      He’s definitely not a racist.
      
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      February 18, 2026 5:17pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  15-16 horses brought to Mexico by Hernán Cortés.
  
  https://archaeology.org/issues/july-august-2015/collection/horses-return-to-the-new-world/the-story-of-the-horse/
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:09am
- MCōs
  
  Personally I’m not particularly interested in the origin of cowboys, but you could at least get the woman’s name right. It’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
  
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  February 18, 2026 9:23am
  - BananaLlama
    
    Hyphenated family names, time to get over yourself MCos, you aren’t running a family store front anymore. Cortez is correct.
    
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    February 18, 2026 9:31am
    - MCōs
      
      I don’t think she needs your opinion on what her name is!
      
      4 2
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      February 18, 2026 6:15pm
      - mike
        
        And shouldn’t his username be Banana-Llama?
        
        2 2
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        February 18, 2026 6:32pm
  - cmm
    
    Who the Hell-Cares?
    
    2 4
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    February 18, 2026 4:22pm
    - MCōs
      
      She does
      
      4 2
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      February 18, 2026 6:16pm
      - grumpy
        
        Who the hell cares if she cares?
        
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        February 19, 2026 2:13pm
- NothingLeft
  
  AOC got her start in politics via an honest-to-god audition process similar to how they hire reality TV ‘stars’ – based on how she did in screen tests, not because she had demonstrated any competence in anything politics adjacent.
  
  As such she is the intellectual inheritor of Kamala – a DEI hire from the 1980’s. It’s embarrassing for the Democrats that this is the calibre of their talent, their anti-meritocratic DEI selection processes and promotion criteria are destroying their electoral chances.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:37am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Hollywood was very effective at sanitising history, why not employ it for politics…
    
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    February 18, 2026 2:00pm
  - virtualmark
    
    You should watch AOC on her Committee assignments. She is smart and a very good politician.
    
    I don’t align with her politics, but I recognise and respect her political talent. She is in a different league to any NZ left-wing politician.
    
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    February 18, 2026 5:19pm
- virtualmark
  
  AOC is a very talented politician. She is the heir to the Bernie Sanders movement. Chloe Swarbrick wishes she was AOC.
  
  I suspect AOC will be a Senator for New York State within the next 6 years (bye bye Chuck Schumer).
  
  But her achilles heel is foreign affairs. She got in an awful muddle about Israel/Palestine and just demonstrated she is not suitable, or at least not ready, for any national office like President or VP.
  
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  February 18, 2026 4:09pm
  - mike
    
    Luckily the US is in such good hands with Trump’s astute handling of foreign affairs.
    
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    February 18, 2026 5:19pm
Yvette

Not often is New Zealand mentioned in the New York Times
A judge in New Zealand who discovered last week that apology letters from a defendant in an arson case had been written with the help of artificial intelligence raised questions about the sincerity of her sentiments.
“The issue of remorse is interesting,” said the judge, Tom Gilbert, of the district court in Christchurch, as he mulled the punishment of a woman who had pleaded guilty to arson and other charges. Remorse can be a mitigating factor in sentencing. Her letters to the victims and the court were nicely written, the judge said. He decided to do some sleuthing.

“Out of curiosity I punched into two A.I. tools ‘draft me a letter for a judge expressing remorse for my offending,’” the judge said, according to a transcript of the sentencing hearing that was shared with The New York Times. “It became immediately apparent that these were two A.I.-generated letters, albeit with tweaks around the edges.”
…
Judge Gilbert ultimately said he was willing to give the defendant some credit for genuine remorse, looking beyond the letters.
But he granted only a 5 percent reduction in the sentence instead of the 10 percent the defense lawyer had requested based on the defendant’s remorse.
[subscription]
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/world/asia/new-zealand-court-ai-apology.html?

Some may be interested in Judge Tom Gilbert explaining “If a school English master wrote a letter of apology and a semi-illiterate school drop-out attempted a letter as well, are they equal before the law?” and
are there points off for using a dictionary?

Two other aspects –
• how much intelligent information does a person need to input to AI to avoid the rule which still (and maybe more) applies to AI: garbage in, garbage out.
• I would certainly use AI to structure such a letter even if I didn’t cut and paste a single AI word. I would get AI to proof-read my letter. It offers more than spell-check

Just a small amount of AI guidance –
2. The Defendant’s Personal Circumstances
Age and stage of life.
Prior criminal history (if any).
Mental health factors.
Substance abuse issues.
Personal stressors at the time (relationship breakdown, financial strain, etc.).
Employment and family situation.
A meaningful letter is not a résumé of excuses — but it does situate wrongdoing within a human life.

3. Conduct After the Offence
Did she confess immediately?
Did she cooperate with police?
Has she made restitution?
Has she sought counselling or treatment?
Has she personally apologised outside the formal letter?
Remorse is proven more in action than adjectives.
– AI
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February 18, 2026 9:06am
- imalwaysright
  
  AI is becoming, for many people, the source and arbiter of truth. They also see it as an unbiased harvester of all of the internet.
  They don’t seem to know that, for the time being, the parameters and the information used by AI are managed by people.
  
  Our perception of reality will soon be curated by others.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:06am
  - Taieri
    
    Our perception of reality will soon be curated by others
    —————-
    
    It already is. And has been for a long time.
    
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    February 18, 2026 2:40pm
- Eastlander
  
  ‘apology letters from a defendant in an arson case had been written with the help of artificial intelligence raised questions about the sincerity of her sentiments.’
  
  Remorseful sentiments offered by a criminal awaiting sentencing are self-evidently not sincere, given that even the dullest criminal knows that expressions of remorse are rewarded with a lighter sentence.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:09am
sungsamning

On the morning of February 1, 2021, the world watched in amazement as a PE teacher from Myanmar unwittingly captured the military launching a coup against the government in the background of an exercise video. [Aung San Suu Kyi supported the Rohingya genocide. Many Burmese fled to Nepal. A friend of mine is still there. She was an English teacher, and missionary.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUW-gAhabQI
How Myanmar’s Civil War Unfolded .
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February 18, 2026 9:21am
sungsamning

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says at the Munich conference that deindustrialization was a deliberate, decades-long policy choice that stripped nations of wealth, productive capacity, and independence. [Warmongers, anti-Trumpers, foreign aid, and climate grifters were put on notice. Wars are being ended, not started. Jobs are being re-shored. And transnational organizations won’t be propped up. This could all be reversed if the Democrats win the mid-terms.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrRc1hYMfwo
Rubio Exposes the 50-Year Plot.
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February 18, 2026 9:22am
RichardF

Z Energy has an interetsing role going. The package is good at up to $140k plus benefits like health and income protection insurance, a company vehicle.

If there are any Kaitaki Hononga Pakihi – with experience with Hekewaku, apply today.
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February 18, 2026 9:23am
Positan

Whangarei Tim scores 100% with this beauty.
No argument from me !!!

TVNZ’s Board of Directors are total dickheads;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kyK7w7fGUs
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February 18, 2026 9:35am
Tomtoddy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yBPb5geE_I

A brilliant summary of how “net zero” began and why it persists despite its cost and uselessness. A brilliant piece by Colin Brazier and worth taking the seven minutes to watch.
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February 18, 2026 9:40am
PurplePen

Now that the public service commission has cast its eyes over the Teaching Council it should now probably have good look at the Nursing Council.
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February 18, 2026 9:44am
Swifty

Some big changes in the local wine market:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedetail/587135/the-wine-industry-headache
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February 18, 2026 9:50am
Swifty

Any criticism of Tamatha Paul over the catastrophe at Moa Point is sexist or racist, says Tamatha Paul.

https://x.com/suitandtie9999/status/2023839649429680623?s=46

Or both!
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February 18, 2026 10:05am
Swifty

Historical figures as regular people:

https://x.com/sasquatchvlogtv/status/2023841095097200771?s=46
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February 18, 2026 10:08am
- sungsamning
  
  That was pretty good. There several similar YT channels too.
  
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  February 18, 2026 2:53pm
Swifty

One for the Trump haters:

https://x.com/gubloinvestor/status/2023738518074249659?s=42

😃
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February 18, 2026 10:09am
Maggy Wassilieff

Tamatha Paul plays the race card…

“This is the reality, Tory Whānau is not in town anymore, so I’m public enemy number one to disinformation spreaders and to racists,

https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/02/17/rooted-in-racism-hostility-and-disinformation-overshadow-moa-point-public-meeting/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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February 18, 2026 10:54am
- pdm
  
  Well Tamatha with Tory Whanau gone someone has to take up the role of `RESIDENT INCOMPETENT’ for Wellington.
  
  I understand it was a toss up between you and Julia-Ann Genter and the recent Moa Point fiasco swung it your way.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:41am
- imalwaysright
  
  Played the sexist/misogynist card also:
  
  “I know that I’m fighting against misinformation, which is all rooted in racism. Women don’t want to take up roles of leadership because of this reason that aggressive men show up.”
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:54am
- Gravelroad
  
  What a laugh.
  Mani Dunlop pretending to be a reporter!
  Why can’t “writers” these days just report and record what happened at the meeting?
  Without taking a side and interpreting events to suit an agenda?
  It was a very boring, inept report of the meeting – tainted with righteous, emotion and political based opinion.
  
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  February 18, 2026 11:56am
  - Swifty
    
    And all paid for by the NZ taxpayer.
    
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    February 18, 2026 12:19pm
- rouppe
  
  Criticizing a maori is not racism.
  
  Criticizing a woman is not misogyny.
  
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  February 18, 2026 1:01pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Correct. And neither is noticing statistical realities on which demographics are more likely to commit this or that type of serious crimes. I’ve been called a racist for noticing such statistical trends.
    
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    February 18, 2026 2:14pm
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      You you you …. statisticalist you!
      
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      February 18, 2026 11:04pm
  - RichardX
    
    Criticizing a maori is not racism. Unless you are criticizing them because they are maori.
    
    Criticizing a woman is not misogyny. Unless you are criticizing them because they are a woman.
    
    I do not believe either qualifier is relevant in the case of the hecklers at the meeting in Wellington but some comments in KB are questionable.
    
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    February 18, 2026 3:13pm
    - rouppe
      
      Were either of those things true when people said “Tamatha Paul was on the council committee that decided to elevate spending on cycleways”?
      
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      February 18, 2026 5:38pm
      - RichardX
        
        Did you miss it where I posted “I do not believe either qualifier is relevant in the case of the hecklers at the meeting in Wellington”?
        
        Maybe it wasn’t clear enough.
        She was incorrect to accuse the hecklers of racism or misogyny.
        
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        February 18, 2026 6:55pm
Yvette

Ngarewa-Packer neglects that James Cook was killed in a property dispute

Facebook – Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, MP
14 February at 22:57
Captain cook was a British coloniser who invaded the Pacific, bringing with him disease and death. February 14th is the day that Kānaka Maoli took down a threat to their people and their land and that is the real celebration for today. Will always amplify the voices of indigenous peoples

An instance of a preoccupation with history which doesn’t apply to the New Zealand context:
The perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings on March 15, 2019, covered his weapons and ammunition with white-supremacist symbols and references to historical figures, battles, and recent acts of violence, according to reports.
These markings reflected a white-supremacist ideology focused on historical, specifically European, conflicts with the Ottoman Empire … – Wikipedia

Tamihere emphasised that Te Pāti Māori is a tikanga-based movement guided by ancestral wisdom. “There is a tikanga-based solution to every problem in the Māori world,” he said. “Our ancestral intelligence gives us the opportunity to work through issues in a way that doesn’t look for heads on platters – that’s Pākehātanga.”
https://waateanews.com/2025/10/13/te-pati-maori-focuses-on-tikanga-response-after-kapa-kingi-allegations/

Are Debbie Ngarewa-Packer MP and John Tamihere, Pati President, on the same page? Any page?
____________
On 14 February 1779 British explorer Captain James Cook was killed as he attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief of the island of Hawaii, and hold him hostage for the return of a cutter which Hawaiians had stolen.

Ngarewa-Packer used a portion of the image “Death of Captain Cook” shown top of –
https://warriorpublications.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/captain-cook-killed-by-hawaiian-warriors-feb-14-1779/
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February 18, 2026 11:03am
- rouppe
  
  She also neglects to mention that:
  
  Captain cook was a British coloniser who invaded the Pacific, bringing with him disease and death
  
  As well as the end of slavery, order to warring tribes, and an instant promotion from the stone age, leaping over the iron age and industrial age, into the modern era.
  
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  February 18, 2026 5:31pm
  - Jack5
    
    Ngarewa-Packer’s ignorant about why the Union Jack has been kept in the state flag of Hawaii .
    
    This is because of the Royal Navy’s links with the islands, and, as Wikipedia puts it: ” …the pro-British sentiment of its first ruler, King Kamehameha.”
    
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    February 18, 2026 8:48pm
Wairoa Native

I find it a little ironic to see an ex-Labour Party prime minister objecting to a mining operation. It shows how far they have moved from their roots and how out of touch they are with actual workers. The Santana mine could be a significant source of employment over its projected life (about 350 people directly and up to 800 indirectly), ‘especially for skilled labour and related service industries’. It would be worth about 350 million per year to Otago’s GDP. It’s a no brainer to do it. (I’m saying that as an ex-Labour voting, ex Green party member, with a degree in ecology). https://wanakaapp.nz/NewsStory/santana-minerals-secures-a-130m-for-bendigo-ophir-gold-mine/6994a082352e6c002d1e7caf
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February 18, 2026 12:01pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  I think cyanide and/or arsenic waste products have been brought up. A fair query. It would be good to see what the plan is for managing those waste products.
  
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  February 18, 2026 2:05pm
- Swifty
  
  Their hypocrisy has no limits.
  
  Through their opposition to mining in NZ they would render us unable to mine the very minerals needed for renewable power generation and distribution, not to mention those needed to sustain a first world lifestyle.
  
  But they’re happy to buy goods and services totally dependent on mined minerals, just as long as they’re mined overseas.
  
  Hypocrites.
  
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  February 18, 2026 2:06pm
- kowtow
  
  ‘It shows how far they have moved from their roots and how out of touch they are with actual workers.’
  
  Yep , and internationally the same . “Labour” has become the party of the urban lower middle classes , the feminists ( God knows why given how Labour has embraced the anti woman “trans” movement ) the trades unionist professionals who leach off low paid real workers ( cleaners and menial , unskilled workers) as well as the so called public service who know their bread is very well buttered by the ever growing and ever more powerful state .
  
  Bugger the workers Comrade , they’re simply cannon fodder for the ambitious , power hungry narcissists who hail from the lower middle classes but who claim to represent the weak and oppressed .
  
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  February 18, 2026 2:18pm
  - AitchW
    
    Labour parties all over the western world have become wet, woke, and weak. Look at Aus, UK, France, and Canada.
    God help us if they don’t either change or get chucked out.
    
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    February 18, 2026 5:40pm
- mandk
  
  The best thing Helen Clark could do to support the health of the environment would be to stop talking so she doesn’t emit so much carbon dioxide.
  
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  February 18, 2026 3:34pm
  - R
    
    OR ideological drivel. Having only ever been an ACADEMIC she has no real world experience to fall back on.
    
    6 2
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    February 18, 2026 5:15pm
  - AitchW
    
    Student politician, mp, pm, UN womble, foundationista. Just retire. Go and play bowls.
    
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    February 18, 2026 7:45pm
Swifty

Well, goodness gracious me.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360939781/secret-report-warned-nzta-had-persisting-weaknesses-driver-test-bribery-scandal-broke

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s0kiJJWsa2E
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February 18, 2026 12:32pm
- kowtow
  
  This is the type of thing you’d expect in places like Bangladesh .
  What have we become.
  
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  February 18, 2026 2:20pm
- artemisia
  
  I see NZTA staff think under resourcing means some are overworked.
  
  Hang in there guys and gals, help is on the way.
  
  It’s called AI.
  
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  February 18, 2026 4:19pm
Swifty

Swarbrick jumps up and down when seeking office, but once in a position of responsibility she is silent.

Just like Paul.

https://x.com/suitandtie9999/status/2023912771935760498?s=46
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February 18, 2026 2:02pm
pdm

Is Simon Watts in ‘witless protection’ today?

I think he might be given the ‘dogs breakfast’ the LNG announcement has been and I consider him the weakest minister in Cabinet.
4 3
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February 18, 2026 2:44pm
- virtualmark
  
  Quite a bit of competition for the “weakest Minister” prize in this Cabinet. Especially if you open it up to Ministers outside of Cabinet.
  
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  February 18, 2026 4:11pm
graham

Well … that’s inconvenient.

https://people.com/whoopi-goldberg-denies-ties-to-jeffrey-epstein-after-her-name-surfaces-in-files-i-wasn-t-his-girlfriend-i-wasn-t-his-friend-11908056
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February 18, 2026 4:11pm
Quail

Breaking news
The OCR to remains where it is despite increases in inflation!
Never mind the elderlies savings etc ,we will have a bit more of those .
I had hoped for better , much better from the New RB governor,
An utter disgrace!
Of course ,it is Election year!
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February 18, 2026 5:56pm

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