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March 3, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 03 March 2026

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General Debate

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Master Mariner

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/trade/40063166
Thailand has banned all petroleum product exports with immediate effect in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

And so it begins.
Thailand has a 60 day buffer.
38 days in country and 22 days enroute after safely clearing Straight of Hornuz.
What is NZ Strategy?
24/28 days in reserve. How much is in the Country?
The longer this continues the higher price and scarcer fuel will become.
Renewables anyone?
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March 3, 2026 8:06am
- kowtow
  
  The Iranian navy no longer effectively exists.They’ll be running out of missiles and drones before too long .
  
  As that famous military strategist , Cpl Jones , would say ; Don’t panic.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:18am
  - Observant Octagenarian
    
    Also “They don’t like it upum”
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:32am
  - fightingtemeraire
    
    The Brits who are experts at Mine Counter Measures no longer have a ship in the Gulf. Yanks do NOT have the expertise.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:40am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Ring the King..
      
      Didn’t Charles captain a minesweeper?
      
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      March 3, 2026 12:18pm
  - Taieri
    
    The Iranian navy no longer effectively exists
    ——————
    
    No need for a navy. A couple of supertankers sunk there will do the job, all that’s needed are a few high speed boats deploying heat-seeking naval mines.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:50am
  - Paulus
    
    But remember Putin gets all his Drones and Rocket Missiles from Iran.
    Where to now ?
    North Korea!
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:19pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Yes, fuel is a security issue – no fuel would lead to more deaths than any military conflict we would experience -but in NZ it seems to be treated as just another commodity.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:40am
artemisia

According to a very recent official information response (posted at fyi.org.nz) some 13% of Wellington City ratepayers are in rates arrears for a total of over $16 million. Average $1600 per ratepayer in arrears. If that’s similar across the country no wonder rates keep going up. Of course mortgagees can be asked to pay up. Are they being requested to?

But $16 million owing in one not very large city. Pretty soon talking real money.
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March 3, 2026 8:06am
- artemisia
  
  And next questions. How many (ratepayer funded) staffers are chasing up those arrears and are they any good at it? Where is the plan to replace most of those humans with AI? It’s an ideal AI application, and ideal to be developed once then implemented across New Zealand.
  
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  March 3, 2026 8:25am
  - peterwn
    
    It would be interesting to see a arrears versus debt age for the rates debts. The effective interest ‘earned’ on late payment penalties would be greater than the interest paid on Council loans so the Council is not really out of pocket on rates arrears. Since rates payments has top priority security on land (higher than a first mortgage) it would be extremely unlikely that the Council would be out of pocket at the end of the day. So there is no real hurry to aggressively collect overdue rates. assuming most rates arrears are cleared by ratepayers reasonably quickly, there is little point in going to the effort of LINZ title and document searches to find mortgagees’ details to collect arrears from them. If I was handling this on behalf of Council I would probably wait about a year of nil rates payments before taking action. If a group of ratepayers mounted a ‘rates strike’ then I would would take quick action on several of them and get PR to issue a media release about it.
    Where a property has no mortgage, I would do much sabre rattling before applying to the High Court for a rating sale since these are costly, time consuming and are in aggregate poor PR.
    There is the long standing story about a ratepayer who protested by paying his rates one penny short with the aim of causing bureaucratic mayhem. The rates official went to the Town Clerk (now called CEO) to find a way of sorting it out. The Town Clerk reached into his pocket, pulled out one penny and handed it to the official. Problem solved.
    
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    March 3, 2026 8:57am
    - David Garrett
      
      peter: Oh for those simpler days!
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:11am
      - R
        
        And such a demonstration of commonsense; a very rare commodity in bureaucracy these days: and in a lot of private enterprise businesses
        
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        March 3, 2026 11:08am
    - artemisia
      
      Common for councils to waive penalties in a range of circs, including if a payment plan is agreed and stuck to. Wellington CC can do this. And I am sure does.
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:15am
      - peterwn
        
        Also there is a rates deferral scheme for elderly people and certain other cases. Useful when an elderly person’s house is zoned ‘commercial’ and the rates go through the roof.
        
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        March 3, 2026 10:51am
      - Paulus
        
        Do not Maori Rates Debts get written off each year ?
        
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        March 3, 2026 2:20pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  $1600 of arrears isn’t that bad. That is about 1.5 months.
  
  What really matters is when people start getting 3 or 4 months behind.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:24am
  - artemisia
    
    $1600 is average. Some will be a lot more, including businesses that probably need to close down.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:37am
- Simon
  
  NZ is a giant debt bubble. Interest rates are not going to drop to pre covid levels. Farming is still a key driver of NZ economic success. Time is over for the funny money govt fake economics.
  
  Third world economics. Increasingly weight carried by a shrinking productive class.
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:37am
  - R
    
    226.?.VOTE for far less socialism come NOVEMBER
    
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    March 3, 2026 11:09am
sungsamning

Somaliland has issued a formal diplomatic response to remarks made by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Ethiopia, calling the comments “unacceptable interference” and signaling potential implications for regional partnerships across the Horn of Africa. [Turkey is expanding its footprint in the area. Erdogan is not a fan of Somaliland being independent. He supports Somalia. I won’t quote Boris Johnsons poem.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxbxuIB2apM
Why Somaliland Just Responded to Erdoğan After Ethiopia Visit.
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March 3, 2026 8:08am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Half the problem is that most of the people in the West don’t even know there’s a difference between Somaliland and Somalia.
  
  Of course the Muslims support Somalia.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:26am
  - sungsamning
    
    That’s true. Somaliland has powerful friends though. One of which may soon include the USA.
    
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    March 3, 2026 1:40pm
sungsamning

On March 5, 2026, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi addresses the UK Parliament — a moment with implications that extend far beyond symbolism. [They already have diplomatic recognition from Israel, and are cultivating relations with Norway. Their government has been stable and democratic for years. They should aim at America next.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkb3jlDRcTQ
Will Somaliland’s UK Parliament Speech Unlock Recognition & Red Sea Power?”
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March 3, 2026 8:09am
- mike
  
  They should aim at America to become stable and democratic?
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:35am
  - Simon
    
    NZ as well as National have abolished the rule of law.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:38am
Nikola Donatello

Helen Clark is wound up about the attack on Iran, and the refusal of the New Zealand Government to condemn it. She says that the attack breaches “International law.”

So what is “international law”?

The main legal basis is the UN Charter.

Yes it does allow “self defence”.

“There must be an “armed attack” of sufficient gravity, not just minor incidents or political disputes.”

“Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.

Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.”

https://legal.un.org/repertory/art51.shtml?utm_source=perplexity

The Charter requires member states to be attacked, and for the self defence to be ‘proportionate’. The matter is then reported to the Security Council. Which will issue long resolutions urging everyone to get along.

So we have a nation attempting to build a nuclear weapon. Run by a theocracy. Vowing to destroy Israel. The UN prohibits any action by Israel unless it is attacked, perhaps using nuclear weapons.

This international law is based on two assumptions.

Firstly, that the UN can prevent armed aggression through sponsored negotiations.

Secondly, if there is an armed attack, the UN will step in to stop it.

In the case of Iran, the first has failed. The second is laughable.
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March 3, 2026 8:12am
- kowtow
  
  Where were these people and the so called international rules based order when Iran armed , financed and encouraged proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria , shite proxies in Iraq and Yemen and Hamas in Gaza ( with all their cruelty on sovereign Israel on Oct 7)
  Not to mention their involvement in international terrorism in at a minimum Australia and the UK.
  
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  March 3, 2026 8:24am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    They were sitting round talking about how naughty some people are and giving “thoughts and prayers” to the victims. And then they got back to normal transmission. Going nuts at Israel.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:53am
    - nathie
      
      Not only that, the UN were promoting Iran into group leadership positions (despite the regime funding terrorism proxyies that killed and maimed thousands and destabalised the Middle East over the last 40 odd years).
      
      Seems like the UN (and Helen) is very ~~hypocritical~~ selective when it comes to supporting international law and the consequences when it is broken.
      
      Key leadership and representative positions held by Iran at the UN include:
      Vice President of the UN General Assembly: As of June 2023, Iran was appointed as one of the Vice Presidents for the 78th session, representing the Asia-Pacific group.
      Chair of the UNHRC Asia-Pacific Group: Iran is slated to chair this regional group within the UN Human Rights Council until the end of 2025.
      https://www.threads.com/@charismacarpenter/post/DUdhVwVgCOc/key-leadership-and-representative-positions-held-by-iran-at-the-un-include-vice
      
      Like I said yesterday why isn’t Helen Clark using her position to “fix” the UN, instead of parroting her selective (anti-Western) moral outrage?
      
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      March 3, 2026 1:48pm
- Yabster
  
  yep UN -Useless Numbskulls. Helen of course is/was part of the machine.
  
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  March 3, 2026 8:32am
- Gravelroad
  
  It is hard to understand why so many left wing women (who live in countries where they have easy access to everything they could ever desire) are so dismissive of the rights of oppressed women elsewhere.
  Ms Clark and her followers always seem to be on the side of the military men in countries ruled by the edicts of male dominated religions. (The USA excluded, of course.)
  Don’t go there, done wear this, don’t play sport, do as you are told, leave school at 13 and start having kids etc.
  Strangely, socialists like Ms Clark seem to pay lip service to the rights of other less advantaged women because of the need to be politically correct at all times.
  
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  March 3, 2026 8:43am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    She does not seem to be concerned about the treatment of homosexuals in Iran.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:32am
    - mike
      
      It’s unlikely that Israel and the US have attacked Iran to help homosexuals there.
      
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      March 3, 2026 9:48am
      - emmess
        
        So what?
        I wouldn’t either for that reason alone.
        But if it is a byproduct of the removal of the regime, and you are in favour of helping homosexuals then you have no right to complain.
        
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        March 3, 2026 2:03pm
    - Wairoa Native
      
      In Iran, homosexuality is criminalised and can carry severe penalties, including imprisonment, flogging, and in some cases execution, while gender-affirming surgery has been legally permitted since a 1987 religious ruling by Ruhollah Khomeini. This has created a stark contrast: same-sex relationships are illegal, but medically supervised gender transition is recognised by the state and can even be subsidised. As a result, human-rights groups report that some gay and lesbian individuals face intense social, familial, or official pressure to pursue a transgender diagnosis and transition as a way to avoid prosecution or social persecution. While there is no openly stated policy requiring homosexuals to transition, the legal and social environment means some feel compelled toward surgery as a means of survival rather than genuine gender identity — a situation widely criticised by some international rights organisations.
      
      Who knows know what Clark thinks about this. Interestingly, Clark officiated at the opening of a gallery wing named after John Money in Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore, New Zealand because of his donation and contribution to the arts — not because she publicly endorsed his controversial scientific work. John Money was a New Zealand-born psychologist and sexologist who worked at Johns Hopkins University and became known for his early theories on gender identity; he remains a controversial figure, particularly because of his involvement in the case of David Reimer.
      
      You can draw your own conclusions I guess.
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:40am
      - mike
        
        Perhaps the US should also bomb Brunei, Mauritania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and Yemen until the abolish the death penalty for sodomy. The rest of the 60-odd countries which criminalize homosexuality could just be threatened with bombing.
        
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        March 3, 2026 11:01am
    - Taieri
      
      She does not seem to be concerned about the treatment of homosexuals in Iran
      —————
      
      Or in Saudi Arabia…
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:57am
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Why would leftie women care about women’s interests in foreign lands?
    
    Generally speaking, all women compete for attention and ugly women in particular don’t want that pool increased.
    
    Of course going on about feminist rights etc in the West is different because that is just an artificial stick used to beat the West. Drawing attention to the real plight of women (and the alphabet squad and minorities) in shithole countries is counter to that because it tells a different story – that the West is actually a very benign place for women, minorities and alphabets.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:32am
  - Im Right
    
    Helen needs to realise that her opinion is just like everyone elses, she believes unfortunately it carries much more weight than it does.
    Her beloved UN is almost bankrupt after USA (quite rightly IMHO) withdrew it’s 2billion a year in fees, and other countries will not make up the shortfall, basically pay what they should be paying!
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:07am
    - Graeme Hall
      
      The selfish woman crippled Eden Park financially for years so she does carry quite a bit of weight in some quarters particularly with those of the Leftist persuasion.
      
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      March 3, 2026 3:44pm
- burt
  
  I wonder what has upset her so much about this;
  
  Is it the possibility that the subjugation of so many woman might stop?
  
  Is it that Trump might do something helpful for woman that she has been unable to achieve in her long political career?
  
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  March 3, 2026 8:56am
  - kowtow
    
    From an Israeli point of view it is vital that the Mad Mullahs ( who are literally a theocratic apocalyptic death cult) don’t get nukes .
    
    Now these internationalist socialist feminists , who’ve used up so much of what amounts to their credility on anti US nukes , seem comfortable with cruel misogynist dictators having them.
    
    Almost schizophrenic.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:14am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Identity politics presents a dilemma for the Left.
    
    Culture so often trumps basic human rights in their eyes.
    
    Remember when Helen Clark was forbidden to speak on the paepae at Waitangi?
    
    During the 1998 Waitangi Day celebrations, Clark was prevented from speaking on the marae by activist Titewhai Harawira in protest over Clark’s being allowed to speak in direct contradiction of traditional Māori protocol. The ensuing argument saw Clark being reduced to tears on national television
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark
    
    That should have been the end of any Government involvement with national day celebrations at Te Tii Marae, Waitangi.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:20am
    - mike
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      This would be a good opportunity for Maggy Wassilief to address the engrained misogyny of many Kiwiblog comments. For example, cmm’s gem of:
      
      Generally speaking, all women compete for attention and ugly women in particular don’t want that pool increased
      
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      March 3, 2026 9:53am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Yeah, thanks…..You think I’m an authority on ugly women?
        
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        March 3, 2026 10:22am
      - mike
        
        You probably know more about refuting cmm’s usual bullshit than most Kiwibloggers. Don’t worry, no one will suspect you of admiring Helen Clark.
        
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        March 3, 2026 11:04am
    - David Garrett
      
      Maggy: Yes indeed; one of the very few things Clark did – another was banning smoking in pubs – that I wholeheartedly agreed with.
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:16am
      - kowtow
        
        If she thought she could have got away with it she’d have banned drinking in pubs too.
        
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        March 3, 2026 11:05am
      - Wairoa Native
        
        Quite right, the banning of smoking in pubs ‘goes without saying’!
        
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        March 3, 2026 11:35am
    - Wairoa Native
      
      If you are female and attending any pōwhiri held in any government organisation (and possibly private as well these days) in Wellington you’ll be sitting at the back as well. That should be the end of any Government involvement with the local Tikanga Māori. Saying that as a Māori, married to a Māori who can’t stand that blatant sexism that persists in New Zealand in 2026.
      
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      March 3, 2026 11:42am
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    What upset her?
    
    The answer is easy; it was the USA and Trump.
    
    She has always hated the US and like all other [Mod – deleted] she hates Trump with an irrationality that is unexplainable.
    
    Add Israel to the mix and she is apoplectic.
    
    If Trump had killed Hitler she would be eulogising the nazi architect of the holocaust.
    
    Thank the deity of your choice that the likes of her weren’t around in 1939.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:04am
    - RoboRob
      
      Came to post the same. On the left, in particular but not exclusively, once you have decided that one party is bad, It doesn’t matter what the issue is you must always side with the other side. Clark has always disliked the US, well before Trump, she worked hard to break NZs good relationship with the US. She worked hard to befriend the enemies of the US. Particularly Russia and China.
      
      This simple mindset often leaves the left in strange positions. Such as queers for Palestine. Isreal is also a great example of this. There are many people that have decided Isreal is bad. So in all cases they side against them.
      
      People like Clark might be smart and have interesting opinions but on certain areas, such as anything involving the US, you know where they will stand before the speak and it’s just not worth listening to them.
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:28am
    - nathie
      
      “Thank the deity of your choice that the likes of her weren’t around in 1939.”.
      
      Yep was thinking that yesterday whilst reading KB. Good thing the likes of Clark and the Greens weren’t around in the 1940’s as wouldn’t be surprised if they were against the US fighting Japan in the Pacific (and Germany in Europe) in WW2!
      
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      March 3, 2026 1:58pm
- peterwn
  
  Who cares what Helen Clark thinks. Chris Luxon will not comment on legalities which is fair enough as he is not a lawyer. If he were to comment he would need to seek a legal opinion from Crown Law first, and they would need to ask Foreign Affairs, Defence etc for background information first.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:00am
  - Paulus
    
    Whatever Luxon would officially comment despite what he said would be totally condemned by the media and little chippy.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:25am
    - peterwn
      
      Which is wisely he kept his trap shut. His political opponents and the media wants to set him up as a fall-guy but he refuses to take the bait.
      
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      March 3, 2026 9:51am
      - mike
        
        He didn’t keep his trap shut though. He opened it to emit meaningless waffle.
        
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        March 3, 2026 9:55am
      - R
        
        Which indicates that he is a much more astute person and a smarter thinker and operator than the opposition, H Cark and the MSM together
        
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        March 3, 2026 10:02am
      - RoboRob
        
        It would be nice to have a leader that has a position on something, anything. Based on the comments here Luxon must be the smartest leader in the world becuase all the other world leaders have taken actual positions.
        
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        March 3, 2026 10:31am
      - peterwn
        
        Mike – no significant difference. Shows he has successfully transitioned from being a high power businessman to a politician.
        
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        March 3, 2026 10:53am
  - mike
    
    Good grief. “I’ll have to ask the lawyers before I can do better that hemming and hawing”. Really?
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:50am
    - RoboRob
      
      https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/03/03/luxon-says-he-misspoke-on-any-actions-in-iran/
      
      Luxon told media today he had meant to say New Zealand had long supported “action” – not “any actions” – to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, sponsoring terrorism and repressing its people. “I think I misspoke on that,” the PM said.
      
      “We’ve long supported action to make sure that Iran doesn’t get its hands on nuclear weapons … but obviously not any actions.”
      
      Does that clear it up 🙂
      
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      March 3, 2026 12:53pm
      - mike
        
        Obviously not.
        
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        March 3, 2026 12:57pm
      - RoboRob
        
        @mike
        
        That was my point.
        
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        March 3, 2026 3:35pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Why should he? He stated they were not briefed, if they have intercepted information that says they will use nukes against anyone then they have the right to do what they did, by pointing out how Iran are scum has pushed Hipkins once again to fall into the trap, now Hipkins is supporting terrorists Hamas and Iranian murderous regimes
    
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    March 3, 2026 1:35pm
- Libertarians are right
  
  The thing that activists like Clark fail to understand (or more likely do understand but pretend don’t exist because they are ideologically against the West) is that at any given time Iran is in the process of attacking the West and Israel. They have always been open about this (they are very one sided when it comes to the Maya Angelou quote aren’t they?).
  
  Iran have declared themselves an active threat and therefore any proportionate defense is reasonable. Considering Iran are trying to build nukes for use there is very little that wouldn’t be proportionate.
  
  Israel and the West have limited their response before now due to lack of opportunity but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to attack when they finally have the chance.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:06am
- lastmanstanding
  
  Helen Clarks old age is showing. She forgets Iran has attacked the US since 1983 bombing Embassies and military facilities killing hundred of US citizens. In addition as a so called feminist she shows no concern for the women and children living under that oppressive regime.
  On the matter of the conflict it seems to me Israel and US objective is to destory Irans military capability and its leadership. Regime change will be left to the Iranian people. However a new regime will know that if they continue to supply oil to China and drones and other equipment to Russia they will be taken out and any military infrastructure destroyed. Israel and the US will be looking for the new regime to be willing to engage on the basis of support to rebuilt their civilian infrastructure and for Israel and US companies to operate with the oil flowing to China now flowing to Israel and elsewhere.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:13am
  - R
    
    I wonder how much longer the Iranian military weapons industry will survive; before being obliterated by US/israeli and fire power.
    Also a recent media photograph of dozens of Iranian built drones in a tunnel storage looked a bit like mockups.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:24am
    - RoboRob
      
      Not long I ssupect. Its a two birds with one sone scenario. If the US takes out Irans drone manufacturing then it hurts Iran AND Russia.
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:33am
    - Paulus
      
      Putin must be worried too as no morevArms made by Iran.
      
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      March 3, 2026 2:27pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Lastman. More historical research needed. Neither US or Iran are blamless in the conflicts.
    
    Remember it was the US that
    . provided Iran with military and nuclear technology, including its first nuclear reactor
    
    Then US got bent out of shape when the Shah(US Puppet) was overthrown. Remember Ms Allbright not worrying that 500,000 kids might die because of US sanctions.
    
    She stated, “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it.”
    
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    March 3, 2026 4:03pm
- Burtland
  
  Golriz Ghahraman -Iranian, ex UN lawyer- was interviewed on RNZ last night
  
  desperately wants a change in regime …
  
  loathed khamenei, angry with the west for not supporting the recent freedom movements, equally loathes trump, israel and USA – suffering cognitive disonance
  
  sees the current conflict as imperial lawless that just adds to the violence
  
  says Iran should be given the same treatment as russia – which is at odds with it already being under strict international sanctions
  
  surprisingly little insight
  
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2019025206/iranian-new-zealanders-react-to-conflict-in-iran
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:51am
  - emmess
    
    She sounds extremely dazed and confused
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:15pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    So little gratitude
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:39pm
- rouppe
  
  Is this the Helen Clark that retrospectively changed the law when it was revealed that one of her MP’s, Harry Duynhoven, wasn’t a NZ citizen, as required by law at the time?
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:05am
  - RoboRob
    
    I think its the one that ordered her driver to speed to a Rugby game and then threw them under the bus when the Police came knocking. Apparently she couldn’t tell that the car was travelling 120+kph
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:36am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    She also deliberately cheated in an election and changed the law after so that her crime was retroactively no longer a crime.
    
    She also committed fraud, signing artwork that wasn’t hers only for the owner to destroy it so she couldn’t be held accountable.
    
    It would be nice to have that level of privilege aye?
    
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    March 3, 2026 11:03am
    - R
      
      She is a Marxist Socialist, what would you expect from her different
      
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      March 3, 2026 11:18am
  - Taieri
    
    Harry Duynhoven, wasn’t a NZ citizen
    ————
    
    He was. Born in New Plymouth in 1955.
    What’s happened there, was Duynhoven applying for the resumption of his Dutch citizenship, which he was entitled to by the virtue of being descended from the citizen of the Netherlands – his father.
    
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    March 3, 2026 11:03am
    - rouppe
      
      Fair enough.
      
      The point being Helen Clark retrospectively changed the law to make what he did permissable, when at the time it wasn’t.
      
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      March 3, 2026 11:37am
      - mike
        
        I doubt that is the worst thing that Helen Clark can be accused of – clever parliamentary maneuvering.
        
        3 2
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        March 3, 2026 1:00pm
  - Paulus
    
    Relevance ?
    Nice guy too.
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:27pm
- mogg
  
  Iran was also behind the bombing of Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, 242 injured 28 killed.
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:23am
- sungsamning
  
  The UN is well past its use by date. I wonder if the Board of Peace isn’t in the process of replacing it?
  
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  March 3, 2026 1:41pm
- grumpy
  
  One for Helen, I’ll just leave it here.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atefeh_Sahaaleh
  
  How can these feminists live with themselves – heartbreaking
  
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  March 3, 2026 3:36pm
imalwaysright

Thought I was hearing things when Sean Plunket asked Chris Bishop why is it now possible to take the NZ Driving Licence theory test in the Thai language.

https://search.brave.com/ask?q=nz+driving+theory+test+thai&source=web&conversation=08cce9e2d806d0e6299a89bae7416a4c7a58

Bishop knew nothing about it, but it appears to be real.
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March 3, 2026 8:13am
- peterwn
  
  Perhaps the law allows the top official involved to approve driving tests being taken in foreign languages and hence there would be no need to involve the Minister with each decision. Ministers have enough paperwork crossing their desks without having to be bogged down with trivial matters.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:34am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Taking tests with interpreters is as old as the hills.
  
  In 1992 when I came to NZ I went to upgrade my South African driver’s license to NZ. As I already had held a driver’s license for 12 years I only had to do the learner’s test and not a practical test.
  
  Most of the people in the place were Chinese with interpreters. From the conversations that were going on, it is clear that the “interpreters” were going way past interpreting and were advising their charges which boxes to tick.
  
  Being able to take a test in an actual language without the help of an interpreter has to be a huge step up from that.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:37am
  - imalwaysright
    
    I was under the impression that prospective immigrants had to pass an English language test, hence my clutching of pearls.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:58am
    - Paulus
      
      I assume the Driving Test can be done in Te Reo and Tikanga as the Language of Aotearoa.
      
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      March 3, 2026 2:30pm
  - sirknz
    
    It should be in the common use language. If they can’t read or write English, in an English speaking country, they should not be allowed to get a NZ drivers licence.
    
    13 2
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    March 3, 2026 9:59am
    - OlderChas
      
      Way back in the early 1990s I had to do an oral and written test to gain my Licensed Premises Manager’s Certificate. There were two Chinese guys there, each with their own interpreter, translating the oral questions to them and reporting their replies to the examiner, then sat with them to translate the written exam questions and write down their answers in English (or tick the right box in the multiple options questions.) No one except the interpreters and Chinese applicants had any idea what was being said, and I noticed the interpreters colluding with each other before speaking the written questions to the examinees a few times.
      
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      March 3, 2026 12:09pm
    - MCōs
      
      I think you’ll find it’s not necessary to understand much English to drive on our roads. Unlike the old days nearly all signs are graphic.
      The stop and give way signs are a universal shape for example. I was down south a couple of weeks ago and there were a lot of Asian tourists in camper vans driving round. I’m sure a certain proportion had limited English. The same as when I’ve driven round Europe or Asia and not know the local language.
      
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      March 3, 2026 5:04pm
    - david
      
      Can’t agree sirk.
      In the 1990s I took a posting to STH Korea for 5 years and was able to obtain a drivers licence – otherwise it would have been a nightmare. Wife also drove to work. Without it we would have been stranded – no cricket on Sundays, no skiing in winter, supermarket and other shopping would have been v difficult.
      Neither of us could read or speak the language but we were fortunate they major road signs had English subtitles possibly because of the continuously rotating 50,000 US troops on station.
      We had no problems possibly because we were both middle aged (late 40’s) and did not have a death wish so took extreme care.
      
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      March 3, 2026 5:06pm
- MCōs
  
  I can tell you why it’s possible
  Previously a Thai person whose English skills were not very good could bring along someone to act as translator. The translator effectively took the test, not the applicant.
  When my wife, who is Thai, did that test she prepared by studying the Road Code – in English
  When I went for a driver’s license in Thailand, which likewise included a written test, I was provided with the local Road Code in English to read for a couple of hours. However they had no tests in English so they just gave me a pass.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:59am
Reg Perrin

With the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University moving on, will Chris Hipkins be applying for the vacant post.
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March 3, 2026 8:19am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  That is not possible. To be a Vice Chancellor you need at least a Ph.D., an amazing academic record, management experience and demonstrated financial management skills.
  
  Chris Hipkins has none of the skills or experience.
  
  No New Zealand university would open itself up to international ridicule and reputational damage by such an appointment.
  
  ….. until one did exactly that. Now anything is possible.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:24am
  - Paulus
    
    But what abour Otago Vice Chancellor – he has a super BA (Bugger All) anyway and is still paid some $700,000 odd a year.
    
    23 1
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    March 3, 2026 9:28am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Well, at least Grant had an Honours degree…
      
      https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/esploro/outputs/graduate/A-step-to-the-right/9926480030701891
      
      and now, a book……
      https://images.thenile.io/r500/9781991006875.webp
      
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      March 3, 2026 9:42am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        A book of fiction
        
        2 0
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        March 3, 2026 1:46pm
      - Jack5
        
        “Anything Could Happen” as the title of his book.
        
        Has he taken that from a conversation with the then Reserve Bank governor, Adrian Orr, as they cooked up their bonds play worth tens of billions of dollars?
        
        2 1
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        March 3, 2026 2:29pm
  - Reg Perrin
    
    But, he was Minister of Education, so will be able to list all of his successes in the education sector.
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:48am
    - Charlotte Wells
      
      LOL, good one.
      
      11 3
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      March 3, 2026 10:07am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Like merging Te Pukenga
      
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      March 3, 2026 1:47pm
  - Burtland
    
    “a fish rots from the head”
    
    the University Councils are stacked with ex MPs – Poto Williams and Amy Adams are on UofCanterbury Council – its where woke ex MPs go to die
    
    https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/our-structure/leadership-and-governance/university-council/council-members
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:03am
Dougal10

Helen Clark thinks there are global rules because she had a job at some outfit called the UN , the UN is a feel good project delivered by politicians for politicians most of us normal people couldn’t care less if it exists or not as it just seems to be a money pit run by dictators.
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March 3, 2026 8:24am
- peterwn
  
  The UN is like a referee with no real authority and handing out red cards is a meaningless gesture.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:37am
- Burtland
  
  Helen is still playing Tiddlywinks …
  
  Hegseth on working with Israel …other allies would “wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force”.
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:12am
- Observant Octagenarian
  
  The UN is a repository for failed left-wing politicians.
  Look at the current leader – Portuguese x leader who resigned when he knew he was going to be obliterated at the polls.
  And Clark herself – resigned on election night because she couldn’t handle being rejected by NZ voters.
  I could go on.
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:41am
  - Ghost
    
    Not exactly. She stood down as leader on the night. It wasn’t until march she announced her retirement when she was confirmed for UNDP job
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:49am
  - Paulus
    
    New Head of the UN is a Lady ex Politician from somewhere in South America.
    Sorry J, so go to Aussie where they will love even you.
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:34pm
  - AitchW
    
    I remember that resignation. She was surrounded by weeping young women….
    
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    March 3, 2026 3:55pm
kowtow

All the attention is on the Gulf and oil and gas prices but we mustn’t neglect the Afghan Pakistan war and the really important international impact ……on the price of goat meat.
23 2
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March 3, 2026 8:31am
- sirknz
  
  Goats are likely bleating a baa of relief.
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:02am
- Master Mariner
  
  Or tenderised Camel Rump Steak
  
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  March 3, 2026 2:18pm
Tom Barker

As they are regularly wont to say in the Mar-a-Lago situation room, no price is too high if it keeps the public distracted from the Epstein papers.
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March 3, 2026 8:36am
- amospicton
  
  Is it really likely, indeed even possible, that there’s something lurking in the depths of the Epstein files that would bring Trump down and that the political class in the US haven’t already released it? Prior to the election when they were desperate for anything and in control? No, they didn’t and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that there’s nothing there.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:23am
  - RoboRob
    
    Oh and it was Trumps DOJ the prosecuted Epstein, not Bidens. Trump is in the files contacting the FBI in 2012(?) and raising potential issues with Epstein.
    
    There is nothing chargable in the docs. There might be dirt but insufficient dirt for a court case. We know this becuase the FBI hasn’t charged anybody. If it was people on the right (and Trump) they would have under Biden. If it was people on the left they would have under Trump.
    
    The whole Epstein case has turned into a Dem effort to insinuate Trump despite there being more links to many others.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:43am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Its possible that the people linked to each other in the files are from, not just the Dems and Reps, but from Hollywood, business, military, etc and are so intertwined that to pull the pin on this particular grenade would bring down an overwhelming number of the innocent as well as the guilty.
      
      Its also possible that the people exposed thus far are just a few sacrificial scraps to appease the public.
      
      A washed up prince, a British parliamentarian, an ex president who declined to defend himself against rape accusations are hardly going to bring down the establishment.
      
      But it makes you wonder, if they can throw these three under the bus then who are the others being protected and what did they do?
      
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      March 3, 2026 11:35am
    - All_on_Red
      
      ‘contacting the FBI in 2012’
      2006
      Trump acted as an informant to the FBI and also to a Florida Police chief called Reiter.
      This link shows the testimony of Chief Reiter in 2019 confirming it.
      https://tierneyrealnewsnetwork.substack.com/p/trump-exonerated-on-epstein
      
      We also know the lawyer for the victims in Epsteins first pedo trial specifically thanked Trump for his help.
      
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      March 3, 2026 4:24pm
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    If anything in the Epstein files would have brought trump down then the commander in chief of bad memories would have used it
    
    3 3
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    March 3, 2026 1:50pm
  - Paulus
    
    But the Dems and the media say there must be something there !
    Expect they working hard to use AI to create it soon.
    
    1 3
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    March 3, 2026 2:35pm
- Jigsaw
  
  Can you suggest a reason for the four year pause in action on the Epstein papers during the Biden administration? Just a coincidence then?
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:25am
  - RoboRob
    
    I used to think Biden was protecting Dems, in particular Clinton. Now I believe there was nothing chargable in the docs so they did nothing. The Reps beat up on Biden for this and are now in the position of having to prove there is nothing in the files. The irony.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:44am
    - Ghost
      
      I don’t think Biden was doing anything, don’t think he actually knew where he was and what he was doing.
      
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      March 3, 2026 10:50am
      - Charlotte Wells
        
        Aint that the truth.
        
        8 0
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        March 3, 2026 11:41am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      You think it is appropriate for the Clintons to lie about Epstein? Hillary said she never met him yet photos of the three of them smiling at the camera says all we need to know, if proved she purged herself then she should be locked in jail.
      
      And pics of Clinton swimming with young girls and naxwell are worse than Andrew inee we oils havevthought
      
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      March 3, 2026 1:53pm
      - Ghost
        
        I think people have mistaken a photo of a blond as being Hillary.
        
        1 1
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        March 3, 2026 3:30pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Ghislaine Maxwell was at Chelsea Clintons wedding and was photographed quite prominently.
        It wasnt that big a wedding either
        Epstein and Maxwell also visiting the Clintons in the White House 17 times during 93-95
        
        2 3
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        March 3, 2026 4:17pm
      - RoboRob
        
        I never said anything about the Clintons testimony. Interviewing lawyers was never going to get them far. The Clinton deposition was a mistake, in my opinion, as it now enhances to the calls the get Trump on the stand.
        
        I said, I didn’t think there was enough evidence in the files for charges to be successfully laid. A photo of someone swimming with young girls doesn’t count as proof of a crime.
        
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        March 3, 2026 4:18pm
      - Ghost
        
        and what do we actually know of those visits to the white house, they were mostly to meet with Mark Middleton. Also Maxwell was at the wedding as the date of an invited guest.
        
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        March 3, 2026 4:58pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      This is likely correct – icky but not illegal. Though with Millions of documents it is possible that AI will be able to put together fragments of information into something more damning.
      
      But also likely there was illegality for which the evidence has gone missing. Either deleted/hidden by Epstein and associates or through intercession by intelligence agencies, or by politicians who’ve had control over trove at different times.
      
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      March 4, 2026 12:38pm
  - Dudley Quaffquaff
    
    When the files were sealed by court order?
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:02pm
  - Hard Cheese
    
    They were all legally sealed during the Biden administration. But you already knew that.
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:20pm
    - marcw
      
      True, but how did they become “unsealed” then? Could it possibly be because the Trump DOJ worked to make them publicly available, and if so, why didn’t the Biden DOJ do this? You seem to be making excuses simply to smear Trump.
      
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      March 3, 2026 3:14pm
      - Ghost
        
        They were still open cases under Biden. The DOJ closed the case last July.
        
        https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/why-were-epstein-files-not-released-biden/
        
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        March 3, 2026 3:26pm
      - marcw
        
        Sorry Ghost, that link is “denied access”. Following the logic, then why didn’t the Biden DOJ close the cases?
        
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        March 3, 2026 3:46pm
      - Ghost
        
        Hopefully the mods won’t mind be pasting the relevant bit for you
        
        The Epstein case was an open criminal investigation during the Biden administration, Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown explained on social media. Brown’s extensive reporting since 2017 has shone a light on the crimes of Epstein and his longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Her book about Epstein, titled “Perversions of Justice,” is a New York Times bestseller.
        
        “They had an open grand jury. … And even after Maxwell’s conviction, the case was on appeal — anyone in law enforcement knows you don’t open your case file when it’s still under appeal,” Brown added.
        
        Victims were still going to the FBI with information during Biden’s term, but that changed when President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice reviewed the files and closed the case in July, Brown said.
        
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        March 3, 2026 3:50pm
      - marcw
        
        Yes, I found that her last SC appeal was denied in October 2025. So indeed, files would have been inaccessable until then.
        
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        March 3, 2026 5:07pm
  - Paulus
    
    Easy – the Clintons made sure nothing was done until Hillary became Madame President then she would sort it all ot.
    
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    March 3, 2026 2:36pm
- Philview
  
  Intelligence experts are saying the attack plans on Iran have been developed over considerable time. A rare window opened up to take out the entire Iranian leadership.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:30am
  - Libertarians are right
    
    Which makes sense. The cost of launching a failed attack would have been astronomical, both in terms of deaths and politics.
    
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    March 3, 2026 11:08am
sirknz

Anybody want to guess what the owners of these dogs look like?

Anyone want to take the bet that the out of control dogs are even registered?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northland-age/news/far-north-dog-attack-at-houhora-beach-leaves-family-shaken-pets-hurt/ULADOVRIMFGHRDSRMBOZRH32JQ/
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March 3, 2026 8:57am
- kowtow
  
  To be fair this has been a widespread and very long standing problem .
  It seems to me that many dog owners think their own animal is perfect , far from it.
  
  ‘The Association of Plastic surgeons looked at ACC claims from 2004 to 2014 and said the number of attacks increased each year.
  
  The study found almost 6000 of those bitten by dogs were admitted to hospital – a rate of almost two a day. More than a third of them are children, with mostly facial injuries’
  
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/280333/dog-attacks-on-the-rise
  
  I reckon a huge part of the problem is council enforcement , which is minimal ……esp when compared to say parking enforcement and bus lane obsession.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:27am
Maggy Wassilieff

I don’t think Jacinda Ardern’s move to Australia represents an example of brain drain….

Jacinda Ardern’s move to Australia renews spotlight on New Zealand’s brain drain problem
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx93597l4o
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March 3, 2026 9:09am
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Just as Ardern herself sullied words like “kindness” and “wellbeing”, this article brings the expression “brain drain” into disrepute. If brilliant scientists, engineers or artists are moving to Australia – that’s a brain drain. But Ardern is an intellectual mediocrity.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:16am
- burt
  
  As Muldoon might have said;
  
  Ardern moving to Australia will increase the average IQ in both countries.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:30am
- imalwaysright
  
  The only good thing she ever did for New Zealand was to leave it.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:33am
- In Vino Veritas
  
  Maggy, the left media (which is a lot of them) in the UK fawn over Ardern (and the BBC is one of the worst). Not one of them reported on the economic basket case she left behind and her failure to actually DO anything. Well, I suppose she should get kudos for her reaction to the Christchurch Mosque shootings. But then, she only had to do what she does best, look miserable and give platitudes, like “thoughts and prayers”.
  
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  March 3, 2026 10:03am
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    The BBC and other left media are all singing the praises of the late Iranian tyrant.
    
    Says everything you need to know about their ideology.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:20am
    - Northshoredoc
      
      Why do you feel it necesary to lie?
      
      The BBC is not and has never sung the praise of the Khamenei.
      
      ‘Ayatollah Khamenei’s iron grip on power in Iran comes to an end.’
      
      https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gdnpjvj4ko
      
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      March 3, 2026 1:45pm
    - MCōs
      
      This BBC bio contradicts your comment
      https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gdnpjvj4ko
      
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      March 3, 2026 1:45pm
- Nobby2
  
  Maggy. If there is no brain there is no drain.
  
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  March 3, 2026 1:50pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Is everyone asleep at IRD?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/two-kiwifruit-labour-companies-run-by-ajaypal-singh-in-liquidation-allegedly-owing-57-million-to-inland-revenue-in-unpaid-tax/premium/4GTWUQVRBZDN3IPPEFVOUWLG2Y/
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March 3, 2026 9:29am
- alex Masterley
  
  Probably at Waiata practice.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:34am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    when they should be at the local Gurudwara
    
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360576922/mbie-swoops-kiwifruit-contractors-12-investigations-exploitation-underway
    
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    March 3, 2026 9:49am
- peterwn
  
  They have been fast asleep with this for years. So much so that some business taxpayers regard paying PAYE and GST as a joke, and indeed have a fresh company registered to take over the business when IRD finally gets round to liquidation.
  If I was Revenue Minister i would be riding shotgun on the Commissioner until they had this sorted.
  
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  March 3, 2026 9:43am
  - RoboRob
    
    I think a lot of this is a hangover from COVID when they were instructed to go lightly. I believe they are now being much more proactive.
    
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    March 3, 2026 10:47am
    - peterwn
      
      IRD was not particularly proactive on this even before Covid.
      
      6 0
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      March 3, 2026 10:55am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Well, yes, IRD does perhaps need a caning but they are perhaps unaware of the business activities of the company.
  
  What is really needed is prosecuting some of these people for criminal fraud.
  
  When you take PAYE out of someone’s pay packet you have gone through the motions on paper to take the money from the employee. If you then do not pay that money to the IRD – immediately – then that was a fraudulent transaction and you are certainly liable for fraud. There is no valid reason to hold on PAYE deductions for more than a couple of days at the most.
  
  GST is a little more complex because you get GST credits for purchases and need to figure things out. Still, there is no valid reason to hold onto GST for more than a month or so past your accounting period (ie. the slack that IRD provides).
  
  Anyone using PAYE or GST as cashflow should be charged with criminal fraud. Immediately.
  
  A few people sitting in prison – rather than just shrugging their shoulders to liquidators – would see a massive reduction in this behaviour.
  
  18 0
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  March 3, 2026 9:47am
  - Razork
    
    100% agree.
    The need to use paye for cashflow pretty quickly shows the business is not profitable.
    So continuing to trade up to $57 debt to ird is nothing other than theft/fraud.
    And the article says he may be banned from being a company director. Wow, what a punishment!
    
    17 0
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    March 3, 2026 10:12am
    - RoboRob
      
      In construction the normal move, after going bankrupt and not being able to be a director, is to have your wife as the director of the next company. A ban of directorship is not even a wet bus ticket.
      
      14 0
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      March 3, 2026 10:49am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Prison, followed by removal of any right of residency, including citizenship, followed by deportation.
    
    You can’t be a citizen if you’re not of good character. QED.
    
    And, all dependents should be booted out too. If the only reason they’re here is that Dad gained a work visa followed by residency etc, then removal of the one should follow removal of the other.
    
    Let’s face, these criminals prey on later immigrants from their same country of origin. I suspect that the measures set out above will be surprisingly popular among immigrants, glad to see the back of bad apples that give them all a bad name.
    
    3 0
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    March 3, 2026 2:51pm
Pope Punctilious II

Roger Partridge urges the government to sell off certain “assets” to fund new infrastructure projects.
https://business.scoop.co.nz/2026/03/02/government-urged-to-recycle-crown-assets-to-fund-infrastructure-without-new-taxes-or-debt/
I’m all in favour of getting rid of TVNZ (and RNZ for that matter) as they’re liabilities, not assets. But is surrendering all public ownership of electricity generation and distribution a good idea? Partridge’s argument is that electricity supply is “under regulatory frameworks that protect consumers regardless of ownership”. But that looks like a crap argument when you consider what’s been happening to power prices lately. I’d rather see electricity renationalized thanks Roger.
10 3
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March 3, 2026 9:42am
- MCōs
  
  I’d have thought the time to sell TVNZ has long passed and there’d be minimal money to be made.
  Attempting to sell off RNZ wouldn’t be worth the blow back.
  
  9 3
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  March 3, 2026 10:11am
  - imalwaysright
    
    The only assets they have are the office coffee machines, at least they produce something palatable.
    Maybe Stuff will buy them for $1….
    
    9 1
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    March 3, 2026 12:04pm
- Burtland
  
  🤡comcom🤡 got involved and put up lines prices so “consumers benefit from appropriate investment in reliability and capacity for growth, and receive value for money” 😵‍💫🤪
  
  the outcome is the consumer is being gouged despite the lakes being full
  
  https://www.comcom.govt.nz/regulated-industries/electricity-lines/understanding-how-changes-to-lines-charges-may-impact-your-electricity-bill/
  
  7 0
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  March 3, 2026 10:27am
  - Dougal10
    
    Lines prices have gone up because of the need to backwards engineer the grids , so all the solar coming on stream can actually be used for something other than heating hot tubs.
    
    5 1
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    March 3, 2026 11:35am
- mandk
  
  ” … when you consider what’s been happening to power prices lately.”
  
  This has happened with the government holding a controlling interest in three out of the four gentailers.
  
  If you mean the government should own 100%, why do you think it would make any difference? The government would still be conflicted – i.e. reluctant to sacrifice dividend payments.
  
  8 0
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  March 3, 2026 10:44am
- peterwn
  
  The bean counters booked PCB filled power transformers awaiting disposal as ‘assets’. I told the bean counters that they were liabilities because we had to pay big money to get rid of them.
  
  6 0
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  March 3, 2026 10:59am
  - grumpy
    
    Was much easier when we had a few cement companies operating with super good furnaces. Last lot I got rid of was through Electricorp Marketing via a ship with a high temperature furnace cruising the world leaving isolated acid rain in International waters.
    
    4 0
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    March 3, 2026 1:20pm
Chuck Bird

[Mod – just debate topics ]
0 2
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March 3, 2026 9:55am
imalwaysright

Why do bike lanes require so much expensive hardware to be bolted to the road surface?

Why don’t they just paint a line with that paint with the grit in it?
11 1
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March 3, 2026 10:18am
- Burtland
  
  they cant even get paint and grit right
  – the expensive green stuff in christchurch is already faded
  
  the idiots havent considered that it will cost a fortune to maintain – one day it will all get scooped up and binned as a cost saving measure
  
  13 1
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  March 3, 2026 10:33am
  - Ghost
    
    We have a white line down the side of the road with a white bike painted in it.
    
    6 0
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    March 3, 2026 10:37am
  - Ian
    
    Same here in Nelson and Richmond…
    
    3 0
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    March 3, 2026 12:16pm
BeaB

I am so tired of all this international law nonsense. Law needs police, judges and punishment, none of which applies to any country unless they choose. Which we do because we are a minnow anyway. Helen Clark and her fans keep telling us how she bravely kept us out of Iraq. They neglect to add that we were there a few months later after she felt the UN had given us permission.
The Left love dressing stuff up in lofty phrases, most of which are meaningless. As Pompey said, “Stop quoting laws at us. We carry swords”.
18 4
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March 3, 2026 10:37am
- MCōs
  
  That’s pretty much how boy racers, ram raiders, burglars, wife bashers, gangs, drug importers try to operate in NZ — with a varying degree of success.
  In the case of the President of the United States; he can’t just do what he likes, of course.
  Their congress has placed limits of what can be done without their authorization, which hasn’t happened in this case.
  
  5 2
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  March 3, 2026 12:24pm
  - rouppe
    
    Obama danced around the legality of his action in the Libya.
    
    Oddly, that never gets mentioned.
    
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-13785073
    
    2 0
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    March 3, 2026 4:44pm
- Philview
  
  I always remember talking to a chap who said his son was in there with the NZ SAS right from the start. I assume Helen Clark would have green lighted that activity but not talked about it for operational reasons. The same in Afganistan, we were there to assist with the “reconstruction” and we later find out the NZ SAS are doing intense fighting behind enemy lines.
  
  10 1
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  March 3, 2026 12:31pm
Ian

Frequently, I pop over to Bomber Bradbury’s site to read the latest far left rantings. I reckon he’s losing his appeal – this morning, four new articles posted before 8.00 and only four comments by nearly 11.00, those to one article alone. Been like this for quiet a few days – yesterday, three articles, three comments. Meanwhile on Kiwiblog as I post this, on General Debate there are at least 90 plus comments…
14 1
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March 3, 2026 10:51am
- Swifty
  
  KB traffic is way down on its golden years.
  
  Days of 400-500 comments on General Debate were routine.
  
  11 0
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  March 3, 2026 11:41am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Sometimes moderation crosses the line into censorship. That puts people off.
    
    16 3
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    March 3, 2026 12:07pm
    - Nikola Donatello
      
      Really? The moderation here is very light handed. If you look at the comments that have been deleted, they clearly cross some obvious lines, e g. personal abuse. I have never seen any censorship.
      
      7 3
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      March 3, 2026 1:07pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        I’ve had posts that express an idea, or my criticism of an idea, deleted. Most moderators are very good, but … .
        
        I can’t look at others’ posts that have been deleted and therefore I can’t comment.
        I’ve also never abused anyone, that would be losing.
        
        6 1
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        March 3, 2026 1:26pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        I have. On a couple of occasions, humorous (in my view) comments have been deleted because someone without a sense of humor may be offended.
        
        8 3
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        March 3, 2026 1:32pm
      - rouppe
        
        I’ve had posts that take four hours to clear moderation.
        
        That gets tedious.
        
        6 3
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        March 3, 2026 4:33pm
      - Pope Punctilious II
        
        Moderator has deleted a few of my comments that contained zero personal abuse.
        
        2 3
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        March 3, 2026 4:56pm
      - Ghost
        
        I’d guess many of us have had a post deleted, and will again, who cares. More than likely if moderators could talk, those claiming to be innocent wouldn’t be as innocent as they pretend.
        
        0 2
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        March 3, 2026 5:54pm
    - MCōs
      
      There used to be some real crazy stuff pre moderation days. Some controversial contributors abruptly disappeared
      
      3 5
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      March 3, 2026 1:11pm
      - Nikola Donatello
        
        Yes and some vile language, doxxing. I think that this blog has crafted the right moderation to stop that stuff. I would argue that the moderation promotes free speech.
        
        5 0
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        March 3, 2026 1:40pm
      - Northshoredoc
        
        Phil Ure, Dadforjustice ……. mad as cut snakes but certinaly not bad people.
        
        1 0
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        March 3, 2026 1:48pm
      - Swifty
        
        Doc, depends on your definition of ‘bad’.
        
        The chemist armed robber reckoned other NZers owed him a living on a benefit, for years and years, all because he had a son living with him and therefore couldn’t work.
        
        I consider that pretty bad.
        
        4 1
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        March 3, 2026 3:42pm
  - Inandout
    
    Swifty, yes but if a person commented 20 times in a day then with others doing so would account for those large numbers.
    
    4 1
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    March 3, 2026 1:07pm
    - Swifty
      
      Nothing stopping people doing that now though.
      
      2 0
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      March 3, 2026 2:36pm
    - Paulus
      
      No, Five Times a day facing Mecca !
      Coming to you soon in Tikanga !
      
      1 4
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      March 3, 2026 2:44pm
Swifty

A little carnyx to take you back a couple of thousand years.

https://x.com/historyinmemes/status/2028561731484864888?s=46
4 1
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March 3, 2026 11:38am
- sungsamning
  
  That was interesting. I wonder if some of my Saxon ancestors who may have been Roman auxilaries heard it?
  
  2 2
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  March 3, 2026 1:58pm
Charlotte Wells

The Yanks are taking a few hits.

Apparently they have had 3 F-15 jets shot down.

On the plus side their air defense works. They have shot down 3 F-15 jets.

Affirms Murphy’s Law of Combat Operations; friendly fire – isn’t.
9 2
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March 3, 2026 12:08pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Strip out the unnecessary adjective.
  
  Same as “positive discrimination “
  
  0 1
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  March 3, 2026 2:55pm
Charlotte Wells

Murphy’s Law of Combat Operations.

Air defense motto: shoot ’em down; sort ’em out on the ground.
3 3
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March 3, 2026 12:31pm
Jethrod

I originally put this up on Sunday on a post about “The amazing NZ Aerospace industry” but posted it too late. I thought a few things may be interesting to some. So here it is again:-

I am totally for the aerospace industry and the advances in technology that it is producing. However there was a Dr Samantha Lawler, a Professor of Astronomy interviewed by RNZ , talking about the large amounts of space junk. From items the size of a small bolt, to obsolete satellites. The link below for the interview

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019023236/expert-feature-what-happens-to-all-that-space-junk

There is a movement started in NZ to advise the Government, through your local MP about the situation. More on that another time.

Another development for space is the proposed positioning of large mirrors which will reflect the sun onto earth. There is a real concern that this will threaten the dark sky areas, one being in the Wairarapa and another at Mt John near Tekapo. These mirrors would reflect a 5 km diameter sunlight glow on Earth. Read more at
https://darksky.org/news/two-satellite-proposals-threaten-the-night-sky-the-window-to-act-is-now/
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March 3, 2026 12:43pm
Charlotte Wells

Good to see that all the pilots survived OK.

Interesting to note that one was female.

Apparently they were shot down by patriot missiles. The missile is so accurate and manouverable there is no escape. To save time the pilot ejects as soon as it has locked on.
10 1
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March 3, 2026 12:46pm
- Don Beckett
  
  There are a number of female combat pilots in the USAF, including Gabbie Tulsard – politician – who apparently is still available for active service.
  
  2 4
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  March 3, 2026 1:38pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Tulsi Gabbard was never in the air force. She was in the Hawaiian National Guard and is now an Army Reservist.
    
    She was never a pilot. She was a low ranking medic (“specialist” – equivalent to Lance Corporal), then later became a Military Policeman and got officer rank.
    
    4 0
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    March 3, 2026 3:26pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Patriot missiles are USA missiles and are not operated by Iran, so no they are not shooting down USA planes.
  
  Patriots are actually pretty crap as missiles go. WHile they can be deployed against planes they are mainly deployed against incoming missile threats (which are far easier to track and hit).
  
  0 3
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  March 3, 2026 3:20pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    The Patriot was based in Kuwait and they shot the F15s down
    
    4 0
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    March 3, 2026 4:04pm
Gravelroad

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360946020/crusaders-prop-tamaiti-williams-banned-three-weeks-dangerous-play
No more rugby for Williams for three weeks.
Gotta stick it to those Crusaders somehow.
Will wait to see what happens to the Chiefs prop in the same game who intentionally tipped over Crusaders captain Havili, well off the ball, while he was standing in the back line.
6 3
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March 3, 2026 1:11pm
- grumpy
  
  That will never happen. Crusaders are fair game. (As are their coaches)
  
  5 2
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  March 3, 2026 1:24pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Was the Chiefs player even cited?
  
  The ref did nothing about it during the match.
  
  I did note that the Chiefs/Waikato were doing their usual grub gamesmanship.
  
  4 1
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  March 3, 2026 1:44pm
- hookerphil
  
  Nothing happened……..and nothing will.
  
  2 1
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  March 3, 2026 2:35pm
Nikola Donatello

It is bizarre that while the world is burning, the New Zealand media is obsessive about whether the military action is “legal” and what Chris Luxon said and what Hipkins said about being shocked.

As if anyone in the world cares.
23 2
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March 3, 2026 1:32pm
- Northshoredoc
  
  Agree that the NZ media is woeful.
  
  However, Luxon handled what was a rather simple question with all the skill of a tongue tied simpleton.
  
  6 4
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  March 3, 2026 1:51pm
  - AitchW
    
    And which bit do the media replay over and over?
    Sad “gotcha” reporting.
    
    5 2
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    March 3, 2026 3:44pm
    - Northshoredoc
      
      Luxon has no one to blame apart from himself.
      
      2 2
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      March 3, 2026 6:20pm
- Philview
  
  The media will take any opportunity to have a dig at Chris Luxon. It sounds like they expect Chris to phone Donald Trump and give him a good telling off.
  I saw an RNZ interview with Winston Peters on Youtube yesterday and some of the abuse directed at Peters in the comments was interesting. Insults like Peters is a “Petro-Zionist”.
  
  4 2
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  March 3, 2026 1:52pm
  - Gravelroad
    
    What’s a “Petro-Zionist”?
    Someone from Israel who likes petrol?
    
    2 0
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    March 3, 2026 5:28pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Their default is to use anything to nail a National government while at the same time making Labour look like a competent government-in- waiting
  
  5 1
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  March 3, 2026 1:57pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  So what if it is legal or not?
  
  What the hell is NZ going to do either way?
  
  Parliament is a pathetic, self-absorbed joke.
  
  5 2
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  March 3, 2026 3:28pm
- MCōs
  
  Nobody else may care what NZ thinks on the matter, but Kiwis should take an interest in what is being said in their name.
  
  2 0
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  March 3, 2026 4:13pm
MCōs

Each day there seems to be a different justification for the American/Israeli attack on Iran.
Initially it was regime change. Yesterday that was contradicting by the Secretary for War.
Then it was to halt Iran’s nuclear bomb making facilities
Now it’s WMD, from what I understand
Additionally there’s now talk of boots on the ground
We’ve been subjected to all this sort of rationalization before with the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. . . . . .
5 7
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March 3, 2026 2:06pm
- kowtow
  
  Yeah and WWI was about the rights of small nations , which the western allies had plenty of under subjugation and WWII was about Czechoslovakia and Poland which again the west left under a very cruel Soviet occupation , till they managed to free themselves.
  
  3 3
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  March 3, 2026 2:21pm
  - MCōs
    
    The UK plus us and others declared war on Germany because they invaded Poland (of all places) and Poland had a treaty with the UK.
    Chamberlain had already caved on Czechoslovakia.
    By the end of the war the Allies might have won, but they were beaten to a pulp except America who had no inclination to take on the Soviets. They’d been reluctant to get involved in another European war in the first place, but they did otherwise a lot more countries might’ve been behind the Iron Curtain.
    Who knows? I’m just speculating.
    
    2 3
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    March 3, 2026 3:57pm
  - mike
    
    Both world wars were fought to prevent the Germans from ruling all of Europe.
    
    2 5
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    March 3, 2026 4:20pm
- mike
  
  But now Rubio is saying Israel was going to attack Iran so the US had no choice but to do what Bibi waned.
  
  4 4
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  March 3, 2026 4:19pm
Jack5

Jim Grenon, the reform-minded minority shareholder in NZ Herald owner, NZME Ltd, has bought another million shares in the company. This takes his holding to 35,694,802.

This afternoon NZME shares were trading at $1.21, which puts the value of his stake at a little under $43.25 million. That’s a shade under 19 per cent of the company.
1 1
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March 3, 2026 2:22pm
cmm (semi-retired edition)

NZ parliament debating the Iranian situation.

What a laugh! What the hell is NZ going to do either way?
8 5
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March 3, 2026 3:13pm
- AitchW
  
  Hopefully our Foreign Minister will quietly send messages of support to his opposite numbers in the States and Israel.
  
  3 4
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  March 3, 2026 3:42pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    So…. what’s the point of sending a “quiet message of support”?
    
    If it is a moral issue then sing it from the rooftops. No need to be quiet.
    
    I am sure the States and Israel need the assurance that NZ has their back if they get into a tight corner.
    
    1 4
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    March 3, 2026 5:30pm
- mandk
  
  If you listen to Hipkins it seems that we should shake our little fist at the rest of the world and tell them to play nicely.
  
  Which what it equates to when you appeal to the rules-based order led by the UN.
  
  3 3
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  March 3, 2026 4:48pm
- Northshoredoc
  
  Typical performative nonsense, just another waste of time and money from our elected representatives
  
  3 0
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  March 3, 2026 6:17pm
- Swifty
  
  Greg Presland calls for ‘regime change’.
  
  https://x.com/gregpresland/status/2028611941628059797?s=46
  
  What a dick comment.
  
  2 0
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  March 3, 2026 7:38pm
Swifty

Something you’ll never, ever read or see under a Labour government.

“Wellington economy struggles as rest of country starts to bounce back, figures show.”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington/wellington-economy-struggles-as-rest-of-country-starts-to-bounce-back-figures-show/premium/RFGBX3MAZBDZBIZBDPS6SAR4NY/

That’s a measure of success the coalition should be very proud of.
3 4
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March 3, 2026 3:51pm
rouppe

As predicted, people with Maori ancestry whose ancestors left NZ and subsequently had children overseas, get special dispensation over any other person in similar circumstances.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360946134/all-blacks-grandson-finally-gets-citizenship-his-three-kids-after-minister-steps

Brooke van Velden has made a mistake here. It’s going to open a flood gate
11 1
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March 3, 2026 5:08pm
- Ghost
  
  Is the custody case finished? This is the guy who had a lot of court cases in Hawaii, including domestic abuse
  
  5 0
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  March 3, 2026 5:22pm
  - rouppe
    
    …he is hopeful a Hawaiian court is close to granting him full custody of his children…
    
    Sounds like it’s not, but that’s not the point of my comment.
    
    3 0
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    March 3, 2026 7:25pm
    - Jack5
      
      A big slip by ACT’s van Velden. She seemed very efficient and effective.
      
      5 0
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      March 3, 2026 8:44pm
Swifty

Negotiations must continue says Clark, Hipkins, the Greens etc.

Yes, this is them:

“We shall negotiate on the beaches, we shall negotiate on the landing grounds, we shall negotiate in the fields and in the streets, we shall negotiate in the hills; we shall never stop negotiating.”

Weak. Feeble.
5 0
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March 3, 2026 7:24pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Negotiations only work if both sides are serious.
  
  The US offered Iran 10 years worth of enriched uranium, for free, to use in power reactors.
  
  Iran refused.
  
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  March 4, 2026 12:55am

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