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March 15, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 15 March 2026

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General Debate

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artemisia

The reopened Wellington City Library – Day 2 today. I haven’t been there yet but did have a looksee at the floor maps, and assume that signage is the same in the building. Talk about very expensive virtue signalling with OPM. Unless the purpose of the signage is designed to seriously confuse 99% of visitors. Well if confusion is the aim of the signage designs it has wildly exceeded that aim.

Though do have to congratulate the designers for the Maori name for Water Fountain being slightly shorter. And only one location with no English translation, unlike the other 50 or so locations on the site map.

https://www.tematapihi.govt.nz/visit-us/floor-maps#ground
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March 15, 2026 8:13am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  What’s struck me is the relative absence of your actual books. The previous shelves were too high and unfair for short people, you see.
  
  The invention of ladders seems to have passed the designers by.
  
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  March 15, 2026 8:16am
  - judith8409121
    
    Its amazing that maori had things like ‘Sound Studio’s’ and ‘Accessible Toilets’ and ‘Lifts’ – it’s just a joke – fancy having to make up so many lala words to fit your entitled narrative – the most ridiculous is the ‘Ngā Kohinga Rāhui Aotearoa | Aotearoa NZ Reference’ When they have to shove ‘Aoteraroa’ into the english side as well as the maori – they are complete idiots.
    I mean what the f is ‘Nōku te Ao Capital E – Learn’ Its just gobbly gook
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:09pm
  - wsk12345
    
    Same in chch library. I went once to a look and was struck by the lack of books, the beautiful but so expensive architecture and the impressive light fittings. And many men in PJs. The snooty librarian informed me that libraries are not all about books anymore and that the homeless people come to showers and sit in the sun in the windows all day (taking up all the nice seating).
    
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    March 15, 2026 1:39pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Last time I was in a library was pre-Covid.
    
    I was reasonably friendly with a few of the librarians and even back then they said most of their time was spent on tech support – helping people log into computers, set up email accounts and helping people figure out their welfare forms.
    
    Less than 20% of their time is book related.
    
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    March 16, 2026 1:49pm
- mandk
  
  I don’t know if the design is intended to confuse visitors but, if they want to run Maori and English text together, they should at least use different typefaces and/or colours for the two languages.
  
  As it is, the signage is just visual clutter.
  
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  March 15, 2026 8:47am
  - PurplePen
    
    what amazes me is how Mari always gift stuff to us such as the name of something or a design or something, that we’re not allowed to make up ourselves it has to be gifted. but the return gift happens to always be money why can’t we just give them something culturally back like a stick.
    
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    March 15, 2026 1:44pm
    - Paulus
      
      You do not understand Tikanga fool !
      It allows Maori to do whatever they choose and noobody can complain as it is against the Treaty and the Waitangi Tribunal (a recommend basis only 3500 to go though).)
      
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      March 15, 2026 2:36pm
- Spam
  
  What is Te matapihi? Why does the map label everything as Te Papa? I assume it is part of Te Papa? That will confuse people.
  
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  March 15, 2026 8:57am
  - Prince
    
    I’m unlikely to use the library, having access to the internet and able to order books from Amazon.
    I’m also unlikely to use cycleways, living in the northern suburbs, up steep hills.
    I do however use the toilet, which is unfortunatel for the people on the southern coast.
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:02am
    - Sweet Hitchhiker
      
      Prince, there was an interesting question on the Chase last week, re the “Marika Aoki syndrome” which refers to the sudden urge to use the toilet on entering a bookstore “. I reckon it’s worse on entering the library. All those thousands of beautiful books available to browse, and comfy couches to lounge on while doing so, and all for free! No wonder there’s a battle for the key to the loo at our one… 😀
      
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      March 15, 2026 5:29pm
  - Cassandra
    
    It seems to be the standard these days. Our public diary here in Tauranga is called
    TE AO MĀRAMA
    Tauranga City Libraries
    
    The Maori words mean KNOWLEDGE FROM THE SKIES. 98% of the content of the library is in English.
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:05am
    - Jethrod
      
      And the other 2% is understood by about 5% of the readers.
      At a 1000 customers a day, 2% is 20 people, so 5% is 1 reader!
      
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      March 15, 2026 10:08am
      - judith8409121
        
        and these are all made up words so even a reader wont know what they mean
        
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        March 15, 2026 1:31pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Papa is the Te Reo word for floor (as well as various other things)
    
    so Te Papa Tuatahi means First floor.
    
    Wellington Library is about a 5 min walk (600m) West of the Museum of NZ -Te Papa Tongawera.
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:38am
    - Nikola Donatello
      
      Thanks for that. I suspect some folk may not figure it out.
      
      Also think of someone from, say Chile, coming here as a tourist. Your English is pretty good – certainly good enough to get by as a tourist. Then you encounter that mess.
      
      Flip it around. A New Zealand traveler visits Chile. Some conversational Spanish. When he gets there all the signs are a mix of Spanish and Mapudungun, the indigenous language of the Mapuche people.
      
      See my point? This is NOT about communication. It is indoctrination.
      
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      March 15, 2026 9:56am
      - Wandering Star
        
        “This is NOT about communication. It is indoctrination.”
        
        Of course. But what will be done about it by the only body competent to do something about it (i.e. the sitting government), which could pass legislation disallowing the practice? Nothing, because they couldn’t handle the accusations of “outrageous racism” such an act would inevitably engender, no matter how popular it would actually be. Even worse, most of them would agree with the accusations levelled at them.
        
        Accordingly, you and others will continue to post your displeasure on KB like you’ve probably always done, but to absolutely no effect.
        
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        March 15, 2026 11:25am
    - Jack5
      
      Tūranga, Christchurch’s main central library, doesn’t have the word “library” in its title.
      
      The online Maori dictionary Te Aka says “tūranga” means: “stand, position, situation, site, foundation, stance”.
      
      Names of Christchurch City Council’s newer suburban libraries begin in Maori:
      
      – Matatiki Hornby Centre
      – Matuku Takotao: Sumner Centre
      – Ōrauwhata: Bishopdale Library and Community Centre
      – Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre
      
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      March 15, 2026 11:32am
- Burtland
  
  its not a library – its a palace for the homeless
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:06am
  - artemisia
    
    There is some truth in that Burtland. Happen to be a regular CBD library user, almost every time there are men sleeping on the padded benches. TBF apart from the odd snorer they are not causing problems, but it’s pretty weird all the same.
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:51am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  It is a nightmare for the brain. Also the orange colours😩.
  
  Seriously it is absurd. They have taken the time to translate everything. It would have taken hundreds of hours. So why not just then organise it into SEPARATE signs and separate versions of the website. Exactly like you see in Canada with French and English.
  
  To answer my question. They do NOT want to communicate with us. They really do not. They want to virtue signal.
  
  But the thing is that people put up with it. It is authoritarian behavior.
  —-
  
  Hui 1 | Meeting 1
  
  Ngā Raka | Lockers
  
  Pae Manaaki | Manaaki Desk
  
  Tamariki | Children
  
  Taiwhanga Tamariki | Children’s Event Corner
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:11am
  - Nukuleka
    
    Turanga has been like this it was opened. For anyone who doesn’t know what Turanga is, where it is or what its function is then stiff bikkies. The notion of identifying place and function in council owned facilities long went out the window! Virtue signalling is more important!
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:27am
    - Burtland
      
      the people making these palaces have no sense of cost – the architectural lavishness is already looking tatty and out of fashion.
      
      during maori language week the laynard people defaulted all the public electronic catalogs into maori – getting it back into english was well hidden
      
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      March 15, 2026 9:47am
    - R
      
      The old ‘mushroom philosophy ‘, as used for years by beuraecratic organisation’s and councils. KEEP THE PLEBS IN THE DARK……….
      
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      March 15, 2026 9:52am
  - Burtland
    
    the best one is
    – Tūnga Waka Pēpi | Buggy Parking
    
    maori language has become a woke joke – trying to make it a modern working language will destroy it
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:34am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Agreed. It should be ‘Pram and pushchair parking’
      
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      March 15, 2026 12:56pm
  - Gravelroad
    
    “But the thing is that people put up with it.”
    We put up with it because there is no other option.
    Citizens and ratepayers have no say in what their public buildings are named.
    Or what language is used to name them.
    Why is that?
    Just the arrogance of “governance” paid for by ordinary people with no influence.
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:42am
    - imalwaysright
      
      “We put up with it because there is no other option.”
      
      That statement alone tells them that they have won.
      
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      March 15, 2026 10:22am
- Paulus
  
  I am assured that the Books have been very well sanitised too.
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:24am
  - mogg
    
    During closure they admit to having got rid of more than 80,000 books.
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:37pm
    - Paulus
      
      And the rest, let us ghve the full number well above the publicised one.
      
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      March 15, 2026 2:39pm
- Simon
  
  It reminds me of MOTAT basically a museum of obsolete technology, but once was cutting edge. You can really see who built NZ
  
  There was one very large room dedicated to Maori obsolete technology but not joking it was virtually empty except for some sort of garden trowel.
  
  Remember don’t let National erase NZ history. British into European NZ built NZ no one else. Stop lying National.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:22am
  - lifesgood
    
    The National Maritime Museum in Auckland is desperately trying to erase any colonial info it seems. It’s ludicrous, this country was built on shipping and immigration and let’s not forget the Maori are not indigenous they were simply the first immigrants. I have a friend who works at the NMM and tells me that the volunteers are being constantly harangued into learning Maori. He said most of the volunteers are elderly and have no desire to learn Maori and that overseas visitors and most of the local visitors are not Maori. Virtual signaling at its finest at the NMM.
    
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    March 15, 2026 11:14am
- Gussy
  
  There’s a poem on the outside of the library too: ‘Brown Optimism’, about 8 meters high.
  Written in English. Funded by White Saviour Guilt.
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:01pm
- PurplePen
  
  yes I had the fortune to go to one of the government health agencies and the Maori name I can’t remember what it is but the translation means your way. the point is even if you were one of the few fluent in Maori and you were wondering which agency in health I need to go to and it happened to be named your way for the life of you you’d never figure out that’s where you needed to go. my bet is that they all sat round a table held hands sang kumbaya drank a glass orange cordial patted hemselves on the back with their new name, most likely gifted and inverted commas from the usual.
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:48pm
- Scooter
  
  Seriously, “Ngā kōrero mo te papa” is Floor Maps? At least if they want more people to learn Maori they should try and cut down on the number of words. Even Google translate has a shorter but different one, just to add to the confusion “ngā mahere papa”.
  
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  March 15, 2026 7:32pm
Jethrod

Am disappointed that there is no translation for “staircase and escalator” . Perhaps that comes in the next iteration after the meeting to decide what words to invent.
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March 15, 2026 8:26am
- Paulus
  
  Why not, Maori invented both the staircase and the escalator.
  
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  March 15, 2026 2:42pm
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrRc1hYMfwo
Rubio Exposes Globalist Plan.

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. Susan Kokinda connects Rubio’s claim to a 1977 Council on Foreign Relations report calling for the “Controlled Disintegration” of the world economy, arguing it targeted the Hamiltonian American System and helped drive the hollowing out of U.S. manufacturing and current European industrial decline. [People with the same outlook will act the same way, and pursue the same policies. Controlled Disintegration/Managed Decline are the same thing. ‘Decarbonization is not your friend.]
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March 15, 2026 8:31am
- Wandering Star
  
  Wait, so Rubio isn’t a Globalist himself?
  
  Globalisation is really just another name for Neoliberalism, and has been US policy since Reagan (at least), and being a Globalist is a prerequisite for getting ahead as a US politician (because, being an avowed Nationalist, whether economically or demographically – although these are really inseparable – makes you an atavistic “racist” and “would-be Hitler” doesn’t it?).
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:15am
  - sungsamning
    
    No.
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:06pm
    - Wandering Star
      
      Well, he’s not a Nationalist either, so what is he then?
      
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      March 15, 2026 1:23pm
      - sungsamning
        
        Either the next president of Cuba, or the USA.
        
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        March 15, 2026 2:15pm
      - Wandering Star
        
        God help us all.
        
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        March 15, 2026 2:24pm
      - Sweet Hitchhiker
        
        You are a very brave man, Wandering Star, posting on this hotbed of Kiwi conservatism. I salute you! 👏
        
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        March 15, 2026 5:12pm
- Jack5
  
  Those who dismiss the idea of Western industrial decline sometimes says, “but look at the new industries.”
  
  Look at them indeed. Semiconductor giants in Taiwan and South Korea. China chasing the US in artificial intelligence as well as dominating the old industry of ship building.
  
  The number of patents a country grants reflect the “buzz” of its industry. The latest figures I’ve found (linked to below), for 2024, show that, in patents granted, China was 73 per cent ahead of the United States.
  
  (They also show how far India has to go in industrialisation: under 65,000 patents granted compared with more than a million in China.)
  
  And New Zealand? We’re ahead of North Korea.
  
  https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/patents-by-country
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:56am
  - kowtow
    
    ‘We’re ahead of North Korea’
    
    If power prices keep rising ( due to renewables/unicorn transition) we’ll be able to join them as a blanked out , no lights country on the night time satelite photos.
    
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    March 15, 2026 2:12pm
sungsamning

An investigation by CBS News has discovered massive Medicare fraud at more than 700 out of 1,800 licensed hospice providers in Los Angeles County.
The scam utilizes stolen Medicare numbers to fraudulently enroll healthy seniors in hospice with fake terminal diagnoses, billing Medicare an average of $29,000 per patient without delivering care, to the tune of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Are the Dems a political party, or an independent branch of the Mafia? Is it time for a RICO investigation? There are 89 hospice companies in a single building. In just one year, CA hospice organizations overbilled Medicare by $105 billion. ]

https://amgreatness.com/2026/03/11/cbs-news-investigation-uncovers-massive-medicare-hospice-fraud-in-l-a-county/
CBS News Investigation Uncovers Massive Medicare Hospice Fraud In L.A. County.
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March 15, 2026 8:32am
- artemisia
  
  Something similar with autism funding in famous-for-fraud Minnesota. When ‘issues’ were finally noticed, the state set up a requirement for providers to be licensed. So far 6 providers have applied. The other 494 (approx) not so much, so far anyway.
  
  (In 2017 there were 41 providers and the budget increased 34,000% by 2024.)
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:09am
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, its time for the Feds to go full RICO on the Dems.
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:07pm
BananaLlama

Alright time for some Tinfoiling.

Does anyone else find the timing of the O&G ban to be just a little too suspicious?
Right after the government gets their economic report saying that developing The Barque prospect off Canterbury (there are other proven finds in the area) would pump $32 billion!!! in royalties into our pockets and create 37,000 jobs.
Jacinda just wakes up a couple of months later and announces an immediate ban on all new offshore exploration.
No consultation, no economic economic report, just blindsides everyone.
Seems like crazy timing to me.

A Nuclear moment? or a preemptive strike.
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March 15, 2026 8:33am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  You are underestimating Jacinda’s stupidity.
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:53am
  - Paulus
    
    She will be back shortly to tell us how lucky we have been as her results and wealth show.
    A true Marxist.
    
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    March 15, 2026 2:45pm
- rouppe
  
  Wouldn’t that field have been able to be developed? Because it has already been discovered?
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:00am
- Ian Boag
  
  ~~would pump $32 billion!!! in royalties into our pockets~~ .. might …
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:11am
  - BananaLlama
    
    lol look at this guy, yesterday he was claiming we had found nothing but dry holes.
    I thought that was very strange so i went and had a look, and wow surprise surprise they found O&G.
    https://wiki.seg.org/wiki/Canterbury_Basin
    
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    March 15, 2026 10:29am
- kowtow
  
  No , these people are just “net zero” Loons .
  
  Miliband doing eggzactly the same in the UK .
  
  Recall though our Labour and UK Labour are cut from the same cloth .
  
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  March 15, 2026 2:14pm
Yvette

Two court cases should be of concern.
One – R v Ellis – introduced tikanga into New Zealand law was interrupted by the Supreme Court itself to allow a two day hui on aspects of tikanga and was a trojan Horse as no one in the case was Maori.

The other is the dismissed case over the defacing of the te Papa Waitangi exhibit, leaving no precise reason for its dismissal.
Could the defendant have won, was it too political or race related for Election year, or would it have been a trial of tikanga itself, and so a problem of a legal consideration of the legal consideration being considered?
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March 15, 2026 8:48am
- imalwaysright
  
  The reason that the dead body of Mr Ellis was used by the Supreme Court to (alledgedly) subvert the law was to give the illusion to the public that tikanga is a trans racial concept.
  
  It their “Its not racist because the first ‘beneficiary’ of it was a white man!” excuse.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:33am
  - kowtow
    
    Literally a judicial anti constitutional coup.
    
    And it’s ongoing.
    
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    March 15, 2026 2:15pm
- imalwaysright
  
  The antidote to tikanga may be obvious.
  
  If the general public cite tikanga to defend prosecution for parking tickets, rates defaults, drunk driving, burglary, etc, then the courts will be obliged to accept the defendants interpretation of tikanga, being that there is no definition.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:39am
  - pdm
    
    Maori Party v Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.
    
    There is your evidence that Tikanga is a figment of imagination when it comes to legal matters.
    
    That should be the end of such fiction.
    
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    March 15, 2026 11:29am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Hopefully the Supreme Court will have to hear the Maori party blame each other and cite their versions of their tikangas
      The Supreme Court will have turned itself into a literal three ring circus.
      
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      March 15, 2026 12:22pm
Pope Punctilious II

Apologies if this already been discussed on Kiwiblog, but it’s only just come to my attention: https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/03/elliot-ikilei-district-plan-means.html

The Gore District Plan now says before farmers can build a shed or dig a silage pit “resource consents must be assessed against Ngāi Tahu cultural values like mauri (life force), wairua (spiritual connections), whakapapa (relationships between all life forms), and utu (restoring balance).”

So iwi will now decide what farmers are allowed to do on their own private property, even if the activity in question has no measurable impact on (for example) water quality downstream. What’s more, farmers will have to pay the iwi for this “service”. Is this a racket, or what?

A couple of days ago, one commentator claimed that He Puapua is being enacted by stealth. And this is further evidence that he was right. And this is happening under a centre-right government.
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March 15, 2026 9:22am
- Ghost
  
  Council provides clarity on Proposed District Plan
  
  Mr Bainbridge-Zafar said cultural considerations within the resource consent process have not fundamentally changed from the current District Plan.
  
  “There is no blanket requirement for landowners to obtain cultural assessments,” he explained.
  
  “As with the current plan, Council may seek input from mana whenua only where the Resource Management Act requires it — usually in situations where a proposal may have potential effects on recognised cultural or heritage values. For most everyday activities, this does not apply.”
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:33am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Weasel words from Bainbridge-Zafar. Why should Maori spiritual values have any say in what happens on private land? And worse, why should farmers have to pay for said spiritual assessment?
    
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    March 15, 2026 9:53am
    - Sweet Hitchhiker
      
      Yes, its most unreasonable Pope Punctilious 11. But don’t forget, you can’t own land. You just take care of it while you’re alive. Unless you’re expecting to live forever.
      
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      March 15, 2026 5:33pm
  - wsk12345
    
    Applies to more land though, right? So that’s a
    Fundamental change
    
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    March 15, 2026 1:55pm
- Yvette
  
  Pope Punctilious II, may I suggest the Ngāi Tahu cultural values like mauri (life force), wairua (spiritual connections), whakapapa (relationships between all life forms), and utu (restoring balance) are all basically religious values and as New Zealand Government and all its services are supposed to be secular, so every religious group should be free to practice tenents which do not harm others, and still aligned with that: anyone who owns land may be able to do what they wish with that, as long as it does not harm or infringe the same or similar rights of others.
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:40am
  - Gravelroad
    
    The Ngai Tahu tsars, especially those with Irish heritage, will be laughing all the way to the banks.
    Ngai Tahu is already one of the wealthiest outfits in New Zealand.
    
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    March 15, 2026 10:25am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  Of course in the real world “mauri” and “wairua” do not exist. They are religious or mythical constructs.
  
  I am Catholic. It is private. I do not invoke the Catechisim of the Church when I go wo work. Yet here we are – farmers are being coerced by the powers of the State to assess whether their proposed farm works comply with the precepts of Maori religion.
  
  How did we get here?
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:47am
  - David Garrett
    
    Niko: By a complete lack of courage on the part of the powers that be…gutless bastards all
    
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    March 15, 2026 10:18am
    - imalwaysright
      
      DG
      
      The Public have also failed themselves.
      We roll over and reluctantly comply with these wankers.
      
      Its time for the able bodied to get to the front doors of these organisations and remind them, by force if necessary, who the boss is.
      
      But in NZ, if someone makes a stand, the rest pull back lest they get themselves in the firing line.
      That’s why the wankers always win.
      
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      March 15, 2026 10:47am
    - Ra Henare
      
      I Repeat
      PPPP
      
      Piss
      Poor
      Politicians
      pandering
      
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      March 15, 2026 7:37pm
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    How did we get here? Robin Cooke, Geoffrey Palmer, John Key (UNDRIP) and Jacinda Ardern all did their bit to get us here.
    
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    March 15, 2026 10:23am
    - imalwaysright
      
      And we let them.
      And we still let them.
      
      13 1
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      March 15, 2026 10:51am
  - pdm
    
    Four years ago Gore people elected a boy to do a mans job.
    
    But, where are the rest of the Councillors on this?
    
    Gore Mayor Ben Bell is still only 26 and his inexperience and lack of common sense showed in this interview on the matter with Duncan Garner a few days ago.
    https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a598d55f83047397&udm=7&sxsrf=ANbL-n6jkPDrmESSl9Puyhw2AamQrwQAKw:1773527768361&q=duncan+garner+youtube&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjasYfluaCTAxUCTmwGHQqrN8oQ8ccDKAJ6BAgcEAQ&biw=1920&bih=912&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:4a7de26b,vid:Gt0xXUE8Tsc,st:0
    
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    March 15, 2026 11:39am
    - Scott
      
      It’s important to understand this is happening at the council level, not central govt. The language of anti racism has filtered down and virtue signalling is everywhere. We need to fight this at the local level rather than expect big govt to do it.
      That starts with the people of Gore electing sensible people.
      
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      March 15, 2026 12:32pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      Can I suggest in future you post the actual link not a google search.(which doesnt work)
      
      The actual link is
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt0xXUE8Tsc
      
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      March 15, 2026 7:43pm
- R
  
  Stealth was embedded into the NZ administration practice by Comrade Clark.
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:47am
- Quail
  
  PP 2,
  All environmental plans take away land users property rights to a lesser or greater degree.This is without a vestige of compensation.
  Ownership of property in NZ means firstly a huge rates bill , followed a myriad of growing regulation that greatly constrain the uses of that property.
  True ownership in NZ is now a myth. It is just a steadily diminishing list of use rights.
  Not only penalising the existing owners but also making offshore investors lose interest!
  Now it seems NZ’s dual governance plans are going to require more and more regulation with indigenous governors at the helm .This will be another huge negative and cost for productivity!
  With the clear governance failure NZ is now experiencing, this is a certain recipe to make NZ “ a small bankrupt nation in the South Pacific” as it was once (incorrectly )described!
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:52am
- Charlotte Wells
  
  We have a centre-right government?
  
  Pull the other one.
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:27pm
Damocles11

It’s only via falling living standards that green marxists and clueless socialist utopians get confronted with the consequences of their own self-defeating agenda. We remember the much-hailed but very dumb‘Captains Call’ to ban oil and gas exploration, we remember a government that allowed Marsden Point to close with barely a murmur, and we ponder the rabid and fanatical green loony’s and bleeding heart hand-wringing lefties who – despite 35% of the countrys land area being locked up in the conservation estate – maintain that the loss of any tree or blade of grass to mining activities would constitute a catastrophe of Biblical proportions. A single lump of coal burned in New Zealand is mourned as a mortal blow to a ‘dying planet’, while China merrily burns through 5 Billion tonnes of the stuff every year.
All the chickens are coming home to roost, mark my words. And it will be the labourites and green numpties who howl the loudest in their shock and bewilderment. That we are not already deep in the mire is largely thanks to Think Big, a response to the oil shocks in the 70’s that now looks positively visionary. Really, it should be the celebrated legacy of a much-maligned – often unfairly – Prime Minister. And had it been something implemented by a Norman Kirk or a Walter Nash it no doubt would be. How much would it cost today to build the Clyde Dam, and how many years would it take(?) Moreover, would it ever get off the ground given the RMA, grasping and obstructive Iwi, and the rabid left protest mob – which includes the overwhelmingly left wing MSM.
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March 15, 2026 9:23am
- R
  
  ‘Think Big’ was the last visionary philosophy by a Prime Minister, until the advent of PM John Key with his Fibre Optic’ toll out. Thinking ‘outside the square’ is not a general NZ skill.
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:53am
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    Visionary Key who sold 49% of those same think big power assets payed for by us, to give us out of control power prices and dairy conversions in the Mackenzie country?
    That Key?
    
    5 2
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    March 15, 2026 2:31pm
- Paulus
  
  Look at the Think Big projects now so many years later – many are and were very succesful but the Media being the epitome of socialism still, Labour and the Greens denigrating everything that could have been called a success.
  Blimey this years election is going to be a sad denigrating AI manipulated year picture o9f false and lies and innuendoes, and God help the poor people of New Zealand, a country with so much to offer to so many, but not under the left wing yokes.
  Most of which they do not undestand the consequences, and do not want to.
  Which is that the last 30 years of education through many now generations have done and will continue to do.
  Just sad actually.
  
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  March 15, 2026 3:05pm
Ghost

Political poll question from last night. No ability to say anything negative about Hipkins

Which of the following attributes apply to Chris Hipkins

Which of the following attributes apply to Christopher Luxon
20 3
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March 15, 2026 9:25am
- rouppe
  
  Wow. What a disgraceful way to go about things.
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:57am
- R
  
  Shows how desperate the MSM, and Pollster sycophants of the Marxist Socialists are!
  
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  March 16, 2026 8:20am
- Paulus
  
  Ask AI – they will give you an answer !
  
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  March 16, 2026 2:39pm
David Garrett

My last Sunday in the Kingdom for a while ..I have a lunch date today, so that’s something to look forward to…NO Scott, Iam not going to church to be shouted at in Tongan!!
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March 15, 2026 9:28am
- Northshoredoc
  
  You’re safe for the moment DG, Scott will be eulogising his second biggest hero for a little while yet before he’s over to scold you.
  
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  March 15, 2026 9:41am
  - Scott
    
    Too late. I’m here and I’m vigorously wagging my finger at David Garrett. Gosh he’s getting a good telling off! 😎
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:34pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Apparently, greyhounds are useful for canine blood donation, as they tend to have a universal blood type. With the destruction of the dog racing industry, it’s pretty clear that greyhound donations are about to come to a screaming halt.

I predict a dogfight between the conflicted lovers of dogs.

http://www.1news.co.nz/2026/03/13/why-the-countrys-only-canine-blood-bank-may-be-shuttered/
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March 15, 2026 9:36am
- Burtland
  
  has Winston – the dog hater – done anything about the dog problem in his beloved Northland?
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:00am
  - Ghost
    
    Councils job, not governments.
    
    5 6
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    March 15, 2026 10:04am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Burtland
    
    If the locals started betting on their dogs he would have them all euthanised.(ambiguity intentional)
    
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    March 15, 2026 11:00am
  - PeterTrentham
    
    2 legged or 4 legged dogs?
    
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    March 15, 2026 11:07am
- PeterTrentham
  
  In 20 years the way we are going dogs will be food.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:02am
  - kowtow
    
    Given the current fad for all things Maori , we’ll all end up being food.
    
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    March 15, 2026 2:57pm
- Paulus
  
  They are proven to make wonderful Pets.
  
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  March 15, 2026 3:09pm
Pope Punctilious II

Some nurses are racist, and that’s partly why Maori experience “inequitable health outcomes”(gotta love that woke corporate language). So says Dominic O’Sullivan, who’s apparently an expert in something:
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/when-defence-of-free-speech-is-racism-in-disguise/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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March 15, 2026 9:43am
- Cassandra
  
  Yet he’d be the first to say that Maori-only health services, “by Maoris, for Maoris”, is not racist. Actually I’d like to see the Maoris-only rule enforced. The number of Maori surgeons, for example, is pretty close to zero. There is one Maori neurologist. No Maori haematologists.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:43am
NeverMindTheBollocks

The family of Haane Manahi want his WW2 DCM upgraded to VC.

Manahi’s act of bravery was undoubted, and there is a school of thought to say that the VC nomination was denied only because fellow Māori Battalion soldier Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngārimu was awarded his VC just a fortnight earlier.

Still, the man himself said that he did not want any agitation in this matter. It’s worth noting that in 2006 the Queen agreed to a special form of additional honour (see second link), beyond the DCM.

Manahi’s family are pressing the case for an award upgrade, for the mana of Te Arawa. In doing so, it seems to me, they are downgrading the mana of the man himself, the NZ Army, the Queen and every holder of the DCM.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/589587/whanau-of-maori-battalion-soldier-hope-film-will-see-him-receive-victoria-cross

https://28maoribattalion.org.nz/mi/photo/sergeant-haane-manahi-dcm
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March 15, 2026 9:50am
- Jethrod
  
  I hold in high regard people who have served in the armed forces in battle zones. However, surely there must be some form of staturatory limitation
  for an award to someone who is deceased some 40 years ago?
  As yvette said earlier “today cultural values like mauri (life force), wairua (spiritual connections), whakapapa (relationships between all life forms), and utu (restoring balance) are all basically religious values ” I think mana could be inserted in that too
  The gentleman concerned was not of a mind to pursue the matter.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:31am
  - Don Beckett
    
    “…….. and utu (restoring balance)”
    
    Wow there’s a Maori euphamism.
    I always understood “Utu” to be revenge.
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:24pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Too bad, my understanding was that when the research was done, certain atrocities were uncovered. Hence the award of the sword and the vc talk quietly shelved…
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:44am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Prof Paul Moon couldn’t find any evidence that Manahi was involved in the 28 BN atrocity
    
    “I was fully aware of the allegation that Manahi was involved in war crimes before writing the book, and this is something that intrigued me. So I put the accusation under the microscope, and found that there was no documented or circumstantial evidence to support the charge. I also managed finally to track down the source of the allegation. There is no question, Manahi is definitely innocent of the allegations made against him.”
    
    https://www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories/mysterious-victoria-cross-decision-unearthed
    
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    March 15, 2026 12:25pm
- Cassandra
  
  This has been festering for years. If he was Joe Blow it’d be laughed at. 80 years later? Nonsense.
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:46am
Hugh Jarse

The horse community better watch out, once the dog racing is stopped, the activists will start focussing on them.
14 1
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March 15, 2026 9:50am
- kowtow
  
  Yep , that’s the danger with performance politicians like Winston, setting precednats. Happy to screw over one set of animal industry , cos he and co have no connections and are happy to virtue signal to people who’d never vote for him anyway .
  Yet if the Greens got in they’re so nutty they could easily screw over horse racing ( afterall they want to wipe out the dairy industry).
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:28am
In Vino Veritas

Interesting reading. “The phenomenon might be nature returning to a state of equilibrium, according to the study”.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/blackwater-lakes-and-rivers-in-the-congo-basin-are-now-emitting-ancient-carbon-into-the-atmosphere
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March 15, 2026 9:52am
rouppe

Judge Mark Williams talks the talk when sentencing Braden Jane for knocking a 19-year-old unconscious outside an Arrowtown bar.

There needs to be a message that violence in Queenstown will not be tolerated,” the judge said at the hearing.

No argument from me.

But Judge Mark Williams then completely fails to walk the walk.

The sentence? Discharge without conviction, because he might lose his job.
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March 15, 2026 9:54am
- imalwaysright
  
  “There needs to be a message that violence in Queenstown will not be tolerated,”
  
  A man of his word perhaps?
  
  Maybe he wrote “Violence in Queenstown will not be tolerated,” on a Post It note and gave it to the defendant.
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:10am
- Interested Party
  
  It’s seems from that sentence, violence is tolerated in Arrowtown though
  
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  March 15, 2026 12:11pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  I wouldn’t want such a person working for or with me, conviction or no.
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:02pm
cas

I am reading a good book at the moment called 1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin, which is about the 1929 crash and the aftermath.

And of course in the middle of this the Empire State Building was built in just over one year from March 1930 to April 1931. Wikipedia says its cost is equivalent to $678US million in 2024.

Food for thought.
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March 15, 2026 9:58am
- peterwn
  
  And as far as I know it has never been totally closed for remediation work.
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:36pm
Hugh Jarse

March the 15th, 2026, the day the Donald realised he had started a war he couldn’t finish and he needed to plead for outside assistance from states who had previously sent their troops to die in Iraq and Afghanistan supporting the US and which he had insulted only a few weeks ago for not “helping much” in previous wars and being involved “way way” back despite their death tolls.

Pragmatically they will probably have to to re-open oil supplies and prevent the world dropping into a global depression but I bet it will rankle.
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March 15, 2026 10:05am
- David Garrett
  
  Hugh: Spot on. I dont think he gave the slightest thought to SOH or asymmetric warfare … he has dragged the world into a tar baby potentially much worse than Iraq because of the SOH
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:28am
  - Wandering Star
    
    When Bibi tells him to “jump,” Trump doesn’t ask any questions.
    
    10 14
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    March 15, 2026 10:36am
  - David Garrett
    
    …And just last week he was imperiously telling the Brits they weren’t needed “because We’ve already won”…a few days later he is asking them to send ships to the SOH…the man is a dangerous clown
    
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    March 15, 2026 10:58am
    - mogg
      
      With your misrepresentation of the facts you could work for BBC. Try going back and reading exactly what he was reported as saying, not your interpretation of it.
      
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      March 15, 2026 12:59pm
      - Ghost
        
        “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, adding: “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer – But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
        
        Article
        
        You can also read it on Truth social
        
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        March 15, 2026 1:17pm
      - Hugh Jarse
        
        You should probably google “did Trump ever say we have won” and then watch the speech he gave on the 12th March, repeating we’ve won about four times and then, we won on day one. You could then check out Donald’s tweet on social media on March 7 where he makes the comments DG refers to in response to Starmer potentially sending two aircraft carriers to the Gulf.
        
        Thanks Ghost I see you managed to copy and embed the tweet which I couldn’t..
        
        12 3
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        March 15, 2026 1:21pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        He hasn’t ‘pleaded’ for help at all.
        This is what he said on March 14
        “The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT! The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be — It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace! President DONALD J.”
        
        [Mod – a small paste is all that is needed and a link]
        
        In these Posts where is he “pleading” them to send Ships”?
        Looks like he is telling them they have to step up.
        And so they should. Its their Oil they need.
        
        And they dont need the UKs carriers- they have two Carrier Groups there already. Heck the UK could only get one of five Destroyers going and even then they had to wait cause the shipyard only works 9-5. Lol
        
        As for this comment “dont think he gave the slightest thought to SOH or asymmetric warfare ”
        How ignorant. The US has gamed the HoS blockade for decades.
        https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/irans-blockade-of-the-strait-of-hormuz-is-destined-to-fail
        Next thing we will see fools saying, “its been three weeks, why isnt the War over?”
        
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        March 15, 2026 1:56pm
      - David Garrett
        
        Mogg: See the link in the below post…I will graciously accept your apology sir/madam.
        
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        March 15, 2026 6:53pm
- Wandering Star
  
  Never fear, the verdict is now in. The script has been finalised, and it turns out this is just some “short term pain, for long term gain.” What the long term gain actually is, they neglect to mention.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKCGnVTY4Us&lc=Ugz-G8iOolpfwA5F4qJ4AaABAg
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:34am
- kowtow
  
  I think he was flush with the Maduro business and persuaded by Bibi , granted to do the right thing , without working through the full implications.
  
  btw the Saudis were also said to have influenced his decision and wanted this too .
  
  We are very badly served by our media who’re taking a relentlessly anti Trump position on this business .
  
  It is not widely reported that there are cracks in the Islamic occupation and already reports that Mullahs are washing up in Canada , having fled .
  Have we heard about how wealthy thew new so called supreme leader is and his property portfolio in London , where it is also reported some Mullahs are fleeing.
  
  While petrol prices are rising and many are panicking the west , if it truely believes in universal human rights , needs to be firm , not get too flighty and look forward to the inevitable end of the terroist ayatollah regime.
  
  Meanwhile Trump should do the decent thing and stop running off his mouth , but of course , he simply can’t help himself and that is a worry . As is his apparent closeness to the evil Putin .
  
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  March 15, 2026 10:36am
  - Wandering Star
    
    “As is his apparent closeness to the evil Putin.”
    
    It’s his far more than just apparent closeness to the evil Netanyahu that has got him, and the world, into this mess.
    
    If Putin had visited Trump and/or Congress 6 times since January 2025 like Netanyahu has, you might have a better case about Trump’s “closeness” to Putin which you assert without evidence.
    
    In fact, if Trump were actually closer to Putin, they may have sorted out ending a war, whereas Trump’s closeness to Netanyahu has just started another one.
    
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    March 15, 2026 10:53am
  - Ra Henare
    
    WHAT!!!!!
    I call BS to your ascertion.
    
    btw the Saudis were also said to have influenced his decision and wanted this too .
    
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-tells-gulf-allies-avoid-any-steps-could-inflame-tensions-iran
    
    The kingdom acquiesced to Trump’s decision to attack Iran but has privately told other GCC states to avoid taking moves that could elicit a response by Tehran or its proxies
    
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    March 15, 2026 7:59pm
- BananaLlama
  
  Iran is turning into a complete shit show. They will never stop those drone boats hitting tankers unless they put boots on the ground and that will really be the end of him.
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:02am
  - Wandering Star
    
    Trump was brought back in (i.e. he was allowed to go largely unopposed to the Oval Office by the Establishment compared to 2016 and 2020) to reestablish the “legitimacy” of the system in the public perception. That is, at a time when the credibility of and trust in the major institutions was at catastrophically low levels, a Trump victory “proved” to voters that the system wasn’t rigged and wasn’t entirely corrupted after all.
    
    There was also the idea (perhaps the principle idea) that, given Trump’s loyal following, the planned war with Iran would be more palatable (imagine, if you will, if Kamala was leading the folly now unfolding in Iran).
    
    While this war is in fact deeply unpopular, it would have been even less so if Cackling Kamala was the one dropping the bombs and crashing the world economy for Israel.
    
    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/us/politics/polls-wars-us-support.html
    
    “So far, polls have found that most Americans oppose the Iran attacks. Support ranges from 27 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll to 50 percent in a Fox News poll.”
    
    So this is a major bungle by the Trump/Netanyahu administration. If people had bought back in in November 2024, they’re cashing back out again in March 2026.
    
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    March 15, 2026 11:58am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Will be interesting to see what the polls would say when petrol hits $5 a gallon at the pumps.
      
      I Guess that will be the question at the Mid terms. 10 months away.
      
      My guess is if Trump continues the war much longer
      – More body bags going back to the US-.
      – No resolution of the Irian problem
      – Israel suffering significantly in both physical and economic damage
      – US economy is visibly not back on the rise within the next 6 months
      Then the Repuplicans(Trump Proxy) will get washed out in the mid terms
      
      The Iranians are responding in survival mode.
      For all the blather from Trump Hengseth. The Iranians are far from crushed.
      
      Its normal for attacked countries citizens to rally around the government when invaded. Nationalisitic pride etc.
      
      A recent example being the Thailand invasion of Cambodia during the recent border conflict.
      Cambodian people and Thai people were emotional charged with Nationalist fever
      
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      March 15, 2026 8:09pm
- Interested Party
  
  Or maybe, like NATO he’s saying hey the oil is mainly for your countries, pony up and help with defence
  
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  March 15, 2026 12:14pm
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    [Mod – take the abuse elsewhere]
    
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    March 15, 2026 1:33pm
  - Wandering Star
    
    “…help with defence”?
    
    Help with attack, more like. It’s very difficult to cite defence in a war of choice on a target that was not an imminent threat.
    
    After all they renamed the Department of Defence the Department of War, in one of the few honest acts of this administration.
    
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    March 15, 2026 1:39pm
    - Don Beckett
      
      The original name was The Department of War. It was changed by the perpetually offended.
      
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      March 15, 2026 4:24pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      A short history lesson.
      Yes Department of war since 1789 to cover the army!!! only
      
      The Department of Defense (1949–Present)
      Named by National Security Act currently says
      
      functions of the Government relating to the national security;
      to provide a Department of Defense, including the three military
      Departments of the Army, the Navy (including naval aviation and
      the United States Marine Corps), and the Air Force.
      
      So Hegseth/Trump changing the name to Department of War is not the official name.
      Just some PR posturing from both narcisists
      
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      March 15, 2026 8:19pm
Gulag1917

Dr. McCullough Drops the Hammer in the Senate — FDA Concedes with Expanded Myocarditis Warning
Dr. Peter McCullough’s Senate Testimony Exposes the Full Scope of COVID-19 Vaccine Heart Damage and Death
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/dr-mccullough-drops-the-hammer-in
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March 15, 2026 10:30am
- MCōs
  
  My email inbox is full of American news articles every day dropping the hammer on this that and the next thing from authoritative sounding experts
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:30pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Maybe its time to block those email addresses?????
    
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    March 15, 2026 8:22pm
- Ghost
  
  And yet, your article is from 2025, so the hammer that dropped didn’t do anything
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:35pm
Gravelroad

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360951289/activists-launch-uk-wide-shoplifting-spree
Communism.
What’s yours is mine.
If you don’t give it to me, I will just take it.
And nobody will stop me.
Communism for Great Britain.
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March 15, 2026 11:35am
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Anarcho-tyranny in the UK?
  
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  March 15, 2026 11:40am
  - Paulus
    
    New Zealand not far behind in terms of what can be called Anarchy as we are seeing this in many different ways such as the Senior Public Servants going to do what they want and others such as Teachers supported in everything by the compliant so called media
    Look up the words Anarchy.
    We are seeing it more now that ever before.
    I have just completed an expose of the opening of the First World War in Europe and the roles that the media, specifically the Daily Mail, Lord Northcliffe. and his personal hate of the more right wing country (the family still own it, and it remains in it’s political ways totally) and the part they played in effectively often lying, and pushing to take Britain into the War at the time..
    The Times was a litte more middle ground.
    
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    March 15, 2026 3:25pm
Nikola Donatello

This is really bad.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/588653/more-than-2500-cases-of-steinlager-beer-recalled-for-incorrectly-being-labelled-alcohol-free

I am a recovered alcoholic. I enjoy the occasional zero alcohol beer.

This requires more than an apology.

In the USA they would be facing lawsuits from anyone who inadvertently consumed the alcohol and who suffered harm.
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March 15, 2026 11:59am
- imalwaysright
  
  You can taste the difference on the first sip.
  Lets not lose touch with reality.
  
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  March 15, 2026 12:51pm
- Jack5
  
  Aren’t “non-alcoholic” drinks those that can contain up to 0.5 per cent alcohol?
  
  You’d have to drink a helluva lot of cough mixture or “no-alcohol” kombucha to get that old glow.
  
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  March 15, 2026 2:31pm
  - Paulus
    
    For elderly health reasons I am a Steinie low Alc beer and I enjoy it regulalrly as am used to its taste – have tried others but not for me.
    
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    March 15, 2026 3:32pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Steinlager claims 0.0% ABV on their alcohol free beer.
    Light is 2.5%, regular is 5%.
    
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    March 16, 2026 2:04pm
Quail

Rugby yesterday, Crusaders v Highlanders , the vaunted southern derby!
It turned out to be a game of cards.
This is ruining viewers and fans enjoyment.
Is it the game, the players or the refereeing ?
Whatever ,the issue needs addressing!
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March 15, 2026 12:47pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Agreed; I was away and have just finished watching the replay.
  
  It was annoying to hear officials and commentators claiming that Fihaki [sic] went in upright.
  
  He was bent double and had a knee almost on the ground.
  
  The Otago player had collapsed going into the tackle. He had a knee almost on the ground and the other leg bent at the knee too.
  
  However, the Warriors game the night before was a cracker. The league is always a better watch than rugby.
  
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  March 15, 2026 1:40pm
- Gravelroad
  
  Have just been watching the first half of the Blues Moana Pasifika game.
  Right on half time. MP scored a good try -even though they had one player red carded and two other tries disallowed.
  Step forward Dalton Papalii (who evidently can moan for England) to claim that he had been illegally held back.
  Try disallowed.
  So that is common practice now? Score a try, ref blows whistle then can change mind.
  Am over this rugby tournament already.
  Too many entitled players and weak refs.
  
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  March 15, 2026 4:41pm
  - Quail
    
    GR Apparently so !
    The players can pick their coaches so why not the referee.
    
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    March 15, 2026 5:27pm
  - greybeard
    
    I have just watched the Blues vs Moana Pacifica rugby match, and feel compelled to make a few observations.
    
    1. Tana Umaga has a lot to answer for because of his inflammatory statements last week: he stirred-up both sides with the result that MP played a very confrontational game and the Blues did the same. The purpose of the match was lost because of the antipathy. Too much stupid, vicious play.
    
    2. MP players are better suited to Rugby Sevens or better still, Rugby League.
    They are not a team, they are a collection of individual players.
    
    3. Code Vai is super fast and intuitive, but he needs a clip around the ear to stop his Hollywood finishes, which sooner or later will cost (a) points and (b) games.
    
    4. Beauden Barrett is a bit of a worry: his kicking fluctuates between sublime and abysmal: his passing is also a bit slow at times which hinders his outsiders.
    
    5. If Tana Umaga IS chosen as an AB’s assistant coach it will not be a good move, and certainly not for the right reasons. His record so far this year is awful. Let us hope for the sake of the ABs it does not happen.
    
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    March 15, 2026 8:47pm
MCōs

I asked my wife what do people make of Trump in Thailand?
She said they don’t like him because he lies all the time. She watches a lot of Thai news and usually there’s not much about affairs outside Asia. Certainly nothing on Europe, but suddenly the attack on Iran has upset the applecart.
Thailand is far more dependent than NZ on imported oil. Taxis run on imported LNG.
20% of new cars are electric

She
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March 15, 2026 1:18pm
Jack5

Questions still need to be answered about the touted $3.5 billion data centre for Southland that would rival the Bluff aluminium smelter as an electricity consumer.

From Southland’s point of view is it too good to be true?

Lost in online Singapore, yesterday I took a mistaken branch in looking at ownership of the group behind the scheme.

The data centre’s a large project, and after the debacle with the far. far smaller oat industry scheme Southland needs to scrutinise it.

Behind the scheme is Datagrid NZ Ltd, owned by Datagrid Holding Group NZ Ltd, which goes on to Datagrid Holding Group General Partner Pte Ltd In Singapore.

The company’s paid up capital is $(Singapore) 2,228,400, which at the current exchange rate is about $NZ 3 million.

The directors of the company’s lead investment in NZ (Datagrid Holding Group NZ Ltd) are Perrine Dhalluin, of Auckland, and Remi Galasso, of Dubai.

Dhallium was appointed chief executive of Datagrid in NZ in late 2023. Before that she was boss of Pacific Islands telecoms firm Intelia, which has its operating base in French Polynesia.

You can read about Perrine Dhallium in the article linked to below.

It describes the Southland scheme as “Remi Galasso’s Kiwi data centre venture.”

Galasso seems to the driver of the scheme.

NZ telecoms magnate Malcolm Dick, was reported in the third article-link below as having exited the Datagrid project. Southlanders, or at least their local bodies, could subscribe to NBR to read what that was about.

Perrine Dhallium:

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/new-zealands-datagrid-appoints-perrine-dhalluin-as-ceo/

Malcom Dick left the project – NBR (needs subscription):
https://www.nbr.co.nz/nbr-rich-list/featured-rich-lister-malcolm-dick/

Remi Galasso:
https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Remi-Galasso/252233174
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March 15, 2026 1:52pm
- imalwaysright
  
  $3.5 billion data centre.
  
  Most of that will be spent on imported computer gear for which a kiwi company will get a delivery fee from the nearest port.
  
  Touting this as a $3.5 billion investment in NZ while Taiwanese hardware suppliers will get probably $3 billion of it is misleading.
  
  Where is the Commerce Commission investigating the detrimental affects on our energy supply?
  
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  March 15, 2026 2:29pm
  - kowtow
    
    We’d be better off investing in making Southland a coal energy centre .
    
    Coal to petrol . Coal for electricity . Coal to gas .And many other applications besides.
    
    King Coal .
    
    Our prosperity , capitalism and the industrial revolution ( our history and culture) rests on it.
    
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    March 15, 2026 3:07pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Correct,
      Adding load to our already stressed energy system is like telling a bleeding man that he’s just been designated as a blood donor….
      
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      March 15, 2026 5:03pm
Handyman

Some people seem to think a data centre is high tech. It is just a warehouse for servers. As far as jobs for New Zealanders, it could just as easy be full of toasters. It is a warehouse where nothing is ever delivered or dispatched, so no actual warehouse jobs.
No New Zealander will ever have access to the software on the servers. They will be employed to cut the grass and replace lightbulbs.
The data centre is a great way to export electricity. If we make profit on that then fantastic. If we sell a chuck of hydro power (at a profit) but need to make up the domestic load with expensive renewables, not so fantastic.
Always ask – cui bono?
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March 15, 2026 2:31pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Yup, completely correct.
  
  There is almost no value for NZ in providing these data centres.
  
  Once they are built they require very small skeleton staff to operate – basically changing a few server rack components when they fail.
  
  All the “brainy stuff” is loaded and programmed from far away via the internet.
  
  Basically all they do is absorb vast amounts of cut-rate electricity and generate some waste heat.
  
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  March 16, 2026 1:55pm
Albie

Will be interesting to see if the proposed data centre is water or air cooled. If it’s the former, even a closed loop system, I predict some money will need to change hands if you catch my drift.
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March 15, 2026 5:52pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  “They” own the air too, so no doubt koha is involved regardless.
  
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  March 16, 2026 1:56pm
Countrygirl

I see that the whale song treatment obviously didn’t have any effect as Waipoua forest is to be closed for 9 months to try and stop kauri dieback disease. So that’s a world first remedy that has proved a costly failure.
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March 15, 2026 7:00pm

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