About
Contact
Advertise

Facebook
Twitter

March 23, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 23 March 2026

Like this:

Like Loading…

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Comment205

Uncategorized
General Debate

Comments (205)

Login to comment or vote

Simon

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Household budgets will stretch to meet the petrol price increases. The real danger is inflation and the RBNZ raising interest rates. In a massive debtor country like NZ increasing interest rates means doom.

National’s response so far to petrol increases has of course been superficial. Willis cosplaying at a fuel depot and Bishop with some EV rubbish. National ignoring the real issue of interest rates and debt.

Gut petrol taxes right now, it means increased deficit spending, but got to get price increases in the economy down, while house hold / business spending are somewhere neutral. Instead National has all this performative garbage. And hope the war ends soon. National are breathtakingly useless. They never fail to disappoint.
9 44
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 8:03am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Let’s be real. Petrol increases have been rather superficial too.
  
  The average NZ vehicle travels around 220km/week and uses about 14litres of fuel per week.
  
  The petrol price is up 70c/litre so the cost is up about $10 week on average. That’s less than 2 coffees a week or a Lotto ticket (aka tax on people who can’t do maths).
  
  Sure, $10 is $10. But it is inconsequential compared to rates increases and such.
  
  54 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:27am
  - Michael J Baker
    
    Partly agree.
    First, we have two cars… I commute and have some leisure travel. And the wife and kids don’t have a flying carpet. So it’s more like 600km per week (at least). Using 10L per 100km, gives 60L per week. X 70c increase, is $42 per week. True, not the end of the world.
    Also, everything we consume is transported by fossil fuels (not flying carpets), so I don’t think it’s inconsequential.
    
    16 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:37am
    - Chris R
      
      Sound thinking.
      I have a further concern though. I am due to return to the North Island in late May via the Cook Strait ferry. The diesel supplies appear to be severely compromised so the question is whether or not the ferries will be operating. I return to work in Western Australia/Mauritius in late June so how sound is the avgas supply? I predict that commerce will sort this out. Iran has a lot of infra-structure to rebuild and the $$$$ from oil sales will be required with gusto hence trade will recommence in the next week or two. Who knows?
      
      12 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:22am
      - Nikola Donatello
        
        I think that you should stop worrying. BTW commercial airplanes don’t run on “avgas”. That is for small gasoline powered piston engine planes.
        
        9 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 1:56pm
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      You do know what “average” means?
      
      Of course there are going to be many people who use much more… and those who use much less…
      
      Of course the cost of transport adds up, but that’s actually also pretty low in the grand scheme of things.
      
      A 5 ton delivery truck uses around 20l of diesel/100km. At an extra 70c/litre that is an extra 14cents/km for 5 tons, or about an extra 3c/ton/km.
      
      If your 1kg box of Weetbix needs to be transported 500km by truck that’s going to add a whopping….
      
      drum roll please ….
      
      No, please, more dramatic than that……
      
      1.5 cents!
      
      And your cost of shipping a kg of stuff from China might go up a few cents too.
      
      People forget how amazingly effective, and cheap, our diesel-based transport system is.
      
      12 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:40am
      - Taieri
        
        At an extra 70c/litre
        ————
        
        But, is it just an extra 70c/litre?
        
        Waitomo station I normally buy my diesel from is charging 309.9 c/litre today. On the 5th of March the price at the same place was 150.9 c/litre. That’s 105% increase. And that’s one of the cheapest stations in the area.
        
        OK. So, maybe an increase in cost of the proverbial box of Weetbix is 3 cents instead of 1.5 cents that you quoted. But things don’t necessarily work according to the theoretical desktop analysis. Apart from the psychological aspect of such price increase there’s a very practical one as well – if a transport company weekly fuel bill goes by 100%, many operators will start thinking about the viability of their business. The margins are not all that great after all. And that applies not just to the road transport but also to sea transport, where the margins are notoriously low. The effects start to compound, logistic chains start failing, production costs raise and we, the final consumers get hit in the pocket.
        
        6 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 12:08pm
    - alwyn.a
      
      “Using 10L per 100km”.
      I would really suggest it is time to change your cars. We also have two cars. The larger is a Camry. It uses 4.7L/100km. The smaller one is a Honda Jazz. It uses 3.9L/100km. Both are hybrids (not PHEVs) and it is amazing how good that technology is, particularly around town.
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 2:13pm
    - jkt
      
      Compared to rates increases. Inconsequential, is actually a fair description.
      
      Rates increases are structural.
      Next year it will be 3% on top of previous increases ad infinitum …. And you have very options as an individual to avoid these costs. Especially if you are on low wages!
      
      So targeted assistance is the way to go.
      
      0 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 5:40pm
  - Taieri
    
    But it is inconsequential
    ————-
    
    What’s far more important is the price of diesel. It’s increase has so far been far greater than that of petrol. This will translate into increased cost of virtually everything.
    
    17 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:49am
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      Not really true.
      
      Our transport systems are astoundingly efficient and effective. We get so much transport out of a litre of diesel that the cost per item is incredibly low.
      
      Increasing the cost of diesel has an tiny impact on the cost of transporting supermarket products and such. (See above).
      
      Sure, the diesel is used in food production too (tractors, pumps,…) – which does increase the costs further, but they are still tiny compared to the other costs of products (wages, taxes etc).
      
      10 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:46am
      - jkt
        
        Yes.
        
        Clearly not the same as the Covid crisis.
        Hopefully our products are still moving into markets.
        
        People are still employed. Houses are selling.
        People are crossing the Tasman …. and oceans.
        
        Politicising this event is of course useful ….
        
        0 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 5:16pm
  - kowtow
    
    Yep , people need to look at those mugs they were all buying a few years ago , ‘Keep Calm and Carry On” and take a sip of soothing tea ,but of course we have the so called mainstream media creating and sowing fear and panic.
    
    The msm are literally a national security liability , just like during the scamdemic.
    
    We are very badly served by them.
    
    25 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:03am
    - sungsamning
      
      Yes, its time added a policy plank to defund TVNZ, and RNZ ‘news and current affairs’ programs. Its doable, and would help to solve the problem.
      
      20 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 10:49am
      - jkt
        
        Imagine when they find out that low income families who own an electric car will benefit more from targeted support!
        
        Wow! The horror!!
        
        0 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 5:51pm
    - OlderChas
      
      Agree Kowtow. The TV media are really pushing the fear mongering because they couch it in bad National government terms.
      
      16 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 12:22pm
      - Handyman
        
        If Labour was in government the media would be fostering “uniting” to “bring the country together”. We would see articles on how car pooling is bringing communities together and “rediscovering cycling for health”. There would be articles thanking the foresight of Clark and Ardern (known as Helen and Jacinda) for cycle lanes and public transport. Any negative impacts are the direct result of “Trump’s War”, which did not have UN permission.
        
        10 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 2:53pm
    - MCōs
      
      One doesn’t need to read the NZ MSM to know things ain’t quite right.
      Anyone who takes even a cursory look at X, for example, is bombarded with far wilder predictions than ever appear on our principle publications
      Even if you ignore all world events the resultant carnage doesn’t ignore you!
      
      2 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 3:28pm
  - KH
    
    Price hurts, but no fuel at all is the problem.
    When you go to the truck stop and there is no supply. And you then notice the big supermarket freight liners abandoned on the side of the road.
    Then you will know we are f****d
    
    19 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:18am
  - Wandering Star
    
    Yes, but fuel is necessary to transport everything to New Zealand, and fuel is necessary to transport everything around New Zealand. Therefore, as fuel prices climb significantly, the cost of everything transported climbs with it.
    
    Saying that it takes an extra $10 a week to take little Johnny to football practice and Jane to ballet is missing bigger the point.
    
    11 7
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:18am
    - jkt
      
      So STAR how about making the bigger point.
      
      Fuel security is the bigger point!! The price per litre is “inconsequential” as someone else explained.
      
      Basic economics. Yes the cost of every journey will increase …. that part of the Johnny story is true.
      So let’s help Johnny get to his rugby practice – by supporting his family, as per need.
      
      As long as we can get the fuel to our borders and get our products to markets. ..
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 6:36pm
  - Simon
    
    Wrong. The price increases are not just in house hold expenses. It is in just about every business. All business costs are going up. Including all of NZ’s imports. Massive price dislocation in the economy.
    
    National are focused on supply issues, the supply will never run out. Its the prices which are the crtical issue which National has direct control over the short term and hopefully this stupid war finishes soon. But inflation is baked in. National are utter clowns.
    
    5 16
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:22am
    - Stu2
      
      The supply will never run out?
      
      If the feedstocks available to the asian refineries drop massively then supply could be very constricted here. Those countries may give supply priority to themselves, rather than their ususual customers.
      
      NZ may find itself in a global bidding war with gaps in deliveries.
      
      5 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 1:32pm
    - jkt
      
      CMM is actually not wrong. 😑
      There is significant elasticity in supply. Increase the price of oil will increase production … releasing sanctions on Russian oil ….
      The inflationary push will be temporary and broadly in the order explained by CMM.
      
      Here is a lesson in politics and economics … rolled into one.
      
      2 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 7:39pm
  - wsk12345
    
    I drive a diesel approx 800 km per week. Diesel has more than doubled in price. Believe me it is consequential!!!
    
    15 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:51am
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      Are you a product of the NZ education system?
      
      6 10
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:48am
      - MCōs
        
        How are we supposed to take that?
        
        There’s a lot could be read into that very loaded comment
        
        4 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 3:33pm
  - westernScientist
    
    While that might be true for an individual, I suspect you are substantially underestimating the macro economic effect. NZ uses ~ 23.6 million L of fuel per day (across petrol, diesel, and avgas) – if we assume the reporting is correct about NZ usage, so about 8.6B L a year, an increase of $0.7 a L across the economy is ~$6 billion, so about 2.2% of our gdp is just fuel price increase for a 70c/L increase sustained for a year. From the CPI point of view, transport is ~7.3% of the basket, so an increase in fuel cost of 50% will increase the CPI by ~0.35% everything else staying the same. And thats not to include other petrochemical biproducts which will also go up in price, for example Urea has already jumped ~30%. And obviously, in a months time these numbers may double, it may well be 100% increase from last year. This is not to say the solution is what the previous government did last time fuel spiked, or even worse what it looks like the Nats are about to do, or for the RBNZ to increase interest rates, which if the CPI goes up a further 0.3% they may well. Having said that, other than trying to keep fuel flowing into the country and letting the market do its thing, i dont know there is anything that a government could do (let alone should do).
    
    3 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:52pm
- Jethrod
  
  Look out Chippie, he got another list seat point today!
  
  10 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:33am
  - pdm
    
    ?
    
    1 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:57am
- nova
  
  Gutting petrol taxes reduces the price signal for people to reduce consumption. Much better to target low income people to assist them in other ways.
  
  13 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:36am
  - wsk12345
    
    Yeah let’s give beneficiaries a bit more. Despite them. Ei g the ones that have least need to go anywhere.
    
    I hear they will help low income earners through WFF. Because it’s only people with kids that are hit by fuel prices.
    
    13 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:54am
    - westernScientist
      
      even with kids, a lot of families dont get WFF, you have to basically be a single income on less than average wage to get it. Mostly it is just people on other welfare anyway.
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 12:54pm
    - Paulus
      
      When does the Winter Warming addition to those with a Community Services Card cut in.
      
      5 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 2:38pm
      - Flossie
        
        1st May
        
        2 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 5:32pm
- Damocles11
  
  Putting everything on the credit card is now the New Zealand way. We want the government to do it, we want to do it (and by and large we do do it), and moreover we feel entitled to do it. We were given to understand that we could use our houses as ATM’s, that the cost to borrow money would always be dirt cheap, that inflation would always be low, that energy would always be plentiful, and that government borrowing and debt was largely just a matter of meaningless numbers of a screen.
  Slowly but surely, we are being disabused of all our cosy assumptions. And of course their will be howls of protest from lots of people, people who have received a rude shock, are discomforted, and are looking for someone to blame.
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 12:02pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Why is the government giving $10,000 per charger to Meridian and ChargeNet?

It’s a donation from taxpayers to shareholders, and it’s just wrong.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360954454/government-backed-investment-set-double-number-public-ev-chargers-across-country
47 2
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 8:04am
- RoboRob
  
  100% agree. There is absolutely no need for this. Plenty of chargers installed without the tax payer having to do it. This isn’t Keys broadband rollout. I think its all political so that they can claim ‘we did a big EV rollout’. There are better places to spend our money.
  
  31 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:14am
  - Drone
    
    Even if there was a need to encourage a “Charger Rollout” the electricity companies make millions of dollars profit every year, they don’t need to be subsidized. What they need is to be split up like Winston is suggesting not that he would actually push it through if he found himself in a position to do it.
    
    0 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 8:09pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  “Why is the government giving $10,000 per charger to Meridian and ChargeNet?”
  
  Because, as Willis has tried to tell you countless times, they are are “Green Blue” (??or was that Blue Green??) activists.
  
  If people tell you stuff and you don’t listen then that’s on you – not them.
  
  21 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:29am
  - Quail
    
    Another rather facetious comment. but maybe the NZ wine glut could supply some relief from the fuel crisis.
    Allegedly the German General Rommel won a battle in Egypt using as fuel in his tanks distilled red wine!
    In NZ Bio fuel was discussed and some even implemented in the past.
    Something that does not seem to have been mentioned?
    
    2 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 1:44pm
- greybeard
  
  They are zero-interest loans, not donations.
  
  12 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:58am
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    A zero interest loan IS a donation.
    
    They’re getting free interest.
    
    19 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:17am
    - NeverMindTheBollocks
      
      Yep, calculated by Chris Bishop at $10k per charger. It’s in the linked article.
      
      7 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 10:27am
    - Wandering Star
      
      It’s not a donation if you have to pay it back, regardless of whether it is interest free.
      
      6 9
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 10:28am
      - Nigel Kearney
        
        If I lend you $100 today, you have to pay it back in a year, and the market interest rate is 5%, then I have effectively given you $5. Whether you call it a donation is semantics.
        
        18 3
        Report
        March 23, 2026 11:05am
      - Wandering Star
        
        If we’re talking semantics, there is nothing in the definition of the word “loan” that necessitates interested being added to the base loan. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be.
        
        The interest payable (if any) would be a term of the loan arrangement, but if there’s an expectation to repay the principal and/or an ability for the lender to demand it, then that’s a loan, not a transfer of ownership of the $100.
        
        If you give me $100 and expect me to pay it back in a year, you’ve loaned me $100, you haven’t given it to me. It makes no difference to the status of this $100 if there is, or is not, an interest component.
        
        3 8
        Report
        March 23, 2026 11:14am
      - Paulus
        
        People owing the hundreds of millions, if not billions, IRD taxes due can avoid or do not get to actually pay them back, just go bust in a short term.
        
        5 1
        Report
        March 23, 2026 11:43am
    - Interested Party
      
      If we are being accurate with words, we should state it’s a partial donation, or a say a 5-10% discount (depending on the term of the loan)
      
      5 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:37am
  - Damocles11
    
    So zero interest for them, but not for mug taxpayers.
    
    3 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:03pm
- kowtow
  
  I hear we’re paying for some has been UK millionaire pop “star” to perform in Christchurch too.
  
  This from the govt, who claim to be the financially responsible ones and who slagged off Ardern for bringing in DJ’s during lockdown.
  
  20 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:06am
  - Graeme Hall
    
    Probably the Council, who want ratepayers to pay an extra $290million to fix a Cathedral no-one wants, a Museum with fantasy exhibits no-one believes, an old building in the Arts centre to rent at a loss, and the Provincial chambers for no purpose. All these buildings have had enormous sums spent on them and budgets blown for little effect.
    
    6 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:49am
    - MCōs
      
      Much better to bowl the cathedral and bung up a tractor factory, you think?
      Or early Stalin period apartments
      
      3 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 3:48pm
      - Graeme Hall
        
        I thought the old Cathedral building had been deconsecrated and worshippers go to the new Cathedral in Latimer Square? There is nothing special about the old stone building. These were built throughout the old British Empire to a standard pattern. If you miss it, go to Brisbane to kiss its replica. If you want to pay to repair it, then feel free to chip in, but leave me out. The ratepayers and taxpayers have done their bit and a lot more. When the budget gets blown out time & again it is time to bulldoze these wrecked old money sinks and ease parking problems in the central city.
        
        0 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 6:09pm
- R
  
  Probably to ensure that EV charging points are installed at lower use remote areas of NZ. all government support expenditure doesn’t have to be in the main population centre’s.!
  
  3 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:27am
- Inandout
  
  NM, I have observed many charging places and have yet to see one full of cars plugged in. EVs were flavour of the month during Covid and today I heard some woman on radio saying these price increases were ‘the golden times for electrics’.
  
  6 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:34am
- Burtland
  
  does the tax payer cough up for the new petrol stations ?
  no
  so why charging stations
  
  8 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 1:38pm
- [email protected]
  
  I don’t believe that Chargenet deserves the funding. Look at what they charge customers to use their chargers! At least three or four times the normal cost of electricity.
  
  Chargenet must absolutely hate Tesla owners because Teslas have such a long range that they normally do not have to charge before they get back home and can charge cheaply.
  
  1 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 6:46pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  The future is EVs, they said!
  
  Except it isn’t, because there aren’t enough of the required minerals in the ground for a global fleet (not to mention not enough for the projected billions of battery powered robots, AI-nightmare server farms and the net-zero proven road to economic ruin.) The politicians pushing these ruinous delusions of course have no skin in the game. They can wreck economies and lives then slink off to a lifetime of further grifting on other bugger’s efforts.
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 25, 2026 4:03pm
Cassandra

My retirement village has a bar, run by residents. It is very expensive // (price per drink recently raised to $3.50).

There’s a Happy Hour every Friday evening. Quite popular. It never lasts more than two hours. It has to move to the Saturday at Easter because of Good Friday. Licensing law apparently. Have you ever heard of anything so daft?
35 4
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 8:19am
- Colville
  
  $3.50 is very expensive?
  
  I paid $63 for 2 x Hazys and a 1 litre jug of lager on Saturday arvo on Ponsonby Rd….I nearly fu*king choked when she told me the prices.!!
  
  29 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:04am
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    You missed the //.
    
    22 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:30am
    - David Garrett
      
      cmm: I moan about the costs of things in thw Kingdom…and then I get here…$15 for a handle of Tiger…TOP7.50 for Steinie at the Nuku’alofa Club. .. about NZD4…but the supermarket is something else! $88 for a bag of groceries…the only “luxury ” being 600 gm of mince and two trevalley fillets on special
      
      11 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 10:25am
      - MCōs
        
        As the latest heroine of the xenophobes, Pauline, would say you can always go back whence you came.
        
        1 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 7:27pm
- pdm
  
  Cass – maybe you should `Happy Hour’ Thursday and Saturday to show how stupid this law is.
  
  14 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:12am
  - RoboRob
    
    Or just have some people over to your place (the village) for free drinks and have people leave a koha 🙂
    
    Or just do it anyway, its not like the police are going to show up and take away your liquor license….. On second thoughts that might be possible.
    
    13 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:16am
    - MCōs
      
      I can just imagine all the old buggers barricading the doors with their walkers and crates of DB Red as the fuzz try to smash their way in with their 1970s Skodas.
      https://youtu.be/zqfFrCUrEbY?feature=shared
      
      11 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 9:33am
    - Cassandra
      
      That thought has occurred to me Rob, but the company which owns the village is law abiding to a fault. If I was the king I’d exempt retirement villages from licensing laws. In my many years here I’ve never seen anyone behaving badly because of the demon drink.
      
      17 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 9:39am
      - RoboRob
        
        Yeah, I understand. I wouldn’t break the law myself. What you should do is buy a few dozen beers and have your friends to your room / unit. Party time 🙂
        
        8 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 10:18am
      - Wandering Star
        
        If you’re lucky enough to be paid a superannuation benefit by the taxpayer, then you don’t get to demand exemptions from the law of the land. You’ll do what you’re told.
        
        3 25
        Report
        March 23, 2026 10:24am
  - Cassandra
    
    I do, pdm, but at home. Even though the village bar is cheaper!
    
    11 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:33am
- imalwaysright
  
  Appoint a bar manager with dementia and turn Happy Hour into Happy Day…
  
  15 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:35am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Do feel free to drop the address into the chat … $3.50 sounds it’s in like my price range.
  
  12 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:55am
- Wandering Star
  
  Just suck it up. It’s only one Friday per year.
  
  1 16
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:20am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  Why don’t you try this and let us know how you get on.
  
  Report a red tape issue | Ministry for Regulation https://share.google/pObwqkCUINd39cYsZ
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:45am
- peterwn
  
  Licencing laws are daft anyway. For example you cannot purchase sherry or port at the supermarket because wowsers think it will encourage drunkedness and because liquor stores successfully lobbied against supermarkets selling the harder stuff.
  
  Some years ago some oldies at a retirement village got busted by the authorities for playing two-up with pennies. When it hit the news, Las Vagas gave the oldies an all expenses paid weekend at Las Vegas.
  
  14 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:49am
  - AitchW
    
    Aussie licensing laws are just as daft. Supermarkets can’t sell alcohol. Solution? Put a Bottle-O inside the Supermarket….
    
    7 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:01pm
  - Flossie
    
    I always get sherry at the supermarket.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 8:19pm
- david
  
  Touched a nerve there Cassandra.
  Of interest is the fact that the Act defines “Sale or Supply” so the rest home that gives the oldies a small glass of cask wine from a trolley on a Friday is required to hold a Licence, provide a Licensed Duty Manager, offer a range (not a choice of 2 either) of low alcohol items additional to any zero alcohol offerings, provide advice on transport home including the number of the local taxi company, offer a range of food for free or purchase (chips and nuts do not qualify). All this at their own cost with threat of personal fines of up to $20,000 held over the Duty Manager’s head a .s well as punitive treatment for the Licence Holder.
  It is plainly ridiculous and I have been part of am small group agitating for an exemption since well before the last election. Racing Clubs have an exemption as do boarding houses and B&Bs. The latter can charge for liquor but are exempted from the Act – there must have been an MP whose MIL had a BnB on the select committee.
  Interest from the current crop ?- pretty much zilch.
  Australian retirement villages are largely exempt.
  In my village we have a roster of 4 Licensed Duty Managers, drinks are all $4 (except Guinness at $8) and the “profit” which in reality is the unpaid wages of volunteer bar staff and overheads is poured back into activities, function subsidies and stuff like the village library. It’s how we keep the prices of events reasonable when the cost of caterers is hitting $80 per head and more.
  
  9 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:50am
Maggy Wassilieff

Is Christchurch really the powerhouse of the South Island?

Property capital is now the engine of South Island power. The earthquake created a window and those with capital walked through it. The result is is a concentrated ownership of the new urban landscape. Ngāi Tahu is in the ascendancy, and a meaningful counterweight to purely commercial power, accountable to a community and increasingly willing to take public positions on contested issues. The formal political system has largely abandoned the South Island:

https://www.democracyproject.org.nz/p/democracy-briefing-who-really-runs?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
15 0
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 8:21am
- Philview
  
  I think there is a fighting spirit in Christchurch that saw it bounce back from the earthquakes. It obviously hasn’t been perfect but there are other places in New Zealand that would have folded.
  
  18 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 8:48am
  - Nick R
    
    Much easier to be resilient when you get vast sums of taxpayer money thrown at you with no questions asked for stadiums, infrastructure and heaven knows what else. Christchurch got a $475 million convention centre courtesy of the taxpayer. Wellington ratepayers paid $180m for their convention centre and the Government has been bitching about since it opened.
    
    14 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:09am
    - Paulus
      
      AMI as a Christchurch Mutual got bailed out by the Government – it was owned as a Mutual by the policy holders, who should have born the bancruptcy.
      But muggins taxpayers paid it out due to incompetent management.
      
      13 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:48am
    - Burtland
      
      “Christchurch got a $475 million convention centre courtesy of the taxpayer”
      
      think it is still owned by the tax payer – the council didnt want it as its a loss maker
      
      4 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 1:48pm
      - Jack5
        
        Maggie’s question: “Is Christchurch really the powerhouse of the South Island?
        
        As the biggest city it’s the main commercial centre of the South Island.
        
        The rest of that article strikes me as pseudo-economic blather.
        
        Christchurch’s bounce-back from the earthquake is financed by international re-insurers.
        
        What comes next will be interesting.
        
        0 0
        Report
        March 23, 2026 5:18pm
- RoboRob
  
  Richard Peebles is a totally underrated player in the Christchurch market. Dedicated to the city, after a number of failures around the earthquakes he stuck with the city when he could have easily moved elsewhere. His projects make him money BUT they are also designed to make the city more vibrant. Without Peebles the city would likely be a much more boring place. Certainly his venues add more to the city then any ‘council plan’ has.
  
  We should celebrate our business leaders more. Ngai tahu is also dominates (and is clever) but in part because of huge piles of tax payer money to kick start them and rules where they get first bids on some properties.
  
  22 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 8:59am
  - Colville
    
    Ngai Tahu wisley puts profit ahead “jobs for the bros” and hires the best they can to run their portfolio irrespective of background.
    They do good work and I hope they prosper.
    
    21 6
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:06am
    - Cassandra
      
      They have also mastered the art of clipping the ticket.
      
      31 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 9:40am
      - kowtow
        
        Down south the ODT is covering a “charity” issue as follows;
        
        ‘the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), which is investigating Ōtākou Health Ltd (OHL) — the charity behind the trading name Te Kāika — regarding a number of concerns.’
        
        Not sure if any national “news” bodies will have the temerity to pick it up.
        
        17 1
        Report
        March 23, 2026 10:12am
  - Razork
    
    100%.
    Without Peebles and a few others (Carter etc) the city redevelopment of ChCh would have been left to CCC and Govt. Now we have a world class hospo district and real vibrancy to the inner city. Instead of giving gongs to sports stars, we should be honouring these guys who dug real deep into their own pockets and re-made ChCh the best city in NZ.
    
    13 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:01am
Quail

MW,
Ngai Tahu is an indigenous culture corporate that has grown ,largely because of huge taxpayer support and taxation relief.
It is still receiving many of those benefits despite having had substantial management inputs from other ethnicities ,mostly European.
It is long overdue that numerous “full and final” handouts etc were ceased and all NZ corporations were able to compete in a level playing field!
Co governance will only cement this privilege and entitlement in place.
42 1
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 8:54am
- RoboRob
  
  They are certainly very smart business people and unlike some other tribes, actually really help out the local Maori community. Really a shining example of what other IWI should be doing.
  
  However I agree, they are where they are largely to do with a huge pile of cash when they started. Then there are laws that give them extra rights above other businesses and their tax free status.
  
  32 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:12am
  - ISeeRed
    
    Can non-Maori form their own “iwi” tribal groups and commercially operate and discriminate to benefit only their own members? Asking for a friend.
    
    10 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:11pm
    - RoboRob
      
      Yup, see Sanitarium as an example.
      
      6 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 1:31pm
  - Burtland
    
    “tax free status” – the much vaunted maori economy
    
    is this another ‘forever’ gift or did the Ellis Case determine that tikanga applies to everyone so the taxpayer can take it back
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 2:02pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  To what extent is the Ngai Tahu settlement discounted to acknowledge their largely non Maori ethnicity?
  
  Or is that an inconvenient question?
  
  16 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:58am
- kowtow
  
  Five “full and finals” along with a perpetual top up clause ( thanks National) and now the constitutional coup giving water rights etc , will do that .
  
  16 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:14am
  - Burtland
    
    wasnt “full and final” re-interpreted by Sir Geoffrey and Baron Cooke of Thorndon?
    
    https://sites.google.com/view/kiwifrontline/enlightenments/ngai-tahus-tangled-web
    
    4 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 2:08pm
- NothingLeft
  
  Ngai Tahu are genetically mostly European, with a smattering of polynesian DNA (pre-colonial Maori in SI were tiny in number, and very high intermarriage with Europeans since). Their stand-out financial success amongst NZ iwi is obviously just a coincidence.
  
  10 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 2:06pm
Southern Raider

Petrol prices driving Aucklanders to public transport in record numbers not seen since 2019

Of course AT and KiwiRails response is to close the rail lines for 2 weeks in April.
29 0
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:01am
- imalwaysright
  
  If public transport is already subsidised by 80% then surely it makes sense to make it free until at least we have fuel security.
  
  6 7
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:40am
- R
  
  Another closure period, seemingly related to integrating the expensive tunnel under Albert St. WHAT is the real problem here, I understood that the new railway was due to open about last October. But continual delays and shutdowns are all we have had so far. QUESTIONS!
  
  9 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:32am
  - peterwn
    
    They and the regulatory authorities do not want to short change on thorough commissioning. They want to ensure things run smoothly when it opens to the public. Any opening failures could cause serious inconvenience to travelers and be a safety hazard (eg overcrowding in stations). Crossrail in London was seriously delayed because testing and commissioning implications were not fully recognised early on.
    Similar situation in Melbourne where a new CBD underground line and other major extensions are being commissioned.
    
    7 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:57am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  No it isn’t really the cost of fuel that is driving people to do this. It is the perception of the cost.
  
  Public transport only “works” because of the massive subsidies that force it to “work”. Over 80% of the cost of public transport is carried by the tax/rate payers.
  
  That $1.50 ticket really costs $8.
  
  16 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:36am
  - kowtow
    
    The cost of importing the drivers is also huge.
    
    7 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:27am
  - Taieri
    
    Over 80% of the cost of public transport is carried by the tax/rate payers
    ————–
    
    Public transport is a public good. It is available to everyone and for quite a number of the said tax/rate payers it’s the only means of getting from A to B. You could say that comparatively few people use it, but the same applies to sport grounds, parks, libraries and yes, many footpaths. Does it mean that we should charge their users a full cost of these amenities?
    
    1 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:41am
    - keepcalmcarryon
      
      It’s not available to rural people.
      
      6 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 12:36pm
  - MCōs
    
    Kids pay $1.50 in Chch plus people with a CSC.
    Otherwise it’s $3
    I wonder how much of that three bucks is gobbled up by admin?
    
    4 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:48am
  - Handyman
    
    The 80% is the operational cost. If you factor in the capital cost of the tunnel etc (as you should) it comes out to about 95% subsidy.
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 3:33pm
- Ehlana
  
  Rail closures every time I actually have time to use the network annoy me too, but the April ones have been planned for some time. From memory they are now testing new routes and schedules that include the CRL. The sooner they get that done, the sooner we get the benefits of this massive investment. And hopefully fewer closures going forward.
  
  8 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:44am
- Handyman
  
  The ironically named Huia train should be stopped immediately and the diesel allocated to supermarket food delivery trucks. The passengers can easily be accommodated on existing buses from Hamilton to Auckland.
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 3:37pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Make the Huia extinct (again)!
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 7:57pm
RoboRob

Are the government foolish to be suggesting they will step in and help out around the fuel crisis?

I feel this could be a huge mistake becuase
a) They will be accused of being too slow. People are already asking ‘when’ and ‘why not now’.
b) Whatever help they do provide will not be considered enough
c) Whatever ‘help’ they provide will put us even further into the red.
24 2
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:04am
- imalwaysright
  
  Luxon was on tv1 this morning promising aid packages within a couple of weeks.
  
  Will he adopt the Ardern model and kick it off with a billion dollar initial payment for the ‘Maori response’?
  
  21 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:20am
  - Souvlaki
    
    Frankly….I wouldn’t put it past him doing that 😠
    
    16 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:56am
  - pdm
    
    Well he thinks the Treaty is a partnership so why wouldn’t he.
    
    Seymour will be the only one who will try and stop him.
    
    16 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:07pm
  - Dougal10
    
    I have only just finished using some of my cheap ruc on various hubodometers purchased under ardern , bring it on and i can stock up again .
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:24pm
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  It’s going to be a bunch of feelz-based bullshit that panders to the feelings people are expressing on social media. It won’t be based on reality.
  
  And nor is it going to be a vote winner either…
  
  15 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:09am
- Ghost
  
  The help is for those who get working for families, so a lot of people are going to feel ignored
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:40am
  - Ehlana
    
    I think the target is working people on low incomes, possibly using Working for Families and the Independent Earner Tax Credit to deliver additional cash to them.
    If workers don’t get to work, there’s no pay to tax to fund health, education and benefits and nothing on the shelves to buy with the benefit money anyway.
    
    5 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:46am
  - RoboRob
    
    OMG I really hope the ‘help’ isn’t in the form of increased benefits or cash payouts. The government should focus on ensuring supply and building confidence, not handouts.
    
    13 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:53am
    - Ghost
      
      https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360953417/hang-help-way-government-signals-fuel-relief-package
      
      2 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:01am
      - RoboRob
        
        Yeah, so exactly what I feared. Lucky we elected Labour lite to lead us. Lucky for those with children, they will get a few extra dollars, while those without kids will feel ‘real happy’. But at least National plans to manage their handouts better then Labour managed its.
        
        NZ gets to go into debt even further so that National can get back into power.
        
        13 1
        Report
        March 23, 2026 11:26am
- peterwn
  
  Opposition and media would just love to create panic which in aggregate would be counter-productive. That is why the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ campaign was planned and material printed in UK during WW2. The campaign was never implemented because Churchill, the Queen (ie the late Queen Mother) and many others kept morale up.
  
  9 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:02am
RoboRob

Butter

I see the US butter brand is significantly cheaper then the NZ butters. I thought we were paying the ‘world price’ or is it that the US butter is a significantly worse product? Could not Fontera put out a budget butter in that case?
18 1
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:07am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  US butter is massively subsidised by the US taxpayer.
  
  Oh, and it is shit feedlot butter, but that’s a different matter…
  
  18 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:33am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Isn’t that dumping?
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 9:59am
    - Dudley Quaffquaff
      
      Yes, but the US no longer considers itself bound by any of its international commitments or obligations
      
      6 5
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 10:47am
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      It’s as old as the hills and pretty much everyone that subsidises does this.
      
      It is cheaper to buy Danish cheese in New Zealand than NZ cheese.
      It is cheaper to buy Canadian pork products.
      etc etc…
      Only because of subsidies.
      
      11 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:51am
      - kowtow
        
        Local tomatoes are a horrendous price , compared to imported Italian canned stuff . Which no doubt are cheap cos the Gerries subsidise the Eyetie farmer.
        
        Talking of international prices , cop this for meat in USA.Much cheaper than here.
        
        https://nypost.com/2026/02/18/lifestyle/most-least-expensive-grocery-stores-revealed-new-study/
        
        3 1
        Report
        March 23, 2026 12:40pm
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    So is ours, remember the power companies we used to own that got turned in to dairy irrigation?
    I’m hoping we get some quality other dairy imports now like foreign cheese and so on since Fonterra doesn’t give a f$&k about their home country and sold off their already deliberately limited dairy brands here.
    Fonterras legislated monopoly status (Labour) came with social contracts to balance their market distortion. Selling their brands as they have, voids the social contract. F$&k them and their nitrates.
    Import away.
    
    7 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:31am
    - Burtland
      
      seems the social contract was to make fresh water undrinkable and unswimable
      
      1 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 2:14pm
- sungsamning
  
  Which supermarket chain sells it? I haven’t seen any in Christchurch.
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:58am
  - Graeme Hall
    
    We have bought it at Woolworths Eastgate.
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 4:18pm
- wsk12345
  
  Much worse product. None of the benefits of grass fed dairy such as omega 3s.
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:17am
  - Hard Cheese
    
    Butter is a very poor source of omega 3’s, you’d have to be eating blocks of butter whole to get any sort of meaningful amount.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 3:00pm
- waripori
  
  Have you tried it? Almost white with a texture like plastic.
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:37am
I remember when

Too expensive to smile: Calls grow for universal, Te Tiriti-consistent dental care: RNZ.
“Our tipuna Maori didn’t have cavities, they didn’t have massive oral health problems.”
ActionStationand Dental for All advocate Jasmine Taankink.
She said solutions must be grounded in Maori led approaches….

What she didn’t say was –
From around 1500 onwards, high dependence on fern roots as staple food resulted in significant wear and grinding down of Maori teeth.
13 0
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:13am
- Flossie
  
  Is there any factual evidence to back up her claim of no dental problems?
  
  11 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:58am
- Inandout
  
  Irw, it was discovered (when Maori bones were allowed to be checked) that most didn’t live beyond mid 30s and had rotten teeth.
  
  8 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:43am
  - Damocles11
    
    If you got to live into your mid 30’s you would well and truly be the fortunate exception.
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:37pm
- Paulus
  
  In 1840 I wonder how many of the signatories actually had any teeth as within their diets, as we are told, their teeth would be worn out and with tough boiled enemies.
  
  8 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:54am
- MCōs
  
  Michael King’s History of NZ, which I once read and still possess a copy, claims, as I recall, that tooth decay was contributing factor to early deaths among pre colonial Maori.
  It may have been bad everywhere in the world in those days for all I know.
  Next time your dentist insists you get some ultra expensive treatment ask if the alternative is a slow and excruciating death?
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 12:38pm
  - MCōs
    
    That is contradicted by this
    https://teara.govt.nz/en/dental-care/page-1#:~:text=The%20main%20oral%2Dhealth%20problem,’
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:44pm
- BeaB
  
  Māori ate food that was fibrous, gritty and tough. Because they never thought of making a cooking pot, cooking methods did not include softening food by boiling or stewing. Evidence from Kaikoura in the 80’s showed Māori died young with worn-down teeth, toothache and arthritis. Nasty, brutish and short!
  Let’s not fall for propaganda about halcyon days that never existed. Māori should be proud they survived constant warfare, hunger, cold, slavery and cannibalism and were ready to make the most of the new world post-Treaty.
  
  7 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 2:41pm
Ian Boag

Interesting comment from an article in The Economist about how it all takes a while to get the oil flow back to what it was …

Even if Donald Trump and Iran reached a deal to stop fighting tomorrow, it would thus be another four months before markets regained some semblance of normality.

It’s all backed up with some pretty reasonable logic related to how long it takes to start up oilfields and LNG plants and stuff. Plus the tankers (aside from the ones stranded in the Gulf) are not where they need to be. Plus no insurer will look at tankers in the Strait etc etc. Plus ….

“Seven weeks supply” at today’s rate of use (asuming all the “on the water” stuff actually gets here) does not look all that flash …..
15 5
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:26am
- Cassandra
  
  NZ’s contingency planning is woeful. We have almost no strategic reserves of anything.
  
  15 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 9:43am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Incoming Tui billboard alert
    
    “She’ll be right. It’s on the water”
    
    12 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:00am
  - R
    
    But but!….. we do have a very generous raft of WELFARE ENTITLEMENTS.
    
    10 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:11am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Yes, these crises should be automatically managed by the Public Service and associate services such as the military and civil defence.
    
    Now we seem to rely on Cabinet meetings where 20 people sit around and work out how they can benefit politically.
    
    9 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 10:16am
    - Paulus
      
      And you would trust the Public Service to handle properly along with their media colleagues ?
      
      6 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 11:56am
      - imalwaysright
        
        I agree with you Paulus, but sometimes making a point requires the assumptions of idealism.
        The last thing I would trust would be a public servant.
        
        2 1
        Report
        March 23, 2026 12:14pm
  - kowtow
    
    Planning!
    
    We were always exhorted to complete our census returns , cos it helped “planning” for the future.
    
    Now the country can’t even do a census .
    
    How’s that ‘planning’ working out for anyone.
    
    10 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:37am
- Inandout
  
  IB, oil doesn’t degrade like some products. Good eh?
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:45am
Boy Geoff

Granted I’m no expert, but is flashing a selfie of your brand new moko all over various social media sites with the purpose of garnering likes, the correct way of according the rightful mana to such a taonga…?
16 2
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:41am
- Flossie
  
  I find it quite interesting that anyone not of Maori descent getting moko is called out for cultural appropriation, whereas people with such decorations on their face have no issue with dyed hair and painted nails and other artifical enhancements. And playing guitars!
  
  25 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:00am
  - Paulus
    
    Are you suggesting that there are actually any so called Maori as none have existed since about 1960.
    I see many more young women with the scribble to which they should not under Taikanga be allowed.
    Look at the children doing Kapa Haka competitions – they are all painted, but I always assume that to have a Moko you must be of Kuia (Grandmother) status.
    How long before a secondary school child gets one and all hell lets loose.
    
    11 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:03pm
    - pdm
      
      Paulus in the old days – 50’s and 60’s and before mokos had to be earned.
      
      Now they are a dime a dozen and most are not worth a tin of xxxt.
      
      10 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 12:13pm
Wayne L Sexton

How can the Government claim we had 49 days of fuel on Monday the 16th and still have 49 days on Sunday the 22nd? No new ships were added to the offshore supply this week, so are we expected to believe New Zealand consumed zero fuel over the last seven days?

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/590314/watch-seven-weeks-worth-of-fuel-stocks-in-nz-finance-minister-nicola-willis
4 5
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 9:54am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Maybe the fuel usage rate has gone down which would make the reserves last longer.
  
  Illustration:
  
  Let’s say we have 500 units of fuel (whatever those units are) and are using 20 units a week. That’s 25 weeks left.
  
  However a week later everyone has tightened their belts and have only used 10 units. We have 490 units left and can go 49 weeks.
  
  No extra fuel arrived, but we can last longer.
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:56am
  - Paulus
    
    I have a full tank and will actually control the usage of my car in the duration.
    
    8 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:04pm
cmm (semi-retired edition)

Is petrol to take your kids to school going to be the next “period poverty”?

“Across social media, parents are venting and asking for help as they rethink the daily school run.”

Some have bought e-bikes!

The median distance to school in NZ is 3.7km which is walking distance, but let’s assume you use the car anyway…. Let’s be very generous and round that up to 10km per day or 50km/week (ignoring holidays, teachers’ days etc etc).

The average family car in NZ uses about 7l/100km, so that 50km/week is 3.5l/week on school runs.

The petrol price is up about 70c/litre. So that’s an extra $2.50 a week for school run fuel.

Yes folk, people are losing their minds and buying e-bikes over $2.50 a week. Less than 2 cups of coffee a month or 1 Big Mac a month!

It is times like these that shit education really shows itself.

Why people would “need” e-bikes for a 3.7km trip is beyond me.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360954529/has-cost-fuel-affected-how-you-get-your-kids-school
26 1
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 10:07am
- Southern Raider
  
  E Bike $5,000 each but can’t afford extra $20 per week for gas.
  
  Also comes down to priority. I bet those saying can’t get kids to school also still driving around long distances over the weekend to visit friends and family.
  
  Live always comes down to priorities, but some just want everything and for the State to pay
  
  18 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 10:13am
- Local Miller
  
  While I agree with your logic around the real increase cost of getting kids to school, I must challenge your claim that 3.7km is walking distance to school. It takes 40 – 50 minutes to walk that distance, and that’s for an adult walking normally. I’d not expect kids to walk that far every morning and evening although it would do them a lot of good. I would expect more kids to cycle to school at that distance, which would only take about 15 minutes.
  
  13 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:11am
  - kowtow
    
    When I were a young lad……..
    
    3 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 11:40am
    - MCōs
      
      I walked a mile to school from day one in Timaru in bare feet and shorts with snow up to my knees from our shoe box in middle of road and was flailed alive by the priests if we got a lift from a sympathetic Protestant
      
      12 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 12:56pm
      - Boy Geoff
        
        Absolute luxury!
        
        3 1
        Report
        March 23, 2026 2:00pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Certainly biking would be easier. And there are buses etc etc.
    
    Yes, 3.7km would be pushing it for walking distance, especially with the hand out culture we have built, but it is very possible. I walked about 1.5km to catch the bus at 7 for an hour long ride to school and thought nothing of it.
    
    9 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:01pm
    - RoboRob
      
      One of my sons walked 2.5k to and from school each day. Now he walks to uni, about the same distance. The other bikes. Both quite enjoy it and never complain. One owns a car.
      
      8 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 1:37pm
  - pdm
    
    I used to walk about a mile to school when I first started in 1952 and there were a few kids further down the road who walked too.
    
    Metal road, ditches on both sides but not uphill both ways – flat all of the way in fact.
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:16pm
  - Ghost
    
    Walked just a little bit further than that each way to high school and intermediate. Even when we had our bikes we would walk so we could talk. Only time we rode them was if it was raining or we were running late. There was a bus, some took it, most walked and rode their bikes.
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 12:29pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Biking round town is a bit of a mission these days. Just for the record – I am 80 and ride an ebike around town. When I was at intermediate and high school I rode a bike right across Hastings – about 3+ km. So what … that was then …. and all that.
      
      And you can buy a used ebike off TradeMe for a few hundred dollars . Have a look …
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 7:48pm
- Paulus
  
  Little Chippy would know all the answers remember.
  
  9 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 12:06pm
- Boy Geoff
  
  Petrol poverty should be rejoiced by the opposition parties – especially the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and Te Pati Maori.
  
  Do they not say that fossil fuels are evil and no one should be using them? The Iran War is the perfect opportunity to put this into practice.
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 1:59pm
- [email protected]
  
  I used to walk to school and it was a long way to school. At my current age of 78 I wish I was able to recall how far it was and how long it took.
  
  Also participated in track and cross country which was always the last thing you did at school. By the time you finished and got showered and dressed the last bus home would have been long gone. So after a long run you got to walk home.
  
  1 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 6:34pm
sungsamning

President Donald Trump scores a checkmate against Democrats by announcing that he will deploy ICE Agents to supplement TSA and airport security, effectively overriding the damage caused by Democrats’ DHS Shutdown over immigration and ICE arrest protests. [But wait, there’s more! Elon Musk had offered to cover the TSA agents salaries. Dems lose again. Is this instance 958, or 959? I’ve lost count.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP7yEnizkxc
Panicked Democrats RETREAT on TSA Shutdown as Trump Scores ‘CHECKMATE’ by Sending ICE to Airports!
8 5
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 10:46am
- Wandering Star
  
  Trump’s signature mass deportation policy, one of the main policies voters turned out for in 2016, 2020, and 2024 is all but finished (although it was never sufficient to address the scale of the problem):
  
  https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-told-inner-circle-some-mass-deportation-policies-went-too-far-01518550
  
  Paywalled, so I include some key excerpts:
  
  “President Trump is seeking to lower the profile of his mass deportation effort, and has directed his top advisers to adopt a new approach on one of his central campaign promises, according to people familiar with the matter.
  
  In conversations with top advisers and his wife Melania, Trump has become convinced that some of his administration’s deportation policies have gone too far, and voters don’t like the term “mass deportation.” The president has told them he wants to see more attention on arresting “bad guys” and less chaos in American cities, according to people familiar with the matter.
  
  The desire for an immigration reset is being driven in part by Trump’s White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who believes the president’s immigration team has turned one of his marquee issues into more of a challenging issue ahead of the midterms, the people said. As a result, the administration is attempting to change not only how it talks about the issue—but also what actual enforcement looks like on the ground.”
  
  “The shift in tone is alarming some of the president’s closest outside immigration allies, who spent years preparing for a second Trump term in which they hoped he would enact the widespread deportation campaign they have long advocated for.
  
  “Republicans need to turn out their base for the midterms, and not talking about President Trump’s promises, his signature campaign promise, is not the way to turn them out,” said Rosemary Jenks, co-founder of the Immigration Accountability Project, a conservative immigration group.”
  
  2 10
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:02am
  - sungsamning
    
    Yeah, I saw that elsewhere. They’ll just have to use the softly, softly routine.
    
    1 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 3:10pm
- Inandout
  
  sun, saw that on another show where the host was at an airport with queues a mile long, The TSA guy was esctatic that Musk was bankrollong their salaries. Don’t expect the MSM to report this factually, if at all.
  
  6 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:50am
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, between Musk and Trump its another defeat for the Dems.
    
    4 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 3:11pm
sungsamning

The Merabi Professional Medical Plaza, a 32,000-square-foot, stucco and glass building in the Van Nuys neighborhood of the LA’s San Fernando Valley is reportedly the home to 89 licensed hospice companies.
Sheila Clark, a patient advocate working to expose fraud in the hospice industry, called the building a “ground zero” example of the financial exploitation of taxpayer-funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid. [In a nod to ‘diversity’; not all the perps are from Somalia. Most however will be Democrats. Its time for the RICO act to come into play. The same applies to every case of election malpractice. RICO investigations will likely uncover a lot of further instances. ]
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/03/20/fraud-report-89-hospice-companies-located-in-los-angeles-office-building/
Fraud Report: 89 Hospice Companies Located in Los Angeles Office Building.
10 1
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 10:47am
Sparrow

Question: What’s the only one difference between Xi, Putin and Trump?
2 3
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 10:54am
- Jimbo666
  
  Trump speaks English?
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:57am
  - Wandering Star
    
    That’s arguable on some occasions.
    
    6 7
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 1:19pm
  - Paulus
    
    Well sort of but his Mother was from the Shetland Islands where they speak Scottish/English, sort of if you can understand them.
    
    2 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 2:50pm
    - Jack5
      
      In case Maggie W’s not reading Kiwiblog today …
      
      President Trump’s mother, née Mary Anne MacLeod, was born a native Gaelic speaker in Tong, a fishing and crofting village near Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 2:59pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Trump’s mother from Lewis —in the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles. (about 400km south of Shetland Islands)
      
      2 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 3:01pm
- Wandering Star
  
  Xi and Putin are competent, but Trump is not?
  
  4 14
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 11:59am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    Putin competent? He’s pretty good at bumping off political rivals and dissidents, but his Ukraine war must be among the worst organized invasions in history.
    
    8 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 1:26pm
- Taieri
  
  Answer: Xi hasn’t started any wars yet.
  
  10 5
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 12:18pm
  - Wandering Star
    
    If you listened to some of the war hawks pushing for higher military spending on KB, you’d think that Xi was running amok with the Chinese military, rather than some of our allies doing so.
    
    1 7
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 1:23pm
- Notsofast
  
  Trump can be voted out.
  
  3 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 2:09pm
  - MCōs
    
    No he can’t anymore except via the impeachment process, won’t happen if his lackeys control congress
    
    4 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 3:59pm
    - Ghost
      
      If he is still alive, he will be impeached after the midterms. We will have to wait and see how badly his behavior has cost the republicans to see if they lose enough seats for much to happen.
      
      3 5
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      March 23, 2026 4:14pm
- RdM
  
  Question: What’s the only one difference between Xi, Putin and Trump?
  
  They’re all playing different instruments?
  
  https://imgbox.com/FUmIhtAF
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 24, 2026 1:18am
Yvette

I was going to respond to Cassandra, but have lost my place, but it was about Ngai Tahu “clipping the ticket”, so …

Article 3
To be a British subjects …

How does that turn into a Constant Sun Is Still Setting Clause: that if any iwi gets a settlement proportionately better than ours, we get a top up ?
(- and never working the negative value settlement route)

And also, if you have read thus far, since settlements with a clause now preserving or admitting ‘sovereignty’ are declined, does that mean all settlements to date have no sense of sovereignty involved?
OK: Tainui/Waikato River / Crown trust – but real sovereignty?
5 0
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 12:32pm
Damocles11

‘Iran has threatened to destroy energy sites across the Middle East after Donald Trump gave the regime 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran said it would target energy and oil infrastructure, with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian Parliament’s speaker, warning that oil prices would “rise for a long time” as a result.’
3 3
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 12:40pm
- [email protected]
  
  Good for EV and solar panel companies.
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 6:20pm
- Ian Boag
  
  To repeat myself – I have seen a pretty credible analysis of how if the strait opened tomorrow, things would be back to normal in about four months. Price will be the least of our problems. Supply ….
  
  0 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 7:52pm
Gravelroad

Here is my TV moan-up for the day:
The Breakdown – who watches it?
For those unfamiliar, it is a talkfest about weekend rugby games.
Its got a bit cosy with past rugby professionals, who all know each other, eulogising their former teams and pushing their current favourite players to be picked for higher honours.
Lots of giggling and “in jokes” with the host interrupting and shrieking throughout.
Any original point to the programme now long gone.
Turned it off.
Not watching again.
8 5
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 1:10pm
- JackRabbit
  
  What’s TV?
  
  3 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 3:25pm
  - [email protected]
    
    You are so right! They don’t call it “The Boob Tube” for no reason.
    
    We turned our TV off 11 years ago. Think about the hundreds or thousands of commercials we’ve missed.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    March 23, 2026 6:18pm
Jack5

Why Australia is richer than NZ …

We ignore our resources – coal and coal-seam gas – and Ardern killed exploration for oil and natural gas. Meanwhile …

Australian coal miners boom as the LNG shortage in Asia drives up demand for coal. High prices have built on potential supply cuts from Indonesia, the world’s largest coal exporter (Australia is the second largest).

LNG prices have doubled because of the war, and Australia is the world’s second biggest exporter of LNG. It produces LNG mainly from natural gas, but also from coal-seam gas in Queensland.

The South China Morning Post reports the LNG price and shortage is causing Asian nations to lift coal-fired generation. South Korea plans to remove ceilings on coal-fired electricity as well as increase nuclear generation. Thailand is increasing generation at its largest to coal plant to preserve LNG.

If LNG gets too dear, switch to coal. Australia’s got buyers by both testicles.

New Zealand has ignored its own large coal deposits while importing Indonesian coal to generate electricity.

Indonesia last year announced it would reduce its coal output from 790 million tonns in 2025 to 600 million tons this. Whether high prices because of the Persian Gulf crisis change this target remains to be seen.

Genesis Energy last year contracted BT Mining to supply 240,000 tonnes of Waikato coal to the Huntly Power Station, diversifying its fuel supply. NZ has been importing about a million tonnes of coal a year from Indonesia to fuel the station.
8 0
Log in to Reply
Report
March 23, 2026 2:53pm
- kowtow
  
  Our great financial managers ,aka National , think importing LNG is the answer .
  
  Nope.
  
  The answer as you point out is under our feet .
  
  Masses of coal. Can be used to power our electricity stations , converted to fertiliser and fuel .And so many other uses .
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 4:55pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  My highly qualified investment adviser cautioned me about buying Yancoal at AUD4.58. How will you sell them. Nobody wants coal mining shares these days, what with global warming and all that. They closed today at AUD8.62.
  My highly qualified investment adviser questioned my suggestion to sell Vista at around $2.60 in early January. Okay, sell half of them, I said. They closed at $1.70 today.
  I have no qualifications as an investment adviser, even though my first share purchase incurred brokerage of 2.5% in June 1967.
  
  3 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  March 23, 2026 7:43pm

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Login to comment or vote

« A good submission to the Medical Council

Tragic death of Iranian school girls »

Donations

You can now donate to Kiwiblog

Exclusive content from DPF on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Never miss a post

Email Address

Join 13K other subscribers

Highlights

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

Links

Parliament fails to defend transparency
No Right Turn
"The principal view of human laws is, or ought always to be, to explain, protect, and enforce such rights as are absolute, which in themselves are few and simple."
Not PC
Word of the day
Hompaddock
The response to Budget 2026 has been unusually muted
Point of Order
You know what “does not pass the sniff test”? Labour’s incremental response to blatant corruption – this is why they plunged 7.5%
The Daily Blog
When is a Free Speech Union not a Free Speech Union?
The Standard
We Are a Country That Decided Housing Was The Economy
No Minister
My Opening Statement for the UATX Caplan-Jones Immigration Rematch
Utopia
Playing with numbers.
Kiwipolitico
Another non-tariff barrier
Offsetting Behaviour
Rugby Premiership Predictions for Round 18
Stats Chat
Budget 2026
NZCPR
UK Conversion Therapy Ban, Digital ID, Rallies, Elections
Bob McCoskrie's McBlog
A central banker’s fiction
Croaking Cassandra
THE WORKING FROM HOME RACKET BY PUBLIC SERVANTS
No Punches Pulled (Bob Jones)
Tory Whanau may have to sell Wellington mayoralty to make ends meet
The Civilian
The Accidental Engagement
Imperator Fish
Legal Beagle: Election '23: The Special Votes
Public Address
Get Vaccinated Tomorrow Or Shut Your Pie Hole
Cactus Kate
Making this movie might have been a mistake
Liam Hehir
Why I am retiring from political blogging
Kiwi FireWalker

[email protected]

PO Box 12270, Thorndon, Wellington 6144

Facebook
Twitter
FourSquare
Instagram
LinkedIn
Google+

Archives
Disclosure Statement
Editorial Policy
Privacy Policy
Complaints Policy
Comments Policy

Design by cre8d

%d

Share this:

Like this: