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April 15, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 15 April 2026

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General Debate

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Ghost

Good

The Government is weighing changes to the Broadcasting Standards Authority, with Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith signalling disestablishment is currently his preferred option.

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April 15, 2026 8:01am
- Cassandra
  
  This is about like Labour’s CGT, pathetic. How about a real clean out? HRC, ethnics, language, gender. Then the universities – if people want to study rubbish than they can pay,for it.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:07am
- pdm
  
  Goldsmith is not the fastest mover so it could take a few months or more.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:15am
- RoboRob
  
  Slow.
  
  Eight months and still no decision.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:46am
- Positan
  
  On past performance, the expecting of Goldsmith to make any decision would be noteworthy in itself.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:49am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  At this stage it looks like the old case of “being seen to be doing something” rather than actually doing it.
  
  But that should be what we expect from MPs who typically prefer to “address” the question rather than answer it.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:01am
- lastmanstanding
  
  As I have posted before I dont why we are going through the charade of having a general election. We could save the cost by just doing the obvious and asking Winston who he is going to anoint. The rest is just theatre. A great big waste of time and a big yawn. Oh the joys of MMP when you have one Party who can control who is Government. And remember this aint a one off that can be excused. Winston has decided the majority of elections since 1996 30 years ago.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:06am
  - NothingLeft
    
    ‘Democracy’, NZ style, decided by a few easily swayed boomers angry at spineless namby-pamby National and with failing mental faculties unable to still remember all the great bauble fondling charlatan’s past betrayals.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:33am
    - Flossie
      
      Anything else boomers can be blamed for?
      And there’s nothing wrong with my memory.
      
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      April 15, 2026 11:05am
      - pdm
        
        This Boomers memory is ok too Flossie because I passed the medical for my 80 year old driving licence, no sweat, last week.
        
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        April 15, 2026 12:01pm
      - Flossie
        
        Congratulations pdm!
        
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        April 15, 2026 12:07pm
    - Grumpy Silver Top
      
      The boomers (who are only in their early 70s, mark you) were those who built our infrastructure (roads, electricity reticulation, gas and oil pipelines, modern comms and more that I won’t list here) and grew up with Fortran and Cobol in early computers. They have lived and worked with them all their lives. It’s the over eighties age group who are shut out and rely on mainstream, so called, news.
      
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      April 15, 2026 11:18am
      - Flossie
        
        There is also a group of boomers not yet eligible to collect the pension and I guess still employed. I hope they have enough marbles still working to be doing that properly.
        
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        April 15, 2026 11:54am
      - R
        
        Grumpy, I think that you mean the ‘Blue Rinse’ brigade.
        
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        April 15, 2026 12:11pm
      - Flossie
        
        As I have commented several times over the years, I haven’t seen a blue rinse since my Nana died in 1984.
        
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        April 15, 2026 12:45pm
      - Nūhaka Native
        
        The inaccuracy over the actual date for the divide between Boomers and Gen X is one of my pet peeves. Douglas Coupland, who wrote the bestseller ‘Generation X’ and thereby popularised the term, said about the book: “I just want to show society what people born after 1960 think about things… We’re sick of stupid labels, we’re sick of being marginalised in lousy jobs, and we’re tired of hearing about ourselves from others”. Coupland himself was born in 1961. So, the first ‘Gen Xers’ have just reached state pension age. I’m not too far off. I also still have all my marbles.
        
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        April 15, 2026 2:04pm
      - Flossie
        
        Nūhaka Native – I think you are wrong. A Baby Boomer is a person born between the end of WWII and 1964.
        
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        April 15, 2026 3:33pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      A tribute to boomers.
      born 1946-1964.
      
      Were brought up in the age of personal responsibility. Ie before the Government started taking over and making a gazillion rules and handing out dosh to those with shall we say a weaker character.
      
      Boomers enjoyed freedom of speech and opinion. The then media were generally unbiased conservative and fact based. “Truth” newspaper being for those with a more salacious appetite.
      
      Sadly the more modern alphabet groups Gen X,Y etce have been indoctrinated by the education system and Governments to be safe and dont do anthing that Nany state can do for you. That includes the personsal responisbility and the ability to apply rational thought to topics under general discusssion.
      
      The post Boomer generation are all about Feelz. Hence the PPPP.
      This is apparent in KB comments where emotions rule the wave as rational thought is pooh poohed
      
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      April 15, 2026 4:36pm
- imalwaysright
  
  ‘(Goldsmith) suggested moving to a model similar to the Media Council could be a simpler approach.’- article
  
  So ,rather to get into a Court battle that they would probably lose, they will instead reinvent the BSA with all of the necessary legislation in place.
  
  We are probably better off keeping the relatively toothless BSA than we would be with the new CSA, (Communications Standards Authority), that could have powers to govern individual posters such as us and Kiwiblog.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:08am
  - Inandout
    
    ima, so easy to re-employ these BSA seat warmers in the new CSA. Goldsmith won’t simply close the BSA, he will rename it. Never trust a politician..ever.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:51am
- Paulus
  
  Just bloody do it !
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:36am
- rouppe
  
  Would this be like them looking at removing all references to Treaty principles from legislation, only to do absolutely nothing?
  
  Goldsmith is over that too…
  
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  April 15, 2026 11:12am
- Notsofast
  
  Exploring the idea Tikanga is Mumbojumbo would expose the pervasive rot in the Waitangi Tribunal, the judiciary, and the public service generally.
  In some ways that might have helped, but deeply satisfying to see the liberal west female dominated BSA (10 of 14) commit harikari.
  They are provably the new wave misogynists.
  They hate the women’s rights party, ask Jill Ovens.
  Annual meeting Sunday for those interested.
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:47pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  “Kiwis have endless choice in what they watch, read, and listen to. If you don’t like something, you switch it off. We don’t need a taxpayer-funded taste police trying to control online content.
  
  https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2604/S00076/enough-talk-and-delay-scrap-the-bsa-now.htm
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:02pm
- Beach Haven expat
  
  Anyone want to put money on Goldsmith seeing this through, as opposed to him just hoping to ride out the bumpiness until the election and then we have a re-shuffle/claim there’s no mandate?
  He had months to tell the BSA there was not room for them to landgrab but he stuck his head in the sand and, even in the first days of the latest development, tried to duck it. It’s only now he’s gone from the Government deciding if and what changes are needed to abolition? YeahNah
  
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  April 17, 2026 12:39am
Cassandra

John Clauser was one of the co-winners of the Nobel Prize in physics in 2022. He has spent much of his time since then analysing climate statistics. He recently addressed a conference attended by the Manhattan Contrarian who has published a summary on his blog.

Clauser titled his talk “Global warming, climate change, and scientific consensus have not been proven. There is no proven climate crisis.”

Good enough for me.
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April 15, 2026 8:04am
- JackRabbit
  
  More importantly, he presents logic with his summaries. And even more importantly, his logic is based on understanding how the planet works to regulate temperature, i.e. “nature’s thermostat”.
  
  The marketing arm of the IPCC still keep presenting untested unproven “The sky is falling” narratives.
  
  I say marketing arm, because individual scientists, both in the IPCC, and independent, claim the IPCC data narrative is disproved by its own data.
  
  IPCC, like WHO, are the puppets of those that make money, and gain power from promoting fake narratives and providing fake cures and remedies.
  
  IPCC = Idiots Pushing Climate Conspiracies.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:33am
  - Master Mariner
    
    Here is another inconvenient truth from 1823 that the Weddell Sea named after its founder Capt James Weddell.
    His Diary states Ice free and Recorded Posn 74′ South with mild temps every change of watch.
    91 years later the next ship to arrive was inundated in severe Ice and his records were disclaimed.
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll9p5FKKnaY
    “What They Removed From Antarctica In 1823 — The Forbidden Record Of The World Before The Freeze”
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:29am
    - RichardX
      
      That is quite the YouTube channel.
      
      Do you accept all the conspiracy theories it promotes?
      
      Some of it is pretty close to JackRabbit’s ‘Atlantis was a Martian colony’ views.
      
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      April 15, 2026 11:02am
      - Master Mariner
        
        Do your own research, Here is a few places to start. Go hard.
        
        https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100279550
        https://www.cambridge.org/ag/universitypress/subjects/geography/historical-geography/voyage-towards-south-pole-performed-years-182224-containing-examination-antarctic-sea-and-visit-tierra-del-fuego?format=PB&isbn=9781108041584
        https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22376245
        
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        April 15, 2026 2:42pm
      - RichardX
        
        Thanks for the links but I wasn’t asking about Weddell.
        
        I was asking about the YouTube channel to which you linked.
        
        My actual question was “Do you accept all the conspiracy theories it promotes?”
        
        There are some extreme claims made but the 40 mile tall trees should set the tone before you move on to why the Rothschilds stopped free electricity being distributed throughout America, or who is suppressing the data about the giants and other civilisations in Antarctica, or the mystery of the mudflood, or what really happened at the Reset, or Tartaria.
        
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        April 15, 2026 3:47pm
  - Handyman
    
    The latest IPCC report says there is no link between CO2 and increased cyclones or drought. Given the actual IPCC report is written by scientists whose livelihood depends on climate hysteria, this statement is brave.
    The IPCC summary, however, is written by non scientific zealots, unaware of what is actually in the body of the report.
    Every time you hear media and greenies say things such as “predicted to get worse in the future due to climate change” you know for a fact they have not read the IPCC reports.
    Remember that the IPCC present the case for the prosecution. Normally, when the prosecution in a murder case says the defendant is innocent the court will stop the trial.
    
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    April 15, 2026 5:45pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Just out of curiosity. The story seems to be that presently CO2 has nothing to do with global warming/climate change – if indeed any of that is happening. Venus would seem to suggest that if you overdo it the place becomes a bit uninhabitable.
      
      So – what level of CO2 should get us worried or is there no limit?
      
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      April 15, 2026 6:57pm
      - Handyman
        
        COP conference theatres are about 1400 ppm CO2 while submarines are 5,000 to 7,000 ppm for 3 month unserwater. The world average is 400ppm so no need to worry.
        
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        April 15, 2026 7:35pm
- MCōs
  
  On the other hand Michael E Mann contends John Clauser’s arguments are pure garbage.
  So there you go. I wouldn’t want to get into an argument with either of them — or anyone else for that matter
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:38pm
  - Notsofast
    
    Carl Sagan predicted global temperature increase 40 years ago due to Chinese and Indian industrialization.
    Result 1.5 degrees, as predicted.
    The deniers can plausibly call correlation rather than causation.
    
    Gentlemen place your bets I guess.
    
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    April 15, 2026 3:45pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      so facts are all helpful.
      Over the last 40 years (roughly 1986 to 2026), global temperatures have risen by approximately 0.8°C
      
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      April 16, 2026 3:41am
  - Ra Henare
    
    who would ever take Michael Mann seriously after his”history”” of deceit??
    
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    April 15, 2026 4:39pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    Michael Mann was recently told off by a Judge for being an inveterate liar and punished severely with around $1million in legal costs.The guy is a fraud.
    
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    April 15, 2026 4:42pm
Scott

I saw this on social media and I thought it was fake:

“Austrian President calls on all women to wear headscarves in solidarity with Muslims to fight rampant Islam phobia”

It can’t be real right? The hijab, which is the symbol of oppression in Iran? Women in Iran have been forced to wear it and if they don’t wear it then they are arrested and then beaten by the religious police.
So this must be fake, right?

It appears not:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/austrian-president-alexander-van-der-bellen-all-women-headscarves-hijab-veils-burqa-muslim-soldiarity-islamophobia-racism-a7707166.html

This is how craven the elite leaders have become in Europe. They are demanding that the women of Europe, the freest in the world, have to surrender their freedom in support of the Islamic religion where women are literally the property of men.

This is what we are facing people. And it affects us in NZ too. The multiculturalists would rather die than be called islamophobic. Right here in NZ we have had mayors whose dearest wish was to bring more Muslim refugees into their town. Right now down the highway a small town is probably going to get its first mosque.
We must guard against this and push against this. Otherwise you’ll wake in the morning to the Islamic call to prayer while your wife looks for her hijab before she leaves the house.
No way! 😎
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April 15, 2026 8:09am
- Gravelroad
  
  Think you will find that Aotearoa has been a leader in this field.
  At the time of the Christchurch Mosque murders, Prime Minister J. Ardern said (while wearing a headscarf/hijab) :““We are one. They are us.”
  As I recall, these comments were, at the time, very well received both here and internationally.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:04am
  - Jack5
    
    J. Arden’s …they are us …
    
    They Wokees was alwayṡ confused about pronouns, wasn’t them?
    
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    April 15, 2026 10:15am
  - Grumpy Silver Top
    
    Where is Aotearoa? I thought the conversation was about New Zealand. Apologies if you were employing irony.
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:22am
- igm
  
  No wonder DJT told Nato to get stuffed.
  Anyone who acquiesces to Islam will suffer in the long term. Look at Chch rort.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:28am
- Paulus
  
  Prayer is five times a day !
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:38am
  - Don Beckett
    
    Yes, they have copied the Jewish & Christian practice. The Catholic clergy take a vow to pray up to seven times daily. Sometimes that is impractical, but 3 times is compulsory. In monasteries who follow the Tradition, there are often 9 times per day.
    The Muslims are copy cats.
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:14am
    - Steve Todd
      
      The Muslims are copy cats.
      
      Surely the Christian practice copied the Jewish practice, which means both the Christians and the Muslims are copycats.
      
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      April 15, 2026 1:18pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        The difference is that Christianity grew out of Judaism. The Muslims (Mohamed) invented their own religion.
        
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        April 15, 2026 3:33pm
      - Dudley Quaffquaff
        
        The Muslims didn’t invent their own religion. Islam is based on a confused understanding of Judaism tacked onto existing religious and traditional Arabian practice
        
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        April 15, 2026 3:47pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        That’s right Dudley, but it grew out of a misunderstanding of the Jewish scriptures – The Old Testament and confusion about Christianity plus the others, as you say.. There was no coherence.
        
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        April 15, 2026 9:46pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Instead of praying so many times a day they should use that time to imitate Jesus and go out into the community and actually help people who need help.
      
      I’m sure God would be happier about that than having to listen to ten Hail Marys and ten Our Fathers five or six times a day from so many people.
      
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      April 15, 2026 2:00pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        If you understood the history of the Catholic church, you would know that prayer & good works go together. The Church started hospitals to care for the sick & needy, universities to educate & so on.
        Your understanding is very limited.
        
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        April 15, 2026 3:36pm
- BananaLlama
  
  He’s a Green Party nutter.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:40am
- OlderChas
  
  Scott on TV3news(?) last night their was a section (story?) about people on the streets in Tehran going about their business, including a walk through the Grand Bazaar. Many women were not only wandering around alone (i.e. not accompanied by a male relative) but wearing modern western clothing, and many sporting nicely styled modern “down to the waist” and completely uncovered hair styles.
  I am wondering if the well-publicised oppression of women in Iran is only in certain areas or cities?
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:02pm
  - Scott
    
    Older – thanks for the heads up. It may be that the hijab ruling has relaxed now that the regime is much weaker? Yes there may also be regional variations.
    
    What I do know is that for many many Iranian woman the hijab was a symbol of oppression.
    Back in 2022 an Iranian woman was arrested, beaten and died after protesting her country’s strict hijab laws:
    
    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/16/iranian-woman-dies-after-being-beaten-by-morality-police-over-hijab-law
    
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    April 15, 2026 1:38pm
    - David George
      
      After Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd, was bludgeoned to death there was understandable outrage from the Iranian people.
      The Women’s Freedom marches that followed were brutally put down as well with around a thousand gunned down or subsequently tortured and/or beaten to death in custody or straight up executed by hanging.
      Virgins, as is the practice, are raped before execution so they don’t get to heaven.
      Monstrous!
      
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      April 15, 2026 2:25pm
- Beach Haven expat
  
  The Independent appears to have misspelt Mr van der Bellen’s name. I’m sure it has a d on the end?
  
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  April 17, 2026 12:45am
RockyJ

It surprises me that RNZ is rated our most trusted source of news according to an AUT survey. Then I considered it is maybe because what they report is accurate but their problem is what they don’t report.

RNZ, along with the rest of the msm, never touch contraversial topics like contrary science on climate change and cogovernance, so in that respect they are biased and failing the public. These topics are covered by The Platform, Duncan Garner, right here on Kiwiblog and others.

I guess it depends on how the survey questions are framed.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/media-insider/media-insider-aut-trust-in-news-report-2026-how-the-public-rates-20-news-platforms/premium/CPIUM6VYRRG2ZHTWBMOZDISCVY/
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April 15, 2026 8:16am
- imalwaysright
  
  Most trusted, but distrusted by most.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:47am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Lying by omission is still lying.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:02am
- graham
  
  RNZ as the “most trusted news brand” still only manages to score 6.2 out of 10 – hardly a ringing endorsement. And I note a recurring theme throughout the article is that so-called “AI slop” on social media is a major factor in driving people to traditional media platforms. In other words, they’re seen as probably the best of what is generally considered to be appallingly low quality, mediocre dross.
  
  In general the media tends to be very carefully curated. Certain topics and facts are highlighted, others are quietly left out. Reporters will present a report with a certain slant that attempts to influence how we are meant to respond.
  
  They are no better than so many of those they decry and sneer at for promoting “disinformation”.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:48am
- Beach Haven expat
  
  Would this be RNZ that opened its report on the axe or rock or whatever was put through Winston’s window saying it was a largely peaceful protest, or opened the story about the mouldy school lunches saying as fact they had been delivered the day before rather than attributed claim despite later in the piece reporting that it had been traced they were delivered days before.
  RNZ dismissed both complaints by airily saying that there was other information in each piece so each sentence doesn’t actually have to be factually correct, although it may be the children there don’t actually understand how one does some journalisming rather than a deliberate choice to excuse inaccuracies.
  
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  April 17, 2026 12:51am
artemisia

Would you pay a tax on Temu to help support local retail?

Carolyn Young, chief executive at Retail NZ said the government should impose stronger measures to help level the playing field, such as a levy paid by shoppers.

Of course, ‘government’ means taxpayers, so retailers are joining the deafening chorus of ‘give us more of OPM’. New Zealand has a high minimum wage and large welfare spending. Not a surprise if internal pricing is higher than imports. But maybe fewer retail outlets would level the playing field instead of more OPM. The article indicates very little change in the number of New Zealand retail outlets in the past 3 years. Maybe there is an idea Retail NZ could suggest to their members instead of the plea for OPM.

Stats NZ data showed the number of enterprises in the retail trade sector dropped from 29,244 in February 2023, to 29,094 in February 2024, 28,791 in February 2025 and 28,554 in February this year.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/592378/would-you-pay-a-temu-tax
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April 15, 2026 8:20am
- [email protected]
  
  Most of what my wife buys on Temu isn’t available from retailers in New Zealand.
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:24am
  - Flossie
    
    I would seriously like one or two examples of this please.
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:07am
    - Charlotte Wells
      
      Here’s one, side brushes for a Robovac.
      
      Supplier of said vac is Australian based and all parts are sourced directly from Temu.
      
      Here’s another; silicone molds for soap making and beeswax shape. Only from Temu.
      
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      April 15, 2026 12:33pm
      - Flossie
        
        A quick Google search produced this for the silicone soap making moulds –
        “You can buy silicone soap moulds in NZ from specialized online suppliers, with popular options including Candle Supply NZ and PureNature for loaf, cavity, and specialized shapes. Other reliable options include Go Native NZ and NZ Candle Supplies, which offer various reusable, food-grade options.”
        Another quick search suggests there are NZ suppliers of the brushes too.
        
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        April 15, 2026 1:28pm
    - Ian
      
      I recently purchased a USB -C micro SD card reader from AliExpress – this was a very small device and what I wanted. Checked with the local electronics and mobile phone stores first, but they didn’t have such a thing. Also purchased a combined stand and keyboard for an Android tablet – JB HiFi had one listed, but when I ordered, they advised they were still waiting on stock which could be weeks away. so ordered one from AliExpress and arrived promptly and at a cheaper cost. AliExpress is not Temu, but close model. Slightly off Temu, but also ordered from France a woman’s fashionable wool dressing gown – arrived in a week. You should do a search for women’s wool dressing gowns – they’re all granny style. This is why people shop on line for a lot, not all, of stuff…
      
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      April 15, 2026 12:53pm
- MCōs
  
  If you can’t beat them, join them as Trump has done with his America First merchandise that is manufactured in China.
  No way NZ First would have their stuff manufactured offshore.
  Years ago NZ tried to protect the manufacturing industry here by imposing huge import duties on whiteware, electronics, building products.
  It meant we were paying exorbitant prices for a TV, for example, so a few people were employed.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:03am
  - Ian Boag
    
    by imposing huge import duties on whiteware, electronics, building products.
    
    It was import licencing. You couldn’t buy the stuff even if you were willing to pay a tariff.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:12am
    - MCōs
      
      Good point
      TVs were a horrendous price for some local model.
      
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      April 15, 2026 9:27am
      - Paulus
        
        And not very good either !
        
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        April 15, 2026 9:39am
      - Jack5
        
        NZ’s FTA with China would surely block any tariff that would catch Temu or Aliexpress. A tax on imports is ȧ tariff.
        
        What if National can con Labour into backing National’s bow-down FTA with India, and if somehow there is a tariff on online retailing from China?
        
        Then Temu/Aliexpress would dispatch from Indian branches or subsidiaries.
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:30am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  Basically most retailers are just handlers for Temu-like businesses. Temu and such have just replaced their function.
  
  In 2003 or so, I knew an importer (father of a kid on my son’s hockey team) who imported tat from China and sold it on to local retail businesses. Every few days he received a printed catalog from China that he would show to his customers. He would get orders from them, email them back to China and a few days later he would be handling the inward shipment.
  
  At the time, they were changing to sending out the catalogs on CD ROM and they were looking at sending them out via internet.
  
  The bloke was no dummy. He said that the only reason he had a job was due to low trust – reatilers were scared of sending money overseas on a promise. He was just selling the trust.
  
  His job would be gone in a few years as that trust built as the shops would soon just buy directly.
  
  At the time he didn’t see the further step – that the customers would buy direct and see no need for the retailers either.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:12am
  - Taieri
    
    Basically most retailers are just handlers for Temu-like businesses.
    ————
    
    What’s the difference between Kmart, Warehouse and Temu?
    They all sell similar merchandise made in China. Temu skips the middleman, as it is a middleman itself, and is usually much cheaper with the wider choice of items sold.
    For example, a small garden auger bit costs about $25 (including delivery) at the Warehouse and takes about 3 days to arrive. The very same item at Temu will cost about $10 (with free delivery) and take about 1 week to arrive.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:39am
    - Grumpy Silver Top
      
      It’s time we all did our own survey and see how much of what we buy, even under familiar NZ brandnames, including food, is made off-shore. You may be surprised.
      
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      April 15, 2026 11:26am
    - cmm (semi-retired edition)
      
      Yup, the days of retail are dead – especially bricks and mortar.
      
      Other than a few things like clothing, buying stuff online is generally easier and cheaper.
      
      I buy a lot of electronic components and such online. Some of that comes from AliExpress. Sometimes these are sketch reject parts, but generally the quality is as good as anything else.
      
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      April 15, 2026 12:21pm
      - MCōs
        
        “buying stuff online is generally easier”
        Not for everyone. My mother was suspicious of anything she didn’t have think she 100% control over, for example the pop up toaster. There was no way she’d entertain the notion of cooking with a microwave.
        
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        April 15, 2026 2:15pm
- rouppe
  
  If you wanted to support local retailers you would buy from them, not Temu.
  
  This is forcing you to rather than you wanting to.
  
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  April 15, 2026 11:17am
- nzgoose
  
  So pay a tarrif on imports? If our retail sector has to compete with imports where the imports have no employment conditons, environmental conditions, there is no way they can match pricing, there is a place for tarrifs if is to overcome inequal conditions. if it is masking ineffeciencies we should not have them.
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:29pm
sungsamning

In this explosive interview, Iranian dissident, Tousi TV founder, and one of the most-watched voices on Iran, Mahyar Tousi, joins Harry Cole to reveal what is really happening inside Tehran right now. Following the death of the Supreme Leader in Israeli missile strikes, the regime is desperately struggling to maintain control, with over 75 members of its leadership already “taken out” by US and Israeli military actions. [There’s a power vacuum. Some rats are leaving the ship. Some are acting without fresh orders. The Trump blockade is a big surprise for them. The “Coalition of Chaos” — Western actors and institutions still propping up the Islamic Republic.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzhQv5uUE7E
‘They Will Kill Each Other’ | Iran Regime WARNS of Internal Civil War in Weeks | Mahyar Tousi.
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April 15, 2026 8:27am
- david in Aus
  
  History often rhymes. This reminds of another dissent from another war, Ahmed Chalabi in the Iraq war who promised roses awaiting American troops in Baghdad. It was all nonsense in the end.
  
  Remember, Trump promised to end Iran’s thousands-year-old civilisation. Also, he wanted to take Iran’s oil as the victor. So any hope of a welcome is fanciful. At least Bush promised democracy and prosperity.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:22am
  - Dougal10
    
    Bush and then Obamas tactics didnt work , so no reason to try them again.
    
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    April 15, 2026 10:56am
  - sungsamning
    
    There won’t be an occupation or any of that ‘nation building’ nonsense. A lot of the neccessary change is up to the Iranian people. Just think Venezeula with sand.
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:58am
  - Interested Party
    
    Where did trump say he wanted to take Irans oil as the victor – I don’t believe it to be the case
    
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    April 15, 2026 12:07pm
- Taieri
  
  one of the most-watched voices on Iran, Mahyar Tousi
  ————-
  
  Golriz Ghahraman could be another credible source of information from Iran, but for some reason she appears to keep a very low profile these days.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:29am
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    Jail?
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:08am
  - sungsamning
    
    I wouldn’t regard Golriz as a credible source if she said cats meow, and dogs bark. She’d be quoting the Mullahs talking points.
    
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    April 15, 2026 12:00pm
    - Wandering Star
      
      Didn’t the Jews and Trump go to war to “free” liberal Iranians exactly like Golriz? I doubt she’d be “quoting the Mullahs talking points” given how her worldview is in complete opposition.
      
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      April 15, 2026 2:25pm
- NothingLeft
  
  Civil war is the only way that the Mad Mullahs will ever be deposed, and in the absence of US willingness to conquer the current regime with boots on the ground that is the sadly the only realistic long term path to salvation and prosperity for the long suffering Persians, despite the tens or hundreds of thousands likely to die in civil war.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:36am
  - sungsamning
    
    Or a military coup, with the army taking over, and forsaking nuke ambitions and the export of terrorism.
    
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    April 15, 2026 12:01pm
  - Wandering Star
    
    Why don’t the Israelis put their boots on the ground for once? It’s their war after all, as KBers constantly remind us.
    
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    April 15, 2026 2:28pm
sungsamning

I was in the room in Great Yarmouth last night when Rupert Lowe announced Restore Britain as a national political party — to a standing ovation. His launch tweet hit 2.4 million views. Elon Musk endorsed it within hours. A poll already has 10% of voters saying they’d back him.
This video covers everything you need to know: who Rupert Lowe actually is, how Reform UK expelled him and sent armed police to his farm, how the CPS cleared him of all allegations, how he crowdfunded £620,000 to launch an independent grooming gangs inquiry that found abuse in 85 towns and forced a national statutory inquiry — and what Restore Britain’s full policy platform actually looks like. [He sprang out of the woodwork, and has a lot of members already. The establishment are not amused. Elon Musk is a fan. Best of luck to him.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuZ7HaUaKQA&t=6s
One Man Just Declared War on Westminster: Restore Britain Is Official
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April 15, 2026 8:28am
- Drone
  
  If Elon Musk endorsed him he’s a right wing extremist. You cannot believe anything he says.
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:42pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    [Mod – give it a break]
    
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    April 15, 2026 6:48pm
- Beach Haven expat
  
  The problem with Rupert Lowe is that he couldn’t fit his ego inside the same tent as Farage’s. Like too many politicians he thought he was the star and in a movement like Reform there is only one king.
  He is probably the biggest danger to derailing Farage (and soft right-wingers getting scared and going back to the Tories) but will push ahead splitting that section of the vote because he is the magnificent Rupert Lowe.
  And if anyone wants to quibble with the assertion Lowe thinks he knows better than anyone else, when he owned Southampton FC, a club that had been in the top flight of English football for 27 years despite not being one of the usual giants, he decided he needed to appoint a technical director in 2005.
  So which footballing genius did he hire? Former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward.
  Southampton were relegated in 2006.
  
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  April 17, 2026 12:59am
Gravelroad

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360964201/not-content-cost-cuts-department-says-its-minister-called-staff-cuts
“Whaaa, we can’t do it.”
Am beginning to wonder if we have a central government at all. Is the country being led and run by public servants and celebrities?
Land Information NZ don’t want to achieve any cutbacks/savings, so won’t.
Then we have today another whinge from Authoritarian -in-Chief, Sir Ian Taylor. Something about what Shane Jones did/said of which Sir Ian does not approve.
Perhaps Sir Ian should stand for election to parliament and see how he can do better than those who are there now.
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April 15, 2026 8:28am
- imalwaysright
  
  “Imagine hiring someone to run your business. Except you did not hire them. Someone else did. You cannot fire them if they ignore your instructions. You work in a different building. And the person who hired them decides whether they keep the job after five years.
  
  That, roughly, is how New Zealand governs itself. ”
  –Oliver Hardwitch, NZ Initiative.
  
  https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz/reports-and-media/opinion/government-by-correspondence/
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:37am
  - RoboRob
    
    It’s sort of true but only becuase the politicians, particularly on the right, want it to be that way. It’s so they can say ‘x & y are bad but nothing to do with me, I cant be seen to interfere’.
    
    The thing the post above misses is that while the staff are not selected by MPs, the CEOs / boards are. They can be replaced if the department doesn’t peform. MPs work around this by giving CEOs iron clad gold plated contracts. They chose to limit their power.
    
    The right, in particular, love the independence of government departments. It means they dont have to take any blame and can say ‘this is out of our hands’. Withness Goldsmith and the BSA, or Watts and the Northland council. The Left are much more hands on. As I have posted before, NZ government is one of the most powerful organisations in the world. Unlike the US President, there are no checks and balances (3 levels of government), unlike the UK and AU there is no upper and lower house. One body that can write and pass any law it wants.
    
    If the NZ government want to achieve something they can. Even the gold plated employment contracts of their CEOs can be broken by a simple law change saying something like ‘under x&y circumstances the government can remove any appointed CEO without restriction or reimbursment by any employment contract’. I’m not saying they should, I am saying they have that power.
    
    I wont read the Stuff post but if Land information are refusing changes there are very simple, immediate actions that the government can take. 1. Reduce the funding immediately. 2. Sack the CEO and select someone that will implement government policy. See, easy. However the government will sit on its hands and mumble platitudes instead.
    
    Oh and if the CEO is appointed by a board, not the government, the process is the same. Replace the board until they select a CEO that will implement government policy.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:06am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Yes, politicians seem to find a way to get things done that are in their own interests, but when it comes to our interests its an ‘operational matter’ or ‘cant criticise the judiciary’ etc.
      
      Government, by Government, for Government.
      
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      April 15, 2026 9:24am
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Well it is sort of true for almost everywhere – we do not elect public servants in NZ nor in most countries.
    
    About the only exception I can think of is in some USA states where people get to elect their sheriffs and judges.
    
    NZ could sorely do with elected judges.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:16am
    - imalwaysright
      
      This seems a workable compromise:
      
      ‘In Germany, ministers appoint their top officials from a pool of qualified candidates. When a new government takes office, incoming ministers can replace the top officials with people committed to delivering their programmes. Ninety per cent come from within the career service, not from party backrooms.’ – Hardwitch
      
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      April 15, 2026 9:29am
      - RoboRob
        
        Pretty much what happens in the US. New government in, replaces top CEOs with its appointees.
        
        In Trumps first term he wasn’t ready (didnt expect to win) and didn’t replace all these people. They proceeded to work against him. Much like the public service here does.
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:00am
      - rjay
        
        How is following the German political system working for us so far?
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:35am
      - Ian Boag
        
        @RoboRob
        
        Try Michael Lewis (the Big Short man) “The Fifth Risk” which goes through the cluster that followed Trump’s election. He sort of hadn’t given it any thought and hadn’t bothered to select people for some huge outfits like USDA. Some totally inappropriate appointments followed.
        
        Here is a link for a summary of the book
        
        https://newbookrecommendation.com/summary-of-the-fifth-risk-by-michael-lewis-a-detailed-synopsis/
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:47am
      - Ian Boag
        
        Lewis gives a few examples. Perhaps the strangest one was the USDA – an organisation that manages billions of dollars of US govt activities. The folk at the top were quite used to changes of government – the procedure was to prepare working summaries (for briefing) of everything they did and organise sessions to brief the new people. Had all been done before – normally the incoming administration would have appointed people who would rock up to the handover sort of the day after the election. In the 2016 case, noone came for a couple of weeks, then just one person turned up – the new boss – hung about for a couple of hours then shot through. He didn’t know much about what USDA did and didn’t seem to be terribly interested. Boggles the mind. Go figure.
        
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        April 15, 2026 11:07am
      - All_on_Red
        
        That book was published in 2018- 6 years ago.
        Do you have any updates on how the USDA is going today?
        
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        April 15, 2026 6:50pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        @AoR
        
        I dunno. Possibly the Trump (non)approach led to an improvement …. but to take the usual KB line …. why don’t you look it up and tell us?
        
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        April 15, 2026 6:56pm
    - Paulus
      
      We do elect Politicians but they have no control over the employment of our Public Servants.
      Local and Regional Councils are similar – Councillors are elected, but ALL the staff are employed by the one CEO.
      
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      April 15, 2026 9:44am
      - RoboRob
        
        Only becuase they choose that structure. The council could change the structure if they desired. They can also sack the CEO if he isn’t doing the job. However local councils are much less experienced and seem to follow the leadership of the experienced staff.
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:01am
    - Taieri
      
      NZ could sorely do with elected judges.
      ———
      
      Thanks, but no thanks. Local body politicians we elect now are bad enough.
      
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      April 15, 2026 9:45am
      - imalwaysright
        
        Yes, what we really need is accountability that is actually enforced.
        
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        April 15, 2026 9:54am
    - artemisia
      
      Imagine what sort of judges would be elected in Wellington, cmm.
      
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      April 15, 2026 9:50am
      - RoboRob
        
        Thats ok. The people of Wellington would have to live with their selections. At least the local prisons would be empty.
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:02am
    - R
      
      NZ could sorely dowith some ‘real world experience’ judges.
      
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      April 15, 2026 12:36pm
- Dougal10
  
  This stuff is rampant everywhere , the civil servants are running the Waitaki district council and have stuck their hands out for a 19% increase just to cover their wages but would like 45% . Time for the removal of these little tin pot fiefdoms and replace half the jobs with Ai.
  
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  April 15, 2026 11:01am
Yvette

Waitangi Tribunal begins urgent inquiry into school Treaty obligations and curriculum changes
The Waitangi Tribunal is hearing evidence this week after granting urgency to a claim brought by Northland iwi Ngāti Hine and hapū Te Kapotai, alongside the country’s largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/592397/waitangi-tribunal-begins-urgent-inquiry-into-school-treaty-obligations-and-curriculum-changes

Who Can Claim: Māori, including those born overseas (e.g., in Australia), who can prove their whakapapa (genealogy) and have a grievance against a Crown act, policy, or omission. – Google AI overview

Can a mixed group (NZEI Te Riu Roa union of teachers) of Maori and non-Maori bring a case before the Waitangi Tribunal?
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April 15, 2026 8:29am
- RoboRob
  
  Can the National minister in charge of the tribunal update the guidlines and focus the tribunal on treaty claims (land) and block them from their other activities?
  
  The tribunal, like the BSA, has expanded its roll and powers over the years.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:09am
- Paulus
  
  So is not anything from the Waitangi Tribunal only a recommendation.
  Has not some 3,000 items awaiting Government implimentation.
  Sounds like an awful taxpayers waste of money too.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:47am
david in Aus

Luxon should follow Italy’s Meloni in condemning Israel. Italy did not renew its defence agreement with Israel in light of the situation in Lebanon, and firing upon UN peacekeepers. This is in a right-wing government.

The main reason should be for domestic political considerations. The Iran/Israel/US war is unpopular in the US, but even more in NZ. This is election year.

Condemning Israel has less downsides than confronting Trump directly. Please don’t be a political victim of being seen as a Trump adjacent.
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April 15, 2026 8:31am
- Notsofast
  
  The war is popular in Iran. Should they have a say? Similarly Venezuelans and Cubans back Trump to eliminate their multi decade oppressor governments.
  New Zealanders hold luxury beliefs in these matters. The West is generally craven and self serving.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:40am
  - Taieri
    
    The war is popular in Iran.
    ————-
    
    And how do we know that it is? Did they hold a referendum on that?
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:47am
    - David George
      
      A leaked confidential poll commissioned by Iran’s own presidency (widely reported in early 2026) reportedly found 92% opposition to the regime’s leadership, including Supreme Leader Khamenei and the IRGC. While the full methodology isn’t public, it aligns with the direction of independent data.
      
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      April 15, 2026 10:12am
      - Taieri
        
        92% opposition to the regime’s leadership
        ————-
        
        An opposition to the regime’s leadership doesn’t equal support for being bombed to oblivion by a foreign power. We have been through all this before. In Afghanistan, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gaza and a few other places…I’m not convinced that the attacking side(s) attracted much support from the populations of these places, regardless of how hideous are/were their regimes.
        
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        April 15, 2026 10:41am
      - Flossie
        
        Obviously I don’t know, but I find it hard to imagine any poll showing 92% opposed to those in charge. Don’t they run a very tough ship whereby dissent results in severe punishment?
        
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        April 15, 2026 11:58am
    - Notsofast
      
      The thing is, we have a perfect contrast where Russia is wishing to own Ukraine, the war is presumably wildly unpopular with Ukrainians.
      This is seen as a war of liberation for the great majority of Iranians.
      Cubans see the Trump hand as their own chance in 100 years, that direct from a Cuban exile living in Florida since 1972.
      
      “We must not get our hopes up too high”, she laments.
      
      No reader on this blog lacks secure utilities, internet, food, and liberty, and with the timely extermination of the BSA, freedom of speech.
      This is a stark fact to consider, so it does not come naturally to see Trump as a vital contemporary disruptor who is both liberating and profiting. These nations are happy for their liberator to get a dividend.
      Heh, maybe he deserves one for the grief cast his way by the craven western hypocrites.
      
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      April 15, 2026 10:35am
- David George
  
  The Italians were, primarily, not happy that UNIFIL*, with many Italians in it’s ranks, was in danger from Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hezbollah. I don’t know what they expect. The terrorist militia has been firing rockets and missiles into Israel for decades and terrorising the Lebanese government itself.
  Overnight Lebanese government representatives met with Israeli reps. paving the way to an agreement for the elimination of Hezbollah and the normalisation of relations and mutual cooperation between the two countries.
  What’s not to like about that?
  
  *Under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (passed unanimously in August 2006 after the Israel-Hezbollah war), UNIFIL’s enhanced mandate was to help the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) establish and maintain an area free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons—other than those of the Lebanese government and UNIFIL itself—between the Blue Line and the Litani River.
  They were worse than useless, essentially closing their eyes to (and in some case actually abetting) flagrant breaches of the 2006 agreement.
  
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  April 15, 2026 10:08am
- David George
  
  “The main reason should be for domestic political considerations”
  It obviously doesn’t bother you but, tell me; what happens when the truth is not the main consideration?
  
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  April 15, 2026 10:18am
  - david in Aus
    
    The truth and domestic political considerations are aligned.
    
    You can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Israel is no longer a David, but a Goliath.
    
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    April 15, 2026 10:41am
    - All_on_Red
      
      But you can fool most people ‘some of the time’ eh ‘david’
      Lol
      
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      April 15, 2026 6:45pm
Anthony Melchett

When covid was in full swing, we had krazykiwi posting here every day and providing sanity and confidence in how things really were behind the propaganda.

Without this, I’m not sure I would have got through it.

I now turn to kiwiblog again for sanity on the war and fuel issues.

I can handle high fuel prices, but is there a real chance we could run out or go to rationing? Or is this just media panic?

Do I need to buy an overpriced ev? Or is hybrid still better overall (assuming fuel doesn’t run out)
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April 15, 2026 8:32am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Hell’s Bells aren’t you organised already?
  You’ve had weeks to prepare.
  
  Get your bike tyres pumped, and oil the chain (while you can).
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:07am
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Most chain lubes are synthetic – so please don’t panic.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:18am
- RoboRob
  
  Thre will only be a shortage / rationing, if other nations all do what NZ wants to do, increase their stored reserves. That is good when things are normal, but when things are tight trying to increase reserves is bound to cause shortages elsewhere. Hopefully the suppliers, like Singapore, wont allow countries to increase their orders at the expense of others.
  
  Re EV vs hybrid. Some full EVs are quite affordable or even cheap, if you want to go chinese. A hybrid is a great option for most. EV vs hybrid depends on where you travel, what you tow etc
  
  My next car is likely to be an EV. Currently I, occasionally, drive a 1.2l turbo Golf. So I get pretty good fuel economy anyway. I say occasionally as I bike to work. My wife now works in the CBD and was busing, hovever when they doubled the fares she got an electric scooter and now it costs her about 15c for a 10k round trip. She buses when it rains ($6). The scooter will have paid for itself in about 9mths. These decisions were made before the fuel crisis, I have yet to fill the car under the new prices 🙂
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:19am
  - Taieri
    
    I have yet to fill the car under the new prices
    ———–
    
    I haven’t filled my car since the 7th of March. At the time the price of diesel was $1.50 at the station I normally use. Admittedly, I haven’t driven much since then, just a weekly trip to the supermarket and other occasional errands. I’m driving a medium size diesel car with the average fuel consumption of 5.8 liters/100 km since new, over the total mileage of just over 105K kilometres.
    I’ve been pretty happy with that so far, but if the present fuel prices persist, will probably go for a new hybrid. Something like Kia Niro PHEV or similar.
    
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    April 15, 2026 9:58am
  - Flossie
    
    I’ve thought about an EV. However the presumably lower trade in for our ICE vehicle, plus the extra cost of the EV, makes it out of the question. The amount of dollars to swap will cover increased petrol prices for quite some time to come I feel.
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:14am
    - All_on_Red
      
      The depreciation on the EV will be horrendous too.
      So good decision Flossie.
      
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      April 15, 2026 4:50pm
    - NZer In Exile
      
      Good also to also be aware of what it will cost to replace an EV battery should it go faulty. I talked to an EV technician who at the time had a Nissan Leaf battery removed and on the table for testing in his workshop. I asked what a *re-conditioned* replacement Nissan Leaf battery would cost. His answer; $10,000 AUD. Again, that is for a *reconditioned* battery on one of the cheapest Japanese EVs. I’ve heard of a faulty large Korean SUV battery out of warranty (for some fine-print reason) costing the owner $50,000 USD to replace. I’m thinking about a second hand plug-in hybrid for my next vehicle. Usually enough stored charge for a day’s urban driving (around 50km or so depending on the make/model) and the petrol motor for the longer drives.
      
      If we run out of fuel we will definitely be in unchartered nasty territory. I think NZ and Aus govts must buy and store fuel at whatever the market price is, from where-ever is selling. Running out is not an option.
      
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      April 16, 2026 10:03pm
- MCōs
  
  We’re fortunate in that we don’t use the car an awful lot and the last time I filled up was two weeks ago and we still have half a tank.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:54am
Jethrod

The Prophet, Brian Tamaki was expressing much disdain at the fact that former All Black captain, Taine Randell, has been announced as a candidate for NZ FIRST in the seat of Tukituki, in Hawkes Bay.
He (Brian) got most indignant on X (formerly Twitter) about the fact that Taine is associated with companies that export large quantities of crayfish. He then drew a conclusion that it seems inappropriate that Shane Jones is a strong advocate for seafood companies.
Unfortunately I don’t have a Twitter link to the story.
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April 15, 2026 9:48am
- MCōs
  
  Here it is
  https://x.com/briantamakinz/status/2043975028010823880?s=61
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:57am
  - Jethrod
    
    Thanks!
    
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    April 15, 2026 11:20am
- Yvette
  
  I am aware Brian Tamaki has support on this blog, mainly I believe from his attitude to matters relating to covid.
  
  If however you read his replies to people who have commented on the X page Mcós links to, compared the what one can read of Christ’s life, teaching and attitudes, Brian Tamaki is not emulating such guidance to the most basic degree, and is akin to Donald Trump’s AI vision – another False Prophet.
  
  Brian has never been clear either if his ‘worship’ of One God embraces the pagan religious worldview of the Maori or how he reconciles the two religious threads.
  
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  April 15, 2026 11:00am
  - greybeard
    
    Brian Tamaki has always been concerned with one deity, and that is Brian Tamaki. He has simply used the US-based formula perfected years ago by Billy Graham and the Bakkers, etc. And become very rich at the expense of very silly people.
    
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    April 15, 2026 6:51pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  Yes it’s also being discussed on the recreational fishing pages which organized push back on Shane Jones commercial take over of NZ fisheries.
  Randell seems to have extensive ties to commercial fishing also.
  Since the Shane jones experience it’s fair to question conflicts of interest.
  
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  April 15, 2026 11:14am
- Philview
  
  Taine Randall’s selection indicates that NZ First can survive once Winston retires if prominent New Zealanders are willing to join their ranks.
  
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  April 15, 2026 11:18am
  - Flossie
    
    Nothing against Taine whatsoever, but he’s yet to prove himself as a politician. He wouldn’t be the first prominent New Zealander to be a disappointment – if he makes it to parliament that is.
    
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    April 15, 2026 12:52pm
    - Jethrod
      
      2nd rate All Black, 3rd rate captain.
      
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      April 15, 2026 2:41pm
  - greybeard
    
    When Winston finally cuts the line they will change the name of the Party to ” NZ Fishing First”.
    
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    April 15, 2026 6:55pm
Paulus

My economic European small engined petrol car is and remains my future mode of transport.
EV got off the grass – where are batteries to be dismantled at what cost ?
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April 15, 2026 9:50am
- MCōs
  
  There’s numerous articles on that subject on the internet
  
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  April 15, 2026 10:03am
- I remember when
  
  We can read plenty of articles demanding the increasing use for renewal energy, and less fossil fuel, but seldom anything about how we are going to handle the volumes of scrap when they reach the end of their life.
  A drive around looking at the existing scrap metal businesses may be a starting point.
  
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  April 15, 2026 10:05am
- imalwaysright
  
  Haven’t heard carpooling being suggested much. Even without a fuel crisis, carpooling is a good idea.
  
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  April 15, 2026 10:06am
Scooter

A must listen interview with Michael Laws and Oliver Hartwich, there are 2 governments in NZ, the one we elect and the public service. Guess who has more power and why policies of the govt are being slowly or completely ignored.

https://theplatform.kiwi/podcasts/episode/the-wellington-state-sector-chiefs-who-undermine-ministers-democracy
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April 15, 2026 10:08am
- Gravelroad
  
  If that is true, it brings into question the point of having general elections at all.
  As a taxpayer since the age of 18 when I got my first job (not counting the milk bar and biscuit factory school holiday experiments), I vote for politicians who will have the courage and character to spend my contributions on essentials – not “nice to haves” to appease a clamouring few at the expense of the majority.
  Our whole system allows and rewards candidates to say one thing at election time but do something else afterwards – for “reasons”.
  The public servants are employees paid for by the taxpayer.
  I don’t care what they personally want or think.
  Their job is action the policies of the central government of the day. Not pick and choose what they will do to suit themselves.
  That this current government has stood by and let the state paid workers with agendas trample over them says a lot about their suitability to govern without fear or favour.
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:00pm
  - R
    
    The ‘We Are The Govt’ attitude of the Public (dis)Service is the result of Union belligerence, and is now ingrained into the mindset of the govt depts. Do it our way, or it won’t happen!
    
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    April 15, 2026 12:55pm
- pdm
  
  Initial interview was by Peter Williams and was excellent.
  
  Try you tube.
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:20pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Then refer back to the article from a couple of days ago how National are too frightened to make any changes.
  
  So what’s the point in continuing to vote Natioanl?
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:45pm
  - R
    
    Vote National? …. hopefully later this year a lot more voters will see through the media hype, and vote for a future for themselves, children and grandchildren. Won’t include Winston First.
    
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    April 15, 2026 12:58pm
    - RoboRob
      
      Who are you suggesting people should vote for that will deliver this. I understand NZF is out but who are you suggesting?
      
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      April 15, 2026 2:37pm
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    I’ve tried to find it wihtout success. Does anyone have the link pleae?
    
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    April 15, 2026 1:21pm
    - Scooter
      
      Is this what you’re looking for CW?
      
      https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/04/colinxy-failure-of-new-zealand-right.html?m=1
      
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      April 15, 2026 6:10pm
  - Ghost
    
    Someone on a dead blog writing an opinion piece isn’t an article worth reading
    
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    April 15, 2026 6:17pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Are you talking about KB?
      
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      April 15, 2026 6:44pm
      - Ghost
        
        if you think KB is a dead blog why do you keep coming back? but I see how you get confused, your daily trump rubbish isn’t worth reading
        
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        April 15, 2026 8:18pm
Prince

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360964777/moana-pasifika-confirm-heartbreaking-exit-super-rugby-pacific

Expect much hand-wringing from John Campbell.

Where will Ardie Savea end up now (assuming a) he returns, and b) he demands an exhorbitant deal, as he did when going to MP) ?
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April 15, 2026 10:31am
- MCōs
  
  Ardie Savea is playing in Japan
  That’s the problem for sports clubs in NZ , not just rugby. The money isn’t in NZ
  The exception is league because we have a team in the NRL. The Warriors have sold out the stadium in Wellington for their game against the 12th placed Dolphins. Super Rugby doesn’t even have twelve teams and the top placed Hurricanes only fill half the stadium
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:18pm
  - Prince
    
    I know he is in Japan, but when (if) he returns, who will he sign for ?
    Much publicity when he went to MP that he was returning to his whanau, despite the fact he was born, bred and trained in Wellington.
    I have more respect for players who stay with the franchise who gave them their opportunities, rather that sell themselves to the highest bidder.
    
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    April 15, 2026 5:36pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  Did the NZ public’s money run out?
  
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  April 15, 2026 2:04pm
  - MCōs
    
    More likely interest in the team has run out. Their home ground is in the Auckland suburb of Albany, whereas their fan base is around Otahuhu, which is 40km across town
    Apart from that league is much more popular in South Auckland than rugby.
    
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    April 15, 2026 4:56pm
queenstfarmer

Reading about the massively expensive Auckland City Rail Link potentially running fewer trains the original network sounds like the premise of a “Yes Minister” sketch. So for a laugh, and a little demonstration of the power of this technology, here’s what ChatGPT came up with in under 3 seconds based on a single sentence prompt:

Scene: Minister’s office. Morning.

Minister: (reading paper) Bernard, have you seen this? It says the new City Rail Link — which has cost over $5 billion dollars — may actually run *fewer* trains per hour than the original network.

Bernard: Yes, Minister. It’s very efficient.

Minister: Efficient? It’s less.

Bernard: Yes, Minister. Efficiently less.

Minister: (stares) Bernard, in transport, surely more trains is better than fewer trains?

Bernard: Not necessarily, Minister. It depends on what one means by “trains,” “more,” and indeed “better.”

Minister: I mean trains, Bernard. The long metal things with doors.

Bernard: Of course, Minister. But in modern transport policy, one must consider holistic throughput optimisation.

Minister: What does that mean?

Bernard: It means we optimise holistically, Minister.

(Sir Humphrey enters smoothly.)

Sir Humphrey: Ah, Minister. I see you’ve discovered the throughput.

Minister: Yes, and I don’t like it. Billions of dollars have been spent to upgrade. Why are we getting fewer trains?

Sir Humphrey: Minister, it would be quite wrong to say we are getting fewer trains.

Minister: It says so here!

Sir Humphrey: That is a regrettably linear interpretation of a non-linear improvement.

Minister: Humphrey, are there fewer trains per hour or not?

Sir Humphrey: In a strictly arithmetical sense—yes.

Minister: Then—

Sir Humphrey: However, in a strategic, network-integrated, future-facing sense—decidedly no.

Minister: How can fewer be more?

Sir Humphrey: Minister, you are thinking in terms of trains. We are thinking in terms of experiences.

Minister: I don’t commute on an experience, Humphrey. I commute on a train!

Sir Humphrey: Exactly the sort of outdated mindset the project is designed to correct.

Minister: Correct?

Sir Humphrey: Yes. The public have long been burdened by the expectation of frequent trains. It creates a dependency.

Bernard: Like punctuality, Minister.

Minister: I like punctuality!

Sir Humphrey: Quite so. But punctuality is easier to achieve with fewer trains.

Minister: (pauses) That’s absurd.

Sir Humphrey: Not at all. If you reduce the number of trains, you reduce the number of opportunities for delay.

Bernard: It’s a statistical triumph, Minister.

Minister: So we’ve spent billions of dollars to make it easier to be on time, by having fewer trains, and longer waits?

Sir Humphrey: Precisely. Reliability is the cornerstone of public confidence.

Minister: What about capacity. How do we maintain passenger numbers with a reduced timetable.

Sir Humphrey: Larger trains, Minister. More capacious trains.

Bernard: Roomier disappointment.

Minister: People don’t want roomy disappointment, Bernard, they want a train that arrives!

Sir Humphrey: And it will arrive, Minister. Less often, but more reliably.

Minister: That’s not reassuring.

Sir Humphrey: On the contrary, Minister. It is profoundly reassuring. The public will know exactly when they are not getting a train.

Minister: Humphrey—

Sir Humphrey: Moreover, fewer trains reduce congestion in the tunnels.

Minister: So we built tunnels… to avoid using them too much?

Sir Humphrey: Exactly. Overuse would be irresponsible.

Bernard: Like buying a very expensive suit and never wearing it in the rain.

Minister: This is infrastructure, Bernard, not tweed!

Sir Humphrey: Minister, the key message is simple: quality over quantity. And the public deserve quality waiting.

Minister: Waiting?!

Sir Humphrey: Curated waiting, Minister. With improved stations, better lighting, perhaps retail opportunities.

Bernard: Coffee mitigates delay, Minister.

Minister: So the plan is fewer trains, more waiting, and better coffee?

Sir Humphrey: Now you’re grasping the vision.

Minister: (sinks into chair) And the public will accept this?

Sir Humphrey: Minister, the public will accept anything—provided it is expressed in the right way.

Minister: And if they don’t?

Sir Humphrey: Then we commission a review.

Minister: What will that say?

Sir Humphrey: That the system would function perfectly—if only it had fewer trains.

Minister: (long pause) Humphrey, sometimes I think the whole system is designed to avoid doing what it’s supposed to do.

Sir Humphrey: On the contrary, Minister. It is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Minister: Which is?

Sir Humphrey: Avoid blame.

Bernard: And increase throughput, Minister.

Minister: (wearily) Of what?

Bernard: Reports.

(Silence.)

Minister: I think I need a coffee.

Sir Humphrey: Excellent, Minister. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it.
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April 15, 2026 10:51am
- R
  
  Watching a recent TV presentation about the CRL, it was obvious that the project will achieve its objective. The ability to board àt waitemata, and go around in a uninterrupted circle to get nowhere. Sums up Auckland Transport policy
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:08pm
  - Jethrod
    
    10 years to build a rail circuit that connects to basically 3 destinations;-
    West ,
    South ,
    and East, very narrow corridors, but with an absolute focus on the Auckland CBD.
    The CBD has virtually no industry, which would suit the workers who would use it. The stations on the Southern line would need to be extremely well serviced by buses to take people to there places of work.
    As far as I can see there has been no media advice from the Auckland Transport on how this will work.
    Same services needed for the Western line as well. The Eastern line would need lesser attention as I believe that there will still be high usage of cars even after opening.
    It will be a long , long time for the rail to meet its passenger objectives.
    
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    April 15, 2026 2:56pm
Oskar

I see that in Canterbury there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth that horses will not be riding around their new stadium before Crusaders games there.
They do have alternatives – here is hobby horse riding
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yBjgbDVjMOU
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April 15, 2026 11:37am
- Charlotte Wells
  
  I’m not worried that it isn’t happening.
  
  Rugby has changed so much in the last few years that I have lost interst in it live or on the tele.
  
  For real excitement I prefer the Warriors, and League in general.
  
  The game against the Storm was a blockbuster.
  
  League seems determined to keep full teams o the field for as much as possible. Rugby prefers to let the result be decided by who wins the card lottery.
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:16pm
- Jack5
  
  Oskar, you wouldn’t be one of the Wokesters who wanted the Crusaders to change their name to something less culturally offensive?
  
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  April 15, 2026 3:44pm
Yvette

An investigation has been launched after thousands of eels and other aquatic life were found dead or dying at Pukepuke Lagoon in what iwi have described as a “devastating scene”.
“These are taonga species which have been part of our lives and our tūpuna lives for many years. There’s a very deep connection here as opposed to it just being a piece of land which has to be monitored.”

“We’re looking at a full iwi-led investigation so we can ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Te Puni said it was crucial for iwi and hapū to front this situation and for external groups to support with their technical expertise, but to “step aside and allow iwi and hapū to take the lead in this space”.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/592410/devastating-scenes-as-wildlife-lay-dead-on-dry-lakebed-in-manawatu

A full iwi-led investigation … crucial for iwi and hapū to front this situation … “step aside and allow iwi and hapū to take the lead in this space” – are expressions that Maori have first and exclusive relationship with the taonga (treasure).
So that being “accepted”, why did the kaitiaki (guardian, caregivers) not notice the tide was going out? Nobody recently, in food hardship, didn’t pop along to fish out an eel ancestor for smoked kai?

A metre deep lake … nek minnit – no lake?
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April 15, 2026 12:07pm
- Gravelroad
  
  Why are eels “taonga” and abused children seemingly not?
  “We’re looking at a full iwi-led investigation so we can ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
  This for the eels and other water creatures.
  
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  April 15, 2026 12:58pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Because ells are our brothers along with whales and trees and such.
    
    Kids are just SOCKs.
    
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    April 15, 2026 1:14pm
- artemisia
  
  A full iwi-led investigation, if it happens, sounds like follow the money. And the lake has been shrinking for decades, plus drying up in other years. According to the article. Maybe no dollar signs previously?
  
  My hapu is in the same area, and annoys me considerably by putting the hand out at the slightest hint …
  
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  April 15, 2026 1:06pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    All of these songs of praise to their various gods seem to be falling on deaf ears.
    
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    April 15, 2026 2:17pm
Taieri

Elvis Mk2 ?
Ayatollahs strike back:

https://x.com/IraninSA/status/2043757392010076666
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April 15, 2026 12:27pm
Ian

Reported in NewsTalk ZB that Moana Pasifika Super Rugby team will disband at the end of this year unless they can find a new owner. Costs $10-12 Million a year to run. Pasifika Medical Assn (the team owners) cannot afford to continue with ownership, with having (PMA) lost the funding of a government contract. How sad. Has been widely canvassed before, but why was a government contract for a health outreach being allowed to be used to fund a Super Rugby team – and where was the government oversight? A Debbie Sorensen is Chief Executive of Moana Pasifika and also PMA – where have we heard that intertwined model before…
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April 15, 2026 1:05pm
TripeWryter

I’ve just read a piece by that intrepid, fearless story breaker Paula Penfold on Stuff.
She has published the results of her ‘investigations’ into a businessman and knight, Sir Roderick Drury.
A former employee of his company, Xero, Ally Naylor, alleged ‘inappropriate conduct’ by him towards her.
From what I can tell the allegations are unsubstantiated – the same word our media used in their efforts to protect the Leader of the Labour Party, Chris Hipkins, when his ex, Jade Paul, went public a few weeks ago about some things she had to say about his behaviour towards her.
In some ways this post isn’t about Ms Naylor but it is about who our media choose to investigate and who they don’t – or won’t.
I’m betting a brass razoo that Paula Penfold won’t touch the current Leader of the Labour Party.
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April 15, 2026 1:12pm
cmm (semi-retired edition)

The wold waits breathlessly while Cindy gives her view on looming international crises. Apparently.

Perhaps some more of her self-declared “awsum inchooishun”.

If Cindy is the answer it must be a very dumb question…

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener/books/exclusive-interview-jacinda-ardern-on-her-book-crises-regrets/premium/WDANO3CZSBEXPJIBOWN4ST7LNM/
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April 15, 2026 1:12pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Apparently she is planning on releasing a childrens version of her ‘memoir’.
  
  That will basically be her original draft (including krayon pitchers), before the ghost writer got hold of it…
  
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  April 15, 2026 2:24pm
  - Jethrod
    
    Gosh, she is certainly wringing every buck out of her time in the Big Chair.
    
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    April 15, 2026 3:14pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360964927/woman-nz-unlawfully-after-immigration-adviser-lied-months-about-visa-status
This week’s example of how some in our midst treat their fellow countrymen. So predictable.
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April 15, 2026 2:08pm
MCōs

Breaking news RNZ
Fuel supplies in New Zealand have dropped by three or four days across each type, but remain stable, according to the latest government update.
Stuff seems to indicate that figure includes fuel on the way here

Is that not a contradiction?
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April 15, 2026 2:30pm
- Stu2
  
  The MBIE fuel stock page is here https://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/news/fuel-stocks-update
  
  The key will be the ships in transit outside NZ waters, which dropped from 9 on the 8th to 7 on the 12th
  
  Keep watching that
  
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  April 15, 2026 4:57pm
Steve Todd

Well, well, well.

The government wants to change the way electoral boundaries are determined. An effect of the legislation would be to delay the next boundaries review until after the 2029 general election, which means an almost certain eighth Māori electorate* won’t be in place until the 2032 election.

* In this regard, it is noted that, following each of the last three censuses, the Māori electoral quotient was: 2013: 7.05; 2018: 7.23; and 2023: 7.43. Once the quotient exceeds 7.50, an eighth seat will be created.

The District Boundaries Amendment Bill amends the Electoral Act 1993 (…) to decouple the timing of electoral boundary reviews from censuses and instead tie electoral boundary reviews to every second general electoral cycle, from 2030. Included in the Bill is an amendment to the Data and Statistics Act 2022 to reschedule the 2028 census to 2030.

Amendments need to be made, inter alia, to section 3(1) of the Electoral Act 1993, to replace the definition of General electoral population, and to section 35(1) and (2) pertaining to the division of New Zealand into General electoral districts. These amendments require a 75% majority of MPs.

(See https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360963913/census-change-could-block-new-maori-seat.)

My point is, if the definition of ‘General electoral population’ and section 35 pertaining to “the division of New Zealand into General electoral districts” need to be amended by a 75% vote of MPs to facilitate these changes, then surely such a vote would be necessary if MPs voted by 51% majority to abolish the Māori seats (given that the new definition of ‘General electoral population’ will still state “…, excluding the Māori electoral population”, which would no longer exist).

Apropos of all this, see my reply to David Garrett, here, https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2026/04/general_debate_04_april_2026.html/comment-page-1#comment-3829972.

I continue to rest my case.

(Here is the Electoral (District Boundaries) Amendment Bill: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2026/251/en/latest/#LMS1576114.)
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April 15, 2026 2:35pm
Jethrod

Wow, that got fairly heated in the 4 April 2026, General Debate.
So was there an outcome for all that, or 2 fellows just having a Dick measuring competition?
Your opinion, DG is awaited.
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April 15, 2026 3:22pm
Poppax8

Shamubeel Eaqub on HDPA 2ZB trying to scare the horses about fuel supply. Trying to be relevant – sorry that ship sailed years ago SE.
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April 15, 2026 5:16pm
- Ian Boag
  
  China uses about 15m bpd – second only to the US (20m bpd) out of a worldwide production of just over 100m bpd. 3m bpd of the China oil comes (came?) from Iran and Trumpy has shut down 20% of their oil. That will get their attention – remembering they don’t actually have a dog in this fight between Bibithat they do not have a dog in.
  
  It’s not impossible that some of the ships coming our way might get gazumped by Chinese interests willing to pay more for a cargo on the water. Hard to imagine that there isn’t any of that happening now … bit of an Economics 101 free for all. Hopefully they wouldn’t go as far as hijacking the odd tanker en route to (say) Japan or South Korea, but they will be pretty grumpy at a 20% cut in their oil supply.
  
  It’s the free market so gazumping must be OK. However we (whoever “we” are) might have to sharpen some pencils down here at the end of the world …..
  
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  April 15, 2026 5:32pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    China is providing weapons to Iran
    They did a swap of $5b of weapons for oil (source Reuters)
    Now, like the rest of us, they will have to pay market price. Tough luck
    The Sauds have increased their output from their pipeline to the Red Sea from 1.5m bpd to 7 m bpd and of course there are now 172 Tankers on their way to the USA to get Oil etc
    Source – Windfall
    The Sauds, UAE and Israel are now planning a new pipeline to avoid the SoH
    Supply chains change….
    The US has plenty to sell and its probably better for the world if they do
    PS ‘shambles’ is an idiot
    
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    April 15, 2026 6:42pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  “We wonder if perhaps he is the most naïve economist on the planet? We think he should keep his business views to himself, and concentrate on maths and economics. ”
  
  He has offered some very bad advice in the past, I never listen to him – has become a Labour mouthpiece.
  https://www.gra.co.nz/articles-by-matthew-gilligan/rent-versus-own-why-the-economist-has-got-it-wrong
  
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  April 15, 2026 6:41pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360965138/nelson-mp-rachel-boyack-shares-news-miscarriage
Why on earth do some people insist on exposing their private lives and their weaknesses to the world ? It seems to be mandatory for left-wing MP women to do so, from ex-PMs down to the most insignificant.
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April 15, 2026 6:42pm
- Ghost
  
  miscarriages, mental health, cancer, etc, all topics that people shouldn’t feel scared to talk about. if it doesn’t interest you, don’t read it
  
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  April 15, 2026 8:53pm
Ghost

Bit tough when your former friend calls your husband a pedophile.

‘Be Careful With Me, B**’: Melania Trump Receives Brutal Warning From Amanda Ungaro—Who Is She?

Will take legal actions against you and your pedophile husband

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April 15, 2026 7:29pm
- Inandout
  
  Ghost, Tucker interviewed a guy who purported to be Obama’s lover and gave personal details. Was Barack actually gay and from other sources was Michelle a man? If you are intent on destroying a person you will use any means at your disposal and if it involves Trump there is no limit. On Tucker’s interview barely any mention in the MSM because Obama is off limits.
  
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  April 15, 2026 9:26pm

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