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April 19, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 19 April 2026

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General Debate

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Cassandra

Sunday is a good day to think about golf, which some KBers will be playing this morning.

Apparently LIV, the Saudi funded competition for the PGA and the Royal&Ancient, has run out of money, presumably because of Hormuz.

For those of us of a conservative approach ie stick in the muds, this is not bad news. LIV was as if some outfit had decided to T20 Rugby and hired a whole lot of Boks and ABs. The old system suits me.
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April 19, 2026 8:11am
- pdm
  
  Super Rugby is a bloody awful watch – even close games like last nights. And don’t get me going on games with scores of 47 to 40 like Fridays was – couldn’t anyone in that game tackle?
  
  Little more than league with the occasional line out.
  
  How about a bit of grinding forward play and the putting backs into space. It doesn’t happen these days. In fact soon it will be have the ball for a few tackles and then give it to the opposition.
  
  Bloody rubbish.
  
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  April 19, 2026 8:26am
  - Luke Piewalker
    
    Hurricanes v Cheifs was a fantastic game. Loved it!
    
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    April 19, 2026 9:11am
    - Anthony Melchett
      
      Except for the chiefs blatant knock on in the lead up to the last try in normal time.
      
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      April 19, 2026 10:30am
  - Prince
    
    There is no space for the backs. Rush defence, plus offsides that officials ignore have ruined the game.
    
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    April 19, 2026 9:47am
    - Paulus
      
      Sorry not only continuous change of rules which few understand but a perception by many (mainly mothers) that on field physical violence is the norm, and they are no longer letting their children there.
      Sadly the once great New Zealand sport of Rugby is declining as such as percepted DEI takes over, having left just Pacific Islanders, who are great, but smaller in numbers.
      
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      April 19, 2026 2:50pm
      - Toes on the nose
        
        It’s not a perception about violence and injuries Pauls, it’s a reality. I work in a once was very strong rugby school. Numbers are declining fast, violence + CTE + overzealous parents. I’ve seen boys have knee injuries so bad they can never go snowboarding again (broke his heart), another boy gets really bad headaches, saddest of all is one in a wheelchair. Kids are flocking to volleyball, mountain biking, waka ama, you name it they love it. Rugby is seen as grandad’s yesterday game.
        
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        April 19, 2026 8:30pm
  - Centrist
    
    Agree. The NZ B/C ODI vs Bangladesh was better to watch than any Super Rugby or league game this year. Infinitely better than T20 slog 6s cricket too.
    
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    April 19, 2026 9:56am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Tend to agree with you pdm, even though I’m a rugby tragic! There are a few things though, that mitigate. One is that players are so fackin’ big these days, it’s bloody hard to stop them close to the line. Second, the refereeing needs to improve. Its not great for every team. And last, in my view, and further to your comment about defence, a decent number of current coaches aren’t up to it.
    The loss of the South African teams is a big blow to the competitiveness of NZ teams.
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:00am
  - AitchW
    
    Wow pdm , if it’s so triggering why do you watch it? I gave up on Super rugby years ago. We watch ABs tests when it’s convenient, otherwise we watch no rugby.
    When will Labour and the Greens demand an enquiry into the monopoly that NZ Rugby has on the game?
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:37am
  - Anthony Melchett
    
    “Little more than league with the occasional line out”
    
    Except league is better because it knows what it is and isn’t trying to be something it’s not like super rugby.
    
    Goal line drop outs – penalises teams trying to crash over and stolen directly from league.
    
    50/22, a cheaper easy version of a 40/20. Even I can still make that kick, some 20 years since I stopped playing. Especially with a rugby ball that flies way further.
    
    Right, we have cheapened the game, what next? I know, let’s send people off for accidental head clashes. That will have the punters going mad for tickets.
    
    Reality. Chiefs vs hurricanes top of the table clash, home derby bla bla bla. Maybe 5000 people there tops. To be fair, it was a decent game of union, but wouldn’t be in the top 10 league matches this year by a long way.
    
    Broncos vs Tigers also last night – 17,000 (sold out, could have sold 30k tickets I’m guessing)
    
    Rugby is a complete joke now and the patronage shows it.
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:41am
    - Charlotte Wells
      
      All I am waiting for is rugby to realise that a dozen or more ‘pick&go’ phases are not fun to watch.
      
      Rugby will need to limit the number of times that can be done before the ball is haded to the opposiiton.
      
      Rucks are a problem area too. Limit the number of players that can join the ruck and automatically let the tackled team retain the ball.
      
      hmmm – sounds familiar.
      
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      April 19, 2026 12:13pm
  - MCōs
    
    I watched an old game on Sky the other day with Christian Cullen and Jonah and all the old stars. They weren’t all that flash like they’ve been built up to be in the interim
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:55am
    - Quail
      
      Rugby needs a North – South derby Make it a AB trial! Include Wellington in the Southern team.
      Make the trial apply to coaches and admin as well.
      It seems the focus is on the Bombay hills and thereabouts , if you want to feature in AB rugby go north young man!
      Same for coaches ! Just ask Razor Robertson , Grizz Wyllie ,Robbie Deans Laurie Mains Jamie Joseph etc if they were happy with the way they were supported.by NZR. All southerners!
      And the game plus administration has changed with a huge numbers decline in what used to be the heart of NZ Rugby — The club scene.
      
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      April 19, 2026 12:08pm
  - Littletramp
    
    They need to make the fields 5 or 10 metres wider to make it harder to defend against speed.
    
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    April 19, 2026 5:11pm
- Southern Raider
  
  I’ll only watch the All Blacks and occasional NPC game. Super Rugby is dead. There is no real competition, the game itself is boring and crowds just don’t turn up. NZRU was too arrogant by pushing the South Africans out and loosing the Argentinian and Japanese teams lost that broader rivalry angle as well.
  
  League is a simple game played for entertainment and it works. The game is very quick and you get the combination of big hits and long range scoring.
  
  Warriors sell out every week and have even sold out Wellington and Chch Stadiums for the upcoming games.
  
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  April 19, 2026 1:33pm
  - MCōs
    
    Where I live in league country, to be specific the Warriors.
    The Warriors sold in excess of 20k tickets for each game. Less than 20k attended any rugby game at Eden Park outside test matches in 2025.
    https://edenpark.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Annual-report-2025.pdf
    
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    April 19, 2026 7:19pm
    - Southern Raider
      
      I would be very surprised if the got even 10K at a rugby game at Eden Park outside of Tests
      
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      April 19, 2026 8:34pm
cas

George Santana once said ” those who cannot remember the past are doomed t repeat it”. This quote came to mind when I was reading The Breath of the gods by Simon Winchester. He cites the oil shock of 1973 when Nixon supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War with Egypt and Syria. The Arabs shut off all petroleum exports and petrol rose sharply. The national speed limit was even lowered to 55mph.

Admittedly the USA has its own oil now but citizens are still feeling the pinch
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April 19, 2026 8:41am
- Wandering Star
  
  Indeed. The lesson is that the US’s supporting Israel tends to come at a great cost. Not only the oil shocks impacting at home, though, but the trillions of dollars and thousands of lives sunk into the middle eastern land mass underwriting and guaranteeing the Greater Israel project.
  
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  April 19, 2026 11:00am
  - Southern Raider
    
    Can you explain this “greater Israel” project you keep going on about.
    
    Every time Israel has taken land they have handed it back for peace. They were almost at Cairo in one war and moved back to the existing border out of good will.
    
    Outside of Iranian proxies Israel hasn’t fought with any other Arab state since the 70’s (when Israel was attacked first).
    
    If the was a “greater Israel” project then Israel would have had the means to implement it 50 years ago and seem to have done a pretty shit job.
    
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    April 19, 2026 1:39pm
    - KH
      
      From the Nile to the Euphrates is the chant. It’s an Israeli expansion thing.
      
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      April 19, 2026 6:32pm
    - Wandering Star
      
      You need to be able to think clearly and strategically, and in a forward-thinking manner. That is, not by looking at what is, but at what will be on current trends. This is why so many of you draw the wrong conclusions about what is happening and why.
      
      By “Greater Israel” I mean unchecked dominance of the entire Middle East, from the River to the Sea, and even beyond.
      
      It’s less about expanding the borders of Israel proper (although they intend to annex and absorb Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and Lebanon up to the Litani River), than it is about enacting the “mosaic strategy” whereby all coherent larger states are dissolved into ineffectual statelets with no ability to challenge Israel. Clear now?
      
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      April 19, 2026 7:47pm
- pb
  
  American fuel companies sell oil to those who pay the most. They have gone from a fuel exporter to a fuel importer, as suppliers sell to the highest bidder. These days they are foreign ships.
  
  Servos restrict the amount of fuel you can pump. Which is somewhat retarded, as you have to drive to another petrol station, burning even more fuel, to fill up.
  
  The 1970’s fuel crises blew up after the 6 day war in the middle east. Land grab, followed by world depression. Thanks.
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:26pm
- Taieri
  
  George Santana once said
  ————-
  
  George Santayana
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:30pm
  - cas
    
    Thank you for the correct name
    
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    April 19, 2026 7:44pm
KH

Is that the game with the ball with pointy ends?
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April 19, 2026 8:44am
- Jigsaw
  
  It’s the game where all of these huge overly muscled and heavily tattooed guys (and sometimes gals) smash into each other over and over and entertain other people in doing so. Some people find this entertaining and rest of us just wonder how the hell that can be so and switch it off or look for actual entertainment.
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:56am
  - David Garrett
    
    Jigsaw: That’s brilliant! Sums up my view of the National Religion perfectly…although judging by the earlier comments the National Religion is less popular than it was
    
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    April 19, 2026 8:39pm
- Steve Otto N Shore
  
  Yeah! They don’t kick the ball with the head———
  
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  April 19, 2026 4:49pm
Poppax8

PDM – I suggest you go back to bed for a few hours. Things will seem better when you wake up.
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April 19, 2026 8:47am
Damocles11

‘Iranian officials say they have reversed the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and reimposed restrictions on the vital shipping lane after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iranian ports.
A UK maritime agency reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ships had fired at a tanker as it attempted to pass through the strait on Saturday. Reuters reported an Indian-flagged vessel carrying crude oil had also been attacked while in the waterway.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said on Saturday that Tehran had restored the strait to its “previous status” and was now “under strict management and control by the armed forces”.’
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April 19, 2026 8:49am
- david in Aus
  
  I strongly recommend reading post from Prof. Robert Pape, from the Uni of Chicago.
  https://x.com/ProfessorPape
  
  In my opinion, the likely outcome, despite Trump’s desires, is for the conflict to drag out to the mid-term elections. Until there is regime change in either the US or Iran.
  
  It is highly probable the Republicans will lose the House and the Senate. More importantly, Trump will lose his hold over the GOP.
  I just hope the Democrats elect moderates and not the radical left-wing types. I sense the world is preparing for a post-Trump world.
  
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  April 19, 2026 11:25am
  - Southern Raider
    
    You’re pinning your hopes on the Democrats becoming more moderate?
    
    Just looking at the new Democrat backed mayors and councillors being elected in major cities, the new wave of governors and sentators.
    
    Afraid to tell you but Democrats are only going one way thats as far radical left as possible.
    
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    April 19, 2026 1:43pm
    - david in Aus
      
      One can hope. The reactionary choice to a right wing populist would be a left wing populist. It’s very sad to see the deterioration of US politics.
      
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      April 19, 2026 9:00pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      I suggest its nothing about Democrats becoming more moderate(Mid terms) more about defanging Trumps adventureism
      
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      April 19, 2026 9:14pm
- Ra Henare
  
  Why are we surprised. That is what the US knew would happen when they announce a blockade(AKA an act of War).
  
  IMHO the US wanted to scuttle the peace talks after Trump had blurted out he accepted Irans 10 point plan as a start for negotiations.
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:06pm
- R
  
  By ‘armed forces’, he means the IRGC mad mullahs. The Iranian govt hasn’t been managing Iran for the past 47 years
  
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  April 19, 2026 1:05pm
David George

Victor Davis Hanson:
some interesting comments in this short video; in particular an insight into the fracture of, and chaos within, the Islamic Regime’s leadership. They’ll be shooting each next thing.
“We’ve never taken on a country of 93 million people that had the most fearsome, terrible reputation of being dangerous and unpredictable, and running the Middle East with a ring-of-fire proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Lebanon—indomitable. They had terrified seven presidents. And yet, in five weeks, we destroyed its ability to make war.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fgCBa9vlvI
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April 19, 2026 8:56am
- Swifty
  
  Any idea what Reza Ali is up to now?
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:06am
  - David George
    
    No, sorry. The family moved away from the district. He would be in his late 60s by now I guess.
    Did you know them as well?
    
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    April 19, 2026 11:28am
    - Swifty
      
      Northland, perhaps Kaikohe?
      
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      April 19, 2026 11:40am
      - David George
        
        Yes, that was in Kaikohe, they had a small farm not far from town. We all went to Northland college, me and my brother and sisters and Reza and his exquisite sisters.
        
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        April 19, 2026 2:09pm
  - amospicton
    
    He’s a GP in Auckland and a very good friend – quite coincidentally – I don’t know David George. One of the nicest men I’ve ever met.
    
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    April 19, 2026 11:45am
    - Swifty
      
      Thanks!
      
      Yes, I did wonder about David George’s ‘Reza Ali’ because his spelling is different to Reza Ala’i, the Three Kings GP.
      
      He’s been my GP for the last ten years or so and I bloody love him. Best GP I’ve ever had.
      
      An interesting life story too. Hell of a nice guy.
      
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      April 19, 2026 1:05pm
    - David George
      
      That’s great to hear, amospicton, thanks.
      He will remember Linda George, my sister.
      
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      April 19, 2026 2:12pm
- grumpy
  
  Looks like it’s all on again. For a while it seemed Trump had pulled it off but his outrageous boasting causing Iran to lose face means the Strait is blocked again.
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:29am
  - David George
    
    I don’t know to what extent it was intentional but the “outrageous boasting” has helped fuel the fracture of the four remnant sectors of Iran governance.
    Not only are the IIRG, the theocrats, the regular army and the politicians at odds; factions within those sectors are accusing each other of treachery over who agreed to what.
    The “Supreme Leader” is dead or incapacitated, no one is in charge and they’re in a state of pure panic.
    
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    April 19, 2026 9:41am
    - grumpy
      
      Totally agree. The US will come back from this but Trump’s behaviour was completely unnecessary, he had already won. Perhaps we are witnessing a final flourish from the Revolutionary Guard and it will all be over in a few days,
      
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      April 19, 2026 9:45am
    - Wandering Star
      
      “Not only are the IIRG, the theocrats, the regular army and the politicians at odds; factions within those sectors are accusing each other of treachery over who agreed to what…….no one is in charge and they’re in a state of pure panic.”
      
      Says who?
      
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      April 19, 2026 11:06am
  - Hard Cheese
    
    What did he expect was going to happen? Iran were hardly likely to allow everyone else to use the Strait and accept a US blockade that meant they couldn’t.
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:20am
- Master Mariner
  
  Tell that to the Gulf Economies and the Western World in general. This is economic world war which will result in more pressure to end sooner than later.
  Who will the pressure be directed at ? Depends on what you believe but there is no crediability the US is winning this economically that’s for sure finding themselves further isolated and the breakdown of International Law and order.
  I struggle to understand the “end game” here but in the meantime the rest of the world is put into chaos, Apart from Russia / China.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx-QDyvwFxU
  Chas Freeman: Diplomacy Fails – Strait of Hormuz Shut Down Again
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:38am
  - David George
    
    Have you listened to that clip by Hanson, MM? Symptomatic of the chaos and disunity within the regime the IIRG are now calling their foreign minister an idiot and doing whatever they want:
    
    Recorded voice of the IRGC Navy: “We will open the strait on the orders of our leader Khamenei, not because of tweets from an idiot.”
    
    There is the possibility of a two way split: the elected politicians and regular army with the people against the IIRG and their theocratic wing. The “Supreme Leader” would normally have the final say but he’s nowhere to be seen.
    I think it will end with an uprising or civil war.
    
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    April 19, 2026 11:47am
    - Taieri
      
      There is the possibility of a two way split
      ————-
      
      Iran’s political system has been very complex even before this war. Nominally, the Supreme Leader was in charge of everything. In practice, it wasn’t necessarily so. With Ali Khamenei being 86 years old and in reportedly poor health, he was more a figure head than a real ruler, with various factions fighting each other for an influence at his court. But at least he was an unifying figure, and the official relationships between the political structures appeared to be clear. Now, who knows who is really in charge there.
      
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      April 19, 2026 12:44pm
    - septic skeptic
      
      If there is an overthrow of the regime in Tehran it is by no means certain that a single unifying government for the whole country would emerge. Some sort of factionalized failed state is a possibility and that could make management of the SOH problematic for years.
      Best solution from here would be for Europe, China, India,Pakistan and the Gulf states to pressure the US to F off out of the area and vacate their bases. Then collectively negotiate a diplomatic solution with Iran. An obvious by-product of that would be the end of the petro-dollar.
      
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      April 19, 2026 2:12pm
    - Paulus
      
      Sadly the US and/or Israel can destroy Iran at will -by showing what they can do initially and publically to one, say Desalination Plant, upon which the people of Iran are dependent.
      
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      April 19, 2026 3:01pm
      - Steve Otto N Shore
        
        So when will Trump do it?
        Has he lost his balls? The World is tired of the shit from Iran.
        
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        April 19, 2026 5:00pm
    - Ra Henare
      
      Why belive Hanson anymore?
      He used to be a great commentatory
      A year or so ago he started to shill for the Trump Administration.
      Cherry picking facts, omitting what didnt suit his narrative and regurgitationg US propoganda (in his own style).
      
      Would not believe any of his opinions any more.
      
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      April 19, 2026 9:19pm
- artemisia
  
  Rumours only that some IRGC members have been heading back to their villages, and that some are being quietly eliminated as opportunity arises. None of that would be too surprising in a chaotic environment. But rumours only.
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:06am
  - Damocles11
    
    Any source?
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:18am
    - Wandering Star
      
      No.
      
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      April 19, 2026 11:03am
      - Gussy
        
        If only Iran could fix their internet…
        
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        April 19, 2026 2:08pm
    - David George
      
      Low-level IRGC/Basij members (often conscripts or rural recruits) appear to be deserting posts in significant numbers, shedding uniforms, and heading home—frequently described as returning to their villages or family areas. Videos and eyewitness accounts from March-April 2026 show individuals filming themselves abandoning checkpoints, with statements like:
      “Everyone is gone. The regime is finished. I just hope the people don’t take revenge on us.”
      Another: members changing into civilian clothes and “running” home.
      
      These desertions are portrayed as bottom-up disintegration, with some handing over weapons or barracks keys to protesters. One report described an IRGC major surrendering armory keys and revealing a colonel’s location, after which locals reportedly killed the colonel.
      https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=2045650713410445426
      
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      April 19, 2026 11:50am
      - Paulus
        
        I wish you were right but ?
        
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        April 19, 2026 3:02pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    Rumours put out by whom? Mosad? CIA?
    
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    April 19, 2026 9:20pm
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  And what actual good has come out of any of this? Who is now better off, and how, than they were two months ago?
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:44am
  - Interested Party
    
    It’s a work in progress – without righting an essay on all facets. Removing the nuclear capability from a bunch of Islamic nut jobs (who would use it in the name of Allah) has to be a good thing
    
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    April 19, 2026 12:08pm
    - Wandering Star
      
      ” Removing the nuclear capability from a bunch of Islamic nut jobs (who would use it in the name of Allah) has to be a good thing.”
      
      This tiresome trope is a great example of rhetoric which is not based on any evidence and is just repeated as a justification for actions and positions already decided upon.
      
      To cite actual evidence to the contrary, Pakistan, for example, is an Islamic Republic with nuclear weapons, yet they’ve never used them. Moreover, the Judeo-Americans are allied with the “Islamic nut jobs” who rule Saudi Arabia, which suggests the existence of a level of compatibility and the possibility of accord.
      
      Thus, the pure propaganda of propositions like “nuclear armed Islamic nutjobs cannot be countenanced nor worked with” is demonstrably false.
      
      Rendering the Iranians as irrational religious zealots is a PR strategy to deflect from the truth, which is that they are completely rational in the face of incessant Judeo-American hostility, the goal of which is ensuring Israel can never be challenged by another regional actor.
      
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      April 19, 2026 2:03pm
      - Jigsaw
        
        Wanderer – You really do have problem with logic don’t you?
        
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        April 19, 2026 6:26pm
    - septic skeptic
      
      What about the nut jobs in the US who are in charge of an existing nuclear arsenal and might make good on their veiled threats to use it in the name of their god?
      
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      April 19, 2026 2:15pm
    - kowtow
      
      Knocking off anyone remotely involved in funding , encouraging or facilitating any aspects of that appalling attack on Oct 7 is also a bigly good thing.
      
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      April 19, 2026 3:05pm
  - Albie
    
    “Actual good to come out of this….”
    1. Iran no longer able to sponsor state terrorism directly and through its proxy’s.
    2. Iran unable to build a nuclear bomb.
    3. The people of Iran getting their freedom back.
    
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    April 19, 2026 12:19pm
  - Scott
    
    Oh I don’t know? The end of the Ayatollahs? Now that’s a good thing.
    Venezuela has gone. That’s a good thing.
    Cuba is about to go.
    So to sum up. What’s the good?
    The end of the Ayatollahs.
    The end of the socialists in Venezuela.
    The end of the communists in Cuba.
    
    All good things. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 🇺🇸😎
    
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    April 19, 2026 12:38pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Gotta say that if I was struggling with finances and feeding the fam and all that, I would be soooo grateful that Trumpy has made my life harder by starting a fight that has nothing to do with me.
      
      Obviously you are not in that group ….
      
      No doubt he will fix North Korea next 🙂
      
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      April 19, 2026 1:41pm
    - Hard Cheese
      
      Now how about the bad
      
      Surging fuel prices worldwide
      Shortages of diesel, petrol and jet fuel
      Shortages of fertiliser for food production
      Shortages of LNG and helium
      Inflation
      
      According to fuelclock.nz there are just over 23 days supply of diesel left in the country. If it runs out and cripples the NZ economy are you still going to hold the view that the war was worth it?
      
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      April 19, 2026 1:51pm
      - Scott
        
        Yes.
        Because I believe in western civilisation and I believe it’s worth fighting for. In Iran, against the Ayatollahs, in Europe against mass immigration and radical Islam and in NZ against the ethno tribalists, the hard leftists and the wokerati that want to upend everything.
        
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        April 19, 2026 5:31pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Yo Scott
        
        So how much “fighting for western civilisation” are you doing beyond anonymous rants on a right-wing blog? Asking for a friend 🙂
        
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        April 19, 2026 6:51pm
      - Hard Cheese
        
        @Scott – so you admit you place the welfare of other countries above New Zealand’s? What about the people who’ll starve because fertiliser shortages limit food production? You’re OK to kill them off because you’re battling the “wokerati”?
        
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        April 19, 2026 7:05pm
- SGA
  
  @David George – “We’ve never taken on a country of 93 million people that had the most fearsome, terrible reputation of being dangerous and unpredictable, and running the Middle East with a ring-of-fire proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Lebanon—indomitable. They had terrified seven presidents. And yet, in five weeks, we destroyed its ability to make war.”
  
  Sorry, I think this is a lot of hype and handwaving. “Fearsome”, “terrible”, “unpredictable”, “indomitable”, “terrified seven presidents”. Awful regime – check. Abuses it citizens – check. Funds proxies for acts of terror – check. But the idea that they were some indomitable, fearsome military force that terrified US presidents is “over the top”. Their navy and air force were antiquated, nothing to be “terrified” of, and easily destroyed – their more modern drones are still an issue. They were “running the Middle East” – really? Sure they are a thorn in the side and potential threat to the Saudis, UAEs etc, but “running it”?
  
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  April 19, 2026 11:28am
- Ra Henare
  
  I used to be a fan of Victor for some years. But since the current middle East hoohah, he has IMHO become a shill for the Trump administration.
  
  He regularly cherry picks items to support, and omits other facts that might derail his opinion as presented online.
  
  The tipping point for me was when he started labling anybody anti Israel Governmnet(Anti Zionest) as anti Semetic.
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:09pm
  - Wandering Star
    
    Hanson knows what views he has to express if he wants to maintain his status as an establishment figure and talking head. Who knows, he may even believe what he says, but he knows that he has to say it.
    
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    April 19, 2026 1:49pm
  - Vory v zakone
    
    Meh. VDH has been a supporter of Trump from the beginning of his presidency. He doesn’t have to “shill” (snigger) for Trump. He looks at the results empirically…
    
    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CcVBGiNCP/
    
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    April 19, 2026 5:17pm
  - Scott
    
    I know. He just doesn’t hate Israel enough. He doesn’t believe in “genocide in Gaza”.
    
    Tip – if you believe in “genocide in Gaza” then there is a plot that you have lost. 😎
    
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    April 19, 2026 5:33pm
Tauhei Notts

There is something fishy about that Geelong refinery incident.
A local reports that there were more reporters on site than there were fire fighters.
It sort of puts my bullshit detectors upon alert.
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April 19, 2026 8:58am
- kowtow
  
  Agreed. Given how decades of mass immgration into the west has placed thousands if not tens of 000’s of proxies in our midst .
  
  One thing the anti Israel/American media has not highlighted is the number of proxy attacks there have been across the west .
  
  Will the media highlight this.
  
  https://nypost.com/2026/04/18/world-news/greta-thunbergs-freedom-flotilla-rocked-by-sexual-misconduct-allegations/
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:10am
  - rjay
    
    Unlikely the media will touch it. The article itself says there is nothing in the accusations.
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:32am
    - kowtow
      
      A bit like migrant crime in Europe .
      
      Nothing to see here …….move along , quickly , or you’ll be arrested!
      
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      April 19, 2026 12:43pm
  - grumpy
    
    So the article states that three women were sexually assaulted. The crew numbered 12. How many other women besides Greta?
    
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    April 19, 2026 2:10pm
    - AitchW
      
      I can’t help wondering though if the revolution in Iran, if successful, will be like the French revolution where the country simply swapped one mob of murderous swine for another. Will there be sham trials of collaborators?
      
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      April 19, 2026 3:58pm
- peterwn
  
  And while the reporters were interviewing their keyboards and predicting higher fuel prices, more fuel shortages etc, the refinery just kept ticking over as normal.The fire was in an adjacent LNG facility.
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:15am
  - CJames
    
    Are you certain about that? The Australian is reporting that Viva Energy is 4 million litres of fuel a day down from the loss of the refinery.
    
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    April 19, 2026 6:52pm
Swifty

Ugly, criminal conduct happening in and around Cricket Canada:

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2246949/cricket-canada-allegations-fifth-estate

My Indian flattie says Indian Cricket is riddled with this stuff too.
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April 19, 2026 9:05am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Cricket in Canada is an immigrant sport. In Canada this means South Asians and to a lesser extent, West Indians.
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:44am
  - Paulus
    
    I am told that Canada has the world’s largest Indian Immigration numbers in the world.
    My Chinese friend returning from Vncouver recently when asked how was it said “To0 many bloody Chinese”
    
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    April 19, 2026 3:06pm
    - Gulag1917
      
      Vancouver has always had a large Chinese population.
      
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      April 19, 2026 5:07pm
Souvlaki

Just watching Jack Tame, interviewing Bishop.
He, like the ” leader”…pffffffft…..studiously ignore elephant in the room🐘….wrt reasons for their imminent collapse.
Look no further guys, than your broken promises to deal efficaciously with the issues surrounding unelected Maori, and the accompanying baggage.
You simply deserve to be a minor player in the coaltion:
https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/04/peter-williams-fndc-debacle-why.html?m=1
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April 19, 2026 9:18am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  And when asked about the Māori fiasco in Northland Jobes told the people who will vote that there is no problem with that fiasco, Nats did not allow what happened the other day. They promised to give a vote in each council to have or to dump the Māori seats, they did that. This crap the other day was being fuelled by Māori in that council, I watched the arguing on the news, and it was Māori councillors that were whinging and saying this will happen.
  
  How do you know the government is not going to decide in cabinet to take this away.
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:48am
  - RoboRob
    
    The issue is that people voted for a government they thought was against this sort of thing. Yes the Nats forced councils to run a vote but most people thought that meant that the Nats were against co governance in general. Hell some Nats even said they were against it. Sure the Nats might eventually remove treaty principals references from a subset of bills, which apparently counts as meeting that promise. However people thought they were removing these bills from law, not a subset. People thought they didn’t believe in special rights in law for people based on ancestry.
    
    So when stuff like what is happening up north occurs people expect the government that’s against co governance to act. Instead we get Simon Watts talking about taking it to cabinet to see if people agree that something should be done and if so then getting advice from officials. People rightly expected the government to already have a policy on this, after all they campaigned on it, and to have already acted. Not waited for it to blow up in the media and have the government forced to talk about it. In the local body governance review that has been in progress for some time but still not implemented, there is nothing to prevent this. It seems bloody obvious that elected officials shouldn’t be outvoted by unelected members, regardless of ethnicity. It’s not even a Maori issue. Yet Watts hasn’t even considered it (he said there is nothing in his new legislation).
    
    Then you get questions about council CEOs refusing councilors access to information. What does the new bill do? After the CEO declines the councilors access to information, they can go back to the council (themselves) and it (they) will decide if the CEO should give it (themselves) the information. What happens next if the CEO still refuses, well that’s not defined. I shit you not, that was Watts description of the process.
    
    This is an example of the problem. People were elected to fix this stuff, it was known about prior to the election. We knew about unelected groups controlling councils. We knew the CEOs were ignoring instructions from councilors. The government gives the appearance that it hasn’t even considered these issues let alone actually acted on them.
    
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    April 19, 2026 12:02pm
    - keepcalmcarryon
      
      Yep, the Nats are the problem, do not give them your vote.
      Like the British Tories and the Australian liberal party they have abandoned conservative principles for “progressive” (woke) corporate styles.
      Do not vote for them.
      
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      April 19, 2026 12:47pm
    - Paulus
      
      Councillors do not appoint a CEO and cannot do so.
      
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      April 19, 2026 3:10pm
      - Quail
        
        Paulus,
        Our “district “ councillors do have a vote for the CEO.
        Mind you the candidates are selected by an employment agency.
        
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        April 19, 2026 5:09pm
- Ghost
  
  If you look at the issues in the polls, anything related to Māori if even mentioned is very low. While Māori issues may be a top issue in the bubble of the blog, the reason for the polling is economy, health, cost of living, crime.
  
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  April 19, 2026 9:51am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    “the reason for the polling is economy, health, cost of living, crime”
    
    Sad to say, Maori are central to NZ’s poor performance in all of the above. Just consider:
    
    *how much lower our taxes could be if the vast subsidies given to Maori organisations just because they are Maori were not given;
    *how much better our health stats would be, and how many people would be seen sooner if the health of Maoris reached the average of other New Zealanders;
    *how much more affordable NZ would be with taxes lowered by the amount of the subsidies referred to above;
    *how many fewer victims of crime there would be, and how many fewer people our Police would need to catch, our courts to process and our jails to house if the observance of our laws by Maoris reached the average of other New Zealanders;
    
    I wish it weren’t so, because we’d all be better off as a result.
    
    (Just be be clear, there are many reasons why NZ underperforms in the areas listed above; Maori as a group are only one of them)
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:09am
    - RichardF
      
      NZ has a larger and more complex government than most nations of a similar size. I believe this is due to the Maori factor the others don’t have to accommodate. We could trim expenditure and govt by 30% if we were color blind and didn’t give 15% of the population special treatment.
      
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      April 19, 2026 12:09pm
  - Cassandra
    
    And how do you know this, Ghost?
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:14am
    - Ghost
      
      As I said above, which should give it away, if you look at the issues in the polls. Hint, read the polls
      
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      April 19, 2026 10:26am
      - MCōs
        
        Race relations isn’t in the top five
        https://www.ipsos.com/en-nz/ipsos-nz-issues-monitor-june-2025
        
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        April 19, 2026 10:44am
      - Cassandra
        
        If they don’t ask the question how do you know the answer? Of course the hip pocket is vital but these other matters will help. I suspect that Luxon’s refusal to tackle the Maori issue is half wokery and half fear of protest.
        
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        April 19, 2026 10:59am
      - keepcalmcarryon
        
        Usually in the polls the question is framed as “treaty issues” important or not which is misleading as it sounds as if a yes means you want more treaty. Also co governance is NOT a treaty issue, it’s an invented travesty, it’s a democracy issue.
        So there is no way polls reflect the importance of the racial separatism being forced on us.
        Look at the Nats tanking while NZ First rises.
        
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        April 19, 2026 1:56pm
  - Fender
    
    Good grief you expect a poll to ask those questions and write them up as a reason and expect people to answer them as well
    Your better than that ghost
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:31am
    - Ghost
      
      And yet, they do, seriously does no one bother to look at the polls
      
      https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2026-02/Media%20Release%20-%20Ipsos%20New%20Zealand%20Issues%20Monitor%20-%2002%20March%202026_0.pdf
      
      3.6%in tax payers Curia listed treaty
      
      https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/0226_polltu
      
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      April 19, 2026 10:44am
      - Cassandra
        
        I’ve waded through all this. The pollsters are not asking the right questions.
        
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        April 19, 2026 11:05am
      - Ghost
        
        If you don’t like the questions you can always write the tax payers union and suggest a question that fits your needs, they would be more open to suggestions than the other polling companies. Ipsos are very extensive in their questions, usually their polls take up to 2 hours.
        
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        April 19, 2026 11:17am
      - wsk12345
        
        2 hours to answer a poll Ghost??
        
        Certainly raises questions as to who responds. Most of us have jobs and two hours free time is not two hours to answer a poll. Is it only the retired and unemployed?
        
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        April 19, 2026 12:17pm
      - Ghost
        
        Weekends, evening, plenty of non working hours, you don’t have to answer it all at once. I typically leave an ipsos until midnight when the house is asleep
        
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        April 19, 2026 12:37pm
      - wsk12345
        
        Hold on – is Josie an “opt in” poll? Not randomly selected?
        
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        April 19, 2026 3:58pm
      - Ghost
        
        random, them and roy morgan use survey sites
        
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        April 19, 2026 5:48pm
      - AitchW
        
        Cass, pollsters ask questions designed to get the result those commissioning the poll desire.
        
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        April 19, 2026 4:04pm
  - grumpy
    
    The polls are rubbish. If the question is never asked you will never get an answer
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:57am
    - R
      
      But you WILL get the poll results that you want, for ideological reasons.
      
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      April 19, 2026 11:56am
  - Cassandra
    
    Money spent on paying unnecessary staff and bribing tribes cannot be spent on health, cost of living and fighting crime. Money spent on city signage and extra committee members has to come from rates.
    
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    April 19, 2026 11:21am
    - Paulus
      
      In Tauranga all Primary schols are labelled now including the street signs Kura – who made the and put them up ?
      Some changed name to a total Maori one without telling anybody – even the local MP.
      
      6 1
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      April 19, 2026 3:15pm
      - Quail
        
        Thought Kura was a dog, ?
        
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        April 19, 2026 5:25pm
  - kowtow
    
    Yeah well the constitution , personal, individual property rights , equality before the law and the rule of law ( accountability of elected officials to the people) are what underpins our economy , health , cost of living and crime.
    
    Without those constitutional principles we descend into third world status ……oh wait.
    
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    April 19, 2026 12:47pm
- Steve Otto N Shore
  
  I saw that. Jack Tame interviews himself – so it makes him and himself feel good.
  It is Q and A of Tame and nothing more!!!!!
  
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  April 19, 2026 5:07pm
Master Mariner

No surprises that the SOH is again closed.
The US was to lift the Blockade for it to remain open which was not the case.
https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156949/Hormuz-traffic-halts-again-as-shots-fired-and-Iran-claims-strict-control
Meanwhile the Iranians hold all the cards in regards to the Worlds economic outcomes ( at least Western ).
This appears to be SNAFU all over again.
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Strait-of-Hormuz-Faces-Full-Shutdown-as-Iran-Escalates-Standoff.html
The next Known Unknown is the closure of the Red Sea and KSA pipeline .
I fail to understand how a war results in “Regime Change” through out History but instead galvanises its citizens.
Another note, What is NZ strategy the longer this continues ? I am not holding my breath for any long term resilence planning going forward.
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April 19, 2026 9:21am
- MCōs
  
  As I’ve heard a hundred times the big beautiful strait was perfectly open prior to America/Israel starting this war
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:06pm
  - Swifty
    
    Iran has been warring against both the US and Israel since 1979.
    
    They started it.
    
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    April 19, 2026 2:02pm
iMP

The looming NZ ECONOMIC CRISIS.

If the NZ population is to naturally halve in a generation (immigration aside) due to modern and feminist ideological choices that affect relationships, ideas of family and growth, then the NZ tax take will MORE than halve (because we have to factor in the aging of the population as well).

Add to that Green and other Liberal anti-development ideologies (ie no coal or mining, oil etc -NZ has heaps of untapped oil) then we will have a serious economic crisis in this country. And soon.

We will be unable to afford spending on roading, hospitals, life-saving pharmaceuticals, policing, defence, democratic institutions, basic infrastructure (hello Wellington water) and all the First World assumptions we believe we are ENTITLED to based on the twenty-first century economic platform that created modern NZ (forestry, farming, business, electricity generation, natural gas, tourism) established by twentieth century colonisation, development and exploitation, ie “USE”).

There are four solutions:

1. Have families again with children.
2. Mass net immigration and cultural sub summation.
3. Rapid economic regional development (coal, minerals, oil, hydro, other exploitations) and quick.
4. Retract – but remain “pure” – and become a Second World nation (with mass emigration to Australia) say like the Solomons.
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April 19, 2026 10:04am
- David Garrett
  
  iMP: the “second world” is – or rather was – the communist bloc of countries, not some “second division ” of the first world as you appear to think
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:23am
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    As easily rewritten as the Third World definition.
    
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    April 19, 2026 6:36pm
- rjay
  
  Or increase productivity i.e. income / value generation per person
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:34am
  - Debsta
    
    We seem utterly unwilling or unable to do that simple did. Hell, kiwis can’t even see that’s what iss required.
    
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    April 20, 2026 9:20am
- wsk12345
  
  “… due to modern and feminist ideological choices that affect relationships…”
  
  I chose not to have kids when I was of an age to do so. A bit ahead of my time perhaps but nothing to do with “feminist ideology”, I’d just never had anything to do with kids and what I did see when out and about (tantrums in the shops, whinging, crying all the time) simply didn’t appeal. Nothing to do with wanting a career or to earn lots of money.
  
  Now though, is the choice about feminist ideology? Perhaps to some extent but I posit that mostly it’s to do with the really poor quality men on offer. When I was of an age, men were at least men. They did sport or hunting or similar. Not day upon day of gaming. They left home and got decent jobs or skills. Most could fix things, build things – or earned a ton so could pay someone to do it. Now not so much. They took personal responsibility rather than living with mum cooking and cleaning for them until they were late 20s. I have watched my nieces and nephews grow up. Some of the girls have partnered up, and one of the partners is great, one is very nice but a complete waste of space leaving his wife to work full time, and do all the house work, cooking and child care outside work while he plays with his train set or games. She has tried but he has no skills while she is highly competent and in the end finds it easier to just do everything. Those that have not partnered have occasional boyfriends that don’t know what sex they are, can’t hold down a job, don’t own a battery powered drill (all my nieces do and know how to use it), etc etc. it appears to be very al pickings compared to 20, 30, 40 years ago. Why would they want to take on kids when most of the “men” are still behaving like kids?
  
  And yes it’s probably the fault of their mothers and the fathers who are not in their lives.
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:53am
  - greybeard
    
    Are you married ? To a man ? You don’t actually say. And yes, given the tone of your post, it IS relevant.
    
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    April 19, 2026 5:04pm
  - Tom Hunter
    
    Those that have not partnered have occasional boyfriends that don’t know what sex they are, can’t hold down a job, don’t own a battery powered drill….
    
    It’s 27 years old now, but you really need to watch Fight Club. And if you have then maybe you need to see it again.
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:05pm
- Prince
  
  5) If there is another global epidemic, allow nature to take its course.
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:31pm
- Paulus
  
  Helen Clark, friends Margaret Wilson and Judith Tizard, were the people responsible for much of what we now know as the destruction of the family unit.
  Well done “ladies”.
  The founders in addition of what we now know as DEI.
  
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  April 19, 2026 3:18pm
Ghost

Could be worth a look, but I would be surprised if it is anything that isn’t already in the public domain.

“As you remember, I recently directed the Secretary of War … to begin releasing government files relating to UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena,” Trump told an audience in Phoenix, Arizona. “I’m pleased to report today … that this process is well underway and we’ve found many very interesting documents, I must say. And, the first releases will begin very, very soon.”

Article
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April 19, 2026 10:05am
- David Garrett
  
  Ghost: Trump is always announcing things that are going to happen “very very soon”
  
  8 4
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  April 19, 2026 10:26am
  - Ghost
    
    Yeah, he also announced they would know in the next week and a half what is behind the deaths of at least 10 people connected to classified projects.
    
    There are still jfk files that haven’t been released and still some with heavy redactions. Still 2.5 million Epstein files unreleased
    
    What ever can take the heat off him he will do but never completely, just drips
    
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    April 19, 2026 10:31am
- virtualmark
  
  “Look! Over there! No, no, don’t look here … look over there!”
  
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  April 19, 2026 10:27am
Maggy Wassilieff

Ani O’Brien changes her mind on Luxon

despite my vocal cynicism about the media, I have allowed myself to get caught up in their frenzy. I know better, but it is hard to ignore the overwhelming enthusiasm the media have to take Luxon’s scalp. Hehir’s writing has been a wake up call for me. A reminder that this is a class of people who have hated the coalition since day dot. They badgered Luxon about his personal beliefs with a ferocity Hipkins and Ardern never experienced because they agree with the left-wing politicians and so consider them correct. They want to see the coalition crash and burn and that informs their approach.

https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/04/ani-obrien-i-changed-my-mind-on-luxon.html#more

This is a long read…and is based on her reading of Liam Hehir’s opinion piece on the disruptive folk within National.

https://thebluereview.substack.com/p/time-to-put-up-or-shut-up
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April 19, 2026 11:24am
- Jack5
  
  A reader’s comment on Liam Hehir’s piece in Maggy W’s second link:
  
  ” …. anonymous, spineless National caucus members are surreptitiously undermining their leader by leaking their misgivings to the press.”
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:21pm
- Notsofast
  
  In fact preferred prime minister polls show all party leaders polling proportionally with their party vote.
  People miss that the coalition is 3 serious parties with serious leaders, the opposite is true on the left, with green and maori being complete clown parties without a clue how the world operates.
  Labour is for the guaranteed salary leeches in public service etc. They totally need the conservative productive sector to do the work pay their taxes and provide for them.
  Ironically they vote left but parasitise right.
  Nurses teachers law enforcement etc not included in this critique.
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:52pm
- greybeard
  
  Great piece by Ani O’Brien. Thanks.
  
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  April 19, 2026 1:54pm
MCōs

The ever populist Winston Peters has come up with another silver bullet
Break up Foodstuffs
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April 19, 2026 12:18pm
- Jack5
  
  Cossie, can you help with a link to Peters on Foodstuffs?
  
  Foodstuffs is two co-operatives of retailers — one for the North Island, the other for the South Island.
  
  Forcing break-up of co-operatives sounds drastic.
  
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  April 19, 2026 12:29pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Here you go
    
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360966863/nz-first-wants-break-pakn-save-and-new-world
    
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    April 19, 2026 12:53pm
  - greybeard
    
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360966863/nz-first-wants-break-pakn-save-and-new-world
    Peters seems to forget that these companies are legal entities and no Govt should have any power over them.
    This is simply Peters being Peters and trying to appeal to the envious and ill-informed.
    
    12 0
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    April 19, 2026 1:53pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Gummint did it to Telecom …..
      
      0 5
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      April 19, 2026 3:39pm
      - Jack5
        
        Telecom was split from the Post Office when the Government owned both. The Labour Government then sold Telecom for $4.25 million.
        
        The State breaking up or selling its own assets is different from breaking up privately owned assets.
        
        12 1
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        April 19, 2026 3:43pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Telecom split into Spark/Chorus after it had been sold. There was strong gummint encouragement to do so – the aim was a single wholesale UFB provider that all retailers had equal access to.
        
        0 5
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        April 19, 2026 3:54pm
  - AitchW
    
    Peters always finds a group of people to demonise just before an election. This time it’s the supermarket owners.
    He really is despicable.
    
    0 0
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    April 19, 2026 4:24pm
  - Bobba Fret
    
    They used to be three. Foodstuffs Auckland, Foodstuffs Wellington and Foodstuffs South Island. Then the two NI combined.
    And to be honest, it made no difference to the competition in grocery.
    
    0 0
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    April 20, 2026 9:14am
- R
  
  Just another POPULIST comment from Peter’s, directed at those who need to be told ‘what to think’. MSM will help Peters, by disseminating this ‘gem policy’ .
  
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  April 19, 2026 1:38pm
- virtualmark
  
  I’ve long thought that the answer to our supermarket oligopoly is to force a separation of the two Foodstuffs cooperatives into:
  * The PaknSaves nationwide, and
  * The New Worlds and superettes/dairies nationwide.
  
  That would give you three competing nationwide supermarket chains … PaknSave vs New World vs Woolworths.
  
  And for those who think forcing a breakup is drastic … the Government works (well, is meant to work) for the people of New Zealand and our societal good, not for the Foodstuffs supermarket owners. That’s the same line I would hold with the banks.
  
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  April 19, 2026 2:47pm
- MCōs
  
  We’re in that part of the election cycle when Winston rolls out these unworkable populist policies based on retirement village babble to eke out a few more votes and keep him important for a few more years.
  
  10 1
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  April 19, 2026 3:12pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Three people murdered in Hastings, but no worries, folks, because “ (DI) James described the deaths as a distressing incident that would be concerning for nearby residents. However, he said the community should be reassured that it was an isolated incident contained to a specific group of people. Police confirmed there is no ongoing risk to the wider public.”

That’s alright, then.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360966879/homicide-probe-launched-after-three-people-killed-hastings
3 1
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April 19, 2026 12:56pm
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Smells like a murder-suicide event.
  
  1 0
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  April 19, 2026 6:40pm
Ghost

lastest poll shows the greens and NZ first unchanged, act and national down, Labour up

https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/04/19/poll-national-and-pm-nosedive-to-new-lows-left-bloc-would-gain-power/

much different to the leaked poll the other day that no one ever got to see, instead just be told what it was
3 2
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April 19, 2026 6:06pm
- Philview
  
  Are National losing support to Labour per this poll?
  
  0 0
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  April 19, 2026 6:34pm
Crafty

What has become of NZ???? How can people even consider voting for Labour after not even a term since they left and after what they did? And with a slimy liar in charge to boot. A guy who wrecked everything he touched last time. It’s just bizarre…
21 2
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April 19, 2026 6:49pm
- Ian Boag
  
  Doncha hate democracy …. 🙂
  
  4 13
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  April 19, 2026 6:58pm
  - KKNZ2025
    
    people vote for the party / politicians who best represent their own values
    
    In a normal distribution half the population is below the mean
    
    3 2
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    April 19, 2026 7:08pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Median actually. The low-half dummies just as many votes as the clever smarties. I assume you see yourself as part of the latter group. Doncha hate that?
      
      And you are never to old to vote …
      
      I bet you have a better idea …:-)
      
      2 17
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      April 19, 2026 7:14pm
      - KKNZ2025
        
        In a normal distribution, the mean, median, and mode are all equal and located at the exact center of the distribution.
        
        0 0
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        April 20, 2026 6:25pm
  - greybeard
    
    Not as much as I hate stupidity.
    
    8 4
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    April 19, 2026 7:15pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      So you are out there trying to do something about all this stupidity – other than anonymous ranting on a right-wing blog of course? That will sort it …. soon stupidity will all be gone 🙂
      
      2 12
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      April 19, 2026 7:30pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  There are so many people on benefits, the Labour voting base has increased. There are less working people (Right leaning voters).
  
  0 0
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  April 20, 2026 9:10am

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