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May 1, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 01 May 2026

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General Debate

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Cassandra

A sign of how some parts of the world are changing: London has local elections soon. The borough of Hackney has had a Labour Mayor and Council since 1968. The latest poll shows that it will switch to the Greens. Apparently Starmer is too right wing. (Sic).

And note that if the polls are right then Starmer will be rolled. My bet is Rayner, although Streeting and Burnham are both hot too. For the sake of the UK and the world I’d prefer Streeting, but at a pinch Burnham.

Gaza is one of the issues. The Greens plan to untwin with Haifa because of genocide. Paradoxically Hackney twinned with Haifa many years ago because of a real genocide. Much of this has to do with immigration – parts of the UK are now Islamic. As in Paris and parts of Holland, Belgium and Germany.

There’s a lesson for NZ here. Immigrants, including refugees, to NZ should reflect or adopt NZ standards and culture. Bringing Mecca to NZ is not a solution for either party. Multiculturalism does not work. Assimilation is the only way forward.
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May 1, 2026 8:13am
- Eastlander
  
  Deportation is the only way forward. You might hope to assimilate small numbers of migrants from closely related cultures, but you will never assimilate a millions-strong and insular population that also has strong ties to the old country.
  
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  May 1, 2026 8:33am
- All_on_Red
  
  Burnham is not an MP. Starmer made sure of that.
  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr4e7ep468o
  He would have to win an Electorate first.
  Raynor is really thick so she wont help Labour recover. The real nightmare would be Ed Milliband with his Net Zero zealotry. Either way I think Labour are screwed. Good.
  
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  May 1, 2026 8:34am
  - mandk
    
    I’m not so sure that Labour would get wiped out in the next UK general election even though they will lose a lot of seats.
    
    Unless Reform gets a majority, there could be a left-wing coalition government of Labour, Greens, Lib Dems, and the three nationalist parties.
    
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    May 1, 2026 8:56am
  - Paulus
    
    No, not quite correct, the UK is screwed anyway !
    
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    May 1, 2026 10:55am
- David George
  
  The UK has enclaves that hate it and don’t want to assimilate. They want to take over.
  Dan Burmawi:
  “The individual Muslim who is warm, tolerant, funny, and pluralist is a real person and deserves to be treated as one. He is also a specimen in conditions that are not representative of what the system produces in its native environment. Confusing the two is not tolerance. It is the specific cognitive error that has allowed the Lebanese Christians to be pushed to the margins of their own country over a century, that is allowing Europe to be demographically and culturally transformed faster than any previous civilizational displacement in the continent’s history, and that continues to prevent Western societies from engaging honestly with what they are actually dealing with, not the individual who is different from the system, but the system that is different from the individual, and that will eventually, in the habitat it creates for itself, produce what the habitat has always produced.”
  https://www.danburmawi.com/p/the-habitat-and-the-specimen
  
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  May 1, 2026 8:35am
  - igm
    
    The gutless Labour troll still downticks even when not contributing!
    
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    May 1, 2026 10:02am
  - I remember when
    
    All we need to do is look at the problems caused by co-governance and the ‘woke’, then multiply.
    
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    May 1, 2026 11:31am
    - sungsamning
      
      Yes, the next National led government will have a 12 pounder ball and chain around its ankle. If there’s a Labour led one; it’ll be an 18 pounder ball and chain.
      
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      May 1, 2026 1:05pm
- mandk
  
  The Greens will win Hackney because the Islamists have decided they are more useful idiots than Labour in the quest to establish a global caliphate.
  
  Ironically, the Greens would be the first to be wiped out under Islamic rule. They stand for everything that is Haram: including godlessness, abortion and drugs.
  
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  May 1, 2026 8:50am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  Depends what you multiculturalism. Chinese folk here seem to be a great asset here. I quite enjoy their festivals and cuisine. Is that multiculturalism in action?
  
  Enclaves of Muslims with radical imam preaching death to Israel, no m
  
  We need to be clear what we want to take from other cultures and what we want to avoid like the plague.
  
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  May 1, 2026 8:57am
  - David Garrett
    
    Niko: Spot on – particularly the last para.
    
    Sadly the seeds of destruction have already been sown in NZ – in the form of a Muslim population north of 1%. When they reach 2% we can expect the same kind of trouble the Australians have already experienced.
    
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    May 1, 2026 9:17am
    - Notsofast
      
      Ye, it is an oddity that Mohan Dutta can openly celebrate October 7 at an anti extremist conference in NZ (ref Sean Plunket free speech Friday today) but no one on the right is anything but actively condemnatory of Brenton Tarrant.
      How about unambiguously condemning both?
      Both acts were similar, genocidal.
      
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      May 1, 2026 9:37am
    - Dougal10
      
      We probably need a lot more chinese to balance out the muslim’s and then we will need more greeks to balance out the chinese then we may need some scotts to tighten up the spending , this is going to get complicated.
      
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      May 1, 2026 10:03am
      - Paulus
        
        I would back a Scot anyday over all these others – many have great sense of humour too !
        
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        May 1, 2026 2:15pm
    - slightlyrighty
      
      Providing that they comply with the laws of the land, all cultures have a right to exist.
      
      Unfortunately not all cultures understand that all cultures have that right, or the responsibility to abide by the law.
      
      There in lies the problem.
      
      This is also somewhat exacerbated by Leftist Progressives who do not seem to understand the fact that unchecked inclusiveness leads to increased social problems.
      
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      May 1, 2026 10:25am
      - NZer In Exile
        
        “all cultures have a right to exist.”
        
        Do they? How about psychopathic cults completely at odds with what the vast majority would describe as acceptable?
        
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        May 1, 2026 7:30pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    Lumping all multiculturalism or all immigration together is entirely broken. Even lumping together everyone from a single country is too.
    
    Last time I was in hospital the medical team were all foreigners – UK, India, China, Philippines,…. To lump in Indian cardiac specialists with Uber drivers and petrol station attendants does not help anyone make informed decisions.
    
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    May 1, 2026 9:44am
    - Cassandra
      
      It’s a blog comment, ffs. If you want an academic paper I suggest you try a university. However, the basic is that immigrants become NZers eventually. By all means retain cultural aspects – we still have pipe bands – but almost all the kilt wearers are emotionally Kiwis.
      
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      May 1, 2026 9:50am
      - David George
        
        Islam doesn’t see anything as outside their religious realm. We can see where that leads.
        Group identity doesn’t belong in the political realm; prioritise racial, religious, sexual identity over national identity and social cohesion falls apart. The centre cannot hold.
        
        “The modern world has increasingly understood identity as a duality between an idiosyncratic individual, and an ever-totalising collective. These two tendencies have grown simultaneously, on the one hand the worship of particularity—the exception, difference—and on the other, a growing bureaucratic state and global systems with an authoritarian bent, necessary to protect increasingly fragmented individuals from each other.
        
        The result has been the slow but persistent erosion of intermediary identities: the family, communities, religious affiliations, clubs, and the nation—as the individual sees these intermediary identities as constraining his or her freedom. The growing collective sees these intermediary participations as impure visions of itself, competing with its own totalising identity. We are left with hopeless and lonely individuals facing an increasingly controlling and invasive state. ”
        https://www.arc-conference.com/research-papers/the-subsidiary-hierarchy
        
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        May 1, 2026 10:15am
      - Jack5
        
        Cassandra in 8.13 post: … Assimilation is the only way forward …
        
        American style assimilation worked until the 1960s or 1970s — except for American Blacks and indigenous people.
        
        US assimilation, with strong patriotism in schools as an example, seems to have been swept away by the Far Left as it instilled a sense of guilt for colonisation, slavery, and Western culture.
        
        That multiculturism is an advantage is disproved by success of monocultural countries including China, Japan, South Korea, and by rising success of monocultural countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, and soon, Argentina.
        
        The lesson: diverse immigration is safe only when accompanied by strong assimilation policies in education, Government, and culture generally.
        
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        May 1, 2026 10:59am
      - Paulus
        
        Do many immigrants wait long enough then take off to Australia along with their compatriot as soon as they are legally able ?
        
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        May 1, 2026 2:17pm
      - NZer In Exile
        
        The far left do not assimilate. They need their own special zones. In the US this appears to be happening organically with New York and California becoming far left lunatic asylums.
        
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        May 1, 2026 7:36pm
    - Simon
      
      “Lumping all multiculturalism or all immigration together is entirely broken.”
      
      Wrong according to Luxon. Luxon claims NZ can learn just so much from Indians. Like cheating on govt forms, you will get a free pass.
      
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      May 1, 2026 10:04am
    - imalwaysright
      
      “Even lumping together everyone from a single country is too.”
      
      Good point. Internal political and social divisions can be just as problematic as imported racial and cultural divisions.
      
      NZ doesn’t need foreigners to do what we seem to be already very good at.
      
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      May 1, 2026 11:45am
  - Cassandra
    
    An example of the sort of thing all immigrants must accept is the right of Israel to exist in peace. NZ voted for its establishment in 1949. If you don’t like it then don’t come here. There are many others of course but the Israel thing would sort out a bit of chaff.
    
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    May 1, 2026 10:05am
    - Taieri
      
      all immigrants must accept is the right of Israel to exist in peace
      ————–
      
      And what “the right of Israel to exist in peace” has got to do with this country?
      I couldn’t care less whether Israel exists or doesn’t. Does it make me a persona non grata in NZ?
      
      NZ maintains full diplomatic relations with North Korea, with NZ ambassador in Seul cross accredited to to North Korea. Following your logic, all prospective immigrants should also express their everlasting love for the Kim’s paradise as well? And what about Cuba, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Myanmar and last but not least Iran the Bogeyman? NZ maintains formal diplomatic relationships with all of these pillars of human liberty and advancement. Thanks God we don’t have to love Congo. Yet.
      
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      May 1, 2026 10:41am
    - david in Aus
      
      What is the relevance of Israel to immigration to NZ?
      How about values instead of foreign policy?
      
      If you are going to have foreign policy questions:
      -do you believe in following international and domestic law?
      -Should you have an UN resolution for a declaration of war, unless you are attacked.
      -Annexation of countries and territories are immoral.
      -In the context of Israel and Palestine, should Jews, Muslims, and Christians have their rights protected and not be discriminated against because of their religion? But if you are going to start here, list every country in the world.
      
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      May 1, 2026 11:29am
      - In Vino Veritas
        
        “Annexation of countries and territories are immoral”. Great, so Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank in 1948, terribly immoral. Though no so called Palestinians were unhappy about it at the time. It appears that the only issue is the majority religion of the country that does the annexing.
        
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        May 1, 2026 4:23pm
    - David Garrett
      
      Cass: The Muslims would just lie…they’d even endure a bacon sandwich if they had to
      
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      May 1, 2026 12:39pm
      - In Vino Veritas
        
        Correct David. The one question to ask a Muslim is “do you think Sharia Law should be implemented in New Zealand”.
        
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        May 1, 2026 4:16pm
    - Wayne1749
      
      What the fuck has Israel got to do with NZ. A lot of people in the West are sick and tired of Israel. NZ voted to recognize the PRC over the ROC (Republic of China) as well. Should we exclude Taiwanese immigrants who think the ROC is the real China?
      
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      May 1, 2026 5:22pm
- Taieri
  
  Assimilation is the only way forward
  ————-
  
  And how do you propose to “assimilate” nearly one third of NZ population born overseas? Assimilate to what? Do we still have a common culture and common standards in the country, which is one of the most ethnically diverse in whole the world?
  Perhaps all the immigrants will enthusiastically embrace “tikanga” or some another modern invention with a mythical quasi-Maori flavour, which seem to continuously creep up into our lives and we will all live happily thereafter. But, I very much doubt it.
  
  These questions are rhetorical of course as the horses have already bolted…
  
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  May 1, 2026 9:36am
  - Ra Henare
    
    what about all the Europeans who have assimilated over the last 75 years(Post WW2).
    
    Yep part of the one third born overseas.
    
    The Dalies, Italians, Dutch/Nordics etc etc
    and of course the Poms.
    
    The whole rants about immigrants seem to be agiants flavour of teh month.
    This time around its Indians? and those of a Muslim faith.
    Last year it was Chinese and ISlanders.
    Next year? Yanks?
    
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    May 1, 2026 1:21pm
  - Jack5
    
    Taieri, is NZ really one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world?
    
    New Zealand is ranked about 90th in this list of he world’s most diverse countries:
    
    https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-diverse-countries
    
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    May 1, 2026 4:09pm
- Simon
  
  National governs on the belief that mountains can be people. Straight out third world. How is the third world low wage immigration going to integrate into the mess which is NZ run by National
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:02am
  - NZer In Exile
    
    You do know that those to the left of National are off the scale nutty? So who do you recommend people vote for Simon? Come on. Be honest about what you stand for. What are you afraid of?
    
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    May 1, 2026 7:40pm
- Wayne1749
  
  “Immigrants, including refugees, to NZ should reflect or adopt NZ standards and culture.”
  
  Is there any evidence that they by and large do not? The owner of this blog posted about immigrant crime rates not long ago, and it appears immigrants have lower levels of criminality than native borns, if I remember correctly.
  
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  May 1, 2026 5:25pm
surfing

Does Luxon ever get a break?

The media are absolute rabid dogs in their pursuit of bringing him down. Winston aiding and abetting.

Luxon deserves to be turfed out based on all his broken promises, not for behind the scenes discussions on the Iran war or media fabrications.
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May 1, 2026 8:18am
- Paulus
  
  I believe Luxon is doing as good a job as his Coalitions experts will allow.
  Much of the good which is being done is of course denigrated by Labour/Green friends and le by the so called media who do not say anything good anyway.
  
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  May 1, 2026 2:21pm
Yvette

Treaty
Proposed legislation reducing decision-makers obligations to no more than “take into account” Treaty obligations won’t be introduced before August. [1]

So at what stage will proposed legislation be in the run-up to the Election, or, more precisely, when the House session ends before the Election. And will the changes be considered as an ‘omnibus’ bill, avoiding considerable duplication of argument and keeping the result in one point of reference, or will separate pieces of legislation be required?
_________
[1] https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/593624/legislation-weakening-treaty-obligations-won-t-be-introduced-before-early-august
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May 1, 2026 8:34am
sungsamning

Dr. Steve discusses the evolving dynamics between the people and the globalist elite, emphasizing a shift from traditional political ideologies like liberalism and conservatism to a focus on identity and cultural values. [Was Fukuyama wrong? Is Huntingdon right. How did globalism work out? What’s next?]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqKRYAcRKI
You Won’t BELIEVE How the Globalist Agenda Is FALLING Apart!!!
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May 1, 2026 8:41am
sungsamning

We’re in the eighth week of the Iran waropens in a new tab, and things are starting to heat up even though there’s not kinetic action. What do I mean by heating up? The Iranian government has ceased to exist. We don’t know, and the Iranians don’t know who holds power. [Kharg Island is filling up. They can’t move oil. So, there’s little income. No pay for the army, and IRGC. Maybe the Mullahs loot in foreign bank accounts can be frozen. However the fanatics still adhere to the 12 th Imam fantasy. ]
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/04/29/iran-war-what-comes-next/
The Iran War: Collapse, Chaos, and What Comes Next.
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May 1, 2026 8:42am
- Ra Henare
  
  haha Another Victor spin in favour of Donald Trump.
  I used to respect his opinion until he started defending Trumps missile attacks/Non Judicial executions on so called Narco boats.
  All theatre, for his actions against Venezual so he could take the oil. IMHO.
  
  Sorry Victor, your credibility is shot.
  
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  May 1, 2026 1:25pm
- Paulus
  
  The current so called newLeader – being the son of the now “retired” boss Ayatollah it is said has one property in Knightsbridge at Stg 48 million, and that is only one to the ineffectual and irrelevent person whom is not known whether is alive or injured in a Moscow Hospital.
  
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  May 1, 2026 2:26pm
  - sungsamning
    
    Yes, its rather telling that the Mullahs have properties close to the city. It’d be a pity if they’re confiscated, and the bank accounts frozen.
    
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    May 1, 2026 6:23pm
Yvette

Iran war
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held crisis talks with Foreign Minister Winston Peters in the Beehive last night after Peters’ office released emails to the Herald showing Luxon wanted to shift the Government’s position to show “explicit public support” for the US-led war in Iran days after it broke out. – Herald

What does Luxon mean with “explicit public support” when neither Trump can explain the start of the war to Americans, nor Luxon explain the same matter to New Zealanders, who have apparently somehow made support explicit to him?
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May 1, 2026 9:10am
- Local Miller
  
  That’s not support by the public, but the government publicly expressing explicit support.
  
  As opposed to implicit support and support expressed in closed/private meetings, which is what I suspect we have at the moment.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:07am
- lastmanstanding
  
  Yvette. I see H Clark is stirring the pot and says the Coalition wont survive until the election. She knows as well as I do that Winston is appealing to his base and hoping to attract fringe Labour voters who see “Winston always keeps them honest” Winston wants to maximise his vote so he can extract the maximium concessions. If it finishes up at the Nats around 30% NZF around 15% and ACT around 8% Winston can rightly claim he has brought 28% of the Coalition vote so demand that share of Cabinet roles and policy.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:09am
  - Notsofast
    
    Winston criticized his staff for their part, which is apparently unusual.
    It seems unlikely he was trying to destabilise the coalition.
    That is the avowed program for Helen, who once resembled a democracy champion.
    
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    May 1, 2026 10:19am
  - leoj
    
    If National forms coalition with Labour, all bets are off as Peters will be completely disarmed.
    
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    May 1, 2026 11:13am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Clark
    Marxism
    Divide
    Conquer
    
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    May 1, 2026 11:50am
- Simon
  
  Luxon dangerous incompetence. Just as well NZ military is the first MIQ security detachment and the first Song & Dance (Maori) company. That’s it.
  
  And sorry, political wisdom is you can’t replace lemons during election year. This is in the National party constitution
  
  You could gather a collection of Luxon’s beliefs and they would be rejected by 95% of population outright
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:09am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  Thing is, that’s not actually what the emails showed, as explained by our host in a separate article on the subject. They showed Luxon exploring whether it was really wise for NZ to get out ahead of allies such as the UK and Canada, who actually did express explicit support for the initial strikes. “Luxon wanted to shift the Government’s position to show explicit public support” is Herald mischief-making and I thought we knew better than to fall for that
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:21am
  - Paulus
    
    Herald mischief- making – never !
    
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    May 1, 2026 2:27pm
- rouppe
  
  I think I remember reading that the phrase was “more explicit support”, not just “explicit support”.
  
  There is a big difference between the two.
  
  The media, of course, simply ignored the inconvenient word after the first day.
  
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  May 1, 2026 2:34pm
artemisia

Apparently lots of job applicants believe they have been turned down by a bot. A bot that usually doesn’t reply anyway. and it’s just not fair.

The job market is changing in a few ways, and it is quite possible that a bot or even an actual person could be looking at an application and adding it to the pile with no school or other quals, or degrees in ‘basket weaving’. Or to the ‘no thanks, we know this person’ pile.

Blame a bot. Don’t blame me.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/money/360972504/death-fair-go-why-kiwis-are-losing-faith-job-market
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May 1, 2026 9:10am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  If you think your job application is being assessed by a bot, then tailor your job application in ways that a bot is likely to be programmed to favour
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:23am
- Observer of Life
  
  Art: We know someone who was turned down for an interview with one of NZ’s largest companies because apparently her school qualifications weren’t acceptable. Those quals were Cambridge exams and very high grades. Turns out the HR person only knew of NCEA, so had no clue what “Cambridge exams” are. Unbelievable!
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:33am
Notsofast

I just discovered that the India FTA requires affirmation of the Paris climate accord, as in clip below starring Sean Plunket and Winston, so I went to chatgpt and asked about coal:

“Yes — your memory is essentially spot on.

India has indeed been marking (and celebrating) a ~1 billion tonne coal production milestone, and quite recently.”

How in hell does this make any sense? And I am not concerned here with the merits of climate change or coal.

https://x.com/i/status/2049335582292382076
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May 1, 2026 9:12am
- Dougal10
  
  Our mfat are donkey deep in putting climate rubbish in trade agreements , that is why our EU agreement should be torn up and thrown away as it has committed this country to some serious rubbish.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:07am
- kowtow
  
  And UN indigenous rights.
  
  Those clauses once the deal is approved by parliament , slowly slowly , embedded in our law and constitution.
  
  McClay couldn’t ( wouldn’t ?) explain to Plunket how those clauses came to be there!
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:50am
- cmm (semi-retired edition)
  
  That’s the problem with these agreements – there are so many little submarine clauses.
  
  The top-line banner agreement of getting access to 1.4 billion customers makes sense. WHo could possibly disagree with that., but then we get all the other stuff that comes for the ride – including:
  * Easier immigration pathways for Indians into NZ.
  * Commitment to $33 billion investment into India.
  etc etc.
  
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  May 1, 2026 11:11am
  - Jack5
    
    You have to wonder about the standard of NZ’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
    
    They’ve gone along with smart Indians getting NZ’s border open to young Indians; with the imposition on NZ of a multi-billion dollar investment promotion; with the FTA overwhelmingly shutting NZ dairy out to protect Indian farmers; and with this Green bullshit.
    
    Add to this MFAT’s sleep while the Cook Islands drifted towards China; plus its sleep while the Cooks and little Niue developed flag-of-convenience shipping registers run from Asia.
    
    What’s been going on in Wellington?
    
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    May 1, 2026 11:25am
  - Dudley Quaffquaff
    
    If you want to get something you want, you have to offer something they want. Neither of these particular points is the big deal you seem to think it is
    
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    May 1, 2026 11:54am
- Scooter
  
  Also in the Platform interview was the question over Undrip in the FTA, that the minister was left stumbling in trying to explain it, in the end he sounded like he didn’t even know what it meant. Sounds like another box ticking exercise when it comes to including Maori wonderfulness in any economic or any issue in NZ today.
  
  https://centrist.nz/india-fta-may-lift-gdp-just-0-07-after-10-years-while-affirming-undrip/
  
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  May 1, 2026 11:17am
  - Swifty
    
    If in doubt, whip it out.
    
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    May 1, 2026 1:40pm
- Nikola Donatello
  
  It makes sense because the commitments of India under the Paris Accord allow for a major increase in emissions to 2030.
  
  Nobody told New Zealand to adopt crushing Paris Accord commitments. We volunteered.
  
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  May 1, 2026 3:00pm
  - sungsamning
    
    The City of London may have dropped a few hints. Lower interest rates and all that.
    
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    May 1, 2026 6:25pm
- NZer In Exile
  
  So, spend $30 billion, accept (more) questionable immigration and accept economy-destroying Lysenkoism in the form of kowtowing to the UN climate cult.
  
  Looks like a real winner!
  
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  May 1, 2026 7:58pm
RoboRob

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/593939/former-national-mp-chris-finlayson-calls-for-war-on-nz-first

This is just crazy. The idea that the coalition wont last to the election and that National should declare war on NZF, a party that is Nationals ONLY chance they have of getting back into power, is fucking crazy. WTF is Finlayson on? I know he was on the wet left of the National party but is he now a Labour party agitator?

I might not like Winston or NZF but it is clear that if National want to get back into power they will need NZF and Act. This isn’t like the Key era where National had almost 50% of the vote to itself.

The only logic I can see here is that by attacking NZF National might get say 35% rather then 29% and more National MPs would return to government, to sit on the opposition benches. That really is selfish and showing that Finlayson, at least, is more focused on getting to the trough rather then getting into power and making changes for the benefit of the party.
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May 1, 2026 10:03am
- Dougal10
  
  Finlayson needs a labour govt to make lots of money its a simple as that.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:08am
  - Paulus
    
    No, Finlayson gets huge Money as the Maori legal top representative in whatever they want – and that is the lot !
    
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    May 1, 2026 2:30pm
    - rouppe
      
      And there will be huge quantities of money directed away from all NZ citizens to Maori citizens – via lawyers – if Labour win the election.
      
      Finlayson is agitating for his own benefit, not Nationals, and not ours.
      
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      May 1, 2026 2:45pm
- Cassandra
  
  Ignore him. And Clark and Goff. Finlayson is a nasty pice of work. Of course National and NZF are rivals. Of course they’re after each others votes. It’s how MMP works. ACT too. But they are united against Labour and the nutcase Maoris and Greens.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:14am
  - Notsofast
    
    Great brief summary, agree completely.
    
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    May 1, 2026 10:22am
- Damocles11
  
  I consider Finlayson to be nothing less than a traitor to this nation. He has advanced the cause of division and making the vast majority of New Zealanders second class citizens in their own country, and he is still at it. He functions like a terminate functions when it attacks the wooden foundations of a house.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:33am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  Finlayson is really bad. I mean he has done immense damage. How he was ever promoted as a minister in a National lead government is beyond me.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:52am
  - Jack5
    
    John Key recommended Finlayson’s appointment as a QC.
    
    Before Finlayson became a list MP, National, by lack of fight, was surely complicit with Finlayson’s campaign that led to the sweetheart settlement for South Island’s Ngai Tahu.
    
    The more Finlayson spouts Woke-ism, the better for NZ First and ACT.
    
    From Finlayson’s Wikipedia entry:
    
    “I used to love going to the office in the morning when we were suing the Crown,” Finlayson said in a speech in 2009.
    
    “Ngai Tahu mastered the art of aggressive litigation, whether it was suing the Waitangi Tribunal and [National Treaty negotiations minister] Doug Graham or the Director-General of Conservation. It was take no prisoners and it resulted in a good settlement.”
    
    The signing of the Treaty deal with Ngai Tahu in 1997 was the highlight of his legal career.
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Finlayson
    
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    May 1, 2026 11:14am
  - Tarquin North
    
    Beware of an early Christmas courtesy of ACT. He was trained by Finlayson and is his disciple.
    
    5 1
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    May 1, 2026 12:45pm
- Clyde
  
  Finlayson is a nasty little piece of work that is only interested in one thing. Lining his over-flowing pockets with even more cash from his carefully set-up business dealing with ToW BS. He has not one redeeming feature. He belongs in the Racist Party and his legacy lingers on in the wet Nats who haven’t the fortitude to put a halt to this gravy train BS.
  
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  May 1, 2026 11:02am
- PeterTrentham
  
  I was at a breakfast yesterday where Barbara Edmonds was the keynote speaker.
  
  Simon Bridges was there and asked a questions.
  
  However, he stated that is was his belief that Winston will be PM and Babara will be Fin Min come December before his questions.
  
  4 0
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  May 1, 2026 11:09am
  - Ra Henare
    
    Context…did the audience chuckle?
    
    Simon winding up a speaker to get a good reply to his question perhaps?
    
    1 0
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    May 1, 2026 1:30pm
RoboRob

Goldsmith confirms treaty principles changes will likely NOT come into law before the election
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/593922/as-damaging-as-the-treaty-principles-bill-proposed-changes-to-treaty-clauses-revealed

“We are now consulting with Iwi leaders before introducing legislation. It will also go through a full select committee process where all New Zealanders can have their say, including Māori.”

Asking CoPilot how long a full select committee process takes…

’ The average select committee process in New Zealand typically takes about four to six months to complete’

Laws can be passed any time before Parliament is dissolved, according to CoPilot that is generally 4-7 weeks before election day.

The election is about 27 Weeks away, if we subtract 5 weeks from that for a latish dissolution we have 22 weeks. That is 5 and a half months, even if the select committee process is at the short end (4mths), we have not even started that process yet. They are waiting for feedback from Maori and Goldsmith has stated it will be a ‘full’ select committee process so is likely to be at the 6mths end. So it seems very likely that unless the select committee process is short (against the ministers statement) AND parliament sets a late dissolution date we will likely go into election campaign mode with this sitting in select committee waiting for the next government.
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May 1, 2026 10:28am
- Observer of Life
  
  “…. where all New Zealanders can have their say, including Māori.”
  Question for Goldsmith: Since when were Maori NOT New Zealander’s??!!
  
  13 0
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  May 1, 2026 10:37am
  - Paulus
    
    Since 1840, as they did not know what they were saying, as all dialects offered very few understood words, and so called signing, as few if any could write or either speak in an understood language and looked at each other for the best in the boiling pot.
    Which I believe continued after the so called Treaty of Waitangi.
    Good boiling food was still scarce.
    
    5 1
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    May 1, 2026 2:36pm
- Damocles11
  
  It’s a do-nothing government. 3 years squandered due to weak & woke corporate-style management by the largest party and its leader – rather than governing effectively with conviction and courage. Labour Lite always continues with the insidious policies introduced by Labour governments: not with the same zeal or to the same extremes, but nevertheless there is a quiet continuance of ruinous policies which will deliver New Zealand a very bleak future.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:39am
- KKNZ2025
  
  Effectively handing Labour a live issue to wind up voters at the election. Looks like a deliberate hospital pass to deflect because they were too cowardly to support the Treaty Principles Bill.
  
  9 1
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  May 1, 2026 10:42am
  - RoboRob
    
    Its almost like they would rather be in opposition right?
    
    6 1
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    May 1, 2026 12:55pm
- Nikola Donatello
  
  What is the point of consulting iwi? This should have been done in the first six months of the term. Iwi will just say ‘no’. Then what?
  
  So frustrating.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:49am
  - RoboRob
    
    Yup, but you have to be seen to tick the box. Same as when a company closes / lays off workers. You have to consult with the union.
    
    4 0
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    May 1, 2026 11:01am
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    It’s only frustrating if you can’t do anything. But we can , do not vote for the Nats. They lied.
    Chuck em out.
    
    3 0
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    May 1, 2026 5:10pm
- Quail
  
  RoboRob,
  Won’t come in after the election either.
  National policy , Goldsmith’s just keep shoveling it down to the next Government.
  Not anywhere good enough!
  
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  May 2, 2026 9:13am
RoboRob

Big Gerry went really hard on Sherman. A five day ban over a weekend and with parliamnet not sitting. Oh the pain, she must be devasted. Missing zero days of parliamentry journalisming.

What was the logic? The smallest punishement I can dish out?
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May 1, 2026 10:33am
- Damocles11
  
  Big Gerry is weak and timid, clearly terrified of upsetting the MSM. He has spent too long hanging around with Luxon.
  
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  May 1, 2026 10:41am
- KKNZ2025
  
  Its a typical virtue signaling cowardly copout. Nothing to see here.
  
  13 0
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  May 1, 2026 10:44am
- Clyde
  
  Big Gerry should have banned the rep from the Liemore Pardy full stop. What exactly is stopping the Government in coming down hard on misinformation from the very broadcasters they are funding one way or another?
  
  9 0
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  May 1, 2026 11:05am
- leoj
  
  Why be surprised?
  Nats have become the namby-pamby party.
  Gerry is the epitome of namby-pamby.
  
  15 2
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  May 1, 2026 11:18am
  - RoboRob
    
    I’ll see your Gerry and raise you a Goldsmith.
    
    11 1
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    May 1, 2026 12:56pm
    - kowtow
      
      Or simply fold with ;
      “There isn’t anything I like,”
      
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      May 2, 2026 9:25am
- Bobba Fret
  
  Didn’t Gerry meet Golriz for a coffee after her shoplifting incident?
  
  1 1
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  May 1, 2026 1:25pm
kowtow

This country is not at all serious about dealing with organised crime or protecting citizens from brutal thuggery.

Not with such pathetic sentencing.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/your-socks-or-your-bitches-gangs-ultimatum-sickening-dunedin-attack
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May 1, 2026 11:04am
- Prince
  
  Stuff’s reporting includes this statement…
  “An application by the Crown to forfeit the gang patches worn during the attack was declined by the judge, who noted they were “not an instrument of crime”.”
  What a ludicrous statement. Every aspect of the crime includes the fact that the gang acted in support of their gang buddies, or as an attempt to gain gang membership. Is the judge saying the gang patches themselves did not attack anyone ? What a weird ruling.
  I hope the Crown challenge this to the full extent. What’s the point of Govts introducing laws to stop gang attacks if Judges just waive them aside ?
  
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  May 1, 2026 4:00pm
Prince

Imagine if, at a social event, a high-profile lawyer had confronted a gay colleague and called him a fa**ot in front of his colleagues, and several members of the media.
Imagine if the media had hushed this up, apart from one brave company who was then threatened with legal action by the lawyer’s firm.
When the truth was finally revealed, the howls of protest from various gay support groups would be deafening.
But when TVNZ does it, nothing. Not a peep.
TVNZ must have known about this incident for months, and sat on their hands.

And John Campbell, Maiki’s boss last year, attacks Nicola Willis for hosting the event (despite the fact she closed it down straight away and followed up with the victim. Did Campbell follow up last year?

TVNZ and Campbell have been shown up by this drama.
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May 1, 2026 11:23am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Yep – where are the gay groups in all of this? I haven’t heard a peep.
  
  3 1
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  May 1, 2026 6:30pm
Tauhei Notts

As a crusty 77 year old retired bean counter. I am astounded at how a woman could flog $823,000 from a charitable organisation over the period from 2022 through to 2025.
She had bank accounts at Heartland Bank, Kiwibank and ASB Bank. She had access to the charity’s “petty cash” eftpos card and got $24,752 from that. Petty cash in excess of $2000 needed explaining. That is elementary.
What did the auditors do?
What did the committee do?
What did the accountants do?
Who kept funding that charity without any accounts being shown?
The organisation and the offender all got name suppression. This all seems to me to be dreadful incompetency shown by the funders, the accountants, the auditors and the elected committee. It was reported in this morning’s Waikato Herald. Name and shame the useless bastards, or otherwise shambolic bookkeeping such as this will continue ad finitum.
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May 1, 2026 11:25am
- greybeard
  
  Here is something similar: long-term theft from their employer and all she gets is home detention. Pathetic judges. And obviously no oversight from the owner or the auditors.
  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/crime-and-justice/593754/ex-pak-nsave-store-boss-pamela-cossill-and-her-203k-theft-fake-1-point-3m-mortgage-application
  
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  May 1, 2026 12:44pm
  - Tauhei Notts
    
    Greybeard, in that case Judge Tini Clark ordered the offender to repay Pak N Save $50 per week, each week until her 103rd birthday.
    That reads like the script for a comedy show.
    
    14 0
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    May 1, 2026 1:38pm
    - mandk
      
      In addition, the discounted value of what she pays back will fall to roughly zero after about 20 years.
      
      1 0
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      May 1, 2026 2:45pm
  - Paulus
    
    Am I getting paranoid in that many of these kinds of thefts which we are currently seeing often now are from a business or similar that are perpetrated by those of the feminst ilk ?
    
    9 2
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    May 1, 2026 2:40pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Here’s a chap who is alleged to have flogged $2.1 M from a couple of charities and a 3rd entity.
  He’s not yet been to court, but already he’s lost name suppression and the 2 charities have been identified.
  
  https://www.sfo.govt.nz/media-cases/media-releases/sfo-charges-former-trust-ceo-over-alleged-2-1-million-fraud
  
  5 0
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  May 1, 2026 4:57pm
  - greybeard
    
    So that explains how he could afford a new black Ford Ranger every year !
    
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    May 2, 2026 8:08am
Jack5

Someone-else’s having a go at Rod Drury in Stuff.

The accusation’s from a former employee whom Stuff is calling Amy, adding: “She has not complained to police, but does want her experience publicly reported.”

Apart from cases of children or of people in danger, shouldn’t we feel uneasy about anonymous accusations?

However, if unproveḍ there’s the possibility of the target suing for libel.

The problem here is does Stuff have the wherewithal to meet any damages potentially awarded to the accused?

If not, could the writer of the material then be liable for damages?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360972770/second-former-xero-employee-alleges-inappropriate-conduct-ex-ceo-sir-rod-drury
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May 1, 2026 12:06pm
- RoboRob
  
  Stuff refuses to comment on allegations made against Hipkins becuase they are only allegations and he denies them. They should apply the rules evenly, Drury has denied these allegations so Stuff shouldn’t cover them. Especially if the person involved isn’t interested in going to the police but does want it public.
  
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  May 1, 2026 1:13pm
  - NZer In Exile
    
    Jack5 this looks like a case for the incredibly impartial and rational BSA. /
    
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    May 1, 2026 8:08pm
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360972732/one-nz-issue-causes-widespread-outages-across-large-parts-country
Oh dear: maybe someone made a system change without testing it first.
Or maybe it was fateful retribution for OneNZ’s appalling TV advertisement !
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May 1, 2026 12:33pm
- RoboRob
  
  I’ll raise you Sparks add with the stupid car that splits in half. The two telcos battling it out for the worst advert title.
  
  14 0
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  May 1, 2026 1:14pm
  - lifesgood
    
    ASB’S ads are good the two telcos ads are pants.
    
    0 0
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    May 1, 2026 2:54pm
- Jack5
  
  Re Greybeard’s OneNZ’s appalling TV advertisement …
  
  So much squandered on a mysterious TV ad not long after axing its 3G service.
  
  With this, bottom-price, pre-pay calling for text-talk phones, now 4G, seems to have risen.
  
  3G pre-pay, text-talk only, was ideal for kids, ideal for old folks and good for those who wanted only a cheap text-talk phone either to simplify their lives or for some other purpose, honest or nefarious.
  
  Nothing wrong with 4G pre-pay, text-talk only, but it’s dearer.
  
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  May 1, 2026 4:44pm
Swifty

By any measure, Somali migration to the West has, by and large, been a disaster.

They score the most poorly out of all immigrant groups on integration, benefit dependency, economic activity, employment rates, social housing uptake and criminality including violence offences. This is inter-generational by the way.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/jewish-stab-suspect-had-previous-conviction-for-knife-attack-on-policeman-and-his-dog/K5BRDFK4UZAALENOYSYYHVG4UY/

https://x.com/jonatanpallesen/status/1993654135917257214?s=46

Leaders of Western countries who continue to allow Somali immigration clearly don’t give a rats about their own citizens.

If they truly cared about their own people they’d stop this by lunchtime.

Continuing to let in people who you can confidently predict the majority of whom will live lives of violence, criminality and bludgery indicates some sort of self-loathing. Some sort of deathwish.

It’s time we started locking up the pollies if you ask me – for the clear and active harm their treasonous policies cause.
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May 1, 2026 1:36pm
Swifty

UK Greens leader alleges police brutality over the take down of the Golders Green terrorist knife attacker:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9p3_4Bfsv44&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D

The man’s unfit to run a bath let alone a country.
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May 1, 2026 1:46pm
rouppe

I walked up to Sealy Tarns today, and struck up a conversation with a couple of young-ish Americans.

They worked in San Francisco, involved in the renewable energy sector.

The part of the conversation that shocked me was when I said (regarding energy buy back), that we’re charged about 26c/kWh but are paid about 8c/kWh for energy we export. Yes I know there are variations of that, that’s not the point.

They told me they pay about 40c/kWh. US cents! Which would be about 68 NZ cents.

I was very surprised.
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May 1, 2026 4:42pm
greybeard

I have always thought that Rugby League was a game for people who played it because (a) they could count to 5, and (b) were content to spend their post-League lives with the mental capacity of a 5-year-old due to the number of brain-crushing injuries incurred during their career.\

Not to mention the drugs which are used to enhance their playing performances.

However, we now have a further development !

Papua-New Guinea is about to enter the hallowed realms of the NRL: what a fantastic coup !
Instead of developing the game in South America, or South Africa, or in the many European countries not yet playing League, or indeed in the East where League is at present still a total unknown, they decide to pick a Stone-Age couple of islands in the Pacific to expand their game.

They are simply crazy. Or, maybe with some sort of an ulterior motive.

Let us wait and see.
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May 1, 2026 5:56pm

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