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May 8, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 08 May 2026

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General Debate

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Positan

A fascinating Stuff article yesterday attempted to hang a “political hit” tag on Ani O’Brien for her “slur article” on Maki Sherman’s behaviour at the Finance Minister’s drinks session a year ago.

“Fascinating” because it was transparent from the article’s tone and the laboured way it sought repeatedly to underline its central “argument” by seeking to steer readers to the conclusion it wanted them to draw – that the hit on Maiki Sherman was unfair, that it stemmed from entirely political reasons.

There have been university-degree theses written with less objectivity towards their intended objectives.

I’m unaquainted with Isaac Davison’s writings and know nothing of his track record, but I found the article’s title – ‘No collusion’: Author of Maiki Sherman alleged slur article rejects political “hit” – utterly ironic, given the article’s thrust to land such a “hit” on Ani O’Brien.

To judge from the openness of her replies, O’Brien had been upfront and forthright in responding to the wide range of questions posed by Davison – many, it seemed, designed in attempt to ensnare and discredit her for underhand political manipulation.

Stuff has developed an appalling reputation for its almost horizontal leftward-lean – far more than just mere “slant” – which of course begs question whether the article’s pursuit of O’Brien would have achieved publication had she been a left-pushing, mainstream journo who’d come down on another of her ilk.

Contrary to what I read as the article’s intent, Ani O’Brien’s talents and writings have considerably increased my esteem.
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May 8, 2026 8:07am
- pdm
  
  Since I first encountered Ani O’Brien’s substack in maybe early February and then found her regularly on various other peoples podcasts over the period since then I have been most impressed.
  
  She has an ability to get into the substance of what she is covering that is rarely evident in the mainstream media these days.
  
  I say keep up the good work Ani, you are a talent and long may you continue producing the goods..
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:32am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Well, she worked for Collins when she was leader of the Nats, she clearly is not just some sort of lunatic blogger.
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:03am
    - RoboRob
      
      Interesting.
      
      When I posted that Ani Obrian said that she had inside information that Luxon doesn’t listen to his PR team and refused to take advice, the posts here were all personal attacks on Obrians credibility.
      
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      May 8, 2026 10:51am
- graham
  
  If it was indeed a “political hit”, then you’d think that Ms Sherman and TVNZ would hit back strongly, TVNZ would defend Sherman to the hilt and she would be back on the news and at Parliament, continuing on and putting this “nasty cheap shot” behind her.
  
  That hasn’t happened.
  
  She hasn’t been seen back at work at Parliament week, despite having served her five-day suspension. She didn’t cover Christopher Luxon’s trip to Singapore (her Parliament suspension wouldn’t have prevented her from covering the trip), instead being replaced by Mei Heron. And she has been absent from the 6pm news this week.
  
  Strange way to react to a so-called “political hit-job”! 😎
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:33am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Two things possible here. first, they may have told her to stay away this week as parliament is not sitting. and secondly it sounds like she herself pulled out of the trip to Singapore, but are we absolutely sure that getting on the plane when barred from parliament is allowed, would she not lose her status or security factor? would she even get through security to get on that plane?
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:07am
    - The Real Tony
      
      She has resigned as of six minutes ago.
      
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      May 8, 2026 3:52pm
  - Positan
    
    Graham, patently you’ve misread my comment. It was directed at the substance of a Stuff article. TVNZ was neither mentioned nor addressed, and I certainly didn’t enquire into or examine its reactions – or lack of them.
    
    May I suggest that when one’s position is one of disagreement with what they THOUGHT they’ve read – they should always read the item again to ensure any knee-jerk response will relevant and material.
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:14am
    - Taipan Pete
      
      What an astonishingly condescending reply. Graham is perfectly reasonable in introducing TVNZ into the discussion in order to make his case.
      
      Also, if you’re going to be pretentious and use ‘one’ then you need to use it consistently throughout the sentence and not switch to ‘they’ like you have. It should read “…when one’s position is one of disagreement with what one thought one has read – one should always…”
      
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      May 8, 2026 9:59am
      - David Garrett
        
        Taipan: Ah…referring to oneself in the third person…those were the days!
        
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        May 8, 2026 11:20am
      - Jack5
        
        Taipan Pete’s … if you’re going to be pretentious and use ‘one’ …
        
        “One” as a pronoun’s heard less and less frequently; here on Kiwiblog, it stands out.
        
        Here’s a description from the Fowler’s Modern English Usage 3rd edition, edited by R.W. Burchfield:
        
        ” … it does not mean a particular person: it might be called an indefinite, an impersonal, or a generic pronoun.”
        
        Fowler/Burchfield then settles on the description of impersonal pronoun, and notes “it is often used ironically or with a sense of social superiority.”
        
        Superiority? Or perhaps the AI generation’s spooked by the word’s connotations of a person speaking about himself, herself, “themself” in the third person. Could a psychiatrist mistake its use for a symptom of multiple personality disorder?
        
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        May 8, 2026 1:54pm
  - peterwn
    
    A more likely scenario is she was given a hint not to go and took it, otherwise she would have been banned from the trip by PM’s staffers.
    She could have gone ‘privately’ as Tom Scott did on a trip to India when Rob Muldoon banned him from the official delegation.
    
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    May 8, 2026 11:03am
  - Paulus
    
    Mei Heron did a great job replacement
    – long shall she remain in that position, but I doubt it as she is not left wing Maori, but intelligent.
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:06pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  I liked the way also she said she had worked with Hipkins ex-wife but had no hand on her telling us of Hipkins vulgarity.
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:02am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  I appreciate Ani’s bravery in standing up to the assembled media and calling them out for their moral cowardice in not raising Sherman’s homophobic outburst themselves.
  
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  May 8, 2026 1:27pm
Maggy Wassilieff

“They don’t like it up ’em”

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/594582/david-vs-the-media-has-seymour-gone-too-far

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGjQqEG-FdQ
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May 8, 2026 8:08am
- Souvlaki
  
  Seymour is merely telling the TRUTH🤣….its not surprising RNZ doesn’t recognise the fact….
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:19am
- Tomtoddy
  
  There is a false conclusion reached by those who want to get at Seymour. They assume if he wants to get rid of left wing bias he would replace it with right wing bias. That is prejudice speaking not independent analysis.
  
  Seymour wants MSM to be free of any and all bias but his critics want us to believe something else.
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:45am
  - David Garrett
    
    Tom: Very good point. I hardly know Seymour and don’t much like him – the feeling is mutual – but I don’t think either he or anyone else in ACT wants left wing bias replaced with right wing bias.
    
    I recall a link on here some time ago to an interview Seymour did with Campbell. An ACT person filmed the interview…Campbell asked why, and Seymour replied that it was to frustrate Campbell editing the interview selectively.
    
    It was very telling that when he asked if the unedited interview would go up on ACT’s website, Seymour replied in the affirmative. As I recall, Campbell looked most uncomfortable on hearing that. Not hard to imagine why.
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:01am
    - leoj
      
      [Mod -debate without abuse]
      
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      May 8, 2026 9:38am
    - kowtow
      
      ‘As I recall, Campbell looked most uncomfortable on hearing that’
      
      Indeed . That was one of , if not the most, satisfying pieces of political/media moments in NZ broadcasting.
      
      Priceless.
      
      As Maggy posts “They don’t like it up ’em”.
      
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      May 8, 2026 9:40am
      - sungsamning
        
        Yes, it certainly was. The good guys should stick it to the fake news at every opportunity.
        
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        May 8, 2026 10:27am
    - pdm
      
      DG you are the second person in the last 12 or so hours who has made it clear on blog posts they do not like Seymour and you will possibly/probably know him better than most here.
      
      I have been to a few meetings where he has presented and shaken his hand at a couple of them on the way in or out. Late last year he and I exchanged texts on a matter.
      
      The above does not mean I could possibly know him but, he always seems personable, respectful, is articulate and overall presents very well.
      
      What is there not to like? If it relates to his Covid approach I suggest that being 5/6 years in the past what he said and did then is largely irrelevant now.
      
      I have also asked the other person to elaborate so will be interesting to compare notes on the two reasons if you are able to answer this and he does too..
      
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      May 8, 2026 10:21am
      - Nikola Donatello
        
        What was his “COVID approach”?
        
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        May 8, 2026 3:49pm
    - Tom Hunter
      
      Here’s the Seymour-Campbell interview on YouTube, (42m).
      
      As I said in this post, (David Seymour Finally Brings His Own Camera), Seymour’s interview with Sean Plunket on The Platform, talking about his encounter with Campbell saw me vastly amused – and frankly a bit appalled – at Seymour’s self-confessed naivety about the MSM. It seems that up until now he actually trusted the bastards to deal with him and report on him honestly.
      
      Key transcript here as an example of how Campbell has moved beyond Chomsky to fresh new fields of Leftism:
      
      Seymour: … Oh John, we’ve had this debate. Do you want to have it again?
      [Xtalk]
      S: Why do you think Maori live seven years less on average?
      Campbell: Colonisation.
      S: Really?
      C: Absolutely.
      
      The reason I chose that title was because of an article written long ago in 2008 by Law professor Glenn Reynolds
      
      So, when you sit down for an interview (unless it’s live), you’re putting yourself, [] at the mercy of the editors. Usually they’re honest, but not always. But there’s a remedy now, with technology being what it is. If I were a candidate, I think I’d bring my own camera to interviews, shoot the whole thing and post the unedited raw video on the Web.
      
      The technology for this is easy – I’ve got a little Sony HD video camera that records on a chip and fits in a coat pocket or purse – and putting video on the Web is a snap, too. Of course, the knowledge that this will happen is likely to be enough to keep people honest – but if anything is edited unfairly, the full video will tell the tale…. TV journalists won’t be happy with this, of course, but it’s hard to see a principled basis for objecting.
      
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      May 8, 2026 11:56am
      - Kiwiguy
        
        Campbell loses all credibility with this, (If he had any to start with) as he’s blatantly and willfully ignoring the obvious facts: Maori life expectancy INCREASED over the last 150 years, which is when ‘colonization’ occurred.
        The AI Summary here: “Māori life expectancy has increased significantly over the last 150 years, rising from a low of approximately 25 years in the late 19th century to over 75 years by the 2020s”
        Stats NZ link here: (Apologies I don’t know how to shorten it here)
        https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/maori-have-highest-increases-in-life-expectancy/
        
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        May 8, 2026 1:47pm
  - Bullion
    
    As a politician, especially a shareholding minister of RNZ/TVNZ, Seymour should not be in charge of what is perceived to be bias – it will set a terrible precedent.
    
    RNZ and TVNZ are still bound by the BSA, as long at it lasts, and matters relating balance, fairness, and accuracy can be addressed with a complaint.
    
    Seymour is also sort of performing a sort of doublespeak when he says editorial independence is not freedom from accountability – when any form of accountability could be seen as influencing editorial direction.
    
    RNZ continues to have the most trust amongst media in NZ, 57% trust compared with 37% for media in general – with their trust score increasing.
    Trust in News in Aotearoa New Zealand 2026: https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/server/api/core/bitstreams/167d7db5-caec-44f1-b1bf-841399076b3a/content
    
    Politicians starting to or even perceived to be putting pressure on editorial decisions will erode this trust.
    
    And as an aside, I don’t think the metrics that current ministers are holding RNZ to are relevant for RNZ and for a modern audience – “live radio audience”. This is not talk-back where the live nature of it is the appealing part, but segmented programmes that are easily provided as on demand content across a multitude of platforms such as Spotify and the RNZ app. And even then, its radio ratings have increased each year for the past couple of years (as of Dec 2025) as well as the % of NZers that say they access RNZ content at least monthly (Sept 2025).
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:53pm
  - septic skeptic
    
    Seymour is dreaming. TVNZ and RNZ are biased right through to the bone. They might shift a bit if they think they have gone too far while the right is in government. But any gains on that front will be immediately lost as soon as Labour get back in. The only solution is to close them down or sell them for whatever some mug is prepared to pay.
    
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    May 8, 2026 2:52pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  [ Mod – debate an issue … ]
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:55am
  - Clyde
    
    Geddis is married to, or a partner of, Jacinta Ruru of the Otago University – the repository of Liemore pollies. Ruru was one of the authors of He Puapua. Other question – did little Willie Jackson stack the Boards of RNZ and TVNZ?
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:10am
    - David Garrett
      
      [ Mod – your thoughts on someone’s sexuality don’t qualify as “debate” ]
      
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      May 8, 2026 11:23am
  - greybeard
    
    And wears the obligatory greenstone around his neck, just to make the point.
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:14am
    - Jigsaw
      
      It’s not that people wear such virtue signals around their neck -it’s the fact that they make damned sure that the symbol is clearly visible. It would be easy to wear them and keep them private but that is not the purpose.
      
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      May 8, 2026 9:34am
- RoboRob
  
  A terrible and self serving ‘article’ clearly designed to stop any complaints about RNZ bias in the period before the election. To imply that MPs routinely complain about media bias prior to elections is simply untrue.
  
  They should also not be bragging about a 38% trust level. 62% of the population dont trust them and they think Seymours complaints about them are invalid and might lower trust in them?
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:11am
  - Bullion
    
    RNZ Trust is 57%
    https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/server/api/core/bitstreams/167d7db5-caec-44f1-b1bf-841399076b3a/content
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:57pm
- redeye
  
  To defend themselves in this article they bragged about being the most trusted news source, and that 37% of people trusted the news.
  63% distrust is a spectacular failure in my view? Why are we being forced to fund something that the overwhelming majority of taxpayers don’t trust?
  
  AUT’s annual media trust survey last month found 37 percent of respondents trust “most of the news, most of the time” – up from 32 percent last year.
  It found RNZ was the country’s most trusted news brand, followed by the Otago Daily Times and TVNZ.
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:12am
  - Bullion
    
    RNZ Trust is 57%
    https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/server/api/core/bitstreams/167d7db5-caec-44f1-b1bf-841399076b3a/content
    
    37% is news in general, so RNZ is out performing that.
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:57pm
- M.Solvent
  
  It is telling that the RNZ article takes a biased angle. It quotes left wing commentators only, and Andrew Geddis who is quoted as a legal expert (which creates an air of independence) makes highly political comments. The thrust of the article is that it is right wing interference in media that is responsible for low trust in media. It seems more likely that the major cause of low trust is that the media does not approach news or opinion from a viewpoint that aligns with those who distrust it.
  
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  May 8, 2026 11:04am
Pope Punctilious II

Public media are worried about “political inference” with their campaign to get Labour back into power:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/mediawatch/588951/mediawatch-fears-of-interference-and-influence-in-news
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May 8, 2026 8:08am
Maggy Wassilieff

Colour me surprised….

TVNZ peddling disinformation

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/594524/tvnz-found-in-breach-of-broadcasting-standards-over-trump-report
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May 8, 2026 8:12am
- Cassandra
  
  The inaccuracy is amazing. TVNZ twisted Trump’s words 100%. It confirms my jaundiced opinion of our public broadcasters – they are dishonest. I’ve had a similar experience with RNZ. Corrupt.
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:40am
  - sungsamning
    
    Would it take more than a week of parliaments time to introduce and pass a bill removing RNZ, and TVNZs ‘news and current affairs’ budget and staff. I guess ACT could do it as a condition of the next coalition agreement. To satisfy NZF; they’d have to leave in the emergency broadcast facility RNZ has. Just do it.
    
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    May 8, 2026 10:33am
    - Ghost
      
      TVNZ is advertiser funded, there is no news budget from the government
      
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      May 8, 2026 10:39am
      - Graeme Hall
        
        Take the Govt advertising budget spent with TVNZ and see how long it would last in its present form. Not long is my guess.
        
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        May 8, 2026 2:31pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  As I pointed out on another article. I watch the US news channels about this war, as I can’t wait till it’s over and oil prices drop. but from what I see on US news sites is virtually the opposite by the time one News talks about the same news item.
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:11am
  - leoj
    
    I would have thought that the demolition of Iran’s nuclear cabability would trump oil prices.
    
    Oil means nothing if Iran terrorizes the world.
    
    The war is nine weeks old. WW II took six years. Have patience. Trump has got this.
    
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    May 8, 2026 9:44am
    - David Garrett
      
      leoj: “Trump has got this”…Are you serious? For a start, “this” changes from day to day if not hour to hour – a prime example: he was going to have the US Navy escort ships through the strait; less than 24 later he wasn’t. God knows what “this” he has got today.
      
      As for your comparison with WW II…I don’t know about six years, but I can well imagine the world still being caught up in the mess which your boy has created into 2027. Let’s hope like hell I am wrong…
      
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      May 8, 2026 11:27am
      - Ghost
        
        I’m not sure what he has got
        
        US intelligence assessments indicate that the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a US-Israeli attack had pushed back the timeline to up to a year, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
        
        Article
        
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        May 8, 2026 11:35am
      - Don Beckett
        
        The pause on Operation Freedom has been over for nearly a day – but our MSM are usually 48 hours behind the real news.
        
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        May 8, 2026 12:26pm
      - Notsofast
        
        So if it is a year from here to a terrorist funding state to get nukes, what is the correct action now?
        Stop the war without eliminating the nuke threat?
        I don’t understand this.
        Every president, Clinton through Biden, and Hilary Clinton as secretary of state said never nukes for Iran.
        Energy and trade will stabilize, but Islamists will not.
        Everybody knows, as Leonard Cohen intoned.
        
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        May 8, 2026 12:34pm
      - Ra Henare
        
        David, you say.
        “”less than 24 later he wasn’t.””
        
        Yes, Being picky..
        Think you might find it was more than 48 hours.!
        
        From Sunday Lunch time(announcement)
        to Suspension announcement Tuesday Evening
        
        But I get the point.
        
        TACO Trump wins again?
        
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        May 8, 2026 12:58pm
      - leoj
        
        So it’s okay for Iran to keep changing the goalposts but not Trump?
        
        He is playing cat and mouse with the IIRG, keeping them guessing.
        
        WW II did last from Sept 39 to Aug 45 – pretty much six years. This one has barely started.
        
        It’s okay to hate Trump but he is the ONLY world leader to tackle the Iranian threat. There will be twists and turns but only one winner.
        
        Stop watching CNN or getting your news from the Washington Post or the NY Times. Like you, they hate Trump any reason whatsoever.
        
        Trust me – he’s got this.
        
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        May 9, 2026 12:51pm
    - Paulus
      
      Iran has been creating worldwide terror for over 40 years, not six weeks !
      
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      May 8, 2026 3:00pm
  - RoboRob
    
    NZ media tend to have a 100% negative outlook on anything Trump related. The result of this is that the only US related news we get are ‘bad’ new stories. Anything remotely positive involving Trump is simply not coverred at all. Part of this is likely where they source their stores (CNN & AP?) but there is also a bias too.
    
    If you only watched NZ media you would have a 100% anti Trump / repbulican perspective.
    
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    May 8, 2026 10:02am
    - Interested Party
      
      If I discussing Trump or the war with others, I now ask what are your news sources – if it’s the standard NZ media sources I back off on the discussion as we are watching two different movies on the same screen (ala Scott Adams)
      
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      May 8, 2026 10:15am
      - sungsamning
        
        Yes, the best Iran War source is Tousi TV. And one of the best best resources on wider issues is Promethean Action.
        
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        May 8, 2026 10:36am
    - Hard Cheese
      
      Could you give us an example of something remotely positive involving Trump?
      
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      May 8, 2026 2:35pm
      - Sane Voice
        
        I know you have already caught TDS so I won’t bother.
        
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        May 8, 2026 7:23pm
      - Ghost
        
        simple question, either you can supply an example, or you post a childish unintelligent comment about TDS and don’t
        
        To help you out, I will give you one
        
        The task force rescuing trafficked and exploited migrant children
        
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        May 8, 2026 7:49pm
- Bullion
  
  Don’t worry, soon the BSA won’t exist and stories like this will just go unchecked and no recourse for correction.
  
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  May 8, 2026 1:01pm
Notsofast

Interesting that Canada Wales and Ireland have 2 official languages, in each case one of them is English.
Yet RNZ featured in a debate, only people adamant it was a mistake to make English an official language here.
Sharon Harvey and David Geddes from memory.
The arguments in favour, including public safety in emergencies, are beyond compelling.
David Seymour is correct to replace the RNZ board. The above is a clear example of bias in favour of an anomalous situation.
Thanks to Michael Laws on the Platform for bringing these similar country examples to our attention.
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May 8, 2026 8:19am
- kowtow
  
  The simple fact is English is our de facto official language. Parliament, courts , laws every official function is conducted in Eng .
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:50am
  - Yvette
    
    Kowtow – English is our de facto official language
    
    And as one example: Hansard is in English and translates the official New Zealand language Maori into the at present unofficial language English.
    
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    May 8, 2026 11:47am
  - Bullion
    
    which is why it doesn’t need to be made an official language – other than appeasing culture warriors.
    
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    May 8, 2026 1:03pm
    - Paulus
      
      Primative invented and recently created language now taken as Gospel (Maori Gospel, of course) !
      
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      May 8, 2026 3:03pm
Swifty

It is now abundantly clear to me that, in these days of multiculturalism, postal voting is now past its use by date. We should no longer use it – it is too easy for corrupt players to manipulate, for their own political ends, as we’ve seen both here and overseas.

https://www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/exclusive-shabana-mahmoods-postal-ballot-was-investigated-in-a-2004-vote-rigging-scandal-in-birmingham/

Even the current UK Home Secretary is tainted – and you’ll never convince me those two signatures were written by the same hand.
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May 8, 2026 8:27am
imalwaysright

I’m thinking the only purpose of the Fast track RMA is for Iwi to get their extortion money faster….
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May 8, 2026 9:00am
Handyman

We will know the Iran war is a success when the media stop calling it Trump’s war.
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May 8, 2026 9:08am
- MCōs
  
  According to Trump it already is a success and has been for the last month.
  Here’s an article on the subject.
  To confuse the situation someone has resumed attacking Iran this morning
  https://theconversation.com/trump-administration-claiming-a-win-against-iran-heres-a-report-card-282294
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:08am
  - Ghost
    
    US
    
    https://x.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/2052487874352660530?
    
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    May 8, 2026 10:12am
    - Ghost
      
      Confirmed by Trump
      
      https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116535672760322109
      
      The strikes were a love tap…
      https://x.com/rachelvscott/status/2052515580784066672?
      
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      May 8, 2026 11:44am
  - David Garrett
    
    MCos: Yesterday the BBC had a snippet in which he said the offensive part of the war was now “concluded”…God only knows what he will say today.
    
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    May 8, 2026 11:46am
    - Ghost
      
      That’s because he had reached the time limit on when he would then need congressional approval.
      
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      May 8, 2026 11:51am
      - David Garrett
        
        Ghost: Not according to Vance…he argued that the 60 day (I think it is??) time limit “paused” because of the ceasefire. I have not read the relevant law, so can’t really comment on that interpretation .
        
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        May 8, 2026 12:12pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Professor Brian Boyd’s essay on Auckland University’s attempt to install a race-based curriculum throughout its faculties is a great read.

https://openinquiry.nz/place-or-race-in-education/
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May 8, 2026 9:13am
- David Garrett
  
  This from the university formerly known as the University of Auckland:
  
  “……Māori knowledges and ways of knowing, and the relationality of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
  
  I don’t know what the last bit means…”Maori Knowledges”…at least we are spared “the learnings”
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:34am
  - Quail
    
    Well no ,DG, we are are not spared!
    Enshrined in RMA literature is “ the one who knows”
    One whose word is law , usually a Maori elder.
    About one third of of the training of RMA decision making is Maori focused and there is a lot of it.
    
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    May 8, 2026 5:05pm
- Swifty
  
  That was excellent.
  
  Yep, further evidence, as if we needed any, that the left has not only completely infiltrated our civic institutions but are now openly, and without shame, using our institutions to further their own political objectives.
  
  As far as I’m concerned they’ve completely lost their social license to operate. We should shut them down and throw these political operatives out on their ear.
  
  Our democracy is too important to allow this subversion to continue.
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:40am
  - Paulus
    
    Sadly whatever we would do cannot change what has and continues to happen all the time, no matter what we do orthink.
    Very sad really but cannot be changed as it is too deeply embodded no matter what Parliament and the people say and want.
    For 16% of the poulation we have been truly stuffed.
    
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    May 8, 2026 3:11pm
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Yes it’s an incisive article. But so depressing to see things are that bad even at Auckland, which I understand is one of the least ideologically-captured of our universities.
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:28am
RoboRob

New Zealand’s economy is recovering gradually but global turbulence, unemployment, ‘subdued’ net migration and high electricity prices are impacting momentum, an OECD economic survey report says

https://www.interest.co.nz/economy/138392/new-zealand%E2%80%99s-economy-recovering-gradually-global-turbulence-unemployment-subdued

Amazing, the OECD can see that one of the biggest hurdles to our economy is our electricity prices yet neither Labour or National have done a thing about it. Watts came in saying there was a crisis and for 2.5 years did nothing more then tweak a few minor rules around gens.

Luxon has recently removed Watts from the portfolio to almost no media coverage, no one has asked why he lost the portfolio. It is pretty clear that Luxon wanted someone in the portfolio to fend of questions prior to the election. The new Minister will be saying ‘thats before my time, I am focusing on whats required going forward’.
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May 8, 2026 9:18am
imalwaysright

Nicola Willis was on the transistor this morning warning of power cuts at the next drought.
Recently Chris Luxon was opening another Data Centre.

If our electricity supply is under threat then why are we allowing Data Centres to be established?
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May 8, 2026 9:30am
- kowtow
  
  The solution is obvious ; coal.
  
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  May 8, 2026 9:52am
  - [email protected]
    
    Nuclear power plants.
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:45pm
  - Graeme Hall
    
    According to the sound cut on ZB this morning Ms Willis is keen on installing more wind & solar power plants. That means only turning on your radio when either the sun is up or the wind is blowing (but not too hard).
    
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    May 8, 2026 2:40pm
- RoboRob
  
  Wilis warning of power cuts? If only National were in power so they could do something about that…. Oh wait.
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:05am
  - imalwaysright
    
    Operational madder….
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:11pm
  - R
    
    R R National are NOT in power. The COALITION is in control of the countries future fortunes. At least they are not as incompetent as the last govt.
    
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    May 8, 2026 5:00pm
- Ghost
  
  Actually, what she was talking about was the price of electricity with gas drying up will cause the price to go up, and that the LNG port will help, further down the track solar and batteries.
  
  I’d really suggest people just listen to what she said
  
  https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/nicola-willis-finance-minister-on-the-oecd-report-looking-at-the-impact-of-our-current-superannuation-settings-on-the-economy/
  
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  May 8, 2026 12:24pm
  - RoboRob
    
    Hows that LNG port going?
    
    ‘The Government has agreed to move forward with a shortlist of accelerated delivery solutions we received from the Registrations of Interest process in 2025. These will be developed further, and we are aiming to have a preferred provider confirmed by mid-2026.
    
    An accelerated delivery model could see an LNG import facility operational in 2027 or early 2028, depending on the type of infrastructure required. Shortlisted submissions are all capable of delivering at least 12 PJ of gas over three months – enough to meet winter demand.
    
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    May 8, 2026 1:16pm
    - Ghost
      
      As your post says the preferred provider will be announced by the middle of the year, so your impatience doesn’t have many more sleeps
      
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      May 8, 2026 1:34pm
  - Paulus
    
    I think she has recently come into her own with the so called media !
    
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    May 8, 2026 3:13pm
lifesgood

I went to my nephew’s graduation ceremony in Auckland this week. There were several hundred graduates to get through. Two things I noted. When polynesian students were capped the noise from their relatives was deafening and raucous and when Maori students were capped their relatives stood up and sang waiatas, stalling proceedings. If every student’s family got up and sang the ceremony would last all day and be extremely tedious. I just don’t understand this Maori privilege.
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May 8, 2026 9:38am
- RoboRob
  
  It is incredibly annoying and really unfair on non Maori graduates who only get a handshake and 2 seconds of clapping. I know sometimes establishments run TWO ceremonies, one for Maori and one for everyone else. Thats great becuase it really speeds up the process for the non Maori.
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:07am
- MCōs
  
  I’ve been to three graduation ceremonies over the last fifteen years or so.
  The first in Bangkok where only the graduates were present and they received their degrees from the King (who was three hours late) in a very rapid ceremony while we all melted outside in 35°
  A lot of these ceremonies are shown on TV.
  The next one was at Hamilton where my niece picked up a doctorate and half the other graduates were Asian. Plenty of haka and waiata at the third one the other day in Auckland which livened up what could have been a tedious few hours.
  A Filipino family sat in front of us and when their boy walked across the stage they were very emotional. His mum yelled out that she loved him so much!
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:28am
  - lifesgood
    
    It would have been less than a few hours without waiata. Let’s face it everyone is only there to see their loved one capped not to listen to entitled people making a show.
    
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    May 8, 2026 1:09pm
- sungsamning
  
  I went to the Uni of Canterbury one at Wolfbrook Arena in April. There was none of that. And there was a minimum of woke garbage. I was pleasantly surprised.
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:41am
- Swifty
  
  Bring back the days of an All Black, upon scoring a try, just calmly picks up the ball and walks back into position.
  
  None of this whooping and teammates leaping about.
  
  That’s what I say.
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:44am
  - MCōs
    
    You ever wonder why the Warriors are so popular even though they’ve never won a Grand Final?
    Everyone goes nuts when they score a try. Players and spectators
    Gone are the days when Colin Meads thumped someone who was getting the better of him in the lineouts
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:10pm
    - Swifty
      
      Popular with easily-excitable blockheads, yes, I quite agree.
      
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      May 8, 2026 12:32pm
      - MCōs
        
        I’ll add that to the growing list of childish insults people in this neck of the woods encounter
        
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        May 8, 2026 3:12pm
      - Swifty
        
        Please do.
        
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        May 8, 2026 4:08pm
- Paulus
  
  They do !
  
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  May 8, 2026 3:13pm
mandk

Why is there no English name for Wai Tiaki, the new water authority in the Wellington region?

If there was an English name but no Māori name, it would provoke accusations of racism.
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May 8, 2026 9:39am
- MCōs
  
  The English translation for Tiaki Wai would be Watercare, which is already taken.
  
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  May 8, 2026 3:01pm
  - mandk
    
    I think the name Watercare is trade-marked.
    
    But does that mean we couldn’t have Watercare Auckland and Watercare Wellington? They wouldn’t be competing and there would be no confusion over the names.
    
    In any case, I wasn’t arguing that the English name for the organisation should be a direct translation of Wai Tiaki.
    
    It could be something like Water Done Well, or Better Water Wellington.
    
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    May 8, 2026 4:09pm
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Perhaps they should not have selected Tiaki Wai, then. Usually, a new company picks a name that is not already in use. As we live in a bilingual country, neither Watercare nor its translation, Tiaki Wai, should have been available.
    
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    May 8, 2026 7:20pm
redeye

Yesterday 3 ISIS brides and nine of their children returned to Australia and caused a real stink. One female journalist was punched in the face at Tullamarine.
There were very loud calls for them to be banned outright. I’m interested in other peoples view on this.
They are apparently Australian citizens. I personally think allowing a country to ban the entry of one of it’s own citizens, regardless of what they have done overseas, is a slippery slope. If you are a citizen then you that country is your home.
But don’t take this as any support for these dispicable people. They should be charged and tried for being a member and/or supporting a designated terrorist organisation. And hopefully jailed for a very long time.
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May 8, 2026 10:12am
- Ian
  
  Have a look at Sky News Australia – three of these women to be charged…
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:40am
- Swifty
  
  I guess that’s right, but I’d add that no nation should feel obliged to assist or facilitate their return.
  
  If they make it back under their own steam then, yes, charge them with any laws broken.
  
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  May 8, 2026 10:47am
- David Garrett
  
  red eye: Sadly you are quite right re the slippery slope that would be created by banning citizens for what they had done outside the country. But this is the salient fact: the vast majority of the Islamist terrorists are – like these stupid women – the children of the original migrants.
  
  As I have said here many times no matter how carefully you select “moderate” Muslims as immigrants, no-one has any idea how their children will turn out. In a nutshell, that is the reason I advocate for a complete cessation of ALL Muslim immigration.
  
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  May 8, 2026 11:54am
  - Paulus
    
    We had the Helen Clark approve of the Tampa refugees, from which we hear many of the offspring went to Sydny and now for a Tampa Gang of thugs (Lebanese) causing much consternation, as their off springs are now continuing as bad.
    We have not got that bad yet !
    
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    May 8, 2026 3:24pm
    - MCōs
      
      The refugees on the Tampa were from Afghanistan.
      
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      May 8, 2026 4:02pm
    - Hugh Jarse
      
      Worked in Wellington with one of the young’s guy off the Tampa, lovely young guy who was very good in his area of expertise. Have you got a source for the Sydney connections ?
      
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      May 8, 2026 4:18pm
    - Jack5
      
      The “Tampa boys” will have become NZ citizens, and as such able to go through the visa-free back door to Australia. Perhaps they’re Aussie citizens by now.
      
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      May 8, 2026 10:37pm
- rouppe
  
  The women are Australian citizens. But are the children that were born overseas?
  
  Is any dna testing going to be done to confirm they actually ARE the children of the woman that claims to be their mother?
  
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  May 8, 2026 4:45pm
sungsamning

Trump crushes Republicans who defied him on redistricting, while the Supreme Court guts the Voting Rights Act. Now both parties are racing to redraw America’s political map before the 2026 midterms. [No more racist districts, and plenty of unhappy Dems, and RINOs. What’s not to love. Its good to see that SCOTUS read the Constitution.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0kFTJ2YUHw
The Supreme Court Just Changed Elections FOREVER.
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May 8, 2026 10:23am
- jacthecat
  
  Are you seriously in favour of blatant gerrymandering to distort voting rights? Yes, I know both US parties do it but it is still reprehensible.
  
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  May 8, 2026 1:03pm
  - Sane Voice
    
    It’s just catch-up.
    
    Look at the states the democrats have gerrymandered in perpetuity long before this republican pushback.
    
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    May 8, 2026 3:10pm
  - sungsamning
    
    I like when the constitution is enforced. An independent electoral body would be needed to stop gerrymandering. and that’s never likely to happen. Dems and Republicans take turns. So, one out of two is the best that can be done.
    
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    May 8, 2026 3:13pm
sungsamning

The insurgent Green Party is reportedly investigating dozens of its council candidates for alleged antisemitism as the multicultural-leftist faces having its momentum stalled by scandal. [Wow! Who’d have thunk it. Collectivists don’t like Jews.
The left-wing Labour Party, which has been bleeding supporters to the more radical Greens, is said to have produced a dossier of social media posts by 25 Green Party candidates, supposedly including a string of “harrowing anti-Semitism, dangerous conspiracy theories and appalling comments supporting Hamas.” Color me unsurprised.]
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/05/06/dozens-of-green-party-candidates-investigated-over-alleged-antisemitism-report/
Dozens of Green Party Candidates Investigated over Alleged Antisemitism: Report.
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May 8, 2026 10:23am
Scooter

Here’s a great video of Marco Rubio at a press conference, funny guy and adept at handling the press, Luxon should watch this over and over. Also interesting at the end he’s asked about how other countries have offered help with the Iran conflict and says many have but don’t have the capabilities, they don’t have a navy or can’t get there in time. With Winston’s recent visit I think he must be referencing NZ. In any case how great would he be as the next president.

https://youtu.be/JlyEtzhuZO0?is=EzTRuIcbdSYs14X_
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May 8, 2026 10:46am
- RoboRob
  
  Yes. I think Rubio would be an awesome president, better then JD Vance I suspect. Certainly it would be a return to more ‘calm’ politics in the US, without the tweets etc.
  
  If he ever does run expect him to be branded a racist nazi.
  
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  May 8, 2026 11:00am
  - Scooter
    
    Interesting also was how respectful the press were in asking questions, unlike here, addressing him before each question as Secretary Rubio.
    
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    May 8, 2026 11:14am
  - Scooter
    
    I doubt it even the left would have a weak arguement against him, his parents were Cubans, of Spanish and Italian descent, who immigrated to the United States in 1956. He speaks Spanish.
    
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    May 8, 2026 11:27am
    - RoboRob
      
      The left hapily call black republicans racist, I doubt Rubios family history will stop them calling him an authoritarian nazi any more then Trumps history of hiring and working with multiple ethnicities stopped then calling him a racist or Trumps history of hiring woman stopped them calling him sexist.
      
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      May 8, 2026 1:21pm
  - Steve Todd
    
    @RoboRob @ 11:00AM
    
    Anthony Scaramucci has been saying for several months now that Trump is going to put both Vance and Rubio “through the woodchipper” (a reference to the scene in the movie Fargo) – Vance first, then Rubio – before the end of the term.
    
    See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULXN5E1q5XY&t=66s [27:10], in particular, between 13:15 and 14:10.
    
    Given that Trump is a malignant narcissist, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. He doesn’t care in the least what happens after 20 January 2029. He’s only interested in himself, his immediate family, and how much extra wealth he can acquire, by fair means or foul, between now and then.
    
    I don’t know who it will be, but I suspect the next president will be the Democratic Party’s nominee.
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:17pm
    - RoboRob
      
      ‘Anthony Scaramucci’ !
      
      Hardly a non biased opinion piece. The guy who hates Trump so much he supported a guy with dementia.
      
      Wiki
      In June 2020, Scaramucci joined with Matt Borges and other well-known Republican operatives to launch Right Side PAC, a super PAC aiming to prevent Trump’s re-election as president and support his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.[67] Scaramucci served as an adviser to the group.[68][69] He was one of multiple other Trump former officials to endorse Biden.[70]
      
      Scaramucci reiterated his support for Biden (and later Kamala Harris) in 2024
      
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      May 8, 2026 1:25pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        Why must he, or any other commentator, be non-biased? Scaramucci is a Republican who, very justifiably, in my view, opposes Trump. Nothing wrong with that. He is very well connected and is talking to the “movers and shakers” daily. It is his opinion that Vance and Rubio will be sabotaged by Trump before the term is out. That is simply opinion, not bias.
        
        Many commenters here put up links to commentators, because those commentators put forward points-of-view favoured by the commenters: usually a right-wing point-of-view. You don’t see me respond by saying, “hardly non-biased”.
        
        Is the commentator du jour, Ani O’Brien, non-biased? Of course not. She comments on the issues of the day from a right-wing point-of-view, and good on her. Can you name any commentators who are genuinely non-biased, all the time? I doubt it.
        
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        May 8, 2026 1:48pm
      - RoboRob
        
        @Steve Todd
        
        Fair call. I guess we will have to wait and see if he is right. If I recall correctly he was saying Trump will fire Rubio (becuase hes too competant) this year.
        
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        May 8, 2026 2:59pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        @RoboRob @ 2:59PM
        
        Yep, time will tell.
        
        You should watch all 27 minutes of the link I gave. It’s good stuff. At about 10:15, onwards, Scaramucci says Trump will fire Rubio before the end of the term.
        
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        May 8, 2026 3:35pm
      - MCōs
        
        Rubio is Trump’s third Secretary of State. He went cold on the other two from his first term
        NB
        Nobody seems to go cold on Winston as Foreign Minister. (Maybe he holds too many cards)
        
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        May 8, 2026 4:39pm
    - NothingLeft
      
      That is left-wing thinking. On the right, and most typically in male dominant organizations A’s hire A’s because they are confident in their own competence and position, and know that they will be more likely to succeed in competition collaborating with other highly competent people. Trump, for all his faults, comes from a business environment where that lesson was beaten into him repeatedly over decades.
      
      On the left and in most typically female dominant organizations B’s hire C’s. They are status obsessed and mostly suffer from paranoia and lack of confidence in their own competence and so do not want to promote or hire or raise profile of anyone who might threaten their primacy. This leads to poorly performing organizations stacked with incompetence and endlessly wasting their focus on internecine conflict. Look at the colossal talent vacuum in NZ and UK Labour and (in the US) the Democrat party that comes from this behavior.
      
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      May 8, 2026 4:00pm
  - Jack5
    
    Up unusually early a day or two ago. TVNZ had ~~then~~ Tova and Chris Chang. Nothing much to watch.
    
    Switching channels, stumbled on Al Jazeera with Rubio giving a full news conference. He impressed as capable, informed, and confident.
    
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    May 8, 2026 12:44pm
- sungsamning
  
  Yes, works for me. He’s very personable, and speaks fluent Spanish. Plus he has a sense of humor, and is competent.
  
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  May 8, 2026 3:15pm
Swifty

Either Democrat lying or insanity is on display.

Take you pick which one it is:

https://x.com/endwokeness/status/2052509831370620993?s=46
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May 8, 2026 11:05am
Jack5

Three ISIS brides who have returned to Australia will be charged with crimes against humanity and slavery.

Compare with the video clip in the second link, of Jacinda Ardern telling off Australia over its stance on ISIS brides.

Australia —

https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/05/08/isis-brides-met-by-chaotic-scenes-charges-on-return-to-australia/

New Zealand — Ardern tells off Australia on the ISIS brides:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/isis-terrorist-bride-returns-to-nz-suhayra-aden-will-be-closely-monitored-counter-terrorism-expert-says/ODZ3FUAJEIPFKNGI2HMMSOGK5I/
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May 8, 2026 12:31pm
- NothingLeft
  
  Women can typically avoid significant jail time by getting pregnant. Women are generally given the benefit of the doubt and leniency in sentencing far more than men.
  
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  May 8, 2026 4:03pm
- rouppe
  
  I’m actually a little bit surprised they can come back. Not because the women aren’t Australian citizens, they are. But their kids are not. All the kids were born in Syria to Syrian men, weren’t they?
  
  Surely the kids would need visas? Which can be rejected.
  
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  May 8, 2026 4:41pm
Ghost

Have to wait and see what is actually released at aliens.gov

Just now… sources in the White House as well as Congressional members tell me and @G_Knapp that the Presidential UFO file release will begin tomorrow.

We are told it will be slow and steady at first. Nothing shocking initially. Let’s see where this goes! This is VERY encouraging – that this administration is following through. More data means more leverage for those of us fighting for UAP transparency.

X post
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May 8, 2026 12:34pm
- RoboRob
  
  Noooooo.
  
  Now we will get all the conspiracy theorists combing through the docs pointing out inaccuracies and missing stuff as evidence of a government cover up.
  
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  May 8, 2026 3:01pm
- MCōs
  
  It’s Friday afternoon and the breaking news is coming thick and fast
  Sir Rod Drury has relinquished his New Zealand of the Year title, but says “I completely reject the recent allegations about me”.
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360976265/sir-rod-drury-returns-new-zealander-year-award-after-stuff-investigation
  
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  May 8, 2026 4:13pm
Rusty

What does Ardern do for a job in Australia?
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May 8, 2026 1:40pm
- Clyde
  
  How do you mean? The only proper work experience the comrade has had to my knowledge outside of that paid for by the taxpayers has been in a fish and chip shop. Am I wrong?
  
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  May 8, 2026 3:07pm
- Mod88
  
  Nothing, absolutely nothing.
  
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  May 8, 2026 3:50pm
- NothingLeft
  
  She gets free air travel and $50k a year for life from NZ taxpayer. And could have saved a few $million from time as PM, as well as some fat cheques from left wing donors to spread the Kindness™ and deliver the odd preachy speech. Maybe she is just being a mum.
  
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  May 8, 2026 4:06pm
  - Ghost
    
    She does not get free international travel, and can only get free domestic travel if the trip is in relation to her former role as PM
    
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    May 8, 2026 4:17pm
Ra Henare

I am always amused when I read OECD REVIEW or similiar, which journos/commenters latch on to.

Some years ago I wondered, who atcually writes these review. Person or persons. OECD is just an organisation.

So some digging behind this years report.

It seems the 2 “”managers ” of this report are
ex Kiwi David Haugh and Pommy based academic Luiz de Mello.

They come (team of 3-5) for 1 to 2 weeks in January/February where they have gab fests with Gummint(Civil Servants with their bias) , and some non Gummint bods. Then write a report.

So it is not, what some might say, an INDEPTH analysis over a period of time.

But there you go OECD another trough for economists and other hangers on.

How far from reality is their report. Buggared if I know. But wouldnt take their report as gospel.
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May 8, 2026 4:22pm
Ghost

can i have some butter popcorn please, oh and a coke

Just six months out from the election, Stuff understands rank-and-file Te Pāti Māori MPs are considering whether to break away from the party.

article
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May 8, 2026 6:20pm
- PeterTrentham
  
  Just like the old days, Maori cannibalising each other.
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:12pm
- rouppe
  
  Earlier this week, the entire Te Pāti Māori Te Tai Tonga electorate committee resigned. That committee had been backing Ferris, even though he was no longer in Te Pāti Māori.
  
  Oh, hadn’t heard that…
  
  Imagine if say even Sam Uffindel’s electorate committee had resigned. There’d be huge coverage.
  
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  May 8, 2026 8:31pm

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